Skip to content

Notes for this theme

Characteristics, elements and symbols of the Christian life

Page 16 of 136

Reading comfort

Aa

GRM 49.7

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«I will come to hear You again. I want to be Your disciple. A little of the light will enter my head.»

«Your heart, above all, Simon. Your heart.»

GRM 49.7

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Are you acquainted a little with the Scriptures? Are you? Well, think of the prophet Micah. God wants from you what Micah said[1]. He does not ask you to tear your heart apart, neither does He ask you to sacrifice your most holy affections. He does not ask you for the time being. One day, without being requested by God, you will give God your own self. But He will wait while the sun and the dew turn you, a thin blade of grass as you are now, into a sturdy, glorious palm tree. For the time being, He asks you only this: to be just, to love mercy, to take the greatest care in following your God. Strive to do that and (...) you will become a new man, the friend of God and of His Christ.

Detail

Contextualization: Jesus talks to Peter, who doesn't know how to follow his words and teachings.

Annotation

Book of Micah 6, 8

Mi 6, 8: "- Man, you have been made to know what is good, what the Lord requires of you: nothing but to respect right, love faithfulness, and apply yourself to walking with your God."

GRM 49.10

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

When you succeed doing some good, do not boast about it, as if the merit were entirely yours. Praise God, the Lord of the apostolic workers, and have a clear eye and a sincere heart to see and give each the praise they deserve. A clear eye to discern the apostles who sacrificed themselves and are the first real incentive for the work of the others. Only God sees them: they are timid and seem to be doing nothing, whereas they draw from Heaven the fire that urges daring workers. A sincere heart in saying: “I work. But this fellow loves more than I do, he prays better than I do, I am not able to sacrifice myself as he does and as Jesus said: ‘… in your private room with the door closed pray secretly.’ Since I am aware of his humble holy virtue, I want to make it known and say: ‘I am an active instrument; he is a power that inspires me, because, joined as he is to God, he is a channel of celestial energy for me’”.

And the Blessing of the Father, that descends to reward the humble man, who secretly sacrifices himself to give strength to the apostles, will descend also on the apostle who sincerely acknowledges both the supernatural and silent help of the humble one, and his merits that superficial men do not notice.

It is a lesson for everybody.

Detail

Jesus tells us:

GRM 50.3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

War is a punishment of God to chastise men, and it is a sign that man is no longer a true son of God. When the Most High created the world, He made all things: the sun, the sea, the stars, the rivers, the plants, the animals, but He did not make arms. He created man and gave him eyes that he might cast loving glances, and a mouth to utter loving words, and ears to listen to such words, and hands to give help and to caress, and feet to run fast to assist our neighbours in need, and a heart capable of loving. He gave man intelligence, speech, affections and taste. But He did not give man hatred. Why? Because man, a creature of God, was to be love as God is Love. If man had remained a creature of God, he would have persevered in love, and the human family would have not known either war or death.

GRM 50.3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

We must reject a thing when it is harmful to everybody. If a person says: “I do not want that because I would lose”, that person is selfish. Instead, the good child of God says: “Brothers, I know I would win, but I say to you: don’t let us do that because you would suffer a loss”. Oh! That fellow has understood the main precept!

Detail

Jesus is with some children and one of them doesn't want to play war because he always loses. So Jesus says:

GRM 50.4

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Which of you wants to be amongst those who will be judged saints of God?»

«Me! Me! Me!»

«Will you love the Messiah, then?»

«Yes! Yes! You! You! It’s You we love. We know who You are! Simon and James have told us, and our mothers have told us. Take us with You!»

«Yes, I will take you if you are good. No more bad words, no more arrogance, quarrels, no answering back to your parents. Prayer, study, work, obedience. And I will love you and come with you.»

Detail

Jesus speaks to some children and asks them:

Keywords

GRM 50.4

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Who is the most clever?»

«Him.» It is the frail little fellow who does not want war.

«What is your name?»

«Joel.»

«A great name! He says: “… let the weakling say: ‘I am strong’”. But strong in what? In the Law of the true God, to be amongst those whom in the Valley of Decision He will judge to be His saints. But the judgement is already near. Not in the Valley of Decision, but on the mountain of Redemption. There, the sun and the moon will grow dark with horror, the stars will tremble and shed tears of mercy, and the children of Light will be judged and separated from the children of Darkness. And the whole of Israel will know that its God has come. Happy are those who will have recognised Him. Honey, milk and fresh water will descend into their hearts and thorns will become eternal roses. Which of you wants to be amongst those who will be judged saints of God?»

«Me! Me! Me!»

«Will you love the Messiah, then?»

«Yes! Yes! You! You! It’s You we love. We know who You are! Simon and James have told us, and our mothers have told us. Take us with You!»

«Yes, I will take you if you are good. No more bad words, no more arrogance, quarrels, no answering back to your parents. Prayer, study, work, obedience. And I will love you and come with you.»

The children are all round Jesus. They look like a gaily-coloured corolla around a long, deep-blue pistil.

Detail

Contextualization: Jesus is with children and is asking them questions.

Annotation

Book of Joel

Jl 4, 10-18 : "Forge swords from your plowshares, and javelins from your pruning hooks; let the weak say, 'I am a brave one!'" Make haste and come, all the nations around, assemble here. Lord, bring down your braves!

Let the nations wake up, let them go up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (whose name means "The Lord judges"), for it is there that I will sit to judge all the peoples around you. Throw the sickle: the harvest is ripe; come and tread the vintage: the press is full and the vats overflowing with all the evil they have done! Multitudes and multitudes more in the Valley of Judgment; the Day of the Lord in the Valley of Judgment is at hand! The sun and moon are darkened, the stars have withdrawn their brightness.

From Zion the Lord roars, from Jerusalem he gives voice. Heaven and earth are shaken, but the Lord is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the sons of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, his holy mountain. Jerusalem will be a holy place, and strangers will no longer pass through.

On that day, new wine will flow from the mountains, milk from the hills. All the streams of Judah will be full of water; a spring will gush forth from the House of the Lord and water the ravine of the Acacias.

GRM 50.7

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

You have wished to hear Me. The Word is speaking. It speaks with joy to the honest, with sorrow to the dishonest, with delight to the holy and the pure, with mercy to sinners. It does not deny Itself. It has come to spread out like a river that flows to irrigate lands needing water, refreshing them and fertilising them at the same time with humus.

You want to know what is required to become disciples of the Word of God, of the Messiah, Word of the Father, Who has come to gather Israel together, that it may hear once again the words of the holy and immutable Decalogue and may be sanctified by them and thus be purified for the hour of Redemption and of the Kingdom, as far as man can be purified by himself.

Now, I say to the deaf, the blind, the dumb, the lepers, the paralytic, the dead: “Rise, you are healed, rise, walk, may the rivers of light, of words, of sounds be opened for you, that you may see and hear Me and speak of Me”. But rather than to your bodies, I am speaking to your souls. Men of goodwill, come to Me without any fear. If your souls are injured, I will cure them; if they are ill, I will heal them; if they are dead, I will raise them. All I want is your goodwill.

Is what I ask for difficult? No. It is not. I do not impose on you the hundreds of precepts of the rabbis. I say to you: follow the Decalogue. The Law is one and immutable. Many centuries have gone by since it was given, beautiful, pure, fresh, like a new-born creature, like a rose just opened on its stem. Simple, neat, easy to follow. Throughout centuries faults and trends have complicated it with many minor laws, with burdens and restrictions, with too many painful clauses. I am bringing once again the Law to you as the Most High gave it. But, in your own interest, I ask you to accept it with sincere hearts, like the true Israelites of bygone times.

You grumble, more in your hearts than with your lips, that it is the fault of people in the upper classes, rather than of humble people. I know. Deuteronomy states what is to be done, nothing else was necessary. But do not judge those who acted for other people, not for themselves. Do what God commands. And above all, strive and be perfect in the two main precepts. If you love God with all your souls, you will not sin, because sin gives pain to God. Those who love do not want to give pain. If you love your neighbours, as you love yourselves, you will be respectful children to your parents, faithful husbands to your wives, honest merchants in your trade, without any violence against your enemies, truthful in bearing witness, without envy of wealthy people, without any incentive of lewdness for another man’s wife. And as you do not want to do to other people what you do not wish should be done to you, you will not steal, or kill, or slander, or enter someone else’s nest like cuckoos.

In fact, I say to you. “Carry to perfection your obedience to the two precepts of love: love also your enemies”.

How much the Most High Will love you, since He loves man so much. Although man became His enemy because of the original sin, and because of his personal sins, He sent man the Redeemer, the Lamb Who is His Son, that is I, Who am speaking to you, the Messiah promised to redeem you from all your sins, if you will learn to love as He does.

Love. May your love become a ladder by which, like angels, you will ascend to Heaven, as Jacob saw them, when you hear the Father say to each and everybody: “I will be your protector wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this place; to Heaven, the Eternal Kingdom”.

Peace be with you.

GRM 50.7

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Deuteronomy states what is to be done, nothing else was necessary. But do not judge those who acted for other people, not for themselves. Do what God commands. And above all, strive and be perfect in the two main precepts. If you love God with all your souls, you will not sin, because sin gives pain to God. Those who love do not want to give pain. If you love your neighbours, as you love yourselves, you will be respectful children to your parents, faithful husbands to your wives, honest merchants in your trade, without any violence against your enemies, truthful in bearing witness, without envy of wealthy people, without any incentive of lewdness for another man’s wife. And as you do not want to do to other people what you do not wish should be done to you, you will not steal, or kill, or slander, or enter someone else’s nest like cuckoos.

Annotation

Book of Deuteronomy

Deut 5:6-21: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

You shall have no other gods but me.

You shall make no idol, no image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth.

You shall not bow down before them to worship them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God: among those who hate me, I punish the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, to the third and fourth generation; but those who love me and keep my commandments, I show them my faithfulness to the thousandth generation.

You shall not call upon the name of the Lord your God for evil, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who calls upon his name for evil.

Keep the Sabbath day holy, according to the commandment of the Lord your God.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the day of rest, the Sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. You shall do no work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your beasts, nor the sojourner who dwells in your city. So your servant and your handmaid will rest, just as you have rested.

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out of it with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That's why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may have long life and happiness in the land given to you by the Lord your God.

Thou shalt not commit murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not commit theft.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; you shall not desire his house or his field, his man-servant or his maid-servant, his ox or his ass: anything that belongs to him."