Notes for this theme
GRM 81.2
«Joseph [one of the shepherds] told us that You came to the Baptist. But we were not there on that day. Perhaps he had sent us somewhere. We served him, in spiritual matters, when he asked us, with so much love, and we listened to him with love, although he was so severe, because he was not You — the Word — but he always spoke words of God.
Matthias, Simeon, and John, shepherds from Bethlehem, say to Jesus:
GRM 81.3
«When you see the Baptist — You will see him again, and you will serve him again until the predetermined hour — tell him that he is not the last in Christ’s heart. Not so much because of the blood, as on account of his holiness, he is loved as much as John. And remember that. If the saint in his humbleness proclaims himself “last”, the Word of God proclaims him equal to the disciple who is dear to Me. Tell him that I love this disciple because he has the same name and because I find in him the signs of the Baptist, who prepares the souls for Christ.»
«We will tell him… But shall we see him again?»
«Yes, you will.»
Jesus' Omniscience. Jesus speaks to the disciples of John the Baptist, who is currently imprisoned by Herod Antipas.
GRM 82.1
Jesus arrives from a side street and looks around. He does not see anybody yet. He waits patiently, leaning against the trunk of a tree, and finds the opportunity of speaking to the boys about charity, that starts with God and from the Creator descends to all creatures.
«Do not be cruel. Why do you want to annoy the birds of the air? They have their nests up there, and their little ones. They do not harm anyone. They give us their chirping and cleanliness, because they eat the rubbish left by men and the insects that are harmful to crops and fruit. Why wound them, or kill them, depriving the little ones of their fathers and mothers, or the latter of their little ones? Would you be glad if a wicked man came to your house and destroyed it, or killed your parents, or took you away from them? No, you would not be happy. Well, then, why do to these innocent creatures what you would not like done to yourselves? How will you refrain one day from doing harm to men if, children as you are now, you harden your hearts and hurt defenceless, kind little creatures such as these birds? Do you not know that the Law says: “Love your neighbour as yourself”? He who does not love his neighbour does not even love God. And he who does not love God, how can he go to His House and pray to Him? God might say to him, and he does say it in Heaven: “Go away. I do not know you. You, My son? No, you are not. You do not love your brothers, you do not respect in them the Father Who created them, so you are not a brother and a son, but an illegitimate child: a stepson to God, a stepbrother to your brothers”. See how the Eternal Lord loves? In the cold months, He makes His little birds find the barns full of hay, so that they may nest there. In the hot months, He protects them from the sun with the foliage of trees. In winter the corn in the fields is just covered with earth and it is easy for them to find the seed and nourish themselves. In summer they quench their thirst with the juice of fruits, and they build solid, warm nests with hay and the wool left on brambles by sheep. And He is the Lord. You, little men, created by Him like the little birds, and therefore their brothers in creation, why do you want to differ from Him and think that you can be cruel to these little animals? Be merciful with everybody, not depriving anyone of what is due to one: both amongst men and animals, your servants, your friends and God…»
«Master?» calls Simon «Judas is coming.»
«… and God will be merciful with you, and will give you everything you need, as He does with these innocent creatures. Go and take the peace of God with you.»
GRM 83.5
«You are crying, Master, because someone has hurt You. For several days Your face has been like the sun darkened by clouds. I have been watching You. Your goodness hides the wound, that we may not hate him who wounds You. But the wound is a painful and abhorrent one. But tell me, my Lord: why do You not remove the source of Your pain?»
«Because it would be useless from a human point of view and it would not be charitable.»
«Ah! You are aware that I am speaking of Judas! It is because of him that You are suffering. How can You, the Truth, tolerate that liar? He lies shamelessly. He is more deceitful than a fox and more closed than a rock. He has now gone away. What for? How many friends has he got? I am sorry to leave You. But I would like to follow him and see… Oh! My Jesus! That man… send him away, my Lord.»
«It is useless. What is to be, shall be.»
«What do You mean?»
«Nothing special.»
«You were pleased to let him go, because You were disgusted with his behaviour at Jericho.»
«It is true, Simon. I tell you once again: what is to be, shall be. And Judas is part of this future. He is to be there, too.»
«But John told me that Simon Peter is very frank and full of ardour… Will he put up with Judas?»
«He must stand him. Also Peter is destined for a part, and Judas is the canvas on which he must weave his part, or, if you prefer so, Judas is the school where Peter will learn more than with anyone else. Also idiots are capable of being good with John and understanding souls like John’s. But it is difficult to be good with people like Judas, and to understand souls like Judas’ and to be a doctor and priest for them. Judas is your living teaching.»
«Ours?»
«Yes. Yours. The Master will not be on the earth forever. He will leave after eating the hardest bread and drinking the most sour wine. But you will stay to continue Me… and you must know. Because the world does not end with the Master. It will last longer, until the final return of Christ and the final judgement of man. And I solemnly tell you that for every John, Peter, Simon, James, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, there are at least seven Judases. And many, many more!…»
GRM 83.7
Some people may think that what I am saying is useless, human, impossible. They are the usual people who deny the human phases of Jesus’ life and they make of Me a being so remote from human life as to be only a divine being. What happens then to the most holy Humanity, to the sacrifice of the Second Person in becoming flesh? Oh! I was truly a Man amongst men. I was the Man. And that is why I suffered in seeing the traitor and ungrateful people. That is why I rejoiced on account of those who loved Me or were converted to Me. That is why I shuddered and cried before Judas’ spiritual corpse. I shuddered and cried before My dead friend. But I knew that I would call him back to life and I rejoiced seeing his soul already in Limbo. Here… I had the Demon in front of Me. And I will say no more.
Follow Me, John. Let us give men also this gift. And then… Blessed are those who listen to the Word of God and strive to do what it says. Blessed are those who want to know Me in order to love Me. In them and to them I shall be a blessing.
GRM 83.7
Oh! I was truly a Man amongst men. I was the Man. And that is why I suffered in seeing the traitor and ungrateful people. That is why I rejoiced on account of those who loved Me or were converted to Me. That is why I shuddered and cried before Judas’ spiritual corpse. I shuddered and cried before My dead friend. But I knew that I would call him back to life and I rejoiced seeing his soul already in Limbo. Here… I had the Demon in front of Me. And I will say no more.
GRM 84.3
«Whom are we in Israel expecting, but You?»
«And do you believe that I am the Expected One?»
«Simon has never lied, neither is he a boy that gets excited over nothing. Age and sorrow have made him as mature as a wise man. In any case… even if he had not recognised Your true nature, Your deeds would have spoken and said that You are a “Saint”. He who accomplishes the deeds of God, must be a man of God. And You accomplish them. And You do things in a way that says how truly You are the Man of God. My friend came to You because of the fame of Your miracles and he received a miracle. And I know that Your way is strewn with miracles. Why, then, not believe that You are the Expected One? Oh! It is so sweet to believe what is good! We have to pretend to believe as good, many things which are good, for peace sake, because it would be useless to change them; many dubious words that seem adulation, praise, kindness of heart, and instead are sarcasm and blame, poison concealed by honey, we must pretend we believe them, although we know they are poison, blame, sarcasm… we must do so because… it is not possible to do otherwise, and we are weak against a whole world which is strong, and we are alone against a whole world which is hostile to us… why, then, should we have difficulty in believing what is good? On the other hand the time is ripe and the signs of the time are here. What might still be missing to make belief certain and beyond all possible doubt, should be supplied by our anxiety to believe and to appease our hearts in the certainty that the expectation is finished and that the Redeemer has come, the Messiah is here… He Who will give peace to Israel, and to the children of Israel, Who will let us die without anguish, knowing that we have been redeemed, and will enable us to live without that nostalgic feeling for our dead ones… Oh! the dead! Why mourn their death, if not because, as they have no longer any children, they have not yet the Father and God?»
«Has your father been dead long?»
«Three years, and my mother seven… but I no longer lament their deaths… I also would like to be where I hope they are awaiting Heaven.»
«In which case you would not have the Messiah as your guest.»
«That is true. Now I am in a better position than they are, because I have You… and my heart is calmed by this joy.»
GRM 84.5
Translation in progress
GRM 84.6
Translation in progress
GRM 85.1