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Saints, venerable and blessed of the Catholic Church

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GRM 203.3-4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

One of you has suffered very much during the past days. He suffered undeservedly, also because of his effort to repress his indignation aroused by the undeserved deed. Yes, Simon of Jonah, come here. Not one throb of your honest heart has been concealed from Me, neither has there been any grief that I have not shared with you. Both I and your companions…»

«But You, my Lord, have been offended more than I was! And that was for me a greater pain,… no… a more sensitive… no, not that… a more… more. Well: that Judas should have loathed to be present at my feast, has hurt me as a man. But to see You grieved and offended has hurt me in a different way and I suffered twice as much… I… I do not want to boast and show off by using Your words… But I must say, and if it is due to pride in me, tell me, I must say that I suffered with my soul… and it hurts more.»

«It is not pride, Simon. You suffered spiritually, because Simon of Jonah, a fisherman in Galilee, is changing into Peter of Jesus, the Master of the spirit, so that also His disciples are becoming active and wise in the spirit. It is for this progress of Yours in the life of the spirit, it is because of such progress of you all, that I want to teach you the prayer this evening. How much you have changed after the solitary retreat!»

«Everybody, Lord?» asks Bartholomew who sounds rather incredulous.

«I understand what you mean… But I am speaking to you eleven. Not to anyone else…»

«But what is the matter with Judas of Simon, Master? We do not understand him any more… He seemed so changed, but now, since we left the lake…» says Andrew desolately.

«Be quiet, brother. I have the key to the mystery! A little bit of Beelzebub has stuck to him. He went to look for it in the cave at Endor to astonish us… and he was served as he deserved! The Master said it on that day… At Gamala the demons rushed into the pigs. At Endor the demons came out of that poor wretch of John into him… We know that… we know that… Let me tell them, Master! I have it here, in my throat, and if I do not say it, it will not come out and it will poison me…»

«Be good, Simon!»

«Yes, Master… and I would assure You that I will not be rude to him. But I say and think that since Judas is a vicious fellow – and we all know that – he is somewhat similar to a pig… and obviously demons willingly choose pigs when… changing their dwelling places. There it is: I have said it.»

«Do you think it is thus?» asks James of Zebedee.

«What else can it be! There is no other reason why he should be so difficult. He is worse now than he was at the Clear Water! And there one might have thought that the place and the season made him so nervous. But now…»

203.4

«There is another reason, Simon…»

«Tell us, Master. I will be happy to change my mind about my companion.»

«Judas is jealous. He is agitated because he is jealous.»

«Jealous? Of whom? He is not married, and even if he were, and went with women, I think that none of us would be rude to a fellow disciple…»

«He is jealous of Me. Just think: Judas changed after Endor and after Esdraelon. That is, when he saw that I was taking care of John and of Jabez. But now that John, above all, John, will be going away, as he will be leaving Me and staying with Isaac, you will see that Judas will become merry and good once again…»

«Well!… But You are not going to tell me that he is not possessed by a little demon. And above all… No, I will say it! And above all You will not tell me that he has improved during these last months. I was jealous as well, last year… I would not have liked anybody except the six of us, the first six, do You remember? Now, now… Let me invoke God just this once as witness to what I am going to say. Now I say that the more the disciples increase in numbers around You, the happier I am. Oh! I would like to bring all men to You and I would also like to have all the necessary means to help those who are in need, so that misery may not hinder anyone from coming to You. God sees whether I am telling the truth. But why am I thus now? Because I let You change me. He… has not changed. On the contrary… Yes, Master… A little demon has possessed him…»

«Do not say that. Do not think that. Pray that he may be cured. Jealousy is a disease…»

«Of which one can be cured beside You, if one wants to. Ah! I will put up with him, for Your sake… But, how difficult it is!…»

«I gave you a prize for that: the boy. And now I will teach you how to pray…»

«Oh! yes, Brother. Let us speak of that… and let us remember my namesake only as one who is in need of prayer. I think he has already had his punishment. He is not with us just now!» says Judas Thaddeus.

Detail

Simon Peter's suffering at the hands of Judas and the Iscariot's jealousy of John of Endor. Some of the apostles intervene during this exchange.

Annotation

My namesake: Judas and Jude are the same first name, even if the French used different forms.

GRM 203.13 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Get up and let us go. We shall go back to town at dawn. Or rather: tomorrow, you, Simon, and you, My brother (and He points to Judas), will go to fetch the women and the boy. You, Simon of Jonah, and you all, will stay with Me until they come back. Then we shall all go to Bethany together.»

And they go down to Gethsemane, where they enter the house to rest.

GRM 204.1 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

In the peace of the Sabbath Jesus rests near a flax field in bloom belonging to Lazarus. Rather than «near» I should say that He is «immersed» in the tall flax, and sitting on the edge of a furrow He is engrossed in thought. Only an odd silent butterfly flutters near Him or a lizard rustles nearby, looking at Him with its jet-black eyes, raising its little triangular head with its light throbbing throat. There is nothing else. In the late afternoon, the least sigh of wind has also become silent among the tall stalks.

From far away, perhaps from Lazarus’ garden, the song of a woman can be heard and the joyful shouting of the boy who is playing with someone. Then one, two, three voices call: «Master! Jesus!»

Jesus arouses Himself and stands up. Although the fully grown flax is very tall, Jesus emerges a good height above the blue-green sea.

«There He is, John!» shouts the Zealot.

And John in turn calls: «Mother! The Master is here, in the flax field.»

And while Jesus approaches the path leading to the houses, Mary arrives.

Annotation

Jesus rests beside a field of flax in full bloom: flax is grown in most temperate and warm countries. Its flowers are blue, which prompted Aragon to write: "A large field of blue flax that mirrors the sky". Plants grow at a rate of 10 mm a day, and can reach 80 cm to 1 m in height.

GRM 204.1-3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

In the peace of the Sabbath Jesus rests near a flax field in bloom belonging to Lazarus. Rather than «near» I should say that He is «immersed» in the tall flax, and sitting on the edge of a furrow He is engrossed in thought. Only an odd silent butterfly flutters near Him or a lizard rustles nearby, looking at Him with its jet-black eyes, raising its little triangular head with its light throbbing throat. There is nothing else. In the late afternoon, the least sigh of wind has also become silent among the tall stalks.

From far away, perhaps from Lazarus’ garden, the song of a woman can be heard and the joyful shouting of the boy who is playing with someone. Then one, two, three voices call: «Master! Jesus!»

Jesus arouses Himself and stands up. Although the fully grown flax is very tall, Jesus emerges a good height above the blue-green sea.

«There He is, John!» shouts the Zealot.

And John in turn calls: «Mother! The Master is here, in the flax field.»

And while Jesus approaches the path leading to the houses, Mary arrives.

«What do You want, Mother?»

«My Son, some Gentiles have come with some ladies. They say that they heard from Johanna that You were here. They also said that they have been waiting for You all these past days near the Antonia…»

«Ah! I know! I will come at once. Where are they?»

«At Lazarus’ house, in his garden. He is loved by the Romans and does not feel the repugnance towards them that we do. He let them go into the large garden with their carts, so that no one would be scandalised…»

«All right, Mother.

204.2

They are Roman soldiers and ladies. I know.»

«And what do they want from You?»

«What many in Israel do not want: light.»

«But how and what do they believe You are? God perhaps?»

«Yes, in their way of thinking. It is easier for them to accept the idea of the incarnation of a god in mortal flesh, than it is for us.»

«So they believe in Your faith…»

«Not yet, Mother. I must destroy theirs, first. For the time being they consider Me a wise man, a philosopher, as they say. But both their desire to become acquainted with philosophical doctrines and their inclination to believe the incarnation of a god as possible, are of great help to Me in leading them to the true Faith. Believe Me, they are more ingenuous in their way of thinking, than many Israelites.»

«But are they sincere? It is rumoured that the Baptist…»

«No. Had it been for them, John would be free and safe. Non-rebellious people are left in peace. On the contrary I can assure You that for them to be a prophet – they say a philosopher because the loftiness of supernatural wisdom is still philosophy to them – is a guarantee of respect. Do not worry, Mother. No harm will come to Me from that end…»

«But the Pharisees… if they find out, what will they say also about Lazarus? You are You… and You are to bring the Word to the world. But Lazarus!… They already offend him so much…»

«But they cannot touch him. They know that he is protected by Rome.»

«I leave You, Son. Here is Maximinus, he will take You to the Gentiles» and Mary, Who had walked beside Jesus all the time, withdraws quickly, and goes towards the Zealot’s house. Jesus on the other hand, goes through a little iron door in the garden wall, into a distant part of the garden, where it actually becomes an orchard and precisely near the place where Lazarus will be buried later.

Lazarus is also there, but no one else. «Master, I took the liberty of giving them hospitality…»

«You did the right thing. Where are they?»

«Over there, in the shade of the boxes and laurels. As You can see they are at least five hundred steps from the house.»

«That is all right…

204.3

May Light come to you all.»

GRM 204.1-2 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«What do You want, Mother?»

«My Son, some Gentiles have come with some ladies. They say that they heard from Johanna that You were here. They also said that they have been waiting for You all these past days near the Antonia…»

«Ah! I know! I will come at once. Where are they?»

«At Lazarus’ house, in his garden. He is loved by the Romans and does not feel the repugnance towards them that we do. He let them go into the large garden with their carts, so that no one would be scandalised…»

«All right, Mother.

204.2

They are Roman soldiers and ladies. I know.»

«And what do they want from You?»

«What many in Israel do not want: light.»

«But how and what do they believe You are? God perhaps?»

«Yes, in their way of thinking. It is easier for them to accept the idea of the incarnation of a god in mortal flesh, than it is for us.»

«So they believe in Your faith…»

«Not yet, Mother. I must destroy theirs, first. For the time being they consider Me a wise man, a philosopher, as they say. But both their desire to become acquainted with philosophical doctrines and their inclination to believe the incarnation of a god as possible, are of great help to Me in leading them to the true Faith. Believe Me, they are more ingenuous in their way of thinking, than many Israelites.»

«But are they sincere? It is rumoured that the Baptist…»

«No. Had it been for them, John would be free and safe. Non-rebellious people are left in peace. On the contrary I can assure You that for them to be a prophet – they say a philosopher because the loftiness of supernatural wisdom is still philosophy to them – is a guarantee of respect. Do not worry, Mother. No harm will come to Me from that end…»

«But the Pharisees… if they find out, what will they say also about Lazarus? You are You… and You are to bring the Word to the world. But Lazarus!… They already offend him so much…»

«But they cannot touch him. They know that he is protected by Rome.»

«I leave You, Son. Here is Maximinus, he will take You to the Gentiles» and Mary, Who had walked beside Jesus all the time, withdraws quickly, and goes towards the Zealot’s house. Jesus on the other hand, goes through a little iron door in the garden wall, into a distant part of the garden, where it actually becomes an orchard and precisely near the place where Lazarus will be buried later.

GRM 204.9 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

The ladies say goodbye and are the first to go away. Then Quintilian, who is somewhat pensive, leaves. Jesus watches them go away with Maximinus who leads them back to their wagons.

GRM 204.10 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«What are You thinking of, Master?» asks Lazarus.

«That there are many unhappy people in the world.»

«And I am one of them.»

«Why, My dear friend?»

«Because everybody comes to You, except Mary. Is she the greatest ruin?»

Jesus looks at him and smiles.

«You are smiling? Are You not sorry that Mary cannot be converted? Are You not sorry that I am suffering? Martha has done nothing but weep since Monday evening. Who was that woman? Don’t You know that for the whole day we hoped it was she?»

«I am smiling because you are an impatient child… And I am smiling because I think that you are wasting energy and tears. Had it been she, I would have rushed to tell you.»

«So it was not she?»

«Oh! Lazarus!…»

«You are right. Patience! Still patience!… Master, here are the jewels that You gave me to sell. They have become money for the poor. They were beautiful. Ladies’ jewels.»

«They belonged to “that” woman.»

«I thought so. Ah! Had they been Mary’s… But she!… I am losing hope, my Lord!…»

Jesus embraces him without speaking for a little while. He then says: «Please do not mention those jewels to anybody. She must disappear, without being admired or desired any longer, like a cloud driven elsewhere by the wind, without leaving any trace in the blue sky.»

«You may be sure, Master… and, in exchange, bring me Mary, our unhappy Mary…»

«Peace be with you, Lazarus. I will keep My promise.»

GRM 205.1 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«John of Endor, come here with Me. I must speak to you» says Jesus looking out of the door.

The man hastens towards Jesus leaving the boy to whom he was explaining something. «What do You want to tell me, Master?» he asks.

«Come upstairs with Me.»

They go up to the terrace and they sit down in the most sheltered part, because the sun is already strong, although it is still morning. Jesus runs His eyes over the cultivated country, where day by day the corn is becoming golden and fruit is ripening on trees. He seems to be wishing to derive some thought from that vegetable metamorphosis.

«Listen, John. I think that Isaac is coming today to bring Me Johanan’s peasants before they leave. I told Lazarus to lend Isaac a wagon to quicken their return and thus avoid a delay which would cause them to be punished. And Lazarus has agreed, because he does everything I tell him. But I want something else from you. I have here a sum of money given to Me by a person for the poor of the Lord. Usually one of My apostles is responsible for keeping the money and giving alms. Generally it is Judas of Kerioth; sometimes one of the others. But Judas is not here. And I do not want the others to know what I want to do. I would not have told Judas either. You will do it, in My name…»

«I, my Lord?… I?… Oh! I am not worthy!…»

«You must accustom yourself to working in My name. Is that not why you came?»

«Yes, but I thought I had to work to rebuild my poor soul.»

«And I will give you the means. Against what did you sin? Against Mercy and Love. You demolished your soul by means of hatred. You will rebuild it through love and mercy. I will give you the material. I will make use of you especially for deeds of mercy and love. You are also capable of curing, and of speaking. So you are qualified to take care of physical and moral miseries and you are capable of doing it. You will start with this action. Here is the purse. You will give it to Micah and his friends. Divide it into equal parts. But divide it as I will tell you. Make ten parts and give four to Micah, one for himself and one each to Saul, Joel and Isaiah. Give the other six to Micah with instructions to give them to Jabez’ old father, for himself and his companions. They will thus be able to have some comfort.»

«All right. But what shall I tell them to justify it?»

«Say: “This is to remind you to pray for a soul that is redeeming itself” .»

«But they may think that it is I! It is not fair!»

«Why? Do you not want to redeem yourself?»

«It is not fair that they should think that I am the donor.»

«Never mind, do as I tell you.»

«I will obey… but at least let me give something as well. In any case… now I do not need anything anymore. I do not buy books and I have no poultry to feed. I am satisfied with very little. Take this, Master. I am keeping a minimum for my sandal expenses…» and from a purse attached to his belt he takes out some coins which he adds to Jesus’ money.

«May God bless you for your mercy…»

Annotation

I asked Lazarus to lend Isaac a chariot so they could get home faster. They mustn't be afraid of a delay that could bring them punishment. Yokhanan (Giocana) only gave them six days to get there and back for Passover. Cf. EMV 190.

I have here a sum given to me for the Lord's poor. Aglaé. Cf. EMV 200.

GRM 205.2 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me