Notes for this theme
Reading comfort
GRM 188.6 · Volume 3
I will reply to you with eternal words, because they are words of the Book, and the Book will exist as long as man exists. Believed or mocked at, employed to defend the truth or scorned at, it will always exist.
About the Bible.
GRM 188.6 · Volume 3
Why do you wish to amaze people by means of obscure prodigies? Amaze them through your holiness, which should be as bright as things coming from God.
GRM 188.6 · Volume 3
Do not crave for sin, but for holiness, son.
GRM 188.6 · Volume 3
What more do you wish to know than the Word already tells you? What more do you wish to perform than your goodness and My power enable you to perform? Do not crave for sin, but for holiness, son.
GRM 188.6 · Volume 3
Put wings as bright as the sun, wings of an angel on your spirit. By the simple breeze caused by flapping them you will attract hearts and will lead them in your wake to God.
GRM 188.9 · Volume 3
«Here, take this. It’s the key of my house. I am going away, for good. I am grateful to you because you are my benefactor. You have given me a family. Do what you like with my property… and look after my chicken. Treat them well. A Roman comes every Sabbath and buys eggs… You will make a profit… Take care of my little hens… and may God reward you for it.»
The old man is astonished… He takes the key and stands open-mouthed.
Jesus says: «Yes, do as he told you and I will be grateful to you, too. I bless you in the name of Jesus.»
«The Nazarene! You! Mercy! I have spoken to the Lord! Women! Men! The Messiah is here!»
He screams like an eagle and people rush from everywhere.
«Bless us! Bless us!» they shout. Some shout: «Stay here!» and others: «Where are You going? At least tell us where You are going.»
«To Nain. I cannot stay.»
«We will follow You. Do You mind?»
«Come. Peace and blessing to those who remain here.»
They go towards the main road and take it.
Jean d'En-Dor leaves everything behind and gives the key to his house to an old man. The old man understands that Jesus is the Messiah.
GRM 188.10 · Volume 3
The man, who is walking near Jesus and can hardly carry his haversack, attracts Peter’s curiosity. «What have you got in there that is so heavy?» he asks.
«My clothes… and some books… My friends after and at the same time as the chicken. I could not part with them. But they are heavy.»
«Eh! Science is heavy! Of course! And who likes it, eh?»
«They prevented me from becoming mad.»
«Eh! You must be fond of them! What books are they?»
«Philosophy, history, Greek and Roman poetry…»
«Lovely, certainly lovely. But… do you think you will be able to carry them with you?»
«Perhaps I will be able to part with them. But you cannot do everything at once, can you, Messiah?»
«Call Me Master. No, you cannot. But I will let you have a place where you will be able to keep your friends, your books. They may help you to talk about God with the heathens.»
«Oh! How free Your thought is from all restrictions!»
Jesus smiles and Peter exclaims: «No wonder! He is Wisdom!»
«And Goodness, believe me. And are you learned?»
«Me? Oh! Most learned. I can tell an allice from a carp and my erudition ends there. I am a fisherman, my friend!» and Peter smiles humbly and frankly.
«You are an honest man. It is a science you learn by yourself. And a very difficult one to learn. I like you.»
«And I like you, too. Because you are sincere. Even when you accuse yourself. I forgive everything, I help everybody. But I am a ruthless enemy of false people. They make me sick.»
«You are right. A false man is a delinquent.»
«A delinquent. You are right. Say, would you mind giving me your sack for a little while? In any case, you may be sure that I will not run away with books… I think you are finding it difficult.
«Twenty years in a mine breaks your back… But why do you want to toil?»
«Because the Master has taught us to love one another like brothers. Give them to me. And take my rags. My bag is not heavy… There is no history, no poetry in it. My history, my poetry and the other thing you mentioned, is He, my Jesus, our Jesus.»
I'll find you a place to keep your friends, the books. They will be useful for discussing God with pagans. Allusion to Antioch in Syria, where John of Gold was forced into exile, but where, with Syntica's help, the future Christian community of which the Acts of the Apostles speaks was founded.
GRM 189.1-5 · Volume 3
Nain must have been a town of some importance in the days of Jesus. It is not a large town, but is well built, surrounded by its walls, lying on a low pleasant hill, an off shoot of the Little Hermon, commanding a very fertile plain which stretches towards the north-east.
One arrives here coming from Endor, after crossing a little river, which flows into the Jordan. But neither the Jordan nor its valley can be seen any longer, because they are concealed by hills which form an arch shaped like a question mark in the east.
Jesus follows a main road which links the lake region to the Hermon and its villages. Many inhabitants of Endor walk behind Him talking to one another animatedly.
Only a short distance separates the group of the apostles from the walls: about two hundred yards, at the most. And as the main road runs straight to one of the town gates, which is wide open because it is broad daylight, it is possible to see what is happening in the inner side of the walls. Thus Jesus, Who is speaking to the apostles and the new convert, sees a funeral coming towards them, with a great noise of weepers and similar eastern displays.
«Shall we go and see, Master?» ask many. And many of the inhabitants of Endor are already rushing to see.
«Yes, let us go» says Jesus condescendingly.
«Oh! It must be a boy. See how many flowers and ribbons there are on the stretcher» says Judas of Kerioth to John.
«Or it is probably a virgin» replies John.
«No, it is certainly a young man, because of the shades they have used. And there is no myrtle either…» says Bartholomew.
The funeral comes out from the other side of the walls. It is not possible to see what there is on the stretcher, which is carried shoulder high by the bearers. One understands that there is a corpse, wrapped in bandages and covered by a sheet, only because of its outline and that it is the body of a fully grown person, because it is as long as the stretcher.
A veiled woman is walking beside it, weeping, supported by relatives or friends. The only sincere tears in all that farce of mourners. And when a bearer trips on a stone or heap in the ground or stumbles and causes the stretcher to shake, the mother moans: «Oh! No! Be careful! My boy has suffered so much!» and she raises her trembling hand to caress the edge of the stretcher. And as she is unable to do anything else, she kisses the veils and the ribbons, which blown by a gentle breeze lightly touch the immobile corpse.
Peter, sympathetic, his good keen eyes welling up with tears whispers: «She is the mother.» But he is not the only one whose eyes are shining with tears at the sight. Also the Zealot, Andrew, John, and even the ever merry Thomas have tears in their eyes. They are all deeply moved. Judas Iscariot whispers: «If it were I! Oh! Poor mother of mine…»
189.2
Jesus, the kindness of Whose eyes is so deep as to be unbearable, makes His way towards the stretcher.
The mother, who is now sobbing louder because the funeral is about to turn towards the open sepulchre, pushes Him aside resolutely, when she sees that Jesus wants to touch the stretcher. I wonder what she is afraid of in her grief. She shouts: «He is mine!» and looks at Jesus with staring eyes.
«I know, mother. He is yours.»
«He is my only son! Why should he die, he was so good and dear, he was my joy, and I am a widow. Why?» The crowd of the hired mourners mourn more loudly, forming a chorus with the mother who continues: «Why he, and not I? It is not just that she who has borne a child, should see her offspring perish. The offspring must live, otherwise why was my womb torn to give birth to a man?» and she strikes her abdomen wildly and desperately.
«Do not do that! Do not weep, mother.» Jesus takes her hands clenching them firmly in His left hand, while with His right one He touches the stretcher saying to the bearers: «Stop and put the stretcher down.»
The bearers obey and lower the little bed that rests on its four legs.
Jesus takes the sheet covering the dead boy and pulls it back uncovering the corpse.
The mother shouts her grief and the name of her son, I think: «Daniel!»
Jesus, still clenching the mother’s hands in His, stands up, His eyes imposingly bright, the power of miracle shining majestically on His face, lowering His right hand, orders in the full strength of His voice: «Young man! I tell you: get up!»
189.3
The dead boy, wrapped in bandages as he is, sits up on the little bed and calls: «Mother!» He calls her with the stammering frightened voice of a terrified child.
«He is yours, woman. I give him to you in the name of God. Help him to get rid of the sudarium. And be happy.»
And Jesus makes the gesture of withdrawing. Impossible! The crowds rivet Him to the stretcher, on which the mother has thrown herself groping for the bandages, endeavouring to be quick, while the imploring childish moaning repeats: «Mother! Mother!»
The sudarium and bandages are undone and mother and son can embrace each other, and they do so without bothering about the sticky balms, which the mother removes from his dear face and hands, making use of the same bandages. As she has not clothes to put on him, she takes off her mantle and wraps him in it, caressing him all the time…
189.4
Jesus looks at her… he looks at the loving group, close together on the edge of the little bed, no longer a stretcher, and He weeps.
Judas Iscariot sees His tears and asks: «Why are You weeping, my Lord?»
Jesus turns His face towards him and says: «I am thinking of My Mother…»
The brief conversation draws the woman’s attention to her Benefactor. She takes her son by the hand, she supports him because his limbs are still somewhat numb, and kneeling down she says: «You, too, my son. Bless this Holy man Who has restored you to life and to your mother» and she bends to kiss Jesus’ tunic while the crowd sing hosannas to God and to His Messiah, Who by now is well known for what He is, because the apostles and the people of Endor have taken it upon themselves to tell Who is He Who worked the miracle. And the crowds exclaim: «Blessed be the God of Israel. Blessed be the Messiah, His Messenger! Blessed be Jesus, Son of David! A great Prophet is risen among us! God has really visited His people! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!»
189.5
At last Jesus can steal away and enter the town. The crowd follow and pursue Him, exulting in their love.
A man rushes towards Jesus and bows deeply to Him. «Please come and stay under my roof.»
«I cannot. Passover prevents Me from making any stop except those programmed.»
«In a few hours it will be sunset and this is Friday…»
«Exactly, that is why I must reach My resting place before sunset. I thank you just the same. But do not keep Me back.»
«I am the head of the synagogue.»
«So you mean that you are entitled to have Me. Man, if I had arrived here only one hour later, that woman would not have had her son restored to her. I am going where other unhappy people are waiting for Me. Do not be so selfish as to delay their joy. I will certainly come again and I will be with you in Nain for several days. Now let Me go.»
The man does not insist any more. He only says: «As You said. I will wait for You.»
«Yes. Peace to you and to the citizens of Nain. Also to you, people of Endor, peace and blessings. Go back to your homes. God has spoken to you through the miracle. Endeavour, through the power of love, to have all your hearts restored to Goodness.»
A last chorus of hosannas. Then the crowds let Jesus go and He crosses the town diagonally and goes out into the country, towards Esdraelon.
Gospel of Luke 7, 11-17
Lk 7, 11-17 : Afterwards, Jesus went to a town called Naim. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. He arrived near the town gate just as a dead man was being taken to be buried; he was an only son, and his mother was a widow. A large crowd from the city accompanied the woman. Seeing the woman, the Lord felt compassion for her and said, "Don't weep. He reached out and touched the coffin; the pallbearers stopped, and Jesus said, "Young man, I command you, rise." Then the dead man stood up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear seized everyone, and they gave glory to God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited his people." And this word about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the whole region.
GRM 189.4
Jesus looks at her… he looks at the loving group, close together on the edge of the little bed, no longer a stretcher, and He weeps.
Judas Iscariot sees His tears and asks: «Why are You weeping, my Lord?»
Jesus turns His face towards him and says: «I am thinking of My Mother…»
The brief conversation draws the woman’s attention to her Benefactor. She takes her son by the hand, she supports him because his limbs are still somewhat numb, and kneeling down she says: «You, too, my son. Bless this Holy man Who has restored you to life and to your mother» and she bends to kiss Jesus’ tunic while the crowd sing hosannas to God and to His Messiah, Who by now is well known for what He is, because the apostles and the people of Endor have taken it upon themselves to tell Who is He Who worked the miracle. And the crowds exclaim: «Blessed be the God of Israel. Blessed be the Messiah, His Messenger! Blessed be Jesus, Son of David! A great Prophet is risen among us! God has really visited His people! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!»
Jesus has just raised a young man from the dead. His mother hurriedly removed his shroud and bandages.
Gospel of Luke 7, 11-17
Lk 7, 11-17 : Afterwards, Jesus went to a town called Naim. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. He arrived near the town gate just as a dead man was being taken to be buried; he was an only son, and his mother was a widow. A large crowd from the city accompanied the woman. Seeing the woman, the Lord felt compassion for her and said, "Don't weep. He reached out and touched the coffin; the pallbearers stopped, and Jesus said, "Young man, I command you, rise." Then the dead man stood up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear seized everyone, and they gave glory to God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited his people." And this word about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the whole region.
GRM 191.6 · Volume 3
Can the word of man change God’s judgement? Can human apology cancel what is written in the book of Life? No, it cannot. What has been judged is judged and what has been written is written.