Jesus Christ invites us to contemplate His Passion and His Sacrificial Death in Poem of the Man God.

5 Mary Magdalene comes back in. She is holding in her hands a thin-necked amphora, ending in a little bill, as pretty as the neck of a bird. The alabaster is of a precious rosy yellow hue, like the complexion of some blondes. The apostles look at her thinking, perhaps, that she is bringing some rare delicacy. But Mary does not go to the centre, inside the U of the table, where her sister is. She goes behind the seat-beds and stops between that of Jesus and Lazarus and that of the two Jameses. She uncorks the alabaster vase and places her hand under the little bill to receive a few drops of a viscous liquid that flows slowly from the open amphora. A strong smell of tuberoses and other essences, a very intense pleasant scent spreads in the hall. But Mary is not satisfied with the little quantity of perfume that flows. She stoops and with a sharp blow she breaks the neck of the amphora against the corner of Jesus' little bed. The thin neck falls on the floor; shedding scented drops on the marble pavement. The amphora now has a wide aperture through which plenty unguent flows in thick gushes. Mary places herself behind Jesus and spreads the thick oil on her Jesus' hair, she sprinkles all His locks with it, she stretches them and then puts them in order with the comb taken from her own hair, tidying them on the adored head. Jesus' fair-red hair shines now like dark gold and is very bright after the unction. The light of the chandelier, lit by the servants, is reflected on Jesus fair hair like a beautiful coppercoloured bronze helmet. The scent is exhilarating. Through the nostrils it rises to the head and, spread as it is without restraint, it is so intense that it is almost as exciting as sternutatory powder. Lazarus, with his head turned round, smiles watching how carefully Mary anoints and arranges Jesus' locks so that His hair may look tidy after the scented massage, while she does not worry about her plaits, which, no longer supported by the wide comb that helps the hairpins to hold them in place, are falling lower and lower on her neck, and are about to loosen completely on her shoulders. Martha also looks at her smiling. The others are talking to one another in low voices with different expressions on their faces. But Mary is not yet satisfied. There is still plenty ointment in the broken vase, and Jesus' hair, although thick, is already saturated with it. Mary then repeats the loving gesture of an evening of long-ago. She kneels down at the foot of the bed, she unties the buckles of Jesus' sandals and takes them off, and dipping the long fingers of her beautiful hand into the vase, she takes as much ointment as she can and spreads it on His bare feet, toe by toe, then on the soles and heels, then up, on the malleoli, which she uncovers by throwing back His linen tunic, and lastly on the insteps, she delays on the metatarsi, which will be pierced by the dreadful nails, she insists until she finds no more balm in the hollow vase. Then she shatters it on the floor and with her hands now free she removes her big hairpins, she quickly looses her heavy plaits and with that golden, bright, soft, flowing bundle of hair she removes the excess of ointment from Jesus' feet that are dripping balm.

6 Judas, who so far has been silent watching with lewd envious eyes the beautiful woman and the Master Whose head and feet she was anointing, raises his voice, the only voice of open reproach; some of the others, not all of them, had murmured something or had made gestures of surprised but also calm disapproval. But Judas, who has stood up to have a better view of the ointment spread on Jesus' feet, says with ill grace: «What a useless heathen waste! Why do that? And then we expect the Chiefs of the Sanhedrin not to speak of sin! Those are deeds of a lustful courtesan and they do not become the new life you are leading, woman. They are too strong a recollection of your past!» The insult is such that everybody is dumbfounded. It is such that everybody stirs, some sit up on the beds, some jump to their feet, everyone looks at Judas, as if he had suddenly become insane. Martha flares up. Lazarus springs to his feet striking the table with his fist and says: «In my house...», then he looks at Jesus and controls himself. «Yes. Are you all looking at me? You have all murmured in your hearts. But now that I echoed your words and I openly said what you thought, you are all ready to say that I am wrong. I will repeat what I said. I do not mean that Mary is the Master's lover. But I say that certain actions do not become Him or her. It is an imprudent action. And an unjust one. Yes. Why such waste? If she wanted to destroy the memories of her past, she could have given that vase and ointment to me. It was at least a pound of pure nard! And of high value. I could have sold it for at least three hundred denarii, as that is the price for nard of that quality. And I could have sold the vase, which was beautiful and precious. I would have given the money to the poor who crowd round us. We never have enough. And those asking for alms tomorrow in Jerusalem will be numberless.» «That is true» say the others assenting. «You could have used a little for the Master and the rest...»

7 Mary of Magdala seems to be deaf. She continues wiping Jesus' feet with her loose hair that now, at its end, is also heavy with the ointment and darker than on the top of her head. Jesus' feet are smooth and soft in their shade of old ivory, as if they were covered with fresh skin. And Mary puts the sandals on the Christ's feet again, kissing each foot before and after putting the sandal on, deaf to everything that is not her love for Jesus. Jesus defends her laying His hand on her head bent in the last kiss and saying: «Leave her alone. Why are you annoying and upsetting her? You do not realise what she has done. Mary has accomplished an action that is rightful and good with regard to Me. The poor will always be among you. I am about to go away. You will always have them, but you will soon not have Me any longer. You will always be able to give alms to the poor. Shortly to Me, to the Son of man among men, it will no longer be possible to give any honour, through the will of men, and because the hour has come. Love is light to her. She feels that I am about to die and she wanted to anticipate the burial anointing for My body. I tell you solemnly that wherever the Good News is proclaimed, this prophetic action of love of hers will be remembered. All over the world. Throughout ages. I wish God would turn every human being into another Mary who does not value things, who entertains no attachment for anything, who does not cherish the least memory of the past, but destroys and treads on everything that is flesh and world, and breaks and spreads herself, as she did with the nard and the alabaster, on her Lord and out of love for Him. Do not weep, Mary. In this hour I repeat to you the words I spoke to Simon the Pharisee and to your sister Martha: “You are forgiven everything, because you have loved completely.” You have chosen the better part. And it will not be taken away from you. Go in peace, My kind little sheep found again. Go in peace. The pastures of love shall be your food forever. Stand up. Kiss also My hands that have absolved and blessed you... How many people these hands of Mine have absolved, blessed, cured, assisted! And yet I tell you that the people whom I have assisted are preparing torture for these hands...»

There is deathlike silence in the air sultry with the intense scent.

Mary, her loose hair clothing her shoulders and veiling her face, kisses the right hand that Jesus offers her and cannot detach her lips from it... Martha, deeply moved, approaches her and gathers her loose hair, which she braids caressing her, and then she wipes the tears on her cheeks endeavouring to dry them... No one feels like eating any more... Christ's words make them pensive. Judas of Alphaeus is the first to get up. He asks leave to withdraw. His brother James imitates him and Andrew and John follow suit. The others remain, but they are already standing, intent on purifying their hands in silver basins handed to them by the servants. Mary and Martha do the same with the Master and Lazarus.

8 A servant comes in and he bends to speak to Maximinus, who, after listening to him, says: «Master, there are some people who would like to see You. They say that they come from afar. What shall we do?»

Jesus calls Philip, James of Zebedee and Thomas and says to them: «Go, evangelize, cure, act in My name. Tell them that I shall be going up to the Temple tomorrow.» «Is it wise to tell them that, Lord?» asks Simon Zealot. «There is no sense in being silent about it, because it is already mentioned in the Holy City, more by enemies than by friends. Go!» «H'm! As long as friends know... we know. But they do not betray. I do not know how the others can be informed.» «Among the many friends there are always some enemies, Simon of Jonas. Now the friends are... too many and they are accepted as such too easily. When I think how long I had to wait and pray!... But those were the early days and one was cautious. Then the triumphs dazzled us and we were no longer wary. And that was wrong. But it happens to all winners. Victories prevent one from seeing clearly and enfeeble one's prudence in acting. I am speaking of us disciples, of course, not of the Master. He is perfect. If we had remained only twelve, we should not have to tremble for fear of betrayals!» says Judas of Kerioth lying shamelessly. It is impossible to describe the glance Christ casts at the perfidious apostle. A glance of warning and infinite sorrow. But Judas pays no attention to it. He passes by the table to go out...

 

9 Jesus follows him with His eyes and when He sees him go out, He asks him: «Where are you going?» «Out...» replies Judas evasively. «Out of this room, or out of the house?» «Out... So... For a little walk.» «Do not go, Judas. Stay with Me, with us...» «Your brothers have gone away with John and Andrew. Why must I not go?» «You are not going to have a rest as they did...» Judas does not reply, but he goes out obstinately. Not a word is uttered in the hall. Lazarus and his sisters and the four apostles who have stayed: Peter, Simon, Matthew and Bartholomew, look at one another. Jesus looks outside. He has got up and has gone to a window to follow Judas' movements and when He sees him go out of the house wearing his mantle and set out towards the gate, which cannot be seen from here, He calls him in a loud voice: «Judas! Wait for Me. I have something to tell you» and He gently frees Himself from Lazarus who, realising that the Master was grieved, had passed his arm round His waist embracing Him, and He leaves the hall, joining Judas, who had continued walking although more slowly. He reaches him at about one third of the distance between the house and the garden wall, near a thicket of plants with thick leaves that look like green baked clay sprayed with clusters of little flowers, and each flower is a small cross with heavy petals as if they were made of light yellow wax, with a strong scent. I do not know their name. He draws him behind the thicket and holding his forearm tight with His hand, He asks him again: [color]«Where are you going, Judas? Please, stay here!»[/color] «Since you know everything, why do You ask me? What need is there for You to ask, since You can read the hearts of men? You know that I am going to my friends. You do not allow me to go there. They press me to go. I am going.»

«Your friends! You should say your ruin! That is where you are going. You are going to your true murderers. Don't go Judas! Don't go! You are going to commit a crime... You...» «Ah! You are afraid?! Are You afraid at last?! You realise at last that you are a man! You are a man! Nothing more than a man! Because man only is afraid of death. God knows that He cannot die. If You felt that You were God, You would know that You could not die and You would not be afraid. Because now that You feel death close at hand, You are afraid like all men and You are trying with every possible means to avert it and You see danger everywhere and in everything. Where is Your lovely boldness? Where are Your confident protestations that You were happy and thirsting for accomplishing the Sacrifice? There is not even an echo of them left in Your heart! You thought that this hour would never come, so You feigned power, generosity and You spoke solemn sentences. Go away! You are as bad as those whom You reproach as being hypocrites! You have enticed us and betrayed us. And we had left everything for Your sake! And because of You we are hated! You have brought about our ruin...» «That is enough. Go! Go away! Not many hours have gone by since you said to Me: “Help me to stay. Defend me!” I have done that. To what avail? Tell Me one thing more, and think about it before telling Me. Is this your sincere will? To go to your friends, to prefer them to Me?» «Yes. It is. I do not have to think about it, because for a long time I have wanted nothing but that.» «Then go. God does not do violence to man's will.» and Jesus turns His back on him and goes slowly back to the house.

10 When He is close to it He raises His head, attracted by the eyes of Lazarus, who standing where he was before, is looking fixedly at Him. It is a very pale face that endeavours to smile at the faithful friend. He goes back into the hall where the four apostles are speaking to Maximinus, while Martha and Mary are directing the work of the servants, who are tidying up the hall removing the dishes and table-linen used at the banquet. Lazarus has gone to the door and once again he has embraced Jesus' waist with his arm, and passing near a servant he says to him: «Bring me the roll that is on the table in my work-room.» He takes Jesus to one of the wide seats placed in the cavities of the windows, so that He may sit down. But Jesus remains standing, striving to pay attention to what Lazarus is saying to Him... but it is evident that His mind is elsewhere and His heart is grieved, although when He realises that the apostles are watching Him, He smiles to dispel the suspicions of those who have approached Him surrounding Him and are whispering to one another, winking and pointing at the Master. The servant comes back with the roll and Peter, seeing that the parchments contain things that are higher than what his head can understand, withdraws saying: «Fish do not bite certain baits. It is better to speak to Maximinus of plants and cultivations.» Martha continues with her work.

11 Maria, although silent, takes part in the conversation of Lazarus, who points out certain passages of the parchments to the Master, saying: «Has this heathen not got a rare foresight? More than many of us. Perhaps... if he had been here, while You are our Master, he would have been one of Your disciples, and one of the best. And he would have understood You as many of us have not been able to understand You. And what a poem would have been inspired to his genius by his admiration for You! Your words gathered and preserved by a spirit that is bright although it belongs to a heathen! Your life described by this open and limpid intellect! We no longer have writers and poets. You were born late. When the selfishness of life and religious-social corruption have extinguished poetry and genius among us. What our wise men and prophets have written about You, without knowing You, has not found an echo in the living voice of one of Your followers. Your favourites, Your faithful followers are mostly people without education. And the others... No. We no longer have any Qohelet to hand down to the crowds Your wisdom and Your figure. We no longer have them because the spirit and will are lacking more than the ability to do so. The humanly more chosen part of Israel is as deaf as a broken trumpet, and it can no longer sing the glories and wonders of God. My worry is that everything may be lost or adulterated, partly through inability, partly through ill-will...» «That will not happen. When the Spirit of the Lord is settled in hearts, it will repeat My words and explain their meaning. It is the Spirit of God Who speaks through the lips of the Christ. Then... Then It will speak to the spirits directly and will recall My words.» «Oh! I wish that would happen soon! Soon, because they listen so little to Your words and understand them even less. I think that the roaring of the Spirit of God will be as violent as blazing fire to engrave with violence in the minds of men what they would not accept because it was kind and mild. I think that the flaming Spirit will burn the tepid or torpid consciences with Its fire, writing Your words on them. The world will have to love You! It is the will of the Most High! But when will it happen?» «When I shall be consumed in the Sacrifice of love. Then Love will come. It will be like the beautiful flame rising from the sacrificed Victim. And that flame will never go out, because the Sacrifice will never end. Once it is accomplished, it will last throughout the time of the Earth.» «But then... You would really have to be sacrificed so that that may happen?» «It is so.» Jesus makes His usual gesture of adherence to His own destiny. He stretches out His arms with His hands pointed outwards and lowers His head. He then raises it to smile at distressed Lazarus and says: «But the immaterial voice of the Spirit of love will not be so violent as a roar, but it will be as sweet as love, which is as mild as a Nisan breeze and yet is as strong as death. The ineffable ministry of Love! The complement, the completion of My ministry. The perfection of My ministry as Master... I am not afraid, as you are, that anything of what I have given may be lost. On the contrary, I solemnly tell you that beams of light will be cast on My words and you will see their spirit. I am going away serenely because I am entrusting My doctrine to the Holy Spirit and My spirit to My Father.» He lowers His head pensively, then, after laying the roll, which gave rise to the conversation, on a kind of tall dresser or chest of ebony, or other dark wood, all inlaid with yellowish ivory, that has been brought by four servants from the next room, and in which Martha is arranging the more valuable tableware, He says: «Lazarus, come outside. I want to speak to you!» «At once, Lord» and Lazarus gets up from the seat on which he was sitting and follows Jesus into the garden, where it is beginning to get dark, as the last daylight is fading away in the sky, and the early moonlight, which is just beginning to appear, is still too faint. ------------12 Jesus says: «You will put here the vision dated 2nd March 1945: “Farewell to Lazarus”, starting from the point: “Jesus walks turning His steps beyond the garden where is the sepulchre in which Lazarus was buried.”»

Next Chapter: 585. Farewell to Lazarus. 2nd March 1945.

 

585. Farewell to Lazarus. 2nd March 1945.

1 Jesus is at Bethany. It is evening. A peaceful April evening. From the wide windows of the dining room one can see Lazarus' garden all in bloom, and beyond it, the orchard that looks like a cloud of light petals. The scent of fresh vegetation, the sweet-sour smell of fruit-tree blossoms, of roses and other flowers, carried into the house by the light evening breeze that makes the door curtains flutter and the lights of the central chandelier flicker, mingles with a strong scent of tuberoses, lilies of the valley and jasmines, mixed in a rare essence, left over from the balm with which Mary of Magdala scented her Jesus, Whose hair still looks dark after the unction. Simon, Peter, Matthew and Benjamin are still in the room. The others are absent and have probably gone out on errands. Jesus has left the table and is looking at a roll of parchment that Lazarus has shown Him. Mary of Magdala is going round the room... she looks like a butterfly attracted by light. She can do nothing but move round her Jesus. Martha is watching the servants who are removing the wonderful precious dishes lying on the table. Jesus lays the roll on a tall sideboard of polished black wood inlaid with ivory, and says: «Lazarus, come outside. I must speak to you.» «At once, Lord» and Lazarus gets up from his chair near the window and follows Jesus into the garden, where the last light of the day is mixing with the first very clear moonlight.

2 Jesus walks turning His steps beyond the garden, where is the sepulchre in which Lazarus was buried and which now displays a large frame of roses, all in bloom, at its empty mouth. Above it, on the slightly inclined rock, is carved: «Lazarus, come out!» Jesus stops there. The house can no longer be seen, concealed as it is by trees and hedges. There is dead silence and absolute solitude. «Lazarus, My friend» asks Jesus standing facing His friend and looking at him with a faint smile on His face, which is very thin and paler than usual. «Lazarus, My friend, do you know who I am?» «You? You are Jesus of Nazareth, my gentle Jesus, my holy Jesus, my powerful Jesus!» «That with regard to you. But with regard to the world, who am I?» «You are the Messiah of Israel.» «And then?» «You are the Promised One, the Expected One... But why are You asking me that? Do You doubt my faith?» «No, Lazarus. But I want to confide a truth to you. Nobody, except My Mother and one of My apostles, is aware of it. My Mother, because She knows everything. An apostle, because he participates in this matter. During these three years I told the others, who are with Me, many times. But their love acted as nepenthes and thwarted the truth I had announced. They could not understand... And it is a good thing that they did not understand, otherwise, to prevent a crime, they would have committed another one. A useless one, because what is to happen would take place just the same, notwithstanding any killing. But I want to tell you.» «Do You doubt that I do not love You as much as they do? Of what crime are You speaking? What crime is to take place? In the name of God, speak!» Lazarus is excited. «Yes, I will speak. I do not doubt your love. So much so that I entrust and confide My Will to you...» «Oh! my Jesus! Who is about to die does that! I did it when I realised that You were not coming and that I had to die.» «And I must die.» «No!» Lazarus utters another deep groan. «Do not shout. Let no one hear us. I must speak to you alone.

3 Lazarus, My friend, do you know what is happening this very moment that you are with Me, in the loyal friendship you granted Me from the first moment, and was never upset for any reason? A man, with other men, is negotiating the price of the Lamb. Do you know the name of that Lamb? Its name is Jesus of Nazareth.» «No! There are enemies, that is true. But no one can sell You! Who? Who is it?» «One of My apostles. It could but be one of those whom I have disappointed more bitterly and who, tired of waiting, wants to get rid of Him Who by now is nothing but a personal danger. In his way of thinking, he feels that he can gain a good reputation again with the great ones of the world. He will instead be despised both by all good people and by all criminals. He has become tired of Me, of awaiting what he has tried to achieve by every means: human grandeur, which he pursued first in the Temple, then he believed he would attain with the King of Israel, and he is now seeking once again in the Temple and by approaching the Romans... He hopes... But Rome, if she knows how to reward her loyal servants,... knows also how to crush informers with contempt. He is tired of Me, of waiting, of the burden of being good. For those who are wicked, to be, to have to feign to be good, is an overwhelming burden. It can be borne for some time... then... it can no longer be endured... and one gets rid of it to become free. Free? That is what the wicked ones think. That is what he thinks. But it is not freedom. To belong to God is freedom. To be against God is to be in prison with fetters and chains, with loads and lashes, as no galley-slave, as no slave working at constructions ever suffered under the whip of the torturer.» «Who is it? Tell me. Who is it?»

«It is of no use.» «Yes, it is... Ah!... It can be but he: the man who has always been a stain in Your group, the man who also a short time ago offended my sister. It is Judas of Kerioth!» «No. It is Satan. God took flesh in Me: Jesus. Satan has taken flesh in him: Judas of Kerioth. One day... a very remote day... here, in this garden of yours, I comforted the tears and I excused a spirit that had fallen very low. I said that possession is the contagion of Satan who inoculates the human being with his juices and perverts its nature. I said that it is the marriage of a spirit with Satan and animality. But possession is still a trifle as compared with incarnation. I shall be possessed by My saints and they will be possessed by Me. But only in Jesus Christ is God as He is in Heaven, because I am the God Who became Flesh. One only is the divine Incarnation. Likewise Satan, Lucifer, will be in one only, as he is in his kingdom, because Satan is incarnate only in the killer of the Son of God. While I am speaking to you here, he is before the Sanhedrin and is negotiating and is pledging himself to have Me killed. But it is not he, it is Satan.

4 Listen now, Lazarus, My loyal friend. I am going to ask you for some favours. You have never denied Me anything. Your love has been so great that, without going beyond respect, it has always been active beside Me, with countless aids, with so much prevident assistance and wise advice that I have always accepted, because I could see in your heart a true desire for My welfare.» «Oh! My Lord! But it was my joy to devote myself to You! What shall I do now, if I do not have to devote myself to my Master and Lord? You have allowed me to do too little, far too little! My debt to You, Who have restored Mary to my love and honour, and me to life, is such that... Oh! why did You call me back from death to make me live this hour? By now I had overcome all the horror of death and all the anguish of the spirit, frightened by Satan with temptation at the moment of presenting itself to the Eternal Judge, and there was darkness!... What is the matter with You, Jesus? Why are You trembling and growing wanner than You are usually? Your face is paler than this white rose which is languishing in the moonlight. Oh! Master! Your blood and life seem to be forsaking You...» «I, in fact, look like a man who is dying with his veins cut. The whole of Jerusalem, and I mean “all My enemies among the mighty ones in Israel” have laid their greedy mouths on Me and are sucking My life and My blood. They want to silence the Voice that for three years, while loving them, has tortured them;... because every word of Mine, even if it were a word of love, was a shock inviting their souls to wake up, and they did not want to hear their souls, as they had tied them with their treble sensuality. And not only the great ones... But the whole of Jerusalem is about to rage at the Innocent and ask for His death... and with Jerusalem also Judaea... and with Judaea also Perea, Idumaea, the Decapolis, Galilee, Syrophaenicia... the whole of Israel gathered in Zion for the “Passing” of the Christ from life to death...

 

5 Lazarus, since you died and rose again, tell Me: what is dying? What did you feel? What do you remember?» «Dying?... I do not remember exactly what it was. My bitter suffering was followed by a great languor... I did not seem to suffer any more and I was only very sleepy... Light and noises were becoming dimmer and dimmer and fainter and fainter and more and more remote... My sisters and Maximinus say that I was showing signs of sharp suffering... But I do not remember...» [color]«Of course. The pity of the Father numbs the intellectual senses of dying people, so that only their flesh suffers, as it is to be purified by the pre-purgatory that is agony. But I... And what do you remember of death?»[/color] «Nothing, Master. It is a dark space in my spirit. An empty area. There is an interruption in the course of my life and I do not know how to fill it. I remember nothing. If I looked at the bottom of that black hole that kept me for four days, although it were night and I were a shadow in it, if I could not see, I would feel the humid chill rise from its bowels and blow on my face. It is, after all, a sensation. But if I think of those four days, I have nothing. Nothing. That is the word.»«Of course. Those who come back cannot tell... The mystery is revealed every time to him who goes in. But I, Lazarus, I know what I shall suffer. I know that I shall suffer in full consciousness. There will be no soothing drink or languor to make My agony less dreadful. I shall feel that I am dying. I already feel it... I am already dying, Lazarus. Like one suffering from an incurable disease, I have continued to die during these thirty-three years. And death has quickened its pace more and more as time brought Me closer to this hour. At first it was only the death of knowing that I was born to be the Redeemer. Later it was the death of him who sees himself opposed, accused, derided, persecuted, hindered... How tiring! Then... the death of having beside Me, closer and closer, till he was grasping Me as a giant octopus grasps a shipwrecked person, him who is My Traitor. How nauseating! And now I am dying in the torture of having to say “goodbye” to My dearest friends and to My Mother...»

6 «Oh! Master! You are weeping?! I know that You wept also in front of my sepulchre, because You loved me. But now... You are weeping again. You are frozen. Your hands are already as cold as those of a corpse. You are suffering... You are suffering too much!...» «I am the Man, Lazarus. I am not only the God. I have the sensitiveness and affections of men. And My soul is distressed thinking of My Mother... And yet, I tell you, My torture of enduring to have My Traitor close to Me has become so monstrous, as well as having to bear the satanic hatred of a whole world, and the deafness of those who, if they do not hate, cannot love actively either, because to love actively is to succeed in being what the loved person wants and teaches, whereas here!... Yes, many love Me. But they have remained “what they were”. They did not assume another ego for My sake. Do you know who was able, among My most intimate ones, to change nature in order to become of Christ, as Christ wants? One only: your sister Mary. She started from complete perverted animality to arrive at an angelical spirituality. And she achieved that only through the power of love.» «You redeemed her.» «I redeemed them all with My word. But she alone changed completely through active love. But I was saying: and My suffering all these things is so monstrous, that I long for nothing but to see everything accomplished. My strength is failing Me... The cross will not be so heavy as this torture of the spirit and of feelings...» «The cross?! No! Oh! no! It is too atrocious! It is too disgraceful! No!» Lazarus, who for some time has been holding Jesus' cold hands in his own, standing in front of his Master, releases them and collapses on the nearby stone seat and he covers his face with his hands weeping desolately.

7 Jesus approaches him, lays a hand on the shoulders shaken by sobs, and says: «What? Am I, Who am about to die, to comfort you, who are alive? My friend, I am in need of strength and help. And I am asking them of you. I have but you who can give Me them. It is better if the others do not know. Because if they knew... Blood would be shed. And I do not want lambs to become wolves, not even for the sake of the Innocent. My Mother... oh! how heart-rending it is to speak of Her!... Mother is already so distressed! She also is dying exhausted... She also has been dying for thirty-three years, and She is now one big sore, like the victim of an atrocious torture. I swear to you that there has been a struggle between My mind and My heart, between love and reason, to decide whether it was just to send Her away, to send Her back to Her house, where She always dreams of the Love that made Her Mother, where She enjoys the savour of Love's kiss of fire, She starts in the ecstasy of that remembrance, and with the eyes of Her soul She always sees the air breathe gently, stirred by an angelical flash. The news of My Death will reach Galilee almost at the moment in which I will be able to say to Her: “Mother, I am the Conqueror!” But I cannot, no, I cannot do that. Poor Jesus, laden with the sins of the world, needs consolation. And Mother will give Me it. And the even poorer world needs two Victims. Because man sinned with woman; and the Woman must redeem, as the Man redeems. But until the hour is struck, I will smile at My Mother reassuringly... She trembles... I know. She perceives that the Torture is approaching. I know. And She repels it through natural disgust and holy love, as I repel Death because I am a “living being” who must die. But it would be dreadful if She knew that in five days' time... She would die before that hour, and I want Her to be alive to get strength from Her lips, as I received life from Her womb. And God wants Her to be on My Calvary to mix the water of Her virginal tears with the wine of My divine Blood and celebrate the first Mass. Do you know what Mass will be? You do not know. You cannot know. It will be My death applied forever to the living or suffering mankind. Do not weep, Lazarus. She is strong. She does not weep. She has wept throughout Her life of a Mother. She no longer weeps now. She has crucified Her smile on Her face... Have you noticed what Her face has become like these last days? She crucified Her smile on Her face to comfort Me. I ask you to imitate My Mother.

8 I could no longer keep My secret all to Myself. I looked around seeking a sincere reliable friend. I met your loyal eyes. I said: “I will confide it to Lazarus.” When you had a heavy burden in your heart, I respected your secret and I defended it even against the natural curiosity of hearts. I ask you to have the same respect for Mine. Later... after My death, you will make it known. You will mention this conversation. That people may know that Jesus went to His death fully aware of the situation, and to His known tortures He added also this one, that He knew everything, both with regard to people and to His destiny. That it may be known that while He could still have saved Himself, He did not want to, because His infinite love for men desired nothing but to consume the sacrifice for them.» «Oh! save Yourself, Master! Save Yourself! I can let You escape. This very night. Once You did fly to Egypt! Run away now as well. Come, let us go. Let us take Mary and my sisters with us, and let us go. None of my riches attract me, as You know. You are my wealth and Mary's and Martha's. Let us go.» «Lazarus, I ran away then, because it was not My hour. Now it is the hour. And I am staying.»«In that case I am coming with You. I will not leave You.»«No. You will stay here. Since he who is within the distance of a Sabbath walk is allowed to consume the lamb in his house, you will consume your lamb here, as you have always done. But let your sisters come... For My Mother... Oh! what the roses of divine love concealed from You, o Martyr! The abyss! The abyss! And from it are now rising the flames of Hatred and rushing to gnaw at Your heart! The sisters, yes. They are strong and active... and Mother will be agonizing, bent over My dead body. John is not sufficient. John is love. But he is still immature. Oh! He will mature and become a man in the torture of the oncoming days. But the Woman needs women for Her dreadful wounds. Will you let Me have them?» «I will give You everything, I have always given You everything with joy, and I only regretted that You wanted so little!...»«As you can see, I have not accepted from anybody else what I consented to have from My friends in Bethany. That is one of the charges made against Me by the unjust man more than once. But here, among you, I found enough to comfort the Man of all His bitterness as a man. At Nazareth it was the God Who found solace near the Unique Delight of God. Here it was the Man. And before going up to My death I thank you, My faithful, loving, kind, thoughtful, reserved, learned, discreet, generous friend. I thank you for everything. And My Father, later, will reward you...»«I have already had everything through Your love and Mary's redemption.»

 

«Oh! no. You are to receive much more. And you will have it. 9 Listen. Do not be so dejected. Pay attention to Me that I may tell you what I want to ask you to do. You will remain here waiting...» «No, not that. Why Mary and Martha, and not I?» «Because I do not want you to be corrupted as all men will be corrupted. Jesusalem in the next days will be as corrupt as the air around a putrid carrion that has suddenly been burst by the foot of a heedless passer-by. Infected and infecting. Even people who are not so cruel, even My disciples will be driven mad by its miasmata. They will run away. And where will they go in their bewilderment? They will come to Lazarus. How many times, in these three years, have they come looking for bread, a bed, protection, shelter, and for their Master!... They will come back now. Like sheep dispersed by a wolf that has abducted the shepherd, they will rush to a fold. Gather them. Encourage them. Tell them that I forgive them. I entrust you with the task of forgiving them on My behalf. They will not be able to set their minds at rest for running away. Tell them not to fall into a greater sin by despairing of My forgiveness.» «Will they all run away?» «All of them except John.» «Master. You will not ask me to receive Judas? Let me die tortured, but do not ask me that. Several times my hand, anxious as it was to kill the shame of the family, trembled touching my sword. But I never did it, because I am not a violent man. I was only tempted to do it. But I swear to You that if I see Judas again, I will cut his throat, like a scapegoat.» «You will never see him again. I swear it to you». «Will he run away? It does not matter. I said: “If I see him again”. Now I say: “I will get him, even if he were at the world's end, and I will kill him”.» «You must not wish that.» «I will do it.» «You will not do it, because you will not be able to go where he is.» «In the bosom of the Sanhedrin? In the Holy of Holies? I will get him even there and I will kill him.» «He will not be there.»

«At Herod's? They will kill me, but I will kill him first.» «He will be with Satan. And you will never be with Satan. Give up that murderous intent at once, otherwise I will leave you.» «Oh! oh!... But... Yes, for You... Oh! Master! Master! Master!» «Yes. Your Master... You will receive the disciples, you will comfort them. You will lead them once again towards peace. I am the Peace. And also later... Later you will help them. Bethany will always be Bethany, until Hatred rummages in this home of love, thinking that it will put out its flames, whereas it will spread them throughout the world to set it all ablaze.

10 I bless you, Lazarus, for everything you have done and for what you will do...» «Nothing, nothing. You brought me back from death, and You do not allow me to defend You. So what have I done?» «You gave Me your houses. See? It was our destiny. The first flat in Zion in a ground belonging to you. And the last one also in one of them. It was My destiny that I should be your Guest. But you could not defend me from death. At the beginning of this conversation I asked you: “Do you know who I am?” Now I reply: “I am the Redeemer.” The Redeemer must consume the sacrifice to the final immolation. In any case, believe Me. He Who will be raised on the cross and will be exposed to the eyes and the mockery of the world will not be alive, but dead. I am already dead, killed before and more by lack of love than by torture. And one more thing, My friend. Tomorrow at dawn I am going to Jerusalem. And you will hear people say that Zion applauded her meek King as a triumpher, as He entered the town riding a little donkey. Do not let that triumph deceive you and do not jet it make you think that the Wisdom now speaking to you was not wise this peaceful evening. Popular favour will vanish faster than a star that furrows the sky and disappears into unknown spaces, and in five days' time, in the evening at this time, My torture will begin with a deceitful kiss that will open the mouths, singing hosannas tomorrow, into a chorus of dreadful curses and cruel condemning voices. 11 Yes, at last, o town of Zion, o people of Israel, you will have the Passover Lamb! You will have it in the rite now close-at-hand. Here it is. It is the Victim that has been prepared for ages. Love procreated it, having prepared an immaculate womb as its nuptial room. And Love consumes it. Here it is. It is the conscious Victim. Not like the lamb that being unaware goes on grazing in the meadow or with its pink snout presses its mother's round dug, while the butcher is sharpening a knife to slaughter it. But I am the Lamb that consciously says: “Goodbye!” to life, to His Mother, to His friends, and goes to the sacrificer and says: “Here I am!” I am the Food of man. Satan has made men starve and their hunger has never been satisfied. And it cannot be satisfied. One food only can sate it, because it removes their hunger. And here is that food. Here is your bread, man. Here is your wine. Consume your Passover, o Mankind! Cross your sea, reddened by satanic flames. Tinged with My Blood you will cross it, o race of man, preserved from the fire of hell. You can cross it. Heaven, pressed by My desire, is already half-opening the eternal gates. Look, o souls of the dead! Look, of living men! Look, o souls, that will be incorporated in future bodies! Look, o angels of Paradise! Look, o demons of Hell! Look, o Father; look, o Paraclete! The Victim smiles. It no longer weeps... 12 Everything has been said. Goodbye, My friend. I shall not see you either, before I die. Let us kiss each other goodbye. And do not be doubtful. People will say to you: “He was a madman! He was a demon! A liar! He died while He was saying that He was the Life.” Reply to them and particularly to yourself: “He was and is the Truth and the Life. He is the Vanquisher of death. I know. And He cannot be the eternal Dead One. I am waiting for Him. And all the oil in the lamp, that his friend is keeping ready to make light for the world, invited to the wedding of the Triumpher, will not be burnt, before He, the Bridegroom, comes back. And this time it will never be possible to put the light out.” Believe that, Lazarus. Obey My wish. Can you hear how this nightingale is singing after being silent because of the outburst of your tears? Do the same. After the inevitable tears shed on the Victim, let your soul sing the unerring song of your faith. May you be blessed by the Father, by the Son, by the Holy Spirit.» ------------13 How much I suffered! The whole night, from 11 o'clock p.m. on Thursday 1st March to 5 o'clock Friday morning. I saw Jesus in a state of anguish only a little inferior to that at Gethsemane, particularly when He speaks of His Mother, of the traitor, and shows His repugnance to death. I obeyed Jesus' order to write this on a separate notebook to have a more detailed Passion...You saw my face this morning... a weak image of what I suffered... and I am not saying anything else, because there are insurmountable aspects of modesty. [Maria Valtorta in her notebooks on the Passion sometimes speaks to her spiritual director]

Next Chapter: 586. Judas Goes to the Leaders of the Sanhedrin. 29th March 1947

 

586. Judas Goes to the Leaders of the Sanhedrin. 29th March 1947

1 Judas arrives at Caiaphas' country house at night. But the moon acts as an accomplice of the murderer, illuminating the road for him. He must be certain that he will find there, in that house outside the walls, those he is looking for, otherwise I think he would have tried to enter the town and he would have gone to the Temple. Instead, he is climbing among the olive-trees of the little hill – without a moment's hesitation. This time he is more certain than the previous time, because it is night-time, and the darkness and the late hour protect from every possible surprise. The country roads are now deserted, after being busy all day with the crowds of pilgrims going to Jerusalem for Passover. Even poor lepers are now in their caves and are sleeping the sleep of unhappy people, forgetting their fate for a few hours. Judas is now at the door of the house, which is all white in the moonlight. He knocks: three times, once, three times again, twice… Even the conventional signal is familiar to him! And it must be a sure signal, because the door is half-opened without any check by the door-keeper through the peep-hole in the door Judas steals in and asks the servant porter: «Have the members assembled?» «Yes, Judas of Kerioth, they have. A full assembly, I might say.» «Take me there. I have to speak of an important matter. Quick!» The man locks the door with all the bolts, and precedes him along a semi-dark vestibule, stopping in front of a heavy door, at which he knocks. The murmur of the voices in the closed room stops, and is replaced by the noise of the lock and the squeaking of the door, which is opened, and a cone of bright light is projected on the dark corridor. «It's you? Come in!» says the person who opened the door and who is unknown to me. And Judas goes into the hall, while the man who opened the door locks it again.

2 There are signs of surprise or at least of excitement, when they see Judas enter the room. But they greet him all together: «Peace to you, Judas of Simon.» «Peace to you, members of the holy Sanhedrin» greets Judas. «Come forward. What do you want?» they ask him. «I want to speak to you… of the Christ. It is not possible to go on like this. I can no longer be of any assistance to you, unless you make up your minds to take drastic measures. The man is suspicious by now.» «Have you given yourself away, you fool?» they exclaim interrupting him. «No. But you are the fools, as you have made the wrong move by hurrying things in a stupid way. You knew very well that I would serve you! But you did not trust me.» «You have a weak memory, Judas of Simon! Don't you remember how you parted from us the last time? Who could think that you were loyal to us, when you proclaimed in that way that you could not betray Him?» says Helkai ironically, and he sounds more venomous than ever. «And do you think that it is easy to get to deceive a friend, the Only One Who really loves me, the Innocent? Do you think it is easy to go so far as to commit a crime?»

Judas is excited. They try to calm him down. They coax him. And they allure him, or at least they try to do so, pointing out that he will not commit a crime «but a holy deed for his Fatherland, whom he will spare reprisals from the rulers, who are already giving signs of intolerance because of the continual public commotions and divisions of parties and crowds in a Roman province; and for Mankind, if He is really convinced of the divine nature of the Messiah and of His spiritual mission.» Another says: «If what He says is true – far be it from us to believe it – are you not the collaborator of Redemption? Your name will be associated to His forever, and your Fatherland will number you with her valiant men, and will honour you with the highest dignities. A seat among us is ready for you. You will rise, Judas. You will lay down laws for Israel. Oh! We shall not forget what you have done for the welfare of the holy Temple, of the holy Priesthood; for the protection of the most holy Law; and for the welfare of the whole Nation! All you have to do is to help us, then we swear to you, I swear to you in the name of my powerful father and of Caiaphas, who is now wearing the ephod, you will be the greatest man in Israel. Greater than the tetrarchs, greater than my father, now a High Priest put out of office. Like a king, like a prophet, you will be served and listened to. And if Jesus of Nazareth should be but a false Messiah, even if He really should not be liable to death because His deeds are not those of a robber, but of a madman, we remind you of the inspired words of the pontiff Caiaphas – you know that he wears the ephod and the rational speaks through divine suggestion and prophesies what is good and what is to be done – Caiaphas, do you remember? Caiaphas said: “It is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole Nation to be destroyed.” It was a prophetic word.» «It was really a prophecy. The Most High spoke through the lips of the High Priest. Let him be obeyed!» say all together those dirty puppets, the members of the great council of the Sanhedrin, who already sound theatrical, and look like automata who are to make certain gestures.

3 Judas is influenced, and allured… But there is still a little common sense, if not goodness, in him, and this restrains him from uttering the fatal words. Surrounding him with respect and feigned affection, they urge him, saying: «Don't you believe us? Look: we are the heads of the twenty-four priestly families, the Elders of the people, the scribes, the greatest Pharisees in Israel, the wise rabbis, the magistrates of the Temple. The cream of Israel is here, around you, ready to acclaim you, and by one consent we say to you: “Do it, because it is a holy deed.”» Judas replies: «And where is Gamaliel? And Joseph and Nicodemus, where are they? And where is Eleazar, Joseph's friend, and where is John of Gaash? I don't see them.»

«Gamaliel has secluded himself to do severe penance. John is with his pregnant wife who is poorly this evening. Eleazar… we do not know why he has not come. But anybody can be seized by a sudden illness, don't you think? With regard to Joseph and Nicodemus, we have not informed them of this secret meeting for your sake, and for the sake of your honour… so that, if our plan should unluckily fail, your name would not be reported to the Master… We are protecting your name. We love you, Judas, the new Maccabee, saviour of our Fatherland.» «The Maccabee fought a good battle. I… am betraying.» says Judas. «Do not consider the details of the action, but the justice of the purpose. 4 Will you please speak, Sadoc, the golden scribe. Precious words flow from your lips. If Gamaliel is learned, you are wise, because the wisdom of God is on your lips. Speak to this man who still hesitates.» That crook Sadoc comes forward followed by a decrepit Hananiah, an emaciated dying fox, beside a shrewd strong cruel jackal. «Listen, o man of God!» begins Sadoc pompously, assuming an inspired oratorial attitude, his right arm stretched forward in Ciceronian style, his left one engaged in holding up the heap of folds forming his scribe garment. He then raises also his left arm, allowing his monumental garment to spread out untidily, and thus, with his face and arms raised towards the ceiling of the room, he says in a thundering voice: «I say unto you! I say unto you in the Most High Presence of God!» «Maran Atha!» they all exclaim, stooping, as if a supreme inspiration bent them, then rising with their arms crossed on their chests. «I say unto you. It is written in the pages of our history and of our fate! It is written in the signs and figures left by ages! It is written in the rite celebrated uninterruptedly since the night fatal to the Egyptians! It is written in the figure of Isaac! It is written in the figure of Abel! And let what is written come true.» «Maran Atha!» say the others in a low mournful striking chorus, repeating the previous gestures, their faces oddly illuminated by the light of two chandeliers of pale-violet mica, shedding a phatasmagoric light at the ends of the hall. The assembly of men, almost all dressed in white, with the pale or olive complexions of their race, made even more pale and olive by the diffused light, really looks like a gathering of ghosts. «The word of God has descended upon the lips of the prophets to approve this decree. He must die! It is stated!» «It is stated! Maran Atha!» «He must die, His destiny is marked!»

«He must die. Maran Atha!» «His fatal destiny is described to the last detail, and fatality cannot be infringed!» «Maran Atha!» «Even the symbolic price to be paid to him who becomes the instrument of God for the fulfillment of the promise is indicated!» «It is indicated! Maran Atha!» «As Redeemer, or as false prophet, He must die!» «He must die! Maran Atha!» «The hour has come! Jehovah wants it! I can hear His voice! It is shouting: “Let it be accomplished!”» «The Most High has spoken! Let it be accomplished! Let it be accomplished! Maran Atha!» «Let Heaven fortify you as it fortified Jael and Judith, who were women and behaved like heroes; as it fortified Jephthah, who, a father, sacrificed his daughter to his Fatherland; as it fortified David against Goliath, and do the deed that will make peoples remember Israel forever!» «May Heaven fortify you. Maran Atha!» «Be the winner!» «Be the winner! Maran Atha!» The clucking senile voice of Hananiah is heard:«He who hesitates over a sacred order is condemned to dishonour and death!» «Is condemned. Maran Atha!» «If you do not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and you do not carry out His order and what He orders you through our words, may all maledictions fall upon you!» «All the maledictions! Maran Atha!» «May the Lord strike you with all the Mosaic curses and may He scatter you among the nations.»

 

«May He strike and scatter you! Maran Atha!»

5 Dead silence follows this impressive scene… Everything becomes motionless in frightening stillness. At last Judas' voice is heard, and it is so changed, that I recognise it with difficulty: «Yes. I will do it. I must do it. And I will do it. The last part of the Mosaic curses is already my share, and I must get rid of it because I have already delayed too long. I am becoming mad, because I have no peace or respite. My heart is frightened, I look bewildered, and my soul is consumed by sadness. I tremble at the idea of being found out and crushed by Him for my double-crossing – because I do not know how much He is aware of my thoughts – I see my life hanging by a thread, and morning and evening I implore to get over with this hour because of the terror that frightens my heart. Because of the horrible task I must perform. Oh! bring this hour forward! Release me from my anguish! Let everything be done. At once! Now! That I may be freed! Let us go!» Judas' voice has become firmer and stronger as he speaks. His gestures, previously automatic and insecure, like those of a sleepwalker, have become free and voluntary. He stands up in all his height, diabolically handsome, and shouts: «Let the ties of a foolish error fall! I am free from fearful subjection, Christ! I am no longer afraid of You and I am handing You to Your enemies! Let us go!» A cry of a victorious demon, and he boldly goes towards the door. 6 But they stop him: «Wait! Tell us: where is Jesus of Nazareth?» «In Lazarus' house. At Bethany.» «We cannot enter that house, as it is well provided with faithful servants. It's the house of a favourite of Rome. We should certainly come up against much trouble.» «Well, we are coming to town at dawn. Place guards on the Bethphage road, stir up a turmoil and capture Him.» «How do you know that He will come along that road? He may take the other one…» «No. He told His followers that He will go into town that way, by the Ephraim gate, and to wait for Him near En Rogel. If you capture Him before…» «We cannot. We would have to go into town with Him among the guards, and all the roads leading to the gates, and all the streets in town are crowded with people from dawn till night. There would be a riot. And that must not happen.» «He will go up to the Temple. Ask Him to come into one of the halls to question Him. Tell Him to come in the name of the High Priest. He will come, because He has more respect for you than for His own life. Once He is alone with you... you will have the opportunity to take Him to a safe place and to condemn Him at the right moment.» «There would be a riot just the same. You must have noticed that the crowds are completely won over by Him. And not only the crowds, but also the great ones and the hopes of Israel. Gamaliel is losing his disciples, and so is Jonathan ben Uziel and others among us, and they are all leaving us, seduced by Him.

Even the Gentiles venerate Him, or they fear Him, which is also veneration, and they are ready to rebel against us if we ill-treat Him. Among other things, some of the brigands we had hired to act as false disciples and stir up brawls, have been arrested and they have spoken hoping for mercifulness in return for their information, and the Praetor knows... The whole world follows Him, whilst we are concluding nothing. But it is necessary to act subtly, so that the crowds may not become aware of anything.» «Yes. That is how it must be done. Even Annas recommends that. He says: “It must not happen during the festivities, and there must be no disturbance among the fanatic people.” That is what he ordered, and he gave orders that He should be treated with respect in the Temple and elsewhere, and that He should not be disturbed, in order to deceive Him.» «So, what do you want to do? I was quite willing tonight, but you are hesitating…» says Judas. «Well, you should take us to Him when He is all alone. You are aware of His habits. You wrote to us that He wants you to be closer to Him than anybody else. So you must know what He wants to do. We shall always be ready. When you think that it is the right place and the right moment, come, and we will follow you.» «Agreed. 7 And what retribution shall I receive?» Judas is now speaking coldly, as if he were dealing with common business. «What is mentioned by the prophets, so that we may be faithful to the inspired word: thirty silver pieces…» «Thirty silver pieces to kill a man, and that Man? The price of a common lamb during these festivities?! You are mad! It is not that I need money. I have plenty. So do not think that you can convince me for greed of money. It is too little to compensate, for my grief in betraying Him Who has always loved me.» «But we have told you what we will do for you. Glory, honours! What you were hoping to have from Him, and you did not get. We will cure your disappointment. But the price has been fixed by the prophets! Oh! it is a formality! A symbol and nothing else. The rest will follow later…» «And the money when?» «The moment you say to us: “Come”. Not before. No one pays before taking possession of the goods. Don't you think that is fair?» «It is fair. But at least treble the amount…» «No. That is what the prophets said. And that is what has to be done. Oh! we will obey the prophets! We will not omit an iota of what they wrote of Him. Ha! Ha! Ha! We are loyal to the inspired word! Ha! Ha! Ha!» laughs the revolting skeleton of Hananiah. And many join him with mournful, vulgar, false laughter, a true cachination of demons who can but sneer. Because laughter is typical of serene loving spirits, and sneer is peculiar to upset hearts sated with wrath. «Everything has been said. You may go. We will await dawn to go back to town by different roads. Goodbye. Peace be with you, lost sheep, who are returning to Abraham's flock. Peace to you! Peace to you! And the gratitude of the whole of Israel! Rely on us! A desire of yours is a law to us. May God be with you, as He was with all His more faithful servants! All the blessings on you!» They take him to the door with embraces and protestations of love… they watch him go away along the half-dark corridor… they listen to the noise of the locks of the door that is opened and closed…

8 They go back to the hall exulting. Only two or three voices can be heard, those of the less demoniac ones: «And now? How shall we behave with Judas of Simon? We know very well that we cannot give him what we promised, except those miserable thirty silver pieces!... What will he say when he realises that he has been betrayed by us? Shall we not have caused greater damage? Will he not go around telling the people what we have done? We know that he is a man who changes his mind.» «You are quite simply foolish having such thoughts and worrying thus! It has already been decided what we will do to Judas. It was decided the last time. Don't you remember? And we will not change our minds. After everything is finished with the Christ, Judas shall die. That is settled.» «But if he should speak before?» «To whom? To the disciples and to the people, to be stoned? He will not speak. The horror of his deed will gag him…» «But he may repent in future, he may feel remorse, he may even become mad… Because his remorse, if it should awaken, could only drive him mad…» «He will not have time. We will see to that before. Everything at the right moment. The Nazarene first, then the man who betrayed Him» says Helkai slowly, in a dreadful tone. «Yes. And mind! Not a word to those who are absent. They already know too much of our thoughts. I don't trust Joseph and Nicodemus. And I don't rely much on the others.» «Do you doubt Gamaliel?» «He has stood aloof from us for many months. He will not take part in our meetings without a personal order from the pontiff. He says that he is writing his work with the assistance of his son. But I am speaking of Eleazar and John.» «Oh! They have never contradicted us» says at once a member of the Sanhedrin, whom I have seen sometimes with Joseph of Arimathea, but whose name I do not remember. «Nay! They have not contradicted us enough. Ha! Ha! Ha! And we shall have to watch them! Many snakes have built their nests in the Sanhedrin, I think... Ha! Ha! Ha! But they will be dislodged... Ha! Ha! Ha!» says Hananiah, as he goes, shaking and trembling, leaning on his stick, looking for a comfortable place on one of the low wide seats covered with thick carpets, placed against the walls of the hall, and he lied down happily, and soon falls asleep, with his mouth open, looking ugly in his wicked old age. They watch him, And Doras, the son of Doras, says: «He has the satisfaction of seeing this day. My father dreamt of it but did not have it. I will carry his spirit in my heart, so that he may be present on the day of the revenge upon the Nazarene, and he may rejoice...»

9 «Remember that we must be constantly in the Temple, in turns, and many of us in each turn.» «We will do that.» «We will have to give instructions to take Judas of Simon to the High Priest at any time.» «We will arrange that.» «And now let us prepare our hearts for the final task.» «They are already prepared! They are ready!» «Cunningly.» «Cunningly.» «Subtly.» «Subtly.» «To avoid all suspicion.» «To allure every heart.» «Whatever He may say or do, we shall not react. We will revenge ourselves for everything at one go.» «We will do that. And it will be cruel vengeance.» «A thorough one!» «And dreadful!» And they sit down trying to rest while waiting for dawn.

Next Chapter: From Bethany to Jerusalem. 3rd March 1945

 

587. From Bethany to Jerusalem. 3rd March 1945.

1 Jesus is walking through orchards and olive-groves all in blossom. Even the silvery leaves of the olive-trees look like flowers, pearled as they are with dew, which shimmers in the first light of dawn as the leaves quiver in a gentle scented breeze. Each leafy branch seems the work of a goldsmith and one looks at them admiring their beauty. The almond-trees, which are all already covered with their green foliage, stand out from the white-rosy masses of the other fruit-trees, and under them the vines show their first tender indented leaves, so shiny and silky that they look like very thin scales of emerald or bits of precious silk. High above, the sky is like deep turquoise, clear, placid, solemn. Songs of birds and scents of flowers everywhere. The fresh air restores and makes people happy. The delight of April is really smiling everywhere. Jesus is in the middle of His twelve apostles. And He speaks. «I sent the women ahead because I want to speak to you alone. During the first days that I was with you I said to you, to those who were with Me: “Do not upset My Mother informing Her of the evil deeds against Her Son.” Those deeds seemed so grave... Now, you three witnesses of those deeds that were the beginning of the chain by which the Son of man was to be lead to death – you, John, you, Simon, and you, Judas of Kerioth – can clearly see that they were comparable with a grain of sand that falls from above, in comparison with the boulder, the boulders, as such are the present deeds. But then, you, My Mother and I were unprepared for human wickedness. In Good as in Evil man does not become supreme all of a sudden. But he rises or sinks by degrees. The same happens in sorrow. Now, you who are good, have risen in Good and you can realise, without being scandalised as you would have been then, to what point of perversion man can lower himself, when he becomes a demon, just as My Mother and I can bear all the grief coming from man, without dying because of it. We have strengthened our souls. All of us. In Good, in Evil or in Sorrow. And we have not yet reached the summit. We have not yet reached the summit... Oh! if you knew what and how high is the summit of Good, of Evil, of Sorrow! But I repeat to you the words that I spoke then. Do not repeat to My Mother what the Son of man is about to tell you. She would be grieved too deeply. He who is about to be killed drinks the pitiful mixture that stuns him, enabling him to await the hour of torture, without having to tremble every moment. Your silence will be like the pitiful drink for Her, the Mother of the Redeemer!

2 Now I want to explain the meaning of the prophecies to you, so that nothing may still be obscure to you. And I ask you to be very, very close to Me. During the day I shall belong to everybody. I beg you to be with Me at night, because I want to be with you. I need to feel that I am not alone...»

Jesus is very sad. The apostles notice it and are worried. They gather round Him. Judas also presses against the Master, as if he were the most affectionate of the disciples. Jesus caresses them and continues: «In this hour that is still granted to Me, I want to complete the knowledge of the Christ in you. At the beginning I made John, Simon and Judas acquainted with the truth of the prophecies concerning My birth. The prophecies have depicted Me better than the greatest painter could possibly do, from the dawn of My life to its end. Nay, that dawn and end are just the two periods most clearly elucidated by the prophets. Now the Christ Who descended from Heaven, the Just One Whom the clouds rained on the Earth, the sublime Shoot, is about to be killed. Crushed like a citron-tree struck by a thunderbolt. So let us speak of His death. Do not sigh, do not shake your heads. Do not grumble in your hearts, do not curse men. It would serve no purpose.

3 We are going up to Jerusalem. Passover is now close at hand. “This month will be for you the first month of the year”. This month will be for the world the beginning of a new era. It will never end. In vain now and again man will try to fix new ones. Those who want to establish a new era bearing their idolatrous names, will be struck by lightning. There is but one God in Heaven and one Messiah on the Earth: the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. As He gives His whole Self, He can desire everything, and He puts His royal seal not on what is flesh and filth, but on what is time and spirit. “On the tenth day of this month each man must take a lamb, one for each family, one for each household. And if the number of people in the household is not sufficient to consume the whole lamb, a man must join his neighbour's family, so that they may be able to consume the whole lamb”. Because the sacrifice and the victim must be complete and consumed. Not even a tiny bit of it must be left over. None will be left. Too many are those who are about to feed on the lamb. A countless number, for a banquet with no time- limit, and no more fire is required to consume the remains, because there are no remains. Those parts that are offered and rejected by hatred will be consumed by the very fire of the Victim, by His love.

4 I love you, men. You, My twelve friends, whom I chose personally, you in whom are the twelve tribes of Israel and the thirteen veins of Mankind. I have gathered everything in you and I see everything gathered in you... Everything.» «But in the veins of Adam's body there is also the vein of Cain. None of us has lifted his hand against his companion. So where is Abel?» asks the Iscariot. «What you said is true. In the veins of Adam's body there is also the vein of Cain. And I am the Abel, the meek Abel, the shepherd of flocks, pleasant to the Lord because he offered his early fruits and what was faultless, and himself before all his offerings. I love you, men. Even if you do not love Me, I love you. Love hastens and completes the work of the sacrificers.

5 “It must be a lamb without blemish, a male one year old”. There is no time for the Lamb of God. He is. The same on the last day as He was on the first day of this Earth. He Who is like His Father does not know ageing in His divine nature. And His person knows only one old age and only one tiredness: the disappointment of having come in vain for too many. When you learn how I was killed – and the eyes that will see their Lord changed into a leper covered with sores are now shining with tears beside Me, and they can no longer see this pleasant hill because tears blind them with their liquid veil – you may say: “He did not die of that. He died because He had been unknown to His dearest ones and He had been rejected by too many men”. But if the Son of God has no time-limit, and thus differs from the lamb of the rite, He is equal to it because He is without blemish and a male sacred to the Lord. Yes. In vain the executioners, those who will kill Me with weapons, or with their will or their betrayal, will endeavour to excuse themselves saying: “He was guilty”. No one who is sincere can accuse Me of sin. Can you do so? We are facing death. I am. Others also are. Who? Do you want to know who, Peter? Everybody. Death advances hour by hour and snatches those who less expect it. But also those who still have a long life to live, are in front of death every moment, because time is a flash compared with eternity, and because at the hour of death even the longest life is reduced to nothing, and actions dozens and dozens of years old, even those of one's early childhood, come back in crowds saying: “Well, you were doing this yesterday.” Yesterday! It is always yesterday when one is dying! And honours and gold for which men long so much are always dust! And the fruit after which one was mad loses all flavour! Women? Money? Power? Science? What is left? Nothing! Only one's conscience and the judgement of God, before Whom goes the conscience, poor and stripped of human protection and wealth, and laden only with its actions.

6 “Some of the blood must be taken and put on the doorposts and lintel, and the Angel passing over will not strike the houses marked with the blood”. Take My blood. Do not put it on dead stones, but on dead hearts. It is the new circumcision. And I circumcise Myself on behalf of the whole world. I do not sacrifice the useless part, but I break off My magnificent, wholesome, pure virility, I sacrifice it completely, and I take My blood from My mutilated limbs and from the opened veins and I draw rings of salvation on Mankind, rings of eternal nuptials with God Who is in Heaven, with the Father Who is waiting, and I say: “See. Now You can no longer reject them, because You would reject Your blood”. “And Moses said: ‘...and then dip a spray of hyssop in the blood and sprinkle the doorposts’ ”. So is the blood not sufficient? It is not. Your repentance is to be joined to My blood. Without bitter beneficial repentance, I shall have died for you in vain.

 

7 That is the first word in the Book about the Redeeming Lamb. But the Book is strewn with it. As at each new sunrise the blossoms become thicker and thicker on these branches, so, as a new year follows an old one and the time of Redemption draws near, then blossoming becomes more and more luxuriant. And now with Zechariah I say to you, to you in Jerusalem: “Here is the King Who comes full of meekness riding on a donkey and colt. He is poor.” But He will disperse the mighty ones who oppress men. He is meek, and yet His arm raised to bless will defeat the demon and death. “He will announce peace, because He is the King of peace.” Although crucified, He will stretch His domination from sea to sea. “He Who does not shout, Who does not break, Who does not put out those who are not light but smoke, those who are not strength but weakness, those who deserve all reproach, He will do justice according to truth.” Your Messiah, o city of Zion, your Messiah, o people of the Lord, your Messiah, o people of the Earth. “Without being sad or turbulent”, and you can see how there is not in Me the resentful sadness of the defeated, or the rancorous sorrow of the perverted, but only the seriousness of one who sees to what extent the possession of Satan in men can go, and you see how for three years I have incessantly stretched out My hands inviting everybody to love, and My hands will be stretched out again and they will be wounded, although I could reduce My enemies to ashes and disperse them with a simple act of My will! “Without being sad or turbulent I will be successful in establishing My Kingdom.” That Kingdom of Christ in which is the salvation of the world. The Eternal Lord My Father says to Me: “I have called You, I have taken You by the hand, I have appointed You alliance between peoples and God, I have made You the light of the nations.” And I have been light. Light to open the eyes of the blind, word to give speech to the deaf, key to open the underground prisons of those who were in the darkness of error. And now, I Who am all that, am going to My death. I will enter the darkness of death. Death, do you understand?... The first things announced, are now being fulfilled, I also say with the prophet. I will tell you the rest before the Demon separates us.

8 There is Zion over there. Go and get the donkey and the colt. Say to the man: “Rabbi Jesus needs them.” And tell My Mother that I am about to arrive. She is up there, on that slope, with the Maries. She is waiting for Me. It is My human triumph... Let it be Her triumph. Always joined together. Oh! joined!... And who is the heart of a hyena that with his claw tears the Heart of a Mother's Heart: Me, Her Son? A man? No. Every man is born of a woman. And by instinct and moral consideration he cannot be pitiless towards a mother, because he thinks of “his own”. So it is not a man. Who, then? A demon. But can a demon offend the Victress? He must touch Her to offend Her. And Satan cannot bear the virginal light of the Rose of God. So? Whom do you say it is? Are you not speaking? Then I will tell you. The most cunning demon has blended with the most corrupt man, and like the poison enclosed in the teeth of an asp, the demon is closed in him who can approach the Woman and thus bite Her treacherously. Cursed be the hybrid monster that is Satan and is man! Shall I curse it? No. It is not the word of a Redeemer. Then I say to the soul of this hybrid monster what I said to Jerusalem, the monstrous city of God and of Satan: “Oh, if in this hour still granted to you, you could come to the Saviour!” There is no love greater than Mine! Neither is there a greater power. Also My Father agrees if I say: “I want”, and I can speak but compassionate words for those who have fallen and stretch their arms towards Me from their abyss. O soul of the greatest sinner, your Saviour on the threshold of death bends over your abyss and invites you to take His hand. My death will not be avoided... But you... but you... would be saved, you whom I still love, and the soul of your Friend would not be horrified at the thought that He is aware of the horror of death and of such death through the deed of his friend...» Jesus is silent... exhausted... The apostles whisper to one another and they ask: «But who is He speaking of? Who is it?» And Judas, lying shamelessly, says: «It is certainly one of the false Pharisees... I think it must be Joseph or Nicodemus, or Chuza and Manaen... Every man is anxious to save his life and his property... I know that Herod... And I know that the Sanhedrin. He trusted them too much! You know that even yesterday they were not present?! They haven’t the courage to face Him…» Jesus does not hear him. He has gone ahead and has joined His Mother, Who is with the Maries and with Martha and Susanna. Only Johanna of Chuza is absent from the group of the pious women.

Next Chapter: 588. Jesus Enters into Jerusalem. 30th March 1947 (Palm Sunday).

 

IS "THE POEM OF THE MAN-GOD" SIMPLY A BAD NOVEL?

Maria Valtorta's multi-volume life of Jesus flirts with heresy and
exhibits bad taste. Its claim to authenticity have been rejected by Rome.

by Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J.

"The Poem of the Man-God" is a five-volume "narrative" of the life of
Jesus written in the 1940s by a sickly Italian woman named Maria Valtorta.
"Poem" purports to fill in the details of Jesus' life left blank by the
four Gospels. Such narratives have been produced since the second century
A.D. Some were written by gnostic heretics. Some by New Agers and
occultists. And some were produced by pious Christians who made up stories
about Jesus to edify their readers and listeners.

The four Gospels do not give a biography of Jesus--or of anyone else in
His life. Their purpose is evangelical and theological--to proclaim the
Good News that human beings need for their salvation. Thus, for centuries,
the "hidden life" of Jesus has been the subject for speculation.

"The Poem of the Man-God" is in this tradition of apocryphal literature on
New Testament themes. Valtorta claimed that she was the "secretary" of
Jesus and Mary, and was setting down the divinely inspired truth about
Jesus' life. The Church has rejected this claim. Nevertheless, "Poem" has
become quite popular, particularly among Catholics as well.

Remarkably, the book has grown in popularity in part because its champions
claim that high Church officials--including one Pope--endorsed it. They
haven't. In fact, "Poem" was included on the Index of Forbidden books
until the abolition of the Index in the 1960s. No less an authority than
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, reiterates the Church's rejection of the claims made for "The
Poem of the Man-God."

How did "The Poem of the Man-God" come to be, and how has the notion
become widely accepted that it contains important religious truth?

Maria Valtorta, author of "Poem," was born in 1897 into a sadly
dysfunctional family, where she suffered emotional abuse at the hands of a
despotic mother. When she was 23, she was attacked and beaten by a mugger.
She was never completely well after that. From 1933 on, she was unable to
leave her bed.

Maria began to receive "dictations" on Good Friday, 1943. In 1947, she
handed over 10,000 handwritten pages to her spiritual director, Father
Romuald Migliorini, O.S.M. Father Migliorini typed them and Father
Corrado Berti, O.S.M. bound them. Fr. Berti, brought them to Father later
Cardinal Augustin Bea, S.J., spiritual director to Pope Pius XII.

Did Pope Pius read the whole manuscript or parts? If only part, which
part? Advertisements by the Canadian Central distributors for Valtorta
(CEDIVAL) quote Father Bea: "I have read in typed manuscripts many of the
books written by Maria Valtorta . . . As far as exegesis is concerned, I
did not find any errors in the parts which I examined." Notice, he read
only parts of the books. Which were they?

On Feb. 26, 1948, Fathers Migliorini, Berti and A. Cecchin enjoyed a
private audience with Pope Pius XII, as listed in L'Osservatore Romano's
daily announcement of audiences. Standing in St. Peter's Square after the
audience, Father Berti wrote down Pope Pius' words as he remembered them.
These words were "not" printed in L'Osservatore Romano, but Father Berti
remembered the Pope saying:

"Publish this work as it is. There is no need to give an opinion about its
origin, whether it be extraordinary or not. Who reads it, will understand.
One hears of many visions and revelations. I will not say they are all
authentic; but there are some of which it could be said that they are."

CEDIVAL calls this a "Supreme Pontifical Imprimatur," where "he took upon
himself to pass the first official judgment on these writings." CEDIVAL
glues this inside the cover, though the publisher does not print an
imprimatur. The reason: it has none!

Confident of papal approval, Father Berti brought the books to the Vatican
press. However, in 1949, two commissioners of the Holy Office, Msgr.
Giovanni Pepe and Father Berruti, O.P., condemned the "Poem," ordering
Berti to hand over every copy and sign an agreement not to publish it.
Father Berti returned the manuscripts to Valtorta and handed over only his
typed versions.

Despite his signed promise, in 1952 Father Berti went to publisher
Emiliano Pisani. Though aware of the Holy Office's opposition, Pisani
printed the first volume in 1956, and a new volume each year through 1959.

When volume four appeared, the Holy Office examined the "Poem" and
condemned it, recommending that it be placed on the Index of Forbidden
Books Dec. 16, 1959. Pope John XXIII signed the decree and ordered it
published. L'Osservatore Romano, on Jan. 6, 1960, printed the
condemnation with an accompanying front-page article, "A Badly
Fictionalized Life of Jesus," to explain it.

The article complained that the "Poem" broke Canon Law. "Though they treat
exclusively of religious issues, these volumes do not have an
"imprimatur," which is required by Canon 1385, sect. 1, n. 2."

Second, the long speeches of Jesus and Mary starkly contrast with the
evangelists, who portray Jesus as "humble, reserved; His discourses are
lean, incisive." Valtorta's fictionalized history makes Jesus sound "like
a chatterbox, always ready to proclaim Himself the Messiah and the Son of
God," or teach theology in modern terms. The Blessed Mother speaks like a
"propagandist" for modern Marian theology.

Third, "some passages are rather risque," like the "immodest" dance before
Pilate (vol. 5, p. 73). There are "many historical, geographical and
other blunders." For instance, Jesus uses screwdrivers (Vol. 1, pp. 195,
223), centuries before screws existed.

There are theological errors, as when "Jesus says" (vol. 1, p. 30) that
Eve's temptation consisted in arousing her flesh, as the serpent
sensuously "caressed" her. While she "began the sin by herself," she
"accomplished it with her companion." Sun Myung Moon and Maria Valtorta
may claim the first sin was sexual, but Scripture does not.

Vol. 1, p. 7, oddly claims, "Mary can be called the 'second-born' of the
Father . . ." Her explanation limits the meaning, avoiding evidence of an
authentic heresy; but it does not take away the basic impression that she
wants to construct a new mariology, which simply goes beyond the limits of
propriety." "Another strange and imprecise statement" made of Mary (vol.
4, p. 240) is that she will "be second to Peter with regard to
ecclesiastical hierarchy. . . " Our Lady surpasses St. Peter's holiness,
but she is not in the hierarchy, let alone second to St. Peter.

Further, Valtorta did not claim to write a novel, but called herself a
"secretary" of Jesus and Mary, so, "in all parts on reads the words 'Jesus
says. . .' or 'Mary says . . .'" The Church takes this claim to revelation
very seriously, since it has the God-given duty to discern what is or is
not truly from the Holy Spirit. In Valtorta's case, the Church decided
against Divine inspiration.

Finally, "Poem" is condemned for reasons of disobedience. Competent Church
authority had prohibited the printing of Valtorta's work.

Pope John's approval of the condemnation of the "Poem of the Man-God"
should have ended the issue, but it did not. The publishers printed a
second edition of 10 volumes, which the Church condemned in another
front-page article in L'Osservatore Romano, Dec. 1, 1961. This second
Italian edition was later translated into German, French, Spanish and
English.

CEDIVAL asserts that a "modernist clan in the Church" . . .
"surreptitiously attempted to seize the manuscripts and destroy them,"
claiming "firsthand documentation on this." These "enemies" included Msgr.
Pepe and Father Berruti, the Holy Office censors.

I asked the head of CEDIVAL, Prof. Leo Brodeur, for evidence that Msgr.
Pepe and Father Berruti held any modernist heresies, but he had none. He
assumed they were modernists because the "Poem" claims "to help the Church
fight against the terrible heresy of modernism." If the "Poem's enemies
are modernists, Msgr. Pepe and Father Berruti must be modernists, too.

Such assertions are unacceptable. Accusations of modernism or any other
heresy without proof is slander.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, present head of the Sacred Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the same office that condemned the
"Poem"), informed Cardinal Siri in 1985 of the "Poem's condemnation:

 

After the dissolution of the Index, when some people thought the printing
and distribution of the work was permitted, they were reminded again in
L'Osservatore Romano (June 15, 1966) that "The Index retains its moral
force despite its dissolution."

More recently (April 17, 1993, Prot. N. 144/58i), he wrote:

"The 'visions' and 'dictations' referred to in the work, "The Poem of the
Man-God," are simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in
her own way the life of Jesus. They cannot be considered supernatural in
origin."

The best that can be said for "The Poem of the Man-God" is that it is a
bad novel. This was summed up in the L'Osservatore Romano headline, which
called the book "A Badly Fictionalized Life of Jesus."

At worst, "Poem's" impact is more serious. Though many people claim that
"Poem" helps their faith or their return to reading Scripture, they are
still being disobedient to the Church's decisions regarding the reading of
"Poem." How can such disregard for Church authority and wisdom be a help
in renewing the Church in these difficult times?

When Catholics insist on reading "Poem," despite Church condemnation, I
make these requests: First, read three hours of Scripture for every one
hour spent in the "Poem." The Church guarantees that the Bible is God's
Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Church has judged the "Poem" to be
a poorly done human work. Second, read solid Catholic theology books in
addition to Scripture. G.K. Chesterton, Frank Sheed, Archbishop Sheen's
"Life of Christ" and many other works are excellent starts. Third,
maintain a strong prayer life, drawing closer to Christ Jesus, Our Lord,
at Mass and at eucharistic adoration, and to our Blessed Mother Mary,
especially in the Rosary.

If sheep insist on bad pasturage, at least let them take antidotes.

This article appeared in February 1994 edition of "New Covenant"​

 

From pg 61-63 of the pdf I shared, "Bishop Danylak (who gave an Imprimatur to the Poem) also wrote:35“I have studied The Poem in depth, not only in its English translation, but in the original Italian edition with the critical notes of Fr. Berti. I affirm their theological soundness, and I welcome the scholarship of Fr. Berti and his critical apparatus to the Italian edition of the works. I have further studied in their original Italian the Quaderni or The Notebooks of Maria Valtorta for the years from 1943 to 1950. And I want to affirm the theological orthodoxy of the writings of Maria Valtorta.”

It is to be noted that Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D., has a License in Sacred Theology and Doctorates in both Canon Law and Civil Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. Archbishop Alfonso Carinci was the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1930 to 1960 (which was later renamed the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1969). Archbishop Carinci was in charge of investigating causes for pre-Vatican II beatification and canonization. He was conversant in recognizing true and false sanctity and was of distinguished repute. He visited Maria Valtorta three times, said Mass for her, read her writings in depth, wrote many letters back and forth with her, and analyzed her case. He was so convinced that her writings were inspired by God, that eyewitnesses report he would say to Maria Valtorta: “He is the Master. He is the Author,” ...

In January 1952, Archbishop Carinci also wrote a thorough certification and positive review of Valtorta’s work (four pages long when typed), which has been published.38 That same year, he also wrote a letter on behalf of himself and eight other prominent authorities (among them, two Consultants to the Holy Office, three professors at pontifical universities in Rome, a Consultant to the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and the Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archive) to be delivered to Pope Pius XII in an audience, although the audience wasn’t able to be arranged.39

Archbishop Carinci is also one of the authorities whose favorable certifications about Maria Valtorta was given to the Holy Office in 1961 by Fr. Corrado Berti, which led the Holy Office to grant their approval of the publication of the second edition of her work.40
He praised Maria Valtorta and the Poem, writing in 1952:41

"There is nothing therein which is contrary to the Gospel. Rather, this work, a good complement to the Gospel, contributes towards a better understanding of its meaning... Our Lord's discourses do not contain anything which in any way might be contrary to His Spirit."

Archbishop Carinci also stated: 42“...it seems impossible to me that a woman of a very ordinary theological culture, and unprovided with any book useful to that end, had been able on her own to write with such exactness pages so sublime […] Judging from the good one experiences in reading it [i.e., The Poem], I am of the humble opinion that this Work, once published, could bring so many souls to the Lord: sinners to conversion and the good to a more fervent and diligent life. […] While the immoral press invades the world and exhibitions corrupt youth, one comes spontaneously to thank the Lord for having given us, by means of this suffering woman, confined to a bed, a Work of such literary beauty, so doctrinally and spiritually lofty, accessible and profound, drawing one to read it and capable of being reproduced in cinematic productions and sacred theater.”

Msgr. Hugo Lattanzi, dean of the Faculty of Theology at the Lateran Pontifical University, and Consultant to the Holy Office, approved the Poem in 1952, stating: “The author...could not have written such an abundant amount of material...without being under the influence of a supernatural power.”43 Archbishop George Pearce, S.M., D.D. (Doctor of Divinity), former Archbishop of Suva, Fiji, who is now active in Providence, Rhode Island, wrote in 1987: 44

“I first came in contact with the work of Maria Valtorta in 1979 [...] I find it tremendously inspiring. It is impossible for me to imagine that anyone could read this tremendous work with an open mind and not be convinced that its author can be no one but the Holy Spirit of God.”

Prof. Leo A. Brodeur, M.A., Lèsl., Ph.D., H.Sc.D., wrote:45 Arguments for a Supernatural Origin: [For those who state] that Valtorta's writings were not supernatural in origin, did they investigate to see what kind of person Valtorta was? Had they done so, they would have quickly found that she was a good, earnest, devout Catholic, an invalid who had a deep prayer life and lived according to high moral standards. They would have found that she often claimed, explicitly, in no uncertain terms that she was having visions and dictations from Jesus and other heavenly persons, and that she fully realized the gravity of her claims. Now had her visions and dictations been mere literary forms of her own deliberate invention, she would have been an unscrupulous liar; but this hypothesis is excluded by the testimonies of all the priests and nuns and lay people who knew her.

Or what if Valtorta had been insane and had imagined all those visions and dictations and mistaken them for real mystical occurrences (and thus escaped the accusation of being a hoaxer)? This hypothesis of lunacy falls flat in the light of her daily living during the years that she wrote. Within the limits of her physical handicaps, she functioned very well: she cared for people, kept up-to-date on current world events, wrote coherent, insightful letters, and had a witty, bright, keen mind as observed by all her visitors, some of whom were Church scholars or university educated laymen.

In either case, the charge that Valtorta's visions were "simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in her own way the life of Jesus" seems quite amiss to say the least, as it would imply character shortcomings not found in her. If one now moves on to consider Valtorta's visions and dictations in The Poem of the ManGod, the charge that she narrated the life of Jesus "in her own way," becomes even more untenable, from several points of view.

Theologically: Valtorta's writings exude a great, all-encompassing breadth of knowledge and a clear-mindedness and loftiness of concepts worthy of the greatest theologians, of the Church Fathers, and of the greatest mystics. How could a lunatic or a liar produce such writings?

Furthermore, she had never studied philosophy or theology either at school or on her own. The only education she had received was the average education of upper-middle class Italian girls of the early 1900s. How could she have composed her lofty writings "in her own way"?

Spiritually: Valtorta's writings are outstandingly practical, drawing the reader to practice the Faith in everyday life. They are not in the least dry theological textbooks. They bring spirituality alive, they bring it home, to the reader's heart, by showing us Jesus intimately, personally. Many a reader has exclaimed that reading The Poem is like living with Jesus as the apostles did. As depicted in The Poem, His character – the perfect blend of warmth and reason, of mystical outlook and practical attentions, of holiness and love – has helped many a reader to reform a life of sin, to increase love for our Lord, to become holier. Jesus is portrayed in The Poem as in perhaps no other mystical work. It is quite doubtful that Valtorta could have produced such an uplifting portrait on her own, when she was the first to admit her "nothingness" and ascribed everything to Jesus.

Even scientifically: Valtorta's The Poem of the Man-God exhibits an uncanny accuracy with regard to the archeology, botany, geography, geology, mineralogy, and topography of Palestine in Jesus' time, an accuracy commended by various experts in those fields. Yet, given her lack of education and reading in those fields, and given the fact that she never traveled to Palestine, how could she have given accurate descriptions of places she never went to and never read about in any detail?

Finally, from the literary point of view: Valtorta wrote on the spur of the moment, without preliminary plans, without rough drafts. She wrote fast – over 10,000 handwritten pages in three years – with great consistency of thought and purpose, in masterly Italian combining the highest achievements of the Florentine style of the 1930s with the vividness and spontaneity of common folks when they are quoted. Few writers throughout the history of humanity have been that good and that prolific in that short a period of time; perhaps none of these wrote without rough drafts. Yet, she was bedridden and subjected to frequent physiological crises and down-to-earth interruptions by her relatives or neighbors. How then could she have written so well, when most writers crave solitude to be able to write?

When one ponders the theological and spiritual loftiness of Maria Valtorta's The Poem of the Man-God, as well as its scientific and literary remarkableness, in the light of her average education, lack of health, and in the light of her speed, accuracy, and greatness of achievement, how could one seriously entertain the thought that she accomplished all that without supernatural help? When one also ponders her personal lifestyle as a generous victim soul who practiced the virtues heroically, when one also ponders the sufferings which she daily offered to the Lord, then with all due respect, how could [anyone] casually dismiss her claims to supernatural visions and dictations without a public full-fledged investigation into her case?"[/B]

 

After the meditation on Holy Thursday, Jesus gives some explaining notes why with communism, modernism, atheism, rationalism and a thousand evils afflicting the Church and the world, in this century of sin and horror, He deemed it necessary to step down from Heaven to increase the knowledge of His Word which is Life in us.

15th February 1944. 23 Jesus says: «You contemplated the sufferings of My spiritual agony on Thursday evening. You saw your Jesus collapse like a man struck mortally, who feels his life flee through the wounds bleeding him, or like a person overwhelmed by a psychic trauma exceeding his strength. You saw the growing phases of the trauma culminate in the shedding of blood brought about by the circulatory unbalance that had been provoked by the effort of controlling Myself and withstanding the burden that had fallen upon Me. I was, I am, the Son of the Most High God. But I was also the Son of man. I want this double nature of Mine, equally complete and perfect, to emanate very clearly from these pages. My word, which has accents that only a God can have, bears witness to My Divinity . My necessities and passions, and the sufferings that I show you and I suffered in My flesh of a true Man, and that I propose to you as an example for your humanity, as I teach your spirits with My doctrine of true God, bear witness to My Humanity. Both My most holy Divinity and My most perfect Humanity, in the course of ages, through the breaking up action of “your” imperfect humanity, have resulted disparaged and distorted in their explanation. You have made My Humanity appear unreal, inhumane, as you have made My divine figure look small, denying so many parts of it, because it was not convenient for you to recognise them or that you could no longer recognise with your spirits impaired by the tabes of vice and atheism, of humanism, of rationalism. I am coming, in this tragic hour, a prodrome of universal misfortunes, to call My double-figure of God and of Man back to your minds, so that you may know it for what it is, you may recognise it after so much obscurantism, with which you have concealed it from your spirits, and you may love it and go back to it and save yourselves by means of It. It is the figure of your Saviour and he, who knows it and loves it, will be saved.

24 In these past days I have made you acquainted with My physical sufferings. They tortured My Humanity. I have made you acquainted with My moral sufferings, as connected, interlaced, blended with My Mother's, as are the inextricable lianas of the equatorial forests, which cannot be parted in order to cut only one, but it is necessary to break them with a single stroke of a hatchet to force one's way through, killing them all together; just like the veins of a body, one alone of which cannot be deprived of blood, because only one liquid fills them all; better still, as it is not possible to prevent the creature that is forming in its mother's womb from dying, if its mother dies, because it is the life, the warmth, the nourishment, the blood of the mother that, with a rhythm responding to the movement of the mother's heart, penetrates through the internal membranes, as far as the baby-to-be, making it a complete living being. She, oh! She, My pure Mother, bore Me not only for the nine months during which every woman bears the fruit of man, but for all Her life. Our hearts were united by spiritual fibres and they always beat together, and no motherly tear ever fell without leaving a trace of its salt on My heart, and there has never been any internal moaning of Mine that did not resound in Her, awakening Her grief. You feel sorry for the mother of a son destined to death by an incurable disease, for the mother of a man condemned to death by the rigour of human justice. But think of My Mother Who, from the moment She conceived Me, trembled considering that I was the Condemned One, think of this Mother Who, when She gave Me Her first kiss on the delicate rosy flesh of Her new-born baby, felt the future wounds of Her Child, think of this Mother Who would have given Her life ten, a hundred, a thousand times to prevent Me from becoming a Man and arriving at the moment of the Sacrifice, think of this Mother Who was aware of and had to desire that dreadful hour to accept the will of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord, out of kindness towards Mankind. No, there has been no agony that lasted longer and ended in a greater grief than My Mother's.

25 And there has been no greater and more complete sorrow than Mine. I was One with the Father. He had loved Me from eternity as God alone can love. He had taken delight in Me and had found His divine joy in Me. And I had loved Him as a God alone can love, and in My union with Him I had found My divine joy. The ineffable relationship that ab aeterno ties the Father to the Son cannot be explained to you even by My Word, because while it is perfect, your intelligence is not, and you cannot understand and know what God is until you are with Him in Heaven. Well, like water that rises and presses against a dam, I felt the rigour of the Father grow hourly towards Me. As evidence against brute-men, who did not want to understand who I was, during the time of My public life, He had opened Heaven three times at the Jordan, at the Tabor and in Jerusalem on the eve of My Passion. But He had done that for men, not to give relief to Me. I was already the Expiator. Many times, Mary, God makes men become acquainted with one of His servants, so that through him they may be roused and dragged to Him, but that happens also through the suffering of that servant. It is he who, by eating the bitter bread of God's rigour, pays personally for the comfort and salvation of his brothers. Is it not so? The victims of expiation know the rigour of God. Then comes the glory. But after Justice has been appeased. It is not the same as happens with My Love, that kisses His victims. I am Jesus, I am the Redeemer, He Who has suffered and knows, by personal experience, how painful it is to be looked at by God with severity and be abandoned by Him, and I am never severe, and I never abandon anyone. I consume just the same, but through the fire of love.

26 The more the hour of expiation approached, the more I felt the Father move away. The more I was separated from the Father, the less My Humanity felt it was supported by the Divinity of God. And because of that I suffered in every possible way. The separation from God brings fear, attachment to life, languor, tiredness, boredom. The deeper it is, the stronger are its consequences. When it is total, it leads to despair. And the more he who, by God's decree, experiences it, without having deserved it, the more he suffers, because the living spirit feels the excision from God, as live flesh feels the excision of a limb. It is a sorrowful prostrating stupor that one, who has not experienced it, cannot understand. I experienced it. I had to know everything in order to be able to plead with the Father for everything in your favour. Even for your despair. Oh, I experienced what it means to say: “I am alone. Everybody has betrayed and abandoned Me. Even the Father, even God no longer assists Me.” And that is why I work mysterious wonders of grace in poor hearts overwhelmed by despair, and I ask My beloved ones to drink the cup of so bitter an experience, so that they, those who are shipwrecked in the sea of despair, may not decline to accept the cross that I offer as anchor and salvation, but they may grasp at it and I may take them to the blessed shore where only peace reigns.

 

27 On Thursday evening, I alone know whether I needed My Father! I was a spirit already in agony because of the effort of having to overcome the two greatest sorrows of a man: to say goodbye to a beloved mother, to have an unfaithful friend close by. They were two sores that scorched My heart: the former with Her tears, the latter with his hatred. I had to share My bread with My Cain. I had to speak to him in a friendly manner in order not to denounce him to the others, as I was afraid they might react violently, and in order to avoid a crime, which in any case would have been useless, as everything was already written in the great book of life: both My holy Death and Judas' suicide. Any other death was useless and disapproved of by God. No other blood but Mine was to be shed, and was not shed. The halter strangled that life, shutting up his impure blood, which had been sold to Satan, in the filthy sack of the traitor's body, blood that was not to be mixed, falling on the Earth, with the most pure blood of the Innocent.

Those two sores would have been sufficient to make Me suffer agony in My Ego. But I was the Expiator, the Victim, the Lamb. A lamb, before being sacrificed, experiences the red-hot brand, it suffers blows, it endures being shorn and sold to a butcher. And finally it feels the cold of the knife that cuts its throat, bleeds it and kills it. First it must leave everything: the pasture where it was brought up, its mother at whose breast it was nourished and warmed, the companions with which it lived. Everything. I, the Lamb of God, experienced everything.

28 That is why Satan came, when the Father was retiring in Heaven. He had already come at the beginning of My mission, to tempt Me in order to divert Me from it. He was now coming back again. It was his hour. The hour of the satanic sabbath. Crowds and crowds of devils were on the Earth that night, to accomplish the seduction of hearts and make them willing to request the killing of the Christ the following day. Each member of the Sanhedrin had his own, Herod had his, so had Pilate, and every single Judaean who would invoke My Blood upon himself. Also beside the apostles there were their tempters, who made them drowsy while I was languishing, and who prepared them to be cowardly. Take notice of the power of purity. John, the pure disciple, was the first among all of them to free himself from the demoniac claws, and he came at once near his Jesus and understood His unexpressed desire, and brought Mary to Me. But Judas had Lucifer, and I had Lucifer. Judas in his heart, I beside Me. We were the two main characters of the tragedy, and Satan was attending personally to both of us. After leading Judas to the point from which he could not withdraw, he turned towards Me. With perfect artifice he showed Me the torments of the flesh with unsurpassable realism. Also in the desert he had started from the flesh. I defeated him by praying. The spirit dominated the fear of the flesh. He then showed Me the uselessness of My death, and the usefulness of living for My own sake, without worrying Myself about ungrateful men, leading a rich happy life full of love. Living for My Mother, ensuring that She did not suffer. Living so that by means of a long apostolate I could take back to God many men, who, if I had died, would forget Me, whereas, if I had been their Master not for three years, but for many many years, would end up by becoming one with My doctrine. His angels would help Me to seduce men. Could I not see that the angels of God were not intervening to assist Me? Later, God would forgive Me seeing the crowds of believers that I would lead back to Him. Also in the desert he had tried to convince Me to tempt God through imprudence. I defeated him by praying. The spirit dominated moral temptation.

29 He showed Me My abandonment by God. He, the Father, no longer loved Me. I was laden with the sins of the world. I disgusted Him. He was absent and was leaving Me to Myself. He was surrendering Me to the mockery of a cruel crowd. And He would not even grant Me His divine comfort. I was alone, all alone. In that hour there was but Satan near the Christ. God and men were absent, because they did not love Me. They hated Me or were uninterested. I prayed to cover the satanic words with My prayers. But My prayer no longer ascended to God. It fell back on Me, like stones of lapidation and crushed Me under its rubble. My prayer, that had always been for Me like a caress given to the Father, a voice that ascended and was answered by a fatherly caress and word, was now dead, heavy, uttered in vain to a closed Heaven. I then tasted the bitterness of the bottom of the cup. The flavour of despair. It was what Satan wanted: to lead Me to despair, to make Me a slave of his. I overcame despair and I overcame it only with My power, because I wanted to defeat it. Only with My strength of a Man. I was nothing but the Man. And I was nothing but a man no longer helped by God. When God helps you, it is easy to lift even the world and hold it up like a child's toy. But when God does not help us any more, even the weight of a flower is a burden to us. I defeated despair and Satan, its creator, in order to serve God and you, by giving you the Life. But I became acquainted with Death. Not with the physical death of crucifixion – that was not so dreadful – but with the total conscious Death of the fighter who falls after triumphing, with a broken heart and blood pouring out of him in the trauma of an effort exceeding all endurance. And I sweated blood. I sweated blood to be faithful to God's will.

30 That is why the angel of My sorrow showed Me the hopes of all those who have been saved through My sacrifice, as a medicine for My dying. Your names! Each name was a drop of medicine instilled into My veins to invigorate them and make them function, each of them was for Me life coming back, light coming back, strength coming back. During the cruel tortures, to avoid shouting My grief of Man, and in order not to despair of God and say that He was too severe and unjust to His Victim, I repeated your names to Myself, I saw you. Since then I blessed you. Since then I have carried you in My heart. And when the time came for you to be on the Earth, I leaned out of Heaven to accompany your coming, rejoicing at the thought that a fresh flower of love was born in the world and would have lived for Me. Oh! My blessed ones! The comfort of the dying Christ! My Mother, the Disciple, the pious Women were present at My death, and you were there as well. My dying eyes saw, with the tormented face of My Mother, also your loving ones, and they closed thus, happy to be closed because they had saved you, who deserve the Sacrifice of a God»"

 

588. Jesus Enters into Jerusalem. 30th March 1947 (Palm Sunday).

1 Jesus says: «You will put here the vision: “From Bethany to Jerusalem” (dated 3rd March 1945). And now: look!» -------------------2 Jesus embraces with His arm the shoulders of His Mother, Who has stood up when John and James of Alphaeus have reached Her to say to Her: «Your Son is coming», and then they have come back to join their companions who are proceeding slowly, talking, while Thomas and Andrew have rushed towards Bethphage to look for the donkey and the colt and take them to Jesus.

In the meantime Jesus is speaking to the women. «Here we are near the city. I advise you to go. And go without being afraid. Enter the town before I do. All the shepherds and the most faithful disciples are near En Rogel. They have been told to escort and protect you.»

«The fact is that… We have spoken to Aser of Nazareth and Abel of Bethlehem in Galilee and also to Solomon. They had come as far as here to watch for Your arrival. The crowd is preparing a great celebration. And we wanted to see… See how the tops of the olive trees are shaken? It is not the wind that is shaking them thus. But it is the people who are gathering branches to spread them on the road and to protect You from the sun. And over there?! Look over there, they are stripping the palm-trees of their fanshaped leaves. They look like clusters and they are men who have climbed up the trunks to gather more and more… And, on the slopes, You can see children bending to pick flowers. And the women certainly strip gardens of corollas and scented herbs to strew Your way with flowers. We wanted to see… and imitate the gesture of Mary of Lazarus, who picked up all the flowers pressed by Your feet when You went into Lazarus' gardens» says imploringly Mary of Clopas on behalf of them all. Jesus caresses the cheek of His old relative, who looks like a little girl anxious to see a show, and He says to her: «You would not be able to see anything among the large crowd. Go on, to Lazarus' house, the one whose keeper is Matthias. I shall be passing there and you will see Me from on high.» «Son… and are You going all alone? Can I not be near You?» asks Mary, raising Her very sad face and staring with Her sky-blue eyes at Her meek Son. «I would beg You to remain hidden. Like a dove in the cleft of a rock. Rather than Your presence, My beloved Mother, I need Your prayer!» «If so, Son, we will all pray for You.» «Yes. And after you have seen Him pass by, you will come with me to my mansion in Zion. And I will send servants to the Temple, with instructions to follow the Master all the time, so that they may bring us His orders and His news», says Mary of Lazarus resolutely, always quick in realising what is the best thing to do and to do it without delay. «You are right, sister. Although it grieves me not to follow Him, I understand that it is a just order. In any case Lazarus told us not to contradict the Master in anything, and to obey Him even in the least matters. And we will do that.» «Go, then. See? The roads are getting busy. The apostles are about to join Me. Go. Peace be with you. I will make you come when I think it is a suitable moment. Goodbye, Mother. Peace to you. God is with us.» He kisses Her and dismisses Her. And the obedient women disciples go away quickly.

3 The ten apostles join Jesus. «Have You sent them ahead?» «Yes, I have. They will see My entry from a house.» «From which house?» asks Judas of Kerioth. «Eh! the friendly houses are so many now!» says Philip. «Not from Annaleah's?» says the Iscariot insisting. Jesus replies in the negative and He sets out towards Bethphage, which is not far. He is near the village when the two apostles, who had been sent to get the donkey and the colt, come back. They shout: «We found what You told us and we would have brought the animals. But the owner wanted to curry them and adorn them with the best trappings to honour You. And the disciples, with those who have spent the night in the streets of Bethany to honour You, wish to have the honour of bringing them to You, and we agreed. We thought that their love deserved a reward.» «You did the right thing. Let us go on in the meantime.» «Are there many disciples?» asks Bartholomew. «Oh! a great crowd. It is impossible to pass along the streets in Bethphage. That is why I told Isaac to take the donkey to Cleanthes, the cheese-monger» replies Thomas. «You acted rightly. Let us go as far as that rising of the hill, and we shall wait a little in the shade of those trees.» They go to the place pointed out by Jesus. «But we are going farther away! You are going beyond Bethphage passing round the back!» exclaims the Iscariot. «And if I want to do so, who can forbid Me? Am I perhaps already a prisoner and not allowed to go where I want? Or is it urgent that I should be so, and is anybody afraid that I may avoid being captured? And if I should decide to go away along safer routes, is there anybody who could prevent Me from doing so?» Jesus darts a glance at the Traitor, who dare no longer open his mouth and shrugs his shoulders, as if to say: «Do as You like.» They go, in fact, round the back of the little village, I should say a suburb of the town, as its western side is really not far from the town, being part of the slopes of the Mount of Olives, which surrounds the eastern side of Jerusalem. Farther down, between the slopes and the town, the Kidron is shining in the April sunshine. Jesus sits down in the green silent place and concentrates on His thoughts. He then stands up and goes towards the rising, stopping just at its edge.
-------------------

4 Jesus says: «You will put here the vision of 31st July 1944: “Jesus weeps over Jerusalem”, from the sentence that I gave you as the beginning of the vision.» He then resumes showing me the phases of His triumphal entry. -------------------

30th July 1944. 5 I do not know how I shall manage to write because I am suffering so much from heart trouble that I can hardly sit up. But it cannot be helped. I must write what I see. The Gospel of today, the ninth Sunday after Pentecost, is illustrated to me. From a hill near Jerusalem Jesus looks at the town stretched at His feet. It is not a very high hill. At most it is like the large square of S. Miniato on the mountain, at Florence; but it is sufficient for the eye to dominate the extent of houses and streets, that go up and down the small ground elevations forming Jerusalem. If one refers to the lowest level of the town, this hill is certainly much higher than Calvary, but it is closer to the walls than the latter. It really begins just outside the walls and rises steeply on their side, whereas on the other side it descends gently towards a very green country that stretches eastwards. At least I think it is eastwards, if I am judging rightly according to sunlight. Jesus and His apostles are sitting under a group of trees, in the shade. They are resting after a long walk. Then Jesus stands up, He leaves the clearing where they were sitting and He goes towards the hillock and stops just at its edge. His tall person stands out clearly in the empty space around Him. He looks even taller as He stands upright, all alone. His arms are folded across His chest, on His blue mantle, and He looks around very seriously. The apostles watch Him. But they leave Him alone, they neither move nor speak. They must think that He has moved aside to pray. But Jesus is not praying. After looking for a long time at the town, at each district, at each hillock, at each detail, at times letting His eyes dwell upon this or that point, at times watching less insistently, Jesus begins to weep without sobbing or making any noise. Tears fill His eyes, then gush forth and stream down His cheeks and fall… Silent very sad tears. The tears of a man who knows that he must weep, all alone, without hoping to be consoled or understood by anybody. Tears brought about by grief that cannot be cancelled and must be suffered absolutely. 6 Because of his position John's brother is the first to notice those tears and he tells the others, who look at one another and are seized with astonishment. «None of us has done anything wrong» says one, and another: «The crowds did not insult us either. Among them nobody was hostile to Him». «Why is He weeping, then?» asks the oldest of them all. Peter and John stand up together and they approach the Master. They think that the only thing to be done is to make Him feel that they love Him and ask Him what the matter is with Him. «Master, are You weeping?» asks John laying his fair-haired head on the shoulder of Jesus, Who is taller than he is by a neck and a head. And Peter, laying his hand round Jesus' waist, almost embracing Him to draw Him to himself, says to Him: «What is grieving You, Jesus? Tell us who love You.» Jesus rests His cheek on John's fair-haired head and opening out His arms, He passes His arm round Peter's shoulder. The three of them are thus embraced to one another in such a loving posture. But tears continue to drop. John feels them run down through his hair and he asks once again: «Why are You weeping, Master? Are we perhaps the cause of Your sorrow?» The other apostles have gathered round the loving group and are anxiously awaiting a reply.

 

7 «No» says Jesus. «Your are not. You are My friends and friendship, when it is sincere, is a balm and a smile, never tears. I would like you to remain My friends forever. Even now that we shall enter into the corruption, that ferments and contaminates those who are not resolutely willing to remain honest.» «Where are we going, Master? Are we not going to Jerusalem? The crowds have already greeted You joyfully. Do You want to disappoint them? Are we going to Samaria to work some miracle? Just now that Passover is close at hand?» The questions are asked by several of the apostles at the same time. Jesus raises His hands imposing silence and then with His right one He points to the town. A wide gesture like that of a man sowing seeds ahead of himself. And He says: «That is the Corruption. We are going into Jerusalem. We are going there. And only the Most High knows how I would like to sanctify the town taking there the Holiness that comes from Heaven. I would like to resanctify it, as it should be the Holy City. But I shall not be able to do anything for it. It is corrupt, and will remain corrupt. And the streams of holiness that gush from the living Temple, and will gush even more in the next few days to the extent of leaving it lifeless, will not be sufficient to redeem it. Samaria and the heathen world will come to the Holy One. The temples of the true God will be erected on the false temples. The hearts of the Gentiles will worship the Christ. But this people, this town will always be hostile to Him, and their hatred will lead them to the greatest sin. 8 That must happen. But woe to those who will be the instruments of that crime. Woe!…» Jesus stares at Judas, who is almost in front of Him. «That will never happen to us. We are Your apostles and we believe in You, and we are ready to die for You.» Judas lies shamelessly and meets Jesus' eye without embarrassment. The others join in protesting. Jesus replies to all of them, avoiding to reply to Judas directly. «Would to Heaven that you may be so. But you are still very weak, and temptation may make you like those who hate Me. Pray fervently and watch diligently over yourselves. Satan is aware that he is about to be defeated and he wants to avenge himself by tearing you away from Me. Satan is around us all. He is around Me to prevent Me from doing the will of My Father and from fulfilling My mission. And he is around you to make you his servants. Be vigilant. Within those walls Satan will take those who are not strong. He will take him whose curse will be the fact that he was elected, because he made use of his election for a human purpose. I chose you for the Kingdom of Heaven, not for that of the world. Bear that in mind. 9 And you, o city, that want your ruin and over which I am shedding tears, be aware that your Christ is praying for your redemption. Oh! if at least in this hour still left to you, you came to Him Who would be your peace! If in this hour you understood the Love passing through you and you divested yourself of the hatred that makes you blind and insane, and cruel against yourself and your welfare! But the day will come when you will remember this hour! But it will be too late to weep and repent! The Love will have passed and disappeared from your streets, and the Hatred that you preferred will remain. And Hatred will be on you and on your children. Because one has what one wanted, and hatred is paid with hatred. And then it will not be the hatred of the strong against the defenceless, but it will be hatred against hatred, thus war and death. Surrounded by trenches and armed men, you will languish before being destroyed, and you will see your children killed by weapons and famine, and the survivors taken prisoners and derided, and you will ask for mercy, but will never find it, because you refused to acknowledge your Salvation. I am weeping, My friends, because I have the heart of a man, and the ruin of My fatherland makes Me shed tears. But it is just that this takes place because within those walls corruption exceeds all limits and draws the punishment of God. Woe betide the citizens who bring about the ruin of their fatherland! Woe betide the leaders who are the main cause of it! Woe betide those who should be saints to guide the others to be honest and instead they desecrate the House of their ministry and themselves! Come. My action will be of no avail. But let us make the Light shine once again in the Darkness!» And Jesus goes down followed by His apostles. He walks fast along the road with a serious countenance, I would say, almost looking sullen. He speaks no more. He goes into a little house at the foot of the hill, and I see nothing else.

 

"10 Jesus has hardly had time to enter into the house blessing its inhabitants, when the joyful sound of harness-bells and jubilant voices are heard. And immediately afterwards the lean wan face of Isaac appears in the opening of the door, and the faithful shepherd enters and prostrates himself before his Lord Jesus. Many faces are crowding in the frame of the wide-open door, and many more can be seen behind them… They push and throng, wishing to come forward… Some women shout, some of the children cry, caught as they are in the crowd, while the others shout greetings and joyful exclamations: «This is a happy day which brings You back to us! Peace to You, Lord! We welcome You, Master, as You have come back to reward our loyalty.» Jesus stands up and makes a gesture meaning that He is going to speak. Everybody becomes silent and Jesus' voice is heard clearly. «Peace to you! Do not press together. We shall now go up to the Temple. I have come to stay with you. Peace! Peace! Do not hurt yourselves. Make way, My beloved friends! Let Me come out and follow Me, because we shall enter into the Holy City together.» Willy-nilly the people obey, and they open out a little so that Jesus can come out and mount the little donkey. In fact Jesus points to the little colt, which had never been ridden before, as His mount, and then some rich pilgrims, who elbow their way through the crowd, lay their sumptuous mantles on its back, and one man kneels down with one knee on the ground and the other placed as a step for the Lord, Who sits on the back of the colt. And the journey begins with Peter walking on one side of the Master and Isaac on the other, holding the reins of the unbroken animal, which proceeds calmly, as if it were accustomed to that task, without becoming restive or being frightened by the flowers that, thrown as they are towards Jesus, often strike the eyes or the soft muzzle of the little colt, that is not even scared by the branches of olive-trees and palm leaves shaken in front of and around it, or are thrown on the ground to form a carpet with the flowers. It is not even frightened by the shouts of «Hosanna, Son of David!», that are becoming louder and louder as the crowd becomes larger and larger with the arrival of newcomers.

11 It is not easy to pass through Bethphage, along its narrow twisted streets, and mothers are compelled to take their children in their arms, and men have to protect their women from being pushed too violently, and some fathers carry their little sons astride their shoulders, so that they are above the crowd, while the shrill voices of the children sound like the bleatings of lambs or the screeching of swallows, while with their little hands they throw the flowers and leaves of olive-trees, offered to them by their mothers, as well as kisses, to mild Jesus… After leaving the narrow passage of the little suburb, the procession stretches out in an orderly manner, and many volunteers go ahead leading the way and keeping it clear, and others follow them strewing the ground with branches. And when a man throws his mantle on the road as a carpet, hundreds of people imitate him. Thus the central part of the road is a multicoloured strip of garments spread on the ground and once Jesus passes by, they are picked up and carried ahead with many more, while flowers, branches and palm-leaves are waved and thrown, and louder cries are uttered around and in honour of the King of Israel, of the Son of David and His Kingdom! The soldiers on duty at the gate come out to see what is happening. But it is not a sedition and they move to one side, leaning on their lances, and looking amazed or ironical they watch the strange procession of this King Who is riding the colt of a donkey, and is as handsome as a god, as humble as the poorest of men, meek, blessing… surrounded by women and children and by disarmed men shouting: «Peace! Peace!», of this King Who, before entering the town, stops for a moment near the sepulchres of the lepers at Hinnom and Siloam (I think I am mentioning the correct names of these places, where I have seen lepers being cured miraculously on other occasions) and pressing on the only stirrup in which His foot is resting, as He is sitting side-saddle on the donkey, but not astride it, He stands up, stretches out His arms, shouting in the direction of those dreadful slopes (where frightened faces and bodies appear, looking towards Jesus, and they utter the plaintive cry of lepers: «We are infected!» to send away some imprudent people who, in order to see Jesus better, would climb even the contaminated and infected terraces): «Let those who have faith in Me invoke My Name and receive health from it!» and setting out again He blesses them and He says to Judas: «You will buy food for the lepers and take it to them with Simon before it gets dark.»

12 When the procession enters under the vault of the Siloam Gate and then, like a torrent, pours into the town through the Ophel suburb – where every terrace has become a little airy square crowded with people singing hosannas, throwing flowers and pouring perfumes in the street, trying to throw them on the Master, and the air is filled with the scent of flowers crushed under the feet of the crowds and with essences that spread in the air before falling among the dust of the street – the cheers of the crowd seem to increase and become louder, as if each person shouted in a bugle-horn, because the many archivolts, of which Jerusalem is full, amplify them with continuous echoes. I can hear them shout, and I think they mean what the Evangelists say: «Shalem, Shalem melchil!» (or malchit: I am trying to give the sound of the words, but it is difficult, because they have aspirations which we do not have). A continuous howl, like the roar of a stormy sea, in which the loud noise of a billow pounding on beaches and cliffs has not yet dropped, when another breaker collects it and raises it with a fresh roar, without ever stopping. I am deafened by it! Perfumes, scents, shouts, waving of branches and garments, colours, cries… It is a bewildering scene. I see the people in the crowd getting mixed up continuously, and known faces appear and disappear: all the disciples from all the places in Palestine, all the followers… I see Jairus for a moment, and Jaia, the youth from Pella (I think), who was blind like his mother and was cured by Jesus, I see Joachim from Bozrah and the peasant from the plain of Sharon with his brothers, I see lonely old Matthias from a place near the Jordan, on the eastern bank, where Jesus took shelter when the place was all flooded, I see Zacchaeus with his converted friends, I see old John from Nob with almost all the citizens, I see the husband of Sarah from Juttah… But who can cope with faces and names, if it is a kaleidoscope of known and unknown faces, seen several times or only once?… Now there is the face of the little shepherd brought from Enon. And, near him, is the disciple from Korazim who did not bury his father to follow Jesus; and close to him, for a moment, the father and mother of Benjamin from Capernaum with their son, who almost falls under the hooves of the little donkey when he throws himself forward to receive a caress from Jesus.

 

13 And – unfortunately – there are faces of Pharisees and scribes, livid with rage because of this triumph, and they overbearingly elbow their way through the circle of love that is pressing round Jesus and they shout to Him: «Make these mad people keep quiet! Make them reason! Hosannas are to be sung to God only. Tell them to be quiet!» And Jesus replies to them kindly: «Even if I told them to be silent and they obeyed Me, the stones would extol the wonders of the Word of God.» In fact the people – in addition to shouting: «Hosanna, hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna to Him and to His Kingdom! God is with us! The Immanuel has come. The Kingdom of the Christ of the Lord has come! Hosanna! Hosanna from the Earth to the highest Heaven! Peace! Peace, my King! Peace and blessings to You, holy King! Peace and glory in Heaven and on the Earth! Glory to God for His Christ! Peace to the men who know how to welcome Him. Peace on Earth to men of good will and glory in the highest Heaven, because the hour of the Lord has come» (and this last cry is uttered by the whole group of the shepherds who are repeating the Christmas song) – in addition to these uninterrupted cries, the people of Palestine inform the pilgrims from the Diaspora of the miracles they have seen, and to those who do not know what is happening, because they are strangers passing by chance through the town and ask: «But who is He? What is happening?» they reply: «He is Jesus! Jesus, the Master from Nazareth in Galilee! The Prophet! The Messiah of the Lord! The Promised, the Holy Messiah!» From a house, which has just been left behind as in so much confusion the procession is moving very slowly, comes out a group of strong young men carrying above their heads copper braziers full of charcoal and incense, which burn spreading clouds of scented smoke. Their gesture is well liked, and many run ahead or return to their houses, to get fire and scented resins to burn and thus pay homage to the Christ.

14 Annaleah's house appears. The terrace is decked with vines the new leaves of which are quivering in the mild April wind, and along the street side there is a full row of girls dressed in white and wearing white veils, in the middle of them there is Annaleah, with baskets of plucked petals of roses and lilies of the valley, that are already flying about in the air. «The virgins of Israel are greeting You, Lord!» says John, who has pushed through the crowd and is now beside Jesus, drawing His attention to the garland of purity, which is leaning out of the parapet smiling and strewing the street with petals as red as blood and with lilies of the valley as white as pearls. Jesus draws rein for a moment and stops the colt. He looks up and raises His hand to bless that virginity in love with Him to the extent of forgoing all other earthly love. And Annaleah leaning forward shouts: «I have seen Your triumph, my Lord! Take my life for Your universal glorification!» and with a very loud cry, as Jesus passes close to her house and proceeds, she greets Him: «Jesus!» And another but different cry exceeds the clamour of the crowds. But although the people hear it, they do not stop. It is a torrent of enthusiasm, a torrent of delirious people that cannot stop. And while the last waves of this torrent are still outside the gate, the first ones are already beginning to climb the slopes leading to the Temple. «Your Mother!» shouts Peter, pointing at a house almost at the corner of a street that leads up to the Moriah and along which the procession begins to pass. And Jesus looks up to smile at His Mother, Who is up there among the faithful women.

15 The obstacle of a large caravan stops the procession a few metres after it has passed the house. And while Jesus stops with the others, caressing the children that mothers hold up to Him, a man rushes towards Him, elbowing his way through the crowd and shouting: «Let me pass! A woman has just died. A young girl. All of a sudden. Her mother is invoking the Master. Let me pass! He already saved her once!» The people make room and the man runs towards Jesus and says: «Master, Eliza's daughter is dead. She greeted You with that cry, then she bent backwards saying: “I am happy” and she breathed her last. Her heart was overwhelmed by the great joy in seeing Your triumph. Her mother saw me on the terrace of the house next to hers and she sent for me. Come, Master!» «Dead! Annaleah dead! Was she not healthy, blooming and happy up to yesterday?» The apostles and the shepherds throng together excitedly. Everybody saw her yesterday in perfect good health. Only a little while ago they saw her rosy and smiling… They cannot understand such a misfortune… They ask questions, they inquire about details… «I don't know. You have all heard her words. She spoke in a loud voice, sure of herself. Then I saw her lean backwards, and she was whiter then her dress and I heard her mother shout… I know nothing else.» «Do not be excited. She is not dead. A flower fell and the angels of God picked it up to take it to Abraham's bosom. The lily of the Earth will soon open happily in Paradise, ignoring the horror of the world forever. Man, tell Eliza not to weep over the lot of her daughter. Tell her that she was granted a great grace by God, and that in six days' time she will understand what grace God granted her daughter. Do not weep. Let no one weep. Her triumph is even greater than Mine, because the angels are escorting the virgin to lead her to the peace of the just. And it is an eternal triumph that will increase in degree without ever knowing failure. I solemnly tell you that you have reason to weep over yourselves, not over Annaleah. Let us go.» And He repeats to the apostles and to those around Him: «A flower has fallen. It lay down in peace and the angels picked it up. Blessed is the girl pure in flesh and heart, because she will soon see God.» «But how did it happen, what did she die of, Lord?» asks Peter who cannot believe it. «Of love. Of ecstasy. Of infinite joy. A happy death!» Those who are far ahead are unaware, those who are far behind are also unaware. So the hosannas continue even if here, around Jesus, people have become pensively silent. It is John who breaks the silence saying: «Oh! I should like to have the same lot before the future hours!» «I, too» says Isaac. «I should like to see the face of the girl who died of love for You…» «I beg you to sacrifice your wishes to Me. I need you near Me…» «We will not leave You, Lord. But is there no consolation for that mother?» asks Nathanael. «I will see to that…»

 

16 They are at the gates of the enclosure of the Temple. Jesus dismounts from the little donkey that is taken into custody by a man from Bethphage. It is necessary to bear in mind that Jesus did not stop at the first gate of the Temple, but He went round the enclosure, and He stopped only at the northern side, near the Antonia. That is where He dismounted and went into the Temple, as if He wished to let people see that He was not hiding from the ruling powers, feeling that He had always behaved in an innocent way. The first court of the Temple shows the usual uproar of moneychangers and vendors of doves, sparrows and lambs, with the only difference that the vendors have been left alone, because everybody has gone to see Jesus. And Jesus enters, solemn in His purple garment, and He looks around at the market and at a group of Pharisees and scribes, who are watching Him from a porch. His eyes are flashing with anger. He rushes to the centre of the court. An unexpected leap that looks like a flight. The flight of a flame, because His garment is as bright as a flame in the sunshine flooding the court. And in His voice as powerful as thunder He says: «Away from the house of My Father! This is no place for usury or markets. It is written: “My house will be called the house of prayer.” So why have you turned into a robbers' den this house, in which the Name of the Lord is invoked? Go away! Leave My House clean. That it may not happen to you, that instead of using ropes, I may strike you with the thunderbolts of heavenly wrath. Go away! Get out, you thieves, swindlers, lewd people, murderers, impious persons, idolaters of the worst idolatry, that of one's proud ego, corrupters and liars. Out! Get out! Or the Most High God, I warn you, will sweep away this place for good and will take vengeance upon all the people.»[/color=red] He does not repeat the lashing of the last time, but seeing that the merchants and money-changers are slow in obeying, He goes to the nearest bench and turns it over spreading scales and money on the ground. The vendors and money-changers make haste and carry out Jesus' order, after witnessing the first example. And Jesus shouts after them: [color]«And how many times shall I have to say that this must not be a place of filth, but a place of prayer?» And He looks at those of the Temple who, obeying the orders of the Pontiff, do not make any gesture of reprisal. 17 After cleansing the court, Jesus goes towards the porches where blind, paralytic, mute, crippled and other sick people are gathered and are invoking Him at the top of their voices. «What do you want Me to do for you?» «My sight, Lord! My limbs! That my son may speak! That my wife may recover her health. We believe in You, Son of God!» «May God hear you. Rise and sing hosannas to the Lord!» He does not cure the many sick people one by one. But He makes a wide gesture with His hand, and grace and health descend from it upon the poor wretches, who stand up completely cured with cries of joy that mingle with those of the many children, who are pressing against Him repeating: «Glory, glory to the Son of David! Hosanna to Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!» Some Pharisees, with feigned deference, shout to Him: «Master, do You hear them? These children are saying what is not to be said. Reproach them! That they may keep quiet!»

«Why? The king prophet, the king of My stock, did he not say: “You made the perfect praise flow from the mouths of children and sucklings to confuse Your enemies”? Have you not read these words of the psalmist? Let children sing My praises. They are prompted to sing them by their angels, who see My Father incessantly and are aware of His secrets, which they suggest to these innocents. And now let Me go and pray the Lord» and, passing in front of the people, He goes into the court of Israel to pray… Later, coming out through another gate, going along the Sheep Pool, He leaves the town and goes back to the hills of the Mount of Olives. 18 The apostles are full of enthusiasm… The triumph has given them confidence, they have completely forgotten all the terror that the words of the Master had aroused in them… They are speaking of everything… They are dying to have news of Annaleah. With difficulty Jesus prevents them from going, assuring them that He will provide and He knows how to do so… They turn a deaf ear to every divine advice… They are truly men, and a cry of hosanna makes them forget everything… Jesus speaks to Mary of Magdala's servants, who had joined Him at the Temple, and then He dismisses them… «And where are we going now?» asks Philip. «To Mark of Jonas' house?» says John. «No. To the field of the Galileans. Perhaps My brothers have come and I should like to greet them» says Jesus. «You will be able to do that tomorrow» Thaddeus points out to Him. «It is better to do things while they can be done. Let us go to the Galileans. They will be pleased to see us. You will have news of your families. I shall see the children…» «And what about this evening? Where shall we sleep? In town? Where? Where Your Mother is? Or at Johanna's?» asks Judas Iscariot. «I do not know. Certainly not in town. Perhaps under some Galilean tent again…» «But why?» «Because I am the Galilean and I love My Fatherland. Let us go.» They set out again, going up towards the field of the Galileans, which is on the Mount of Olives towards Bethany, and is all covered with white tents shining in the pleasant April sun ...

19 Jesus says: «The scene described by Luke seems incoherent, almost illogical. I feel sorry for the misfortunes of a guilty town, but I do not feel sorry for the habits of that town. No. I am not able, I cannot feel sorry for them, because it is just those habits that bring about their misfortunes; and seeing them makes My sorrow deeper. My anger with the desecrators of the Temple is the logical consequence of My meditation on the forthcoming misfortunes of Jerusalem. It is always the profanation of the cult of God, of the Law of God that provokes the punishments of Heaven. By turning the House of God into a robbers' den, those worthless priests and those worthless believers (only such by name) were drawing malediction and death on all the people. It is useless to give this or that name to the misfortunes that make a people suffer. Look for the right name in this: “Punishment for living like brutes.” God withdraws and Evil advances. That is the result of a national way of living undeserving to be named Christian. As in the past, also now, in the short period of this century, I have not ceased shaking and warning people by means of prodigies. But as in the past, I did nothing but draw mockery, indifference and hatred upon Myself and My means. But individuals and nations ought to bear in mind that they weep in vain, when beforehand they did not want to acknowledge their salvation. In vain they invoke Me when, while I was with them, they drove Me away with a sacrilegious war that starting from individual consciences, devoted to Evil, spread throughout the Nation. Fatherlands are not so much saved with weapons as they are by means of a form of life that may attract protection from Heaven. Rest, little John. And make sure you are always faithful to your election. Go in peace.» How tired I am! I am really exhausted…

[30th March 1947] 20 Jesus says: «My patient secretary, put here the vision: “The evening of Palm Sunday” (4th March 1945), and may My peace be with you.»

We are just a fortnight away from Palm Sunday now, and it's a good idea to renew our resolutions and meditations. Let us take up our Cross, and follow the Lord in His Passion, as we contemplate all the many pains, labors, toils and sufferings He so courageously and heroically endured, to save our souls from damnation, and take us with Him to Heaven. Let us repay Him for such deep and great Sorrows.

 

589. The Evening of Palm Sunday. 4th March 1945.

1 Jesus is with His apostles in the peace of the Garden of the Mount of Olives. It is evening. A tepid evening with a full moon. They are sitting on the natural seats that are the terraces of the olive-grove, on the first ones, which face the glade situated at the beginning of Gethsemane. The Kidron is gurgling among its stones and seems to be talking to itself. One can hear only the song of an odd nightingale or feel the breath of the breeze. Nothing else. Jesus is speaking. «After the triumph of this morning your spirits are quite different. What shall I say? That your minds are relieved? Oh! yes! From a human point of view they are relieved. You entered the town trembling because of My words. Each of you seemed to fear that hired ruffians on the other side of the walls were ready to attack him and take him prisoner. 2 In every man there is another man who reveals himself in the most dangerous hours. There is the hero, who in the hours of greater danger emerges from the meek type of man that the world had always known him to be and had considered unimportant, the hero who faces a struggle saying: “Here I am”, who says to the enemy, to an overbearing opponent: “Compete with me”. And there is the saint who, while the others run away, struck with terror before wild people looking for victims, says: “Take me as a hostage and for your sacrifice. I will pay on behalf of everybody.” And there is the cynic who avails himself of the general misfortune and laughs over the bodies of the victims. There is the traitor, who has a courage of his own, that of evil. The traitor who is the amalgamation of the cynic with the coward, and that is also a category that reveals itself in dangerous hours. Because they cynically take advantage of a misfortune and in a cowardly way they join the stronger party, daring to face the scorn of enemies and the curses of the forlorn, provided they make a profit. Lastly there is the most widespread type, the coward who in the dangerous hour can but repent of having made known that he belonged to a party and to a man, now struck with anathema, and runs away… Such a coward is not so criminal as the cynic or so revolting as the traitor. But he always shows the imperfection of his spiritual structure. You… are such. Do not say that you are not. I can read consciences. 3 This morning you were thinking among yourselves: “What will happen to us? Are we going to our death as well?” And your lower part was moaning: “When ever!…” Yes. But have I ever deceived you? With My first words I spoke to you of persecutions and death. And when one of you, through excess of admiration, wanted to see Me and introduce Me as a king, as one of the poor kings of the Earth, always a poor king even if the king and restorer of the kingdom of Israel, I immediately corrected the error and I said: “I am king of the spirit. I offer hardships, sacrifices, sorrows. I have nothing else. I have nothing else here on the Earth. But after My death and your death in My faith, I will give you an eternal Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.” Did I perhaps say something different to you? No. You say I did not. And then you also said: “This is all we want: we want to be with You, and to be treated, to suffer like You, for You.” Yes. That is what you said. And you were sincere. Because you were reasoning like children, like thoughtless children. You thought that it was easy for you to follow Me, and you were so full of the treble sensuality that you could not admit that what I was mentioning to you was true. You thought: “He is the Son of God. He is saying that to test our love. No man will be able to strike Him. Since He works miracles, He will be able to work a great one for Himself!” And each of you would add: “I cannot believe that He may be betrayed, captured, killed.” Your human faith in My power was so strong that you went to the extent of not having faith in My words, the true, spiritual, holy and sanctifying Faith. “He Who works miracles will certainly work one in His own favour!” you were saying. I will work not one, but many more. And two of them will be such as no mind of man can possibly imagine. They will be such as only the believers in the Lord can acknowledge. All other people, to the end of time, will say: “Impossible!” And even after My death I shall be the object of contradiction for many. 4 On a mild spring morning from a mountain I announced the various beatitudes. There is still another one: “Blessed are those who can believe without seeing.” Going through Palestine I have already said: “Blessed are those who listen to the word of God and keep it”, and also: “Blessed are those who do the will of God” and I said many more, because in the house of My Father many are the joys awaiting saints. But there is also this one. Oh! Blessed are those who will believe without seeing with the eyes of their bodies! They will be so holy that, although on the Earth, they already see God, the God hidden in the Mystery of love. But after being with Me for three years, you have not yet arrived at that faith. And you believe only what you see. So, as from this morning, after the triumph, you are saying: “It is just what we said. He is triumphing. And we with Him.” And, like birds that are fledging again after their feathers have been torn off by some cruel person, you are flying off, beside yourselves with joy, sure of yourselves, free from the constraints that My words had put in your hearts. Are you more relieved also in your spirits? No, your spirits are even less relieved. Because you are even less prepared for the impending hour. You have drunk the hosannas like a strong agreeable wine. And you are inebriated with it. Is an inebriated man ever strong? The little hand of a child is sufficient to make him stagger and fall. That is what you are like. And the sight of hired ruffians will be enough to make you run away like timid gazelles, which see the sharp muzzle of a jackal appear near the rock of a mountain and, as fast as the wind, they scatter through the solitude of the desert.

5 Oh! make sure you do not die of dreadful thirst in that burning arena, which is the world without God! My dear friends, do not say what Isaiah says referring to this false and dangerous state of your spirits. Do not say: “He speaks of nothing but conspiracies. But there is nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of. We must not be afraid of what He prophesies to us. Israel loves Him. And we have seen that.” How often the delicate bare foot of a little boy treads on the grass of a flowery meadow, picking flowers to take them to his mother, and he thinks that he will find only stems and flowers, and instead he lays his heel on the head of a snake, and is bitten by it and dies! The flowers were concealing the snake. Also this morning… that happened also this morning! I am the Condemned man crowned with roses. Roses!… How long do roses last? What is left of them once their corollas shed their snow-white scented petals? Thorns. I – Isaiah said so – shall be for you, and with you I say that I shall be the sanctuary for the world, but also the stumbling-stone, the chief culprit, the snare and ruin for Israel and the Earth. I will sanctify those who have good will and I will overthrow and crush those who have an evil will. The angels do not speak false words or words that last a short time. They come from God, Who is Truth and is Eternal, and what they say is the truth and their words are immutable. They said: “Peace to men of good will”. Then, o Earth, Your Saviour was born. Now your Redeemer is going to His death. But to have peace from God, that is, sanctification and glory, it is necessary to have “good will”. Useless is My birth, useless My death for those who do not have that good will. My crying and My deathrattle, My first step and the last one, the wound of My circumcision and that of My consummation, will have been of no avail if in you, if in men, there is not the good will to redeem and sanctify yourselves. And I say to you: A very large number of people will stumble against Me, whilst I am placed as a supporting pillar, and not as a snare for man, and they will fall because, being inebriated with pride, lust and avarice, they will be entrapped in the net of their own sins, caught and handed over to Satan. Keep these words in your hearts and seal them for future disciples. 6 Let us go. The Stone is rising. Another step forward. Upon the mountain. It must shine on the summit because He is the Sun, the Light, the East. And the Sun shines on summits. It must be on the mountain, because the true Temple is to be seen from all over the world. And I am building it by Myself with the living Stone of My sacrificed Body. I will cement its parts with the lime made with sweat and blood. And I shall be on My throne clothed in bright purple, wearing a new crown, and those who are far away will come to Me, they will work in My Temple, around it. I am the base and the summit. But all around, the abode will expand wider and wider. And I will shape My stones and form My handicraftsman Myself, As I was worked on with a chisel by My Father, by Love, by man and by Hatred, so I will work on them.

After the wickedness of the Earth has been removed in only one day, the seven eyes will come to the stone of the eternal Priest to see God, and the seven fountains will flow to defeat Satan's fire. Satan… Judas, let us go. And remember that time is running short and the Lamb is to be handed over by Thursday evening.»