Notes for this keyword
Reading comfort
GRM 58.4
«He might have been severe with the old Simon. But with My Peter, with the new man, the man of His Christ… no, Peter, He will not. He loves you and will love you.»
«And what about me?»
«You, too, Andrew; and John, James, Philip and Nathanael as well. You are the first chosen by Me.»
Peter asks if the Father won't be too harsh on poor Simon. Jesus replies:
GRM 58.6
58.6 «Simon! Simon! Andrew! Here I am… I am coming…» John is rushing towards them, panting. «Oh! Master! Have I kept You waiting?» John looks at Jesus with the eyes of a lover.
Peter answers: «To tell you the truth, I was beginning to think you were no longer coming. Get your boat ready quickly. And James?…»
«Well… we are late because of a blind man. He thought Jesus was in our house and he came there. We said to him: “He is not here. Perhaps He will cure you tomorrow. Just wait”. But he did not want to wait. James said to him: “You have been waiting so long to see the light, what does it matter if you have to wait another night?” But he will not listen to reason…»
«John, if you were blind, would you be anxious to see your mother?»
«Eh! .. most certainly!»
«Well then? Where is the blind man?»
«He is coming with James. He got hold of his mantle and will not let it go. But he is coming very slowly because the shore is covered with stones, and he stumbles against them… Master, will You forgive me for being hard?»
«Yes, I will, but to make amends, go and help the blind man and bring him to Me.»
John runs away.
GRM 60.5-6
Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James and John go and sit down in the kitchen garden. (...)
« Here is your mother-in-law coming towards us.»
«Master, I beg You to come and sit at my table.»
«Thank you, woman. May God reward you.»
They go into the kitchen and sit at the table. The old woman serves them with plenty of fish, both as soup and roasted. «I have nothing else but this» she apologises. And, to keep up the habit, she says to Peter: «Your brothers-in-law are doing even too much, all alone as they are, since you went to Bethsaida! If it had only helped to make my daughter richer… But I hear that you are very often absent and you do not go fishing.»
«I follow the Master. I have been to Jerusalem with Him and I am with Him on Sabbaths. I do not spend my time in revelries.»
«But you don’t earn any money. Since you want to be the Prophet’s servant, you had better come back here again. At least that poor daughter of mine will be fed by her relatives while you are acting the saint.»
«But are you not ashamed of speaking like that in front of Him Who healed you?»
«I am not criticising Him. He is doing His job. I am criticising you, you are a sluggard. In any case, you will never be a prophet or a priest. You are an ignorant sinner, a good for nothing.»
«You are lucky that He is here, otherwise…»
«Simon, your mother-in-law gave you very good advice. You can go fishing even here. I am told that you used to go fishing also at Capernaum. You can come back again.»
«And live here again? But Master, You do not…»
«Be good, Peter. If you are here, you will be either on the lake or with Me. So what difference is it for you if you are or you are not in this house?» Jesus has laid His hand on Peter’s shoulder and His calmness seems to pass into the fiery apostle.
«You are right. You are always right. I will do that. But… what about these?» and he points to his partners John and James.
«Can they not come, too?»
«Oh! Our father and above all our mother will be happier if they know we are with You, rather than with them. They will not object.»
«Perhaps Zebedee will come, too» says Peter.
«Quite likely. And others with him. We will come, Master. We will certainly come.»
Jesus has just healed Peter's mother-in-law. Healed, she serves a meal to the Master and his disciples... and reproaches her son-in-law.
GRM 61
Jesus gives a parable about the king's beloved horse. It speaks of the will of man, of the Son being sent by the Father to save his beloved creature. The people tell Jesus that, in the face of such an attitude, the horse must return to God, since his king wishes him well, and Jesus encourages them to follow the response they have given.
Next, Jesus wants to give the obolus. A hunchback shows up (who didn't dare ask for the miracle), as does an old man who has come to beg for his daughter's healing; she's bedridden. Jesus heals them.
Then there's a 27-year-old woman with seven children who has nothing left. He gives her a large sum of money and promises that God's help will not fail her.
Finally, there's a ragged old man to whom Jesus gives nothing. The man claims that Christ is unjust and makes a fuss. But Jesus rebukes him, for he is a liar, a usurer, a miser and a thief. He orders him to leave and, as the crowd laughs, Jesus rebukes them too, urging them never to lack charity by insulting a sinner, for everyone has his own sin. Jesus must have shamed him, for it is never permissible to be a thief, but he suffered for doing so, and he invites men not to be greedy, not to lie, to be pure and honest.
Finally, Jesus frees two of the possessed. But he is overwhelmed, because there are possessions fermenting in hearts that close them off to honesty and love. Jesus is sad. The vision ends there.
GRM 62.4
62.4 Where were they from, those who were coming to Me?»
«From Korazim, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and there were some even from Tiberias and Gherghesa, as well as from the hundreds of villages around those towns.»
«Go and tell them that I will be at Korazim, Bethsaida and nearby villages.»
«Why not at Capernaum?»
«Because I came for everybody and everybody must have Me, and then… there is old Isaac waiting for Me. We must not disappoint his hopes.»
«Will You wait for us here, then?»
«No, I am going and you will stay at Capernaum to send the crowds to Me; I will come back later.»
«We will be here alone…» Peter is sad.
«Do not be sad. Obedience should make you happy as well as the conviction that you are a useful disciple. And the same applies to the others.»
Peter, Andrew, James and John cheer up. Jesus blesses them, and they part.
The vision ends in this way.
Peter informs Jesus that some people have come to see him, and he asks:
GRM 64.1-2
64.1 I see the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. And I can see the boats beached by the fishermen; on the foreshore, leaning against the boats, are Peter and Andrew, intent on mending the nets, which their assistants bring them still dripping, having rinsed them in the lake to remove entangled rubbish. About ten yards away, John and James, bent over their boat, are busy at tidying it up, and they are helped by an assistant and by a man about fifty or fifty-five years old, who I think is Zebedee, because the assistant calls him «master» and also because he is very like James.
Peter and Andrew, with their backs to the boat, are working silently knotting the threads of the nets and fixing corks to them. Now and again they exchange a few words about their work, which, as far as I understand, has not been profitable.
Peter is sorry about it, not because of the loss of profit or the unprofitable work, but he says: «I am sorry, because… what shall we do to feed these poor people? We receive only occasional offerings and I am not going to touch the ten pieces of silver and the seven drachmas we collected during the last four days. Only the Master can tell me to whom and how that money is to be given. And He will not be back here until Sabbath! If we had had a good haul!… I would have cooked the small fish for the poor… and if anyone at home grumbled, I would not have cared. Healthy people can find food for themselves. But sick people!…»
«Above all that paralytic!… They have already travelled so much to bring him here…» says Andrew.
«Listen, brother. I think… we can’t remain divided like this, and I don’t know why the Master does not want us with Him all the time. At least… I would not see these poor people whom I can’t help, and if I saw them I would say to them: “He is here”.»
64.2 «I am here!» Jesus has come near them, walking quietly on the soft sand.
Peter and Andrew start. They exclaim: «Oh! Master!» and they shout: «James! John! The Master! Come here!»
The two brothers rush towards them. They all draw close to Jesus. Some kiss His tunic, some His hands, and John dares to encircle His waist with his arm, and lean his head on Jesus’ chest. Jesus kisses his hair.
«What were you talking about?»
«Master… we were saying that we would have liked to have You.»
«Why, My friends?»
«To see You and love You seeing You, and also because of some poor and sick people. They have been waiting for You for over two days… I did what I could. I put them over there, see that hut in that waste land? Over there the handymen repair the boats. I sheltered there a paralytic, who has a very high temperature, and a little boy who is dying in his mother’s arms. I could not send them away to look for You.»
«You did the right thing. But how have you been able to help them and who brought them here? You said they are poor!»
«Yes, Master, they are. Rich people have horses and carts. Poor people only have their legs. They cannot come looking for You as fast as they would like. I did what I could. Look: here are the offerings I have received. I have not touched anything. You will do that.»
«Peter, you could have done that, too. Certainly… My dear Peter, I am sorry that you should be reproached and have extra work because of Me.»
«No, Lord. You must not be sorry about that. It is no trouble for me. I am only sorry I have not been able to be more charitable. But, believe me, I have done, we have all done what we could.»
«I know. I know you have worked and in vain. But if there is no food, your charity remains: alive, active and holy in the eyes of God.»
Jesus is not with the disciples; he has left them at home for a while.
GRM 65.2-3
65.2 Jesus says to Simon: «Call the other two. Let us go on to the lake and cast the net.»
«Master, my arms ache with fatigue: all night I cast and hauled the net, and all in vain. The fish are down at the bottom. I wonder where.»
«Do as I tell you, Peter. Always listen to those who love you.»
«I will do as You say, out of respect for Your word.» And he shouts to the assistants and also to James and John: «Let us go out fishing. The Master wants to go.» And while they are moving away, he says to Jesus: «However, Master, I assure You that it is not the right time. Goodness knows where the fish will be resting just now!…»
Jesus, sitting at the prow, smiles and is silent.
They form a semicircle on the lake and then cast the net. After a few minutes’ waiting, the boat is shaken in a strange way, because the lake is as smooth as a glass pane under the midday sun.
«But that is fish, Master!» says Peter, with his eyes wide open.
Jesus smiles and is silent.
«Heave ho! Heave ho!» Peter orders his assistants. But the boat tilts to one side, where the net is: «Hey there! James! John! Quick! Come Quick! With the oars! Quick!»
They rush and the joint efforts of the two crews succeed in hauling in the net without damaging the catch.
The two boats draw closer. They are now united. One, two, five, ten baskets. They are all full of wonderful fish, and there are still so many wriggling in the net: live silver and bronze, struggling to escape death. There is only one thing to be done: to empty the net into the bottom of the boats. They do that and the bottoms become a turmoil of agonizing lives. And the crew are up to their ankles in such abundance that the boats sink below the water-line because of the excessive weight.
«To the shore! Steer! Quick! The sails! Watch the depth line! Have the poles ready to prevent a clash. We have too much weight!»
65.3 As long as the manoeuvre lasts, Peter thinks of nothing else. But when he gets ashore, he begins to realise. He understands. He is frightened. «Master! My Lord! Go away from me! I am a sinner! I am not worthy of being near You!» He is on his knees on the damp shore.
Jesus looks at him and smiles: «Get up! Follow Me! I will not leave you anymore! From now on, you will be a fisher of men, and your companions with you. Be afraid of nothing. I am calling you. Come!»
«At once, Lord. You look after the boats. Take everything to Zebedee and to my brother-in-law. Let us go. We are all for You, Jesus! Blessed be the Eternal Father for this choice.»
And the vision ends.
GRM 70
Jesus arrives at Jonah's house in the olive grove of Gethsemane. Jonas tells him that John has come, and Jesus immediately goes to meet him. They meet again, and the young disciple is happy. He informs him that he has left Docco with Simon, who has gone to find Lazarus in Bethany. John thinks that Simon is very competent, but the Master tells him that he too acts very well.
They arrive at the house and have a meal with their host. Then they go out into the olive grove, where they see Jerusalem, and Jesus comments on the Temple, which is no longer the Holy Place it should be. John then proposes to go and see Hanne and Caiaphas and a rich fish merchant to talk about Jesus and to make him less weary, but the Lord declines the invitation and speaks of that of Judas, who had made him a similar proposal to "be better regarded". John believes that Judas will be better than them because he is better educated, but Jesus teaches him that this is not the case, and that it is often the hearts that are untouched by knowledge that know how to love the most. That said, he asks him to be a friend to Judas, to help him become a better man.
Meanwhile, John mentions Simon Peter and the purse he received from a stranger (Matthew). He gives him the money and Jesus says he'll distribute it to the poor, so Judas will find out about their habits. John understands who it is and is surprised, but gives news of Thomas, who has gone to meet Philip and Bartholomew. Jesus then tells him that he wants the Twelve to love each other without preference, like a holy family.
Finally, he declares that he is going to pray, and John wants to stay with him, but he soon falls asleep, and Jesus continues the prayer in silence, while his apostle rests on his heart.
Finally, Jesus gives a dictation comparing Judas and John. The former keeps his way of thinking and seeing, the latter strips himself of all self to be "the disciple". He is the model for all apostles, while Judas is the very type of all failed apostles.
GRM 70.1-7
But John prefers to sit at Jesus’ feet on the short grass, and he rests his arm on Jesus’ knees, with his head reclined on his arm, looking now and again at Jesus. He looks like a little boy near the person dearest to him. «It is beautiful also here, Master. Look how large the town seems at night. Larger than by day.»
«It is because the moonlight shades the outlines. See: the borders seem to widen out in a silver brightness. Look at the top of the Temple, up there. Does it not look as if it were suspended in mid air.»
«It seems supported by angels on their silver wings.»
Jesus sighs.
«Why are You sighing, Master?»
«Because the angels have abandoned the Temple. Its feature of purity and holiness is now confined to its walls only. Those who should impress it into its soul — because every place has its soul, that is the spirit for which it was built, and the Temple has, or should have, a soul of prayer and holiness — those who should energise such spirit, are instead the first to suffocate it. You can not give what you do not possess, John. And if there are many priests and Levites living there, not even one tenth of them are capable of giving life to the Holy Place. They give death instead. They transmit the death of their own souls, which are dead to what is holy. They have their formulae. But they do not have the essence of them. They are corpses that are warm only because putrifaction swells them.»
«Have they done You wrong, Master?» John is all upset.
«No. On the contrary they allowed Me to speak when I asked to.»
«Did You ask them? Why?»
«Because I do not want to be the one who starts war. There will be war in any case. Because I shall be the cause of a silly human fear for some, and the cause of reproach for others. But this must be written in their book, not in Mine.»
70.4
They are quiet for a few moments, then John carries on speaking. «Master, I know Annas and Caiaphas. My family has been on business relations with them, and when I came to Judaea to see John, I used to come to the Temple, and they were good to the son of Zebedee. My father always sends them the best fish. That is the custom, You know? If you want them to be friendly and to continue so, you must do that…»
«I know.» Jesus is serious.
«Well, if You wish, I will speak to the High Priest about You. And… if You want, I know a man who is on business terms with my father. He is a rich fish merchant. He has a lovely big house near the Hippicus Tower, because they are very rich people, but they are also very good. You would be more comfortable and You would not get so tired. To come here, You have to come through the suburb of Ophel, which is so wild and always full of donkeys and quarrelsome boys.»
«No, John. Thank you. But I am alright here. See how much peace there is? I told also the other disciple who made the same suggestion. He said: “To enjoy a higher reputation”.»
«I mentioned it that You might not get so tired.»
«I do not get tired. I will walk so much, and I will never tire. Do you know what tires Me? Indifference. Oh! What a burden it is! It is like carrying a weight on your heart.»
«I love You, Jesus.»
«Yes, and you comfort Me. I love you so much, John, and I always will, because you will never betray Me.»
«Betray You! Oh!»
«And yet there will be many who will betray Me…
70.5
John, listen. I told you that I stayed here to teach a new disciple. He is a young Jew, educated and well known.»
«Well, then. You will have to work much less with him than You have to with us, Master. I am glad that You have someone who is more capable than we are.»
«Do you think I will work less?»
«Yes, if he is less ignorant than we are, he will understand You better, and serve You better, especially if he loves You.»
«What you say is right. But love is not proportionate to education or formation. A virgin loves with all the strength of her first love. That applies also to the virginity of mind. And the beloved penetrates and is more deeply impressed on a virgin heart and a virgin mind, rather than on hearts and minds imbued with other loves. But if God wants… Listen, John. I would ask you to be friendly with him. My heart shudders at the thought of putting you, an unshorn lamb, near the expert in life. But it subsides considering that you may well be a lamb, but you are also an eagle, and if the expert will endeavour to make you touch the ground, which is always muddy, the soil of good human sense, with a stroke of your wings, you will be able to free yourself and desire only the clear blue sky and the sun. That is why I ask you to remain as you are and be friendly to the new disciple, inspiring him with your love, because he will not be loved very much by Simon Peter and the others…»
«Oh! Master! Are You not sufficient?»
«I am the Master. Not everything will be said to Me. You are a companion, a little younger, to whom it will be easier for him to unbosom himself. I am not suggesting you should repeat to Me what he tells you. I detest spies and traitors. But I ask you to evangelise him with your faith, your charity, your purity, John. It is a land defiled by stagnant waters. It must be dried up by the sun of love, purified by the integrity of thoughts, desires and deeds, and cultivated with faith. You can do that.»
«If You say I can… Yes! If You say I can do that, I will do it. For Your sake…»
«Thank you, John.»
70.6
«Master, You mentioned Simon Peter. And that reminded me of something I should have told You immediately, but the joy of listening to You made me forget about it. When we went back to Capernaum after Pentecost, we found the usual amount of money from that unknown person. The boy had taken it to my mother. I gave it to Peter, and he handed it back to me, saying I should use some of it on my way back and in my stay at Doco and I should bring You the rest, for whatever need of Yours… because also Peter thought this place might not be comfortable… but You say it is… I took only two coins for two poor people I met near Ephraim. For the rest, I lived with what my mother had given me and what I was given by some good people to whom I preached Your Name. Here is the purse.»
«We will give the money to the poor tomorrow. So Judas also will be acquainted with our custom.»
«Has Your cousin come? How was he so quick? He was at Nazareth and he did not tell me he was leaving…»
«No. Judas is the new disciple. He comes from Kerioth. But you saw him at Passover, here, the evening I cured Simon. He was with Thomas.»
«Ah! It’s him?» John is a little perplexed.
«Yes, it is he. And what is Thomas doing?»
«He carried out Your instructions, he left Simon the Cananean and by the sea road he went to meet Philip and Bartholomew.»
«Yes, I want you to love one another, without preferences, helping one another mutually and bearing with one another, No one is perfect, John, Neither the young nor the old. But if you have goodwill, you will reach perfection and what is wanting in you, I will supply. You are like the children of a holy family. In it there are very different characters. One is strong, another is sweet, or brave, or shy, or impulsive or very cautious. If you were all alike, you would be really strong in one character, but very weak in all the others. Whereas you thus form a perfect union, completed by you all. Love unites you, it must unite you, for the sake of God’s cause.»
«And for Your sake, Jesus.»
«First the cause of God and then the love for His Christ.»
«I… and what am I in our family?»
«You are the loving peace of the Christ of God.
70.7
Are you tired, John? Do you want to go back? I will stay here and pray.»
«I will stay, too, and I will pray with You. Let me stay and pray with You.»
«You may stay.»
Jesus says some psalms and John prays with Him. But his voice dies down and he falls asleep with his head on Jesus’ lap. Jesus smiles and stretches His mantle on the shoulders of the sleeping disciple and continues to pray mentally.
The vision ends in this way.
GRM 70.8-9
70.8 Then Jesus says:
«Another comparison between My John and another disciple. A comparison that makes the figure of My beloved disciple clearer and clearer.
He is the one who divests himself also of his own way of thinking and judging, in order to be “the disciple”. He is the one who gives himself without wishing to withhold even a particle of himself, as his self was before becoming a disciple. Judas is the one who does not want to divest himself of himself. His donation is therefore unreal. He carries with himself his ego diseased with pride, sensuality and greed. He maintains his way of thinking. And he thus counteracts the effect of the donation and of Grace.
Judas: the first of all the apostles who failed. And they are so many! John: the first of those who become victims out of love for Me. And you are one of them.
My Mother and I are the sublime Victims. It is difficult to reach us, in fact it is impossible, because our sacrifice was of total bitterness. But My John! He is the victim that all My lovers can imitate: virgins, martyrs, confessors, evangelisers, servants of God and of the Mother of God, devoted to activity or contemplation: he is an example for everyone. He is the one who loves.
Note their different ways of reasoning. Judas investigates, quibbles, is obstinate, even when he pretends to give in, he still has mental reservations. John feels he is nothing, he accepts everything, he does not ask for reasons, he is satisfied with making Me happy. That is the example.
70.9 And did you not feel completely peaceful before his simple dear love? Oh! My John! And My little John, whom I want to be more and more like My beloved. Accept everything, always saying as the apostle: “Everything You do, is well done, Master”, in order to deserve to always hear Me say to you: “You are My loving peace”. I need comfort as well, Mary. Give Me it. My Heart for your rest.»
Dictation in connection with EMV 70.1-6