Jesus Christ invites us to contemplate His Passion and His Sacrificial Death.

Started by Xavier, March 22, 2019, 03:48:13 AM

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Xavier

594. The Wednesday before Passover. From the Discussions with Scribes and Pharisees to the Eschatological Discourse. The Widow's Mite. 2nd April 1947.

1 Jesus enters into the Temple that is more crowded than on the previous days. He is all dressed in white in His linen garments. It is a sultry day. He goes to the Court of Israel to worship, followed by a train of people, while other people have already taken the best places under the porches, and the majority are Gentiles who, not being allowed to go beyond the first court, that is the Court of the Gentiles, have taken advantage of the fact that the Hebrews have followed the Christ, to take favourable positions. But a large group of Pharisees upsets them: they are always arrogant in their behaviour, and they push through the crowd overbearingly to approach Jesus, Who is bent over a sick man. They wait until He has cured him, then they send a scribe to question Him. Actually they had a short discussion first, because Joel named Alamoth wanted to go to question the Master. But a Pharisee objected and the others supported him saying: «No, we know that you side with the Rabbi, although you do so secretly. Let Uriah go...» «Not Uriah» says another young scribe, whom I do not know. «Uriah is too harsh in speaking. He would provoke the crowd. I will go.» And without listening any more to the protests of the others, he approaches the Master, just when Jesus is dismissing the sick man saying to him: «Have faith. You are cured. Your fever and pain will not come back any more.»

2 «Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?» Jesus, behind Whose back the scribe is standing, turns round and looks at him. A faint luminous smile brightens His face, He then raises His head, as He had bent it because the scribe is short of stature, and further he had bowed to pay his respects to Him. Jesus looks round at the crowd, He stares at the group of Pharisees and doctors and He notices the pale face of Joel, who is half hidden behind a big sumptuously dressed Pharisee. His smile brightens. It is like a light that caresses the honest scribe. He then lowers His head looking at his interlocutor and replies to him: «The first of all the commandments is: "Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength." That is the first and greatest commandment. The second resembles it: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." There are no greater commandments than these two. They comprise all the Law and the prophets.» «Master, You have replied wisely and truthfully. It is so. There is only one God and there is no other god except Him. To love Him with all our hearts, with all our intelligence, with all our souls and all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is worth much more than any holocaust and sacrifice. I seriously think so when I meditate on David's words: "Holocausts give You no pleasure; a contrite heart is the sacrifice pleasing to God."» «You are not far from the Kingdom of God, because you have understood which holocaust is pleasing to God.» «But which is the most perfect holocaust?» asks the scribe in a low voice, as if he were speaking of a secret. Jesus beams with love letting this pearl drop into the heart of this man who is opening to His doctrine, to the doctrine of the Kingdom of God, and bending over him He says: «The perfect holocaust is to love, as ourselves, those who persecute us and not bear any grudge. Who does that will possess peace. It is said: the lowly shall possess the Earth and shall enjoy the abundance of peace. I solemnly tell you that he who can love his enemies reaches perfection and possesses God.»

3 The scribe greets Him respectfully and goes back to his group, who reproach him in low voices for praising the Master, and they angrily say to him: «What did you ask Him secretly? Have you been seduced by Him as well?» «I heard the Spirit of God speak from His lips.» «You are silly. Do you perhaps think that He is the Christ?» «Yes, I do.» «Truly, before long we shall see the schools of our scribes empty, while they go roving after that Man! But how can you see the Christ in Him?» «I do not know how. I know that I feel that it is He.» «You're mad!» And they turn their backs on him worriedly. Jesus has heard their conversation, and when He sees the Pharisees pass in front of Him in a close group and go away worriedly, He calls them saying: «Listen to Me. I want to ask you something. According to you, what do you think of the Christ? Whose son is He?»«He will be the son of David» they reply, stressing the words "will be", because they want to make Him understand that, as far as they are concerned, He is not the Christ. «How, then, does David, inspired by God, call Him "Lord" saying: "The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for You'"? So if David calls the Christ "Lord", how can the Christ be his son?» As they do not know what to reply to Him, they go away ruminating their poison. 4 Jesus moves away from the place where He was and which is now flooded with sunshine, to go farther on, where the mouths of the Treasury are, near the hall of the Treasury. This side, still in the shade, is occupied by rabbis, who are haranguing with wide gestures addressing their Hebrew audience, which is increasing more and more, as the people pouring in the Temple are increasing continuously, as time passes. The rabbis are striving to demolish with their speeches the teachings imparted by the Christ during the previous days or that same morning. And the more they see the crowd of believers grow bigger, the more they raise their voices. In fact the place, although very large, is crowded with people coming and going in all directions... 5 Jesus says to me: «Insert here the vision of the widow's mite (19th June 1944) corrected as I will point out to you» (as I have already corrected it in the typewritten sheets that I have sent back). Then the vision continues. 19th June 1944. 6 Only today, and insistently, I see the following vision appear. At the beginning I see nothing but courts and porches, which I recognise belong to the Temple, and Jesus, Who looks like an Emperor, so solemn He is in His bright red tunic and darker red mantle, leaning on a huge square pillar supporting an arch of the porch. He looks fixedly at me. I am fully absorbed in looking at Him, delighting in contemplating Him Whom I had not seen and heard for two days. The vision thus lasts for a long time. And while it lasts so, I am not writing it, because it is my joy. But now that I see the scene become animated, I understand that there is something else and I write. The place is getting full of people coming and going in all directions. There are priests and believers, men, women and children. Some are walking, some are standing listening to the doctors, some are dragging little lambs or carrying doves going to other places, perhaps to sacrifice them.

Jesus is leaning on His column and is watching. He does not speak. Twice His apostles ask Him questions, but He shakes His head in denial and does not speak. He is watching very carefully. And according to His countenance, He seems to be judging those He is looking at. His eyes and face remind me of His looks when I saw Him in the vision of Paradise, judging souls in the particular judgement. Now, of course, He is Jesus, Man; up there He was Jesus Triumphant, so even more imposing. But the changeability of His countenance, that watches fixedly, is the same. He is serious, inquisitive, but if at times He is so severe as to make also the most insolent people tremble, at times He is so kind, and His smiling sadness is such that He seems to be caressing one with His eyes. 7 He does not seem to be hearing anything. But He must be listening to everything because, when from a group several metres away, gathered round a doctor, a nasal voice is heard proclaiming: «More than any other commandment this one is valid: what is for the Temple must go to the Temple. The Temple is above one's father and mother and if one wants to give what is superfluous to the glory of the Lord, one can do so and will be blessed for it, because there is no blood or love superior to the Temple», Jesus slowly turns His head round in that direction and looks in a way... that I would not like it to be meant for me. He seems to be looking at everything in general. But when an old trembling man is on the point of climbing the five steps of a kind of terrace, which is close to Jesus, and which seems to lead to another inner court, and he presses his stick on the floor and almost falls when his foot is caught in his tunic, Jesus stretches out His long arm, grasps him and supports him, and does not leave him until He sees that he is safe. The old man raises his wrinkled face, looks at his tall saviour and whispers a word of blessing, while Jesus smiles at him and caresses his bald head. He then goes back to His column, and departs from it once again to lift a little boy who slips from his mother's hand and falls, weeping, against the first step, just at His feet. He lifts him up, caresses him and comforts him. The boy's embarrassed mother thanks Him. Jesus smiles at her as well, handing the child back to her. But He does not smile when a conceited Pharisee passes by, or when a group of scribes and others whom I do not know pass near Him. The latter group greet Him gesticulating and bowing. Jesus looks at them so fixedly that He seems to pierce them, He replies to their greetings but without effusion. He is severe. He looks at some length also at a priest who passes by and must be an important person, because the crowd makes room for him and greets him as he struts along. Jesus looks at him in such a way that he, although very proud, lowers his head. He does not greet, but he cannot withstand Jesus' glance.

8 Jesus stops looking at him to watch a poor woman, dressed in dark brown, who is bashfully climbing the steps and goes towards a wall, where there is something like heads of lions or similar animals with open mouths. Many people are going there. But Jesus does not seem to pay attention to them. Now instead He looks where the woman is going. His eyes look at her compassionately and they shine with kindness when He sees her stretch out a hand and throw something into the stone mouth of one of those lions. And when the woman withdraws passing near Him, He is the first to say: «Peace to you, woman.» She raises her head, utterly astonished, and remains dumbfounded. «Peace to you» repeats Jesus. «Go, because the Most High blesses you.» The poor soul is enraptured, then she whispers a greeting and goes away. «She is happy in her unhappiness» says Jesus breaking His silence. «She is now happy because God's blessing is with her. Listen, My friends, and those who are around Me. Do you see that woman? She only gave two small coins, not enough to buy food for one meal for a sparrow kept in a cage, and yet she has given more than all those who have given their offerings to the Treasury of the Temple, since it was opened this morning at dawn. Listen. I have seen large numbers of rich people put in those mouths sums which would feed that woman for a year and clothe her poverty, which is decent only because it is clean. I have seen rich people, who with evident satisfaction have put in there sums that could have fed the poor people of the Holy City for one or more days, and thus make them bless the Lord. But I solemnly tell you that nobody has given more than she did. Her offering is charity. The others are not. Hers is generosity. The others are not. Hers is sacrifice. The others are not. Today that woman will not eat anything, because she has nothing left. She will have to work first to earn some money, to be able to get some bread to appease her hunger. She has no money laid aside, neither has she relatives who can earn money on her behalf. She is all alone. God has taken her relatives, her husband and children, He has taken the little wealth they had left her, and rather than God, men have taken it, those men who with large gestures, see?, are continuing to throw in there their surplus, much of which is extorted through usury from the poor hands of poor and hungry people. 9 They say that there is no blood or love superior to the Temple, and they thus teach people not to love their neighbour. I tell you that above the Temple there is love. The law of God is love and he, who does not take pity on his neighbour, does not love. Superfluous money, money soiled with usury, with hatred, with hardness, with hypocrisy, sings no praise to God and does not attract heavenly blessings on the donor. God rejects it. It enriches these coffers. But it is not gold for the incense: it is filth that overwhelms you, o ministers, who do not serve God, but your interests; it is a string that strangles you, o doctors, who teach a doctrine that is yours; it is poison that corrodes the remains you still have of your souls, o Pharisees. God does not want remains. Be not Cains. God does not want what is the fruit of hardness. God does not want what, raising a weeping voice, says: "I had to appease the hunger of a starving man. But I was prevented from doing so because I had to display my pomp in here. I was to help an old father and a decrepit mother, but I was forbidden, because such help would not have been known to the world, and I must blow my trumpet so that the world may see the donor." No, rabbi, who teach that what is superfluous is to be given to God and that it is lawful to refuse assistance to fathers and mothers to give it to God. The first commandment is: "Love God with all your heart, with your soul, with your intelligence, with your strength." So not what is superfluous, but what is our blood is to be given to Him, by loving to suffer for Him. To suffer. Not to make people suffer. And if it costs to give a lot, because it is unpleasant to deprive oneself of one's riches and the treasure is the heart of man, who is vicious by nature, it is just because it costs, that one must give. Out of justice: because everything one has, one has it through God's goodness. Out of love: because it is a proof of love to love sacrifice in order to give joy to those whom one loves. To suffer for the sake of suffering. But to suffer. I repeat: not to make others suffer. Because the second commandment says: "Love your neighbour as yourself." And the law specifies that, after God, one's parents are the neighbour to whom one is bound to give honour and assistance. So I solemnly tell you that that poor woman has understood the law better than wise men and she is justified more than anybody else and blessed, because in her poverty she gave God everything, whereas you give what is superfluous and you give it to grow in the esteem of men. I know that you hate Me because I speak so. But as long as these lips can speak, they will speak so. You join your hatred for Me to the contempt for the poor woman I am praising. But do not think that with these two stones you will make a double pedestal for your pride. They will be the millstone that will crush you. Let us go. Let the vipers bite one another increasing their poison. Let those who are pure, good, humble, contrite, and who wish to know the true face of God, follow Me.»

10 Jesus says: «And you who are left with nothing, as you have given Me everything, give Me these last two small coins. As compared with the much that you have given, they seem nothing to strangers. But to you, who have but these, they are everything. Put them in the hand of your Lord. And do not weep. Or, at least, do not weep alone. Weep with Me, Who am the only One who can understand you and I understand you without any human fog, which is always an interested veil for the truth.» --------------


2nd April 1947. 11 The apostles, disciples and crowd follow Him in a compact group, while He goes back again to the place at the first town walls, a spot almost sheltered by the wall of the Temple enclosure, where it is not so warm, in this very sultry day. As the ground has been roughened by the hooves of animals and is strewn with the stones used by merchants and money-changers to fasten their enclosures and tents, there are no rabbis of Israel there, who did not mind allowing a market to be held in the Temple, but are disgusted at walking in their sandals where the footprints of quadrupeds, which were cleared out from there a few days previously, have been badly cancelled... Jesus is not disgusted and He takes shelter there, surrounded by a large crowd of listeners. But before speaking, He calls the apostles to come close to Him and says to them: «Come and listen carefully. Yesterday you wanted to know many of the things that I will tell you today and that I mentioned vaguely yesterday, when we were resting in Joseph's kitchen garden. So pay attention, because they are important lessons for everybody, and for you in particular, as you are My ministers and continuators. 12 Listen. Scribes and Pharisees sat on Moses' chair at the right moment. They were sad days for our Fatherland. Once the exile in Babylonia was over and the nation had been restored through Cyrus' magnanimity, the leaders of the people felt it necessary to restore also the cult and the knowledge of the Law. Because woe to that people that does not possess them for its defence, guide and support, against the most powerful enemies of a nation, which are the immorality of the citizens, rebellion against leaders, disunion among classes and parties, the sins against God and one's neighbours, irreligiousness, which are all disgregating elements in themselves and because of the punishments they provoke from Heaven! So scribes or doctors of the Law arose to teach the people who spoke the Chaldean language, the heritage of the sore and weary exile, and thus could no longer understand the Scriptures written in pure Hebrew. They arose to help the priests, insufficient in number to fulfill the task of teaching the crowds. Such laity, learned and devoted to honouring the Lord, by taking the knowledge of God to men and leading men to God, had its reason for existence and it did also some good. Because, all of you must bear this in mind, also those things that, through human weakness, later degenerate, as it happened to this one that became corrupt in the course of time, always have something good and at least an initial reason for existence, whereby the Most High allows them to arise and last until, the measure of degeneration being full, the Most High disperses them. Then the other sect of the Pharisees arose from the transformation of that of the Hasidaeans, formed to support the Law of Moses and the spirit of independence of our people by means of the most rigid morals and the strictest obedience, when the Hellenistic party – that had risen because of the pressure and seductions that had begun in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes and that soon changed into persecutions against those who did not yield to the pressure of the shrewd king, who more than on his arms relied on the breaking up of the faith in hearts, in order to rule over our Fatherland – was trying to make us slaves. Remember also this: be more afraid of easy alliances and of the blandishments of a foreigner than of his legions. Because, while if you are faithful to the laws of God and of your Fatherland you will win, even if you are surrounded by mighty armies, if instead you are corrupted by the subtle poison, given as an inebriating honey by the stranger who has made his plans concerning you, God will abandon you because of your sins, and you will be defeated and subjected, even if your false ally does not wage a bloody battle with you. Woe to him who is not as vigilant as a sentry and does not repel the subtle snare of a false shrewd neighbour, or ally, or conqueror, who begins his domination over individuals, weakening their hearts and corrupting them with usages and habits that are not ours and are not holy, and consequently make us unpleasant to the Lord! Woe! You must remember the consequences brought about to our Fatherland by the fact that some of her children adopted usages and habits of a foreigner to ingratiate themselves with him and enjoy favours. It is a good thing to be charitable with everybody, also with peoples who are not of our faith, who have not our usages and who have harmed us throughout ages. But our love for these people, who are always our neighbour, must never make us disown the Law of God and of our Fatherland, for some premeditated benefit extorted from our neighbours. No. Foreigners despise those who are so servile as to disown the holiest things of their Fatherland. It is not by denying one's Father and Mother – God and the Fatherland – that one achieves respect and freedom. So it was a good thing that at the right moment the Pharisees should arise to erect a barrier against the filthy overflowing of foreign usages and customs. I repeat: everything that begins and lasts has its reason for existence. And it is to be respected for what it did, if not for what it does. Because, if it is guilty by now, it is not for men to insult it, and even less to strike it. There is who knows how to do it: God and He Whom He sent, and Whose right and duty is to open His mouth and to open your eyes, so that you and they may know the thought of the Most High, and you may act according to justice. I and no one else. I, because I speak by divine mandate. I, because I can speak as I have none of the sins that shock you when you see them committed by scribes and Pharisees, but which you also commit, if you can.»

13 Jesus, Who had begun His speech in a low voice, has gradually raised it, and when uttering these last words, it is as powerful as the blare of a trumpet. Hebrews and Gentiles are fully engrossed in listening to Him. And if the former applaud when Jesus mentions their Fatherland and clearly calls by name those foreigners who subjected them and made them suffer, the latter admire the oratorical form of His speech and they are happy to be present at this oration really worthy of a great orator, as they say to one another. Jesus lowers His voice again when He resumes speaking: «What I told you is to remind you of the reasons why scribes and Pharisees exist, and how and why they have sat on Moses' chair, and how and why they speak and their words are not vain ones. So do what they say. But do not imitate their actions. Because they say that things are to be done in a certain manner, but they do not do what is to be done. In fact they teach the humane laws of the Pentateuch, then they burden other people with huge, unbearable, inhuman weights, whereas they themselves do not stir a finger even to touch those weights, let alone carry them. The rule of their life is to be seen, noticed and applauded for their deeds, which they perform in a manner suitable to be seen and thus praised. And they infringe the law of love, because they like to define themselves the distinguished ones and they despise those who do not belong to their sect, and they demand the title of teachers and from their disciples they exact such a cult as they do not give to God. They consider themselves gods because of their wisdom and power, and in the hearts of their disciples they want to be superior to fathers and mothers, and they claim that their doctrine is superior to God's and they insist on its being practised literally, even if it is a manipulation of the true Law, inferior to the same even more than this mountain is to the Great Hermon that dominates the whole of Palestine; and they are heretics, since some believe, as heathens do, in metempsychosis (reincarnation) and fatality, while others deny what the previous ones admit and, in actual fact if not in effect, what God Himself has given as a principle of faith, when He defined Himself the only God to Whom cult is to be given, and when He said that fathers and mothers are second only to God, and as such they are entitled to be obeyed more than a teacher who is not divine. Because if now I say to you: "Those who love their fathers and mothers more than they love Me are not suitable for the Kingdom of God", I do not say so to instill indifference towards your relatives into your minds, as you must respect and help them, neither is it lawful to deprive them of assistance saying: "It is money for the Temple", or deny them hospitality saying: "My office forbids me", or to take their lives saying: "I kill you because you love the Master", but I say so that you may love your relatives with just love, that is with love that is patient and strong in its meekness – without hating a relative who sins and gives sorrow, because he does not follow you on the way of Life, that is, on My way – with love that knows how to choose between My law and family selfishness and violence. Love your relatives, obey them in everything that is holy. But be ready to die, not to kill, but I say to die, if they want to persuade you to betray the vocation given you by God, to be citizens of the Kingdom of God, that I have come to establish. 14 Do not imitate scribes and Pharisees, who are divided among themselves, although they feign to be united. You, disciples of the Christ, be really united, each one for all the others, the leaders being kind to the subjects, the subjects being kind to their leaders, all one in love and in the purpose of your union: to conquer My Kingdom and be at My right hand at the eternal Judgement. Remember that a kingdom that is divided is no longer a kingdom and cannot exist. Be therefore united to one another in your love for Me and for My doctrine. Let love and union, equality in garments worn, community of property, brotherliness of hearts be the uniform of the Christian, because that will be the name of My subjects. Everybody for one, one for everybody. Let those who own wealth give humbly. Let those who do not own accept humbly, and let them humbly set forth their needs to their brothers, knowing that they are such; and let brothers kindly listen to the needs of their brothers, feeling that they are such to them. Remember that your Master was often hungry and cold and He had other numberless necessities and troubles and He, the Word of God, humbly set them forth to men. Remember that a reward is given to those who are merciful by giving even just a sip of water. Remember that it is better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). In these three recollections let the poor find strength to ask without feeling humiliated, remembering that I did so before them, and let them forgive, if they are refused, remembering that many a time the Son of man was denied the place and the food that are given to sheepdogs. And let the rich be generous in giving their riches, considering that the base money, that Satan instigates men to crave for, and is nine tenths of the disasters of the world, if it is given out of love, changes into a heavenly immortal gem. 15 Be clothed in your virtues. Let them be manifold but known only to God. Do not behave as the Pharisees who wear the broadest phylacteries and the longest fringes and want the front seats in synagogues and love to be greeted obsequiously in market squares, and want to be called "Rabbis" by the people. One alone is your Master: the Christ. You who in future will be the new doctors, I am referring to you, My apostles and disciples, remember that I alone am your Teacher. And I will be your only Teacher also when I am no longer among you. Because Wisdom alone teaches. So do not allow yourselves to be called teachers, because you are disciples yourselves. Do not pretend to be called fathers and do not call father anyone on the Earth, because only one is the Father of all men: your Father Who is in Heaven. May this truth make you wise by really feeling all like brothers to one another, both those who guide and those who are guided, and so love one another like good brothers. And none of those who guide must allow themselves to be called guides, because only one is your guide: the Christ. Let the greatest among you be your servant. He who is the servant of the servants of God does not humiliate himself, but he imitates Me, as I was kind and humble, always willing to love those who were My brothers in the flesh of Adam, and to assist them by means of the power that I have as God. Neither by serving men did I humiliate what is divine in Me. Because he is a true king who knows how to dominate not so much men, as the passions of men, first of all foolish pride. Remember: he who humbles himself will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled. The Woman of Whom the Lord has spoken in the second chapter of Genesis, the Virgin mentioned by Isaiah, the Virgin Mother of the Immanuel, prophesied this truth of the new times, when She sang: "He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly." The Wisdom of God spoke through the lips of Her Who was the Mother of Grace and the Throne of Wisdom. And I repeat the inspired words that praised Me joined to the Father and to the Holy Spirit, in Our wonderful works, when, without offence to the Virgin, I, the Man, was being formed in Her womb without ceasing being God. Let them be a guide for those who want to bear the Christ in their hearts and come to the Kingdom of Christ. There will be no Jesus: the Saviour; no Christ: the Lord; and there will be no Kingdom of Heaven for those who are proud, fornicators, idolaters, who worship themselves and their will.

16 Therefore woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who think you can close by means of your unfeasible maxims – if they were confirmed by God, they would really be an unbreakable bolt for most men – who think you can close the Kingdom of Heaven in the face of those men who raise their spirits towards it to find strength in their painful earthly day! Woe to you who do not enter it, who do not want to enter it, because you do not accept the Law of the heavenly Kingdom, and you do not allow other people to enter, while they are in front of that door, which you, intolerant as you are, reinforce with bolts that God did not put there. Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who swallow the property of widows under the pretext of saying long prayers. Because of that you will receive a severe sentence! Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who travel over sea and land, using up riches that do not belong to you, to make a single proselyte, and when you have him, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are! Woe to you, blind guides, who say: "If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force, but if he swears by the gold of the Temple, then he is bound by his oath." You are foolish and blind! Which is of greater worth? The gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? And you say: "If a man swears by the altar, it has no force, but if he swears by the offering on the altar, then his oath is valid and he is bound by it." You blind men! What is greater? The offering, or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar, is swearing by it and by everything on it, and he who swears by the Temple, is swearing by it and by Him Who dwells in it, and he who swears by Heaven, is swearing by the Throne of God and by Him Who is seated on it. Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who pay the tithes of mint and rue, of anise and cummin, and then you neglect the weightier matters of the Law: justice, mercy and faith. These are the virtues you should have practised, without neglecting the other minor matters! You blind guides, you filter your drinks, lest you may become contaminated by swallowing a drowned gnat, but you swallow a camel, without feeling unclean by doing so. Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who wash the outside of cups and dishes, but interiorly you are full of extortion and filth. O blind Pharisee, wash the inside of your cup and dish first, so that also the outside may be clean. Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who fly in darkness like noctules for your sinful deeds, and at night reach agreements with heathens, robbers and traitors, and then, in the morning, after deleting the signs of your concealed dealings, you go up to the Temple in fine garments. Woe to you, who teach the laws of charity and justice contained in Leviticus, while you are greedy, thieves, false, slanderers, oppressors, unjust, avengers, haters, and you even overthrow those who annoy you, even if they are of your own blood, and you repudiate the virgin who has become your wife, and you disown the children that you begot of her, because they are invalids, and because you do not like your wife any more, you accuse her of adultery or of an unclean disease, to get rid of her, while you are unclean in your lustful hearts, even if you do not appear to be such in the eyes of the people, who are not aware of your deeds. You are like whitewashed sepulchres that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and corruption. The same applies to you. Yes. The same! From the outside you look like honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, who build magnificent sepulchres for the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men saying: "Had we lived in our fathers' days, we would never had joined those who shed the blood of the prophets." And so you give evidence against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered your prophets. And you, moreover, are finishing the work of your fathers... Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to Gehenna? 17 So I, the Word of God, say to you: I, God, will send you new prophets and wise men and scribes. Some you will slaughter, some you will crucify, some you will scourge in your law-courts, in your synagogues, outside the walls of your towns, and some you will hunt from town to town, until you draw on yourselves the blood of the just men, that has been shed on the Earth, from the blood of the just Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachian, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar, because for your own sake he had reminded you of your sin, that you might repent and go back to the Lord. It is so. You hate those who want your welfare and lovingly call you back to the paths of God. I solemnly tell you that all that is about to happen, both the crime and its consequences. I solemnly tell you that all this will be accomplished on this generation. Oh! Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Jerusalem, you that stone those who have been sent to you and kill your prophets! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused! Now listen, Jerusalem! Now listen, you who hate Me and hate everything that comes from God. Now listen, you who love Me and who will be carried away by the punishment laid aside for the persecutors of the Messengers of God. And you also listen to Me, you who do not belong to this people, but who listen to Me just the same, listen and learn Who He is Who is speaking to you and foretells without having to study the flight, the warbling of birds, or celestial phenomena, or the viscera of sacrificed animals, or the fire and smoke of holocausts, because all the future is the present for Him Who is speaking to you. "This House of yours will be left desolate to you. And I say to you, says the Lord, that you shall not see Me any more until you also say: 'Blessings on Him Who comes in the name of the Lord.'"»
18 Jesus is clearly tired and hot, both because of the long thundering speech, and of the sultriness of the windless day. Pressed against the wall by a multitude of people, avidly gazed upon by thousands of people, feeling all the hatred of those who are listening to Him under the porches of the court of the Gentiles, and all the love or at least the admiration surrounding Him, indifferent to the sun blazing down on backs and reddened perspiring faces, He really looks exhausted. He needs solace and He seeks it saying to His apostles and to the seventy-two disciples, who like wedges have opened a passage through the crowd and who are now in the front line, forming a faithful loving barrier around Him: «Let us leave the Temple and go out into the open, among trees. I am in need of shade, silence and fresh air. This place really seems to be already burning with the fire of celestial wrath.» They elbow their way with difficulty and are thus able to go out through the nearest gate, where Jesus in vain strives to dismiss many people. They want to follow Him at all costs. In the meantime the disciples are watching the cube of the Temple shining in the sun, as it is almost midday, and John of Ephesus points out the powerful construction to the Master saying: «Look at the size of the stones and of the construction!» «And yet not a single stone here will be left on another» replies Jesus. «No? When? How?» ask many. But Jesus does not say anything. He goes down the Moriah and quickly leaves the town, passing through Ophel and the Gate of Ephraim or Dung Gate and taking shelter at first in the thick of the King's Gardens, that is until those who, apart from apostles and disciples, have insisted in following Him, go away slowly when Manaen, who has had the heavy gates opened, comes forward imposingly and says to everybody: «Go away. No one can come in here except those whom I allow.» Shade, silence, scents of flowers, the smell of camphor and cloves, cinnamon, lavender and countless other scented herbs, the gurgling of streams nourished by nearby fountains and cisterns, under galleries of leaves, the warbling of birds make the spot a place of paradisiac rest. The town seems to be miles and miles away, with its narrow streets, dark because of the many archivolts or sunny to the point of dazzling, with its smells and stenches of sewers, which are not always clean, and of streets along which too many quadrupeds pass to be clean, particularly the less important ones. 19 The guardian of the Gardens must know Jesus very well, because he greets Him with respect and familiarity at the same time, and Jesus asks after his wife and children. The man would like to give Jesus hospitality in his house, but the Master prefers the fresh restful peace of the large King's Garden, a real park of delight. And before the two untiring and very loyal servants of Lazarus go away to get the basket of foodstuffs, Jesus says to them: «Tell your mistresses to come. We shall stay here for a few hours with My Mother and the faithful women disciples. And it will be so pleasant...» «You are very tired, Master! One can tell from Your face» remarks Manaen. «Yes. So much so that I did not have enough strength to go farther.» «But I offered You these gardens several times during the past days. You know how pleased I am to be able to offer You peace and solace!» «I know, Manaen.» «And yesterday You wanted to go to that sad place! Its neighbourhood is so arid and it is so strangely bare of vegetation this year! And it is so close to that sad gate!» «I wanted to satisfy My apostles. They are like little boys, after all. Grown up boys. See how happily they are refreshing themselves!... They have immediately forgotten what is being plotted against Me beyond those walls...» «And they have forgotten that You are so depressed... But I do not think there is any sound reason to be frightened. The place seemed more dangerous on other occasions.» Jesus looks at him and is silent. How often in these last days have I seen Jesus look and be silent thus! Then Jesus becomes intent in watching the apostles and disciples, who have taken off their headgear, mantles and sandals, cooling their faces and limbs in the fresh rivulets, imitated by many of the seventy-two disciples, who, actually, I think are now many more, and who, all united in the fraternity of ideals, are lying down, resting here and there, a little aside, to let Jesus rest peacefully. Manaen also withdraws leaving Him alone. Everybody respects the rest of the Master, Who is very tired and has taken shelter under a very thick pergola of a jasmine in bloom, shaped like a bower and isolated by a ring of water that flows gurgling in a little canal over which grass and flowers hang. A real peaceful refuge that is reached by means of a little bridge two palms wide and four long, the railings of which are all covered with a garland of jasmine corollas. 20 The servants come back and they have increased in number, because Martha wanted to provide for all the servants of the Lord, and they say that the women will be coming shortly.
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

Jesus sends for Peter and says to him: «With My brother James bless, offer and hand out the food as I do.» «I will hand it out, but I will not bless it. It is for You to offer and bless it, not for me.» «When you were the head of your companions and were far away from Me, did you not do it?» «Yes, I did. But then I was compelled to do it. Now You are with us, and it is for You to bless it. I think that everything tastes better when You offer it for us and hand it out...» and the faithful Simon embraces his Jesus, Who is sitting looking very tired in the shade, and he bends his head over His shoulder, happy to be able to clasp and kiss Him thus... Jesus stands up and pleases him. He goes towards the disciples, He offers, blesses, hands out the food, He watches them eat gladly and says to them: [color]«Afterwards you may sleep, rest while there is time, so that later you may keep awake and pray when you need to do so, and fatigue and tiredness may not overburden your eyes and spirit with sleepiness, when it will be necessary for you to be ready and wide-awake.» [/color]«Are You not staying with us? Are You not eating?» «Let Me rest. That is all I need. Eat, eat!» He caresses the ones whom He finds on His way and goes back to His place... 21 Kind and gentle is the arrival of the Mother near Her Son. Mary comes forward without hesitating, because Manaen, who being less tired than the others, has been watching at the gate, points out to Her the place where is Jesus. The other women disciples, all the Hebrew ones are there, and of the Romans only Valeria is present, stop for a little while and are silent in order not to awake the disciples who are sleeping in the shade of the leafy trees, like sheep lying on the grass at midday. Mary goes under the jasmine pergola without making the little wooden bridge or the gravel on the ground creak, and even more cautiously She approaches Her Son, Who, overcome by weariness, has fallen asleep with His head on the stone table placed there, His left arm used as a cushion under His face covered by His hair. Mary sits patiently near Her exhausted Son. And She contemplates Him... so intently... and a sorrowful loving smile appears on Her lips, while tears noiselessly fall on Her lap; but if Her lips are closed and silent, Her heart is praying with all the strength She possesses, and the power of that prayer and of its inspiration are revealed by the attitude of Her hands joined on Her lap, held tight with fingers interlaced in order not to tremble, and yet are shaken by a light tremor. Hands that are disjoined only to drive away a fly that insistently wants to alight on Her sleeping Son and might awake Him. It is the Mother Who is watching Her Son. The last sleep of Her Son She can watch.

And if the face of the Mother, on this Wednesday before Passover, is different from that of the Mother at the Birth of the Lord, because grief makes it pale and disfigures its features, the mild loving purity of Her glance, the anxious care is the same as She had when, bending over the manger in Bethlehem, with Her love She protected the first uncomfortable sleep of Her Child. Jesus moves, and Mary quickly wipes Her eyes, so that Her Son may not see Her tears. But Jesus has not wakened. He has only changed the position of His face, turning it round to the other side, and Mary resumes Her immobility and Her watching. But something breaks Mary's heart: She hears Her Jesus weep in His sleep and whisper the name of Judas, with an indistinct murmur, as He speaks with His mouth pressed against His arm and garment... Mary stands up, She approaches Her Son and bends over Him, She follows His vague whispering, with Her hands pressed against Her heart. Jesus' speech, although broken but not to the extent that one cannot follow it, makes Her understand that He is dreaming, and is dreaming once again the present, the past and then also the future, until He awakes with a jerk, as if He wanted to escape something horrible. But He finds the breast of His Mother, the arms of His Mother, the smile of His Mother, the gentle voice of his Mother, Her kiss, Her caress, the light touch of Her veil, with which She had wiped Her face to dry tears and perspiration, while She says to Him: «You were in an uncomfortable position, and You were dreaming... You are wet with perspiration and tired, Son.» And She tidies His ruffled hair, She dries His face and kisses Him, embracing Him with Her arm, holding Him to Her heart as She can no longer take Him in Her lap, as when He was a baby. Jesus smiles at Her saying: «You are always the Mother. The one who comforts. The one who rewards for everything. My Mother!» He makes Her sit close to Him laying His hand on Her knees, and Mary takes His long hand, so gentle and yet so strong, the hand of a handicraftsman, in Her small ones, She caresses its fingers and the back of it, smoothing the veins which had swollen while hanging in His sleep. And She tries to distract His attention...

22 «We have come. We are all here. Also Valeria. The others are at the Antonia. Claudia wanted them, "as she is very sad" said her freedwoman. She says, I do not know why, that she has a presentiment of much weeping. Superstitions!... God only knows what will happen...» «Where are the women disciples?» «Over there, at the entrance of the Gardens. Martha wanted to prepare refreshing and nourishing food and drinks, considering how exhausted You are. But I, look, You always liked this, and I brought it to You. My share. It has a nicer taste because it was made by Your Mother.» She shows Him some honey and a bun on which She spreads it handing it to Her Son and saying: «As we used to do at Nazareth, when You rested during the hottest hours, and then You awoke feeling hot, and I used to come from the cool grotto with this refreshment...» She stops because Her voice trembles. Her Son looks at Her and then says: «And when there was Joseph, You brought refreshments for two and the cool water of the porous jar that You kept in running water to make it cooler and it was made even more so by the stems of wild mint that You put in it. How much mint there was there, under the olive-trees! And how many bees on the mint flowers! Our honey always tasted a little of that scent...» He is pensive... He remembers... «We have seen Alphaeus, You know? Joseph was delayed because one of his sons was not too well. But he will certainly be here tomorrow with Simon. Salome of Simon is looking after our house and Mary's.» 23 «Mother, when You are all alone, who will You stay with?» «With whomsoever You will tell Me, Son. I obeyed You, Son, before having You. I will continue doing so after You have left Me.» Her voice trembles, but a heroic smile is on Her lips. «You know how to obey. How restful it is to be with You! Because, see, Mother? The world cannot understand, but I find complete rest with obedient people... Yes. God rests with the obedient. God would not have had to suffer, to toil, if disobedience had not come to the world. Everything happened because man did not obey. That is why there is sorrow in the world... That is the reason for Our grief.» «And also for Our peace, Jesus. Because we know that our obedience comforts the Eternal Father. Oh! for Me in particular, what that thought is! I, a creature, have been granted to console My Creator!» «Oh! Joy of God! You do not know, o joy of Ours, what Your word means to us! It exceeds the harmony of the Celestial Choruses!... Blessed! Blessed You are, as You teach Me the last obedience, and by this thought of Yours You make it pleasant for Me to accomplish it!» «You do not need to be taught by Me, My Jesus. I have learned everything from You.» «Jesus of Mary of Nazareth, the Man, has learned everything from You.» «It was Your light that emanated from Me. The Light that You are and that came from the Eternal Light, annihilated in human appearance...

24 Johanna's brothers informed Me of the speech You delivered. They were enraptured with admiration. You uttered bitter words against the Pharisees...»

«It is the hour of supreme truths, Mother. They remain dead truths to them. But they will be living truths for the others. And with love and severity I must fight the last battle to snatch them from Evil.» «That is true. They told Me that Gamaliel, who was with other people in one of the halls in the porches, said at the end, while many were upset: "When one does not want to be reproached, one acts righteously" and he went away after that remark.» «I am glad that the rabbi heard Me. Who told You?» «Lazarus did. And he was told by Eleazar, who was in the hall with other people. Lazarus came at midday. He greeted us and went away again without listening to his sisters who wanted to keep him until sunset. He told them to send John, or somebody else, to get those fruits and flowers, which are just perfect.» «I will send John tomorrow.» «Lazarus comes every day. But Mary gets angry because she says that he seems an apparition. He goes up to the Temple, he comes, gives orders and leaves again.» «Lazarus also knows how to obey. I told him to behave so, because they are lying in wait for him as well. But don't tell his sisters. Nothing will happen to him. And now let us go to the women disciples.» «Do not move. I will call them. The disciples are all asleep...» «And we will let them sleep. They do not sleep much at night, because I teach them in the peace of Gethsemane.»

25 Mary goes out and comes back with the women, who seem to have got rid of their weight, so light are their steps. They greet Him with deep respect. Only Mary of Clopas is well known. And from a large bag Martha takes out a small porous amphora, while from another vase, which is also porous, Mary takes fresh fruit that came from Bethany, and lays it on the table beside what her sister has prepared, that is a crisp appetising grilled dove, and she begs Jesus to accept it saying: «Eat it. It is nourishing. I prepared it myself.» Johanna instead has brought some rose-vinegar. She explains: «It is so refreshing in these first warm days. My husband also makes use of it when he is tired after long rides.» «We have nothing» say Mary Salome, Mary Clopas, Susanna and Eliza apologising. And Nike and Valeria in turn say: «Neither have we. We did not know that we had to come.» «You have given Me all your hearts. That is enough for Me. And you will still give Me...» He takes some food, but above all He drinks the cool honied water that Martha pours out for Him from the porous amphora and He eats the fresh fruit, a real refreshment for the Tired One. The women disciples do not speak much. They look at Him while He takes some refreshments. In their eyes there is love and anxiety. And all of a sudden Eliza begins to weep, and she apologises saying: «I do not know. My heart is burdened with sadness...» «All our hearts are. Even Claudia in her palace...» says Valeria. «I wish it were already Pentecost» whispers Salome. «I, instead, would like to stop the time at this hour» says Mary of Magdala. «You would be selfish, Mary» replies Jesus. «Why, Rabboni?» «Because you would like the joy of your redemption exclusively for yourself. There are millions of people who are awaiting this hour, or who will be redeemed because of this hour.» «That is true. I was not thinking of that...» she lowers her head, biting her lips to conceal the tears in her eyes and the trembling of her lips. But she is always the brave struggler, and she says: «If You come tomorrow, You will be able to put on the tunic You sent me. It is fresh and clean, worthy of the Passover supper.» «I will come... 26 Have you nothing to tell Me? You are silent and distressed. Am I no longer Jesus?...» He smiles at the women encouragingly. «Oh! You are! But You are so great these days that I can no longer see You as the little boy I used to carry in my arms!» exclaims Mary of Alphaeus. «Neither can I see You as the simple rabbi who used to come into my kitchen looking for John and James» says Salome. «And I have always known You so: the King of my soul!» Proclaims Mary of Magdala. And Johanna meekly and gently says: «And I, too: divine, since the dream in which You appeared to me, when I was dying, to call me to the Life.» «Lord, You have given us everything. Everything!» says with a sigh Eliza, who has collected herself. «And you have given Me everything.»

«Too little!» they all reply. «The possibility of giving will not come to an end after this hour. It will cease only when you are with Me in My Kingdom. My faithful women disciples. You will not sit at My side, on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, but you will sing hosannas with the angels, forming a chorus of honour for My Mother, and then, as now, the heart of the Christ will find its joy in contemplating you.» «I am young! Long will be the time to ascend to Your Kingdom. Happy Annaleah!» says Susanna. «I am old, and happy to be so. I hope my death is near» says Eliza. «I have my sons... I would like to serve these servants of God!» says Mary of Clopas with a sigh. «Do not forget us, Lord!» says the Magdalene with restrained anxiety, I would say with a cry of her soul, so much does her voice quiver, even more than a cry, although it is kept low in order not to awake those who are sleeping. «I will not forget you. I will come. You, Johanna, know that I can come even if I am far away... The others must believe that. And I will leave something to you... a mystery that will keep Me in you and you in Me, until we are united again, you and I, in the Kingdom of God. Go now. You may say that I have not told you much, that it was almost useless to make you come for so little. But I wanted to have around Me hearts that have loved Me without selfishness. For My sake: for Jesus. Not for the future King of Israel people have dreamt of. Go. And may you be blessed once more. Also the other women disciples, who are not here, but think of Me with love: Anne, Myrtha, Anastasica, Naomi, and the far away Syntyche, and Photinai, and Aglae and Sarah, Marcella, Philip's daughters, Mirjiam of Jairus, the virgins, the redeemed women, the wives, the mothers who have come to Me, who have been sisters and mothers to Me, better, oh! much better than the best men!... All of them! I bless them all. Grace begins already to descend, grace and forgiveness, on woman, through this blessing of Mine. Go...» He dismisses them holding back His Mother, to whom He says: «Before evening I shall be at Lazarus' mansion. I need to see You again. John will be with Me. But I only want You, Mother, and the other Maries, Martha and Susanna. I am so tired...» «We shall be the only ones. Goodbye, Son...» They kiss each other and part... Mary goes away slowly. She turns round before going out. She turns round before leaving the little bridge. She turns again, as long as She can see Jesus... She seems unable to depart from Him...

27 Jesus is alone once again. He gets up and goes out. He goes and calls John, who is sleeping lying on his face among the flowers, like a little boy, and He hands him the small amphora with the rosevinegar that Johanna brought Him, saying to him: «We shall go to My Mother this evening. But only the two of us.» «I understand. Did they come?» «Yes, they did. I preferred not to awake you...» «You did the right thing. Your joy must have been greater. They know how to love you better than we do...» says John disconsolately. «Come with Me.» John follows Him. «What is the matter with you?» Jesus asks him, when they are once again in the green dim light of the pergola, where there are still some remains of food. «Master, we are very bad. All of us. There is no obedience in us... and no desire to be with You. Also Peter and Simon have gone away. I don't know where. And so Judas found the opportunity to be quarrelsome.» «Has Judas also gone away?» «No, Lord. He has not. He says he has no need to go away, that he has no accomplices in our intrigues to try and get protection for You. But if I went to Annas, if others have gone to the Galileans residing here, it was not for an evil purpose!... And I do not think that Simon of Jonas and Simon Zealot are men capable of underhand intrigues...» «Never mind. In fact Judas does not need to go while you are resting. He knows when and where to go to accomplish what he has to do.» «Then why does he speak so? It is not nice, in the presence of the disciples!» «It is not nice. But it is so. Cheer up, My lamb.» «I, Your lamb? There is no other Lamb but You!» «Yes. You. I, the Lamb of God, and you, the lamb of the Lamb of God.» «Oh!!! You already told me this word on another occasion, it was the first days I was with you. There were only the two of us, as now, among the green vegetation, as now, and in the fine season.» John rejoices at the recollection. And he whispers: «I am always, I am still the lamb of the Lamb of God...» Jesus caresses him. And He offers him some of the grilled dove, left on the table on a sheet of parchment that had enveloped it. He then opens some juicy figs for him and offers them to him, happy to see him eat them. Jesus has sat sideways on the edge of the table and looks at John so intensely that the latter asks: «Why are You looking at me thus? Because I am eating like a glutton?» «No. Because you are like a child... Oh! My beloved! How much I love you because of your heart!» and Jesus bends to kiss the fairhaired head of the apostle and says to him: «Remain thus, always thus, with your heart without pride and malice. Thus, also in the hours of unchecked ferocity. Do not imitate those who sin, My child.» John is seized with his worry again and he says: «But I cannot believe that Simon and Peter...» «You would really make a mistake if you thought they were sinners. Drink this. It is a good fresh drink. Martha prepared it... Now you are feeling better. I am sure that you had not finished your meal...» «That is true. I had begun to weep. Because, as long as the world hates us, one can understand. But that one of us should insinuate...» «Forget about it. You and I know that Simon and the Zealot are two honest men. And that is enough. And, unfortunately, you know that Judas is a sinner. But keep silent about it. But when many lustra have gone by and it is just to reveal how deep My grief was, then you will tell also what I suffered because of the deeds of that man, in addition to those of that apostle. Let us go. It is time to leave this place and go towards the Field of the Galileans and...» «Are we staying there also tonight? And are we going to Gethsemane first? Judas wanted to know. He says he is tired of being out in the dew, with little and uncomfortable rest.» «It will soon be over. But I will not tell Judas what I intend doing...» «You are not obliged. It is You Who have to guide us, and not we who have to guide You.» John is so far from betraying that he does not even understand the reason of prudence why Jesus for some days has never mentioned what He intends doing.

28 They are now among the sleeping disciples. They call them. They awake. Manaen, who has accomplished his task, apologises to the Master for not being able to stay, and not being able to be with Him at the Temple the following day, as he has to remain at the palace. And in saying so he stares at Peter and Simon, who have in the meantime come back, and Peter nods quickly, as if to say: «I have understood.» They come out of the Gardens. It is still warm and the sun is still shining. But the evening breeze already mitigates the heat and blows some little clouds in the clear sky. They go up towards Siloam, avoiding the places of the lepers, but Simon goes to them to take the remains of their meal to the few who are still left there and who did not believe in Jesus. 29 Matthias, the former shepherd, approaches Jesus and asks: «My Lord and Master, my companions and I have pondered a lot on Your words, until we were overcome by tiredness, and we fell asleep before solving the problem we had set to ourselves. And now we are more stupid than before. If we have correctly understood Your speeches of these last days, You have foretold that many things will be changed although the Law remains unchanged, and that a New Temple will have to be erected, with new prophets, wise men and scribes, that they will give battle to it, and that it will not die, whereas this one, always if we have understood correctly, is destined to perish.» «It is destined to perish. Remember Daniel's prophecy...» «But how shall we, poor and few as we are, be able to rebuild it, if the kings found it difficult to build this one? Where shall we erect it? Not here, because You say that this place will remain deserted until they bless You as the messenger sent by God.» «It is so.» «Not in Your Kingdom. We are convinced that Your Kingdom is spiritual. So, how and where shall we establish it? Yesterday You said that the true Temple – and is that one not the true Temple? – that the true Temple, when they think that they have destroyed it, will then ascend triumphantly to the true Jerusalem. Where is it? We are very confused.» «It is so. Let the enemies destroy the true Temple. In three days I will raise it up and it will experience no more ambushes as it will ascend where man can no longer harm. With regard to the Kingdom of God, it is in you and wherever there are men who believe in Me. Scattered at present, it will spread all over the Earth in the course of ages. Then eternal, united, perfect in Heaven. The new Temple will be built there, in the Kingdom of God, that is, where there are spirits who accept My doctrine, the doctrine of the Kingdom of God, and put its precepts into practice. How will it be erected if you are poor and few? Oh! No money or power is really required to erect the building of the new abode of God. Neither for the individual nor for the collective one. The Kingdom of God is in you. And the union of all those who have the Kingdom of God in themselves, of all those who have God in themselves – God: Grace; God: Life; God: Light; God: Charity – will form the great Kingdom of God on the Earth, the new Jerusalem that will spread all over the world and, complete and perfect, without faults, without shadows, will live forever in Heaven. How will you manage to build Temple and town? Oh! not you, but God will build these new places. You have only to give Him your good will. Good will is to remain in Me. Good will is to live My doctrine. Good will is to be united. So united to Me as to form only one body that is nourished by only one humour in all its parts, even in the smallest ones. Only one edifice that rests only on one base and is held together by a mystic cohesion. But as without the help of the Father, Whom I taught you to pray and Whom I will pray for you before I die, you would not be able to be in Charity, in Truth, in Life, that is still in Me and with Me in God the Father and in God Love, because we are only one Divinity, because of that I tell you to have God in you in order to be able to be the Temple that will know no end. You would not be able to do it by yourselves. If God does not build, and He cannot build where He cannot dwell, in vain men busy themselves in building and rebuilding. 30 The new Temple, My Church, will rise only when your hearts give hospitality to God, and He with you, living stones, will build His Church.» «But did You not say that Simon of Jonas is its Head, the Stone on which Your Church will be built? And have You not made us also understand that You are its corner-stone? So who is its head? Does this Church exist or not?» says the Iscariot interrupting. «I am the mystical Head. Peter is the visible head. Because I am going back to the Father leaving you Life, Light, Grace by means of My Word, of My suffering, of the Paraclete, Who will be the friend of those who are faithful to Me. I am one thing with My Church, My spiritual body, of which I am the head. The head contains the brain or mind. The mind is the seat of knowledge, the brain directs the movements of the limbs with its immaterial orders, which are more efficient than any other incentive in making the limbs move. Look at a dead man, whose brain is dead. Is there any movement in his limbs? Look at one who is completely stupid. Is he not perhaps so inert that he is not capable of having those rudimentary instinctive emotions that the lowest animal, the worm we tread on when walking, has? Observe a man whose limbs, one or more of them, have lost contact with the brain by paralysis. Can he move the part that no longer has any vital link with his head? But if the mind directs with its immaterial orders, it is the other organs – eyes, ears, tongue, nose, skin – that transmit sensations to the mind, and it is the other parts of the body that perform and have performed what the mind, informed by the organs, which are as material and visible as the intellect is invisible, orders. Could I get you to sit on the slope of this mountain without saying to you: "Sit down"? Even if I think that I want you to sit down, you do not know until I express My thought in words and I utter them using My tongue and lips. I could sit down Myself, if I only thought of it because I feel that My legs are tired, but if they refused to bend and sit Me down? The mind needs organs and limbs to accomplish and have accomplished the operations that the thought thinks of. So in the spiritual body that is My Church, I shall be the Intellect, that is, the head, the seat of the intellect; Peter and his collaborators will be those who watch the reactions and perceive the sensations and transmit them to the mind, so that I may illuminate and direct what is to be done for the welfare of the whole body and then, as they are enlightened and guided by My order, they may speak and guide the other parts of the body. The hand that wards off on object that can damage the body and drives away what, being corrupt, may corrupt; the foot that steps over an obstacle, without knocking against it and falling and being hurt, have received an order to do so from the part that directs. The, boy, or also the man, who is saved from a danger, or makes any kind of gain – education, good business, marriage, good alliance through a good piece of advice he received, for a word spoken – it is through that piece of advice and that word that he is not hurt or he makes a profit. It will be the same in the Church. The head, and the heads, led by the Divine Thought and enlightened by the Divine Light and instructed by the Eternal Word, give orders and advice, and the members will act, receiving spiritual health and gain. 31 My Church already exists, because it has its supernatural Head and its divine Head and it has its members: the disciples. Still small a germ being formed – perfect only in the Head directing it, imperfect in the rest, which needs the touch of God to be perfect and some time to grow. But I solemnly tell you that it already exists, and that it is holy on account of Him Who is its Head and of the good will of the just members composing it. It is holy and invincible. Hell, consisting of demons and men-demons, will hurl itself against it thousands of times and will fight it in thousands of ways, but it will not prevail. The edifice will be unshakeable. But the building is not made with only one stone. Look at the Temple, over there, large, beautiful in the setting sun. Is it made with only one stone? It is a complex of stones forming a harmonious whole. We say: the Temple. That is, one unit. But this unit is made with the many stones that have composed and formed it. It would have been useless to lay the foundations, if they were not to support the walls and the roof, if no walls were to be raised on them. And it would have been impossible to raise walls and support the roof, if first they had not laid solid foundations, proportioned to such a huge mass. So with this interdependence of parts, also the new Temple will rise. In the course of ages, you will build it, laying it on the foundations that I have given it, and which are perfect, for its massive size. You will build it under the direction of God, with the good things used to raise it: the spirits in which God dwells.

32 With God in your hearts, to make them polished flawless stones for the new Temple. With His Kingdom established with its laws in your spirits. Otherwise you would be badly-baked bricks, worm-eaten wood, chipped cracked stones that do not last, and are rejected by the builder, if he is wary, or they do not hold out, they cave in, making a part collapse if the builder, the builders appointed by the Father to the construction of the Temple, are idolatrous builders, who are proud in their hearts but do not watch over or work hard on the building that is rising, and neglect the materials used to make it. Idolatrous builders, idolatrous guardians, idolatrous keepers, thieves! Robbers of the trust in God, of the esteem of men, robbers full of pride, who are pleased to have the possibility of making a profit and of having large stocks of materials, but they do not watch whether they are good or of inferior quality, the cause of ruin. You, new priests and scribes of the new Temple, listen. Woe to you and to those who after you will become idolatrous and will not watch and look after themselves and the other believers, to examine and test the good quality of the stones and timber, without trusting appearances, and will bring about ruin by allowing inferior quality, or even harmful materials to be used for the Temple, scandalising and causing disaster. Woe to you if you will allow unsafe, curved walls to be erected, full of large fissures and that will collapse easily, as they are not balanced on solid perfect foundations. The disaster would not come from God, the Founder of the Church, but from you, and you would be responsible for it before God and men. Care, attention, insight, prudence! The stone, the brick, the weak beam, which would be ruinous in a main wall, can serve for parts of minor importance, and serve well. That is how you must be able to choose. With charity in order not to disgust the weak parts, with firmness not to disgust God and ruin His Edifice. And if you become aware that a stone, already laid to support a main corner, is not good or is not balanced, be brave, bold, and remove it from that place, mortify it by squaring it with the chisel of holy zeal. If it howls with pain, it does not matter. It will bless you later, in the course of ages, because you saved it. Move it, appoint it to another office. Do not be afraid to send it away altogether, if you see that it is the cause of scandal and ruin and rebels against your work. Few stones are better than much rubbish. Do not be in a hurry. God is never in a hurry, but what He creates is eternal, because it is well thought over before being carried out. Even if it is not eternal, it will last to the end of time. Look at the Universe. For ages, for thousands of centuries it is as God made it through subsequent operations. Imitate the Lord. Be as perfect as your Father. Keep His Law and His Kingdom in you and you will not be unsuccessful. But if you were not so, the building would collapse, you would have toiled in vain to erect it. It would collapse and only the cornerstone and the foundations would be left... That is what will happen to that one!... I solemnly tell you that that is what will happen to it. And that will be the fate of yours, if you put in it what is in this one: parts diseased with pride, avidity, sin, lust. As that pavilion of clouds, so gracefully beautiful, was blown away and dispersed by a breath of wind, while it seemed to be settling on the top of that mountain, likewise, at a gust of a wind of supernatural and human punishment, will tumble the buildings that are holy by name...»
33 Jesus is silent and pensive. He resumes speaking only to say: «Let us sit down here and rest a little.» They sit down on a slope of the Mount of Olives, in front of the Temple kissed by the setting sun. Jesus looks fixedly at that place and sorrowfully. The others are proud of its beauty, but a veil of worry, left by the words of the Master, is spread on their pride. And if that beauty should really perish?... Peter and John speak to each other and then they whisper something to James of Alphaeus and Andrew, who nod assent. Then Peter addresses the Master saying: «Let us go aside and explain to us when Your prophecy on the destruction of the Temple will take place. Daniel mentions it, but if things were as he says and as You say, the Temple would have but a few more hours. But we do not see any armies or preparations for war. So when will it happen? Which will be the sign of it? You have come. You say that You are about to go away. And yet it is known that it will only happen when You are among men. So, will You come back? When will You come back? Tell us, so that we way know...» «It is not necessary to go aside. See? The most faithful disciples have remained, those who will be of great help to you twelve. They may hear the words that I will speak to you. Come near Me, all of you.» He shouts the last words to gather them all. The disciples scattered on the slope come near the others, they form a compact group around the main one of Jesus and the apostles and they listen. 34 «Take care that no one deceives you in future. I am the Christ and there will be no other Christs. So, when many will come and say to you: "I am the Christ" and they will deceive many, do not believe those words, even if they are accompanied by wonders. Satan, the father of falsehood and the protector of liars, assists his servants and followers with false wonders, which, however, can be recognised as not being good ones, because they are always joined to fear, perturbation and falsehood. You know the wonders of God: they give holy peace, joy, health, faith, and they lead to holy desires and deeds. The others do not. So ponder on the forms and consequences of the wonders you may see in future, performed by the false Christs and by all those who will clothe themselves in the garments of saviours of peoples, whereas they are wild beasts who ruin them. You will hear also, and you will see people speak of wars and rumours of wars and they will say to you: "These are the signs of the end." Do not be upset. It will not be the end. All this must happen before the end, but it is not the end yet. People will rise against people, kingdom against kingdom, nation against nation, continent against continent, and plagues, famines and earthquakes will follow in many places. But this is only the beginning of the birthpangs. Then they will bring affliction upon you and will kill you, accusing you of being guilty of their suffering, and hoping to get out of it by persecuting and destroying My servants. Men will always accuse the innocent of being the cause of the evil that they, sinners, procure for themselves. They accuse God Himself, Perfect Innocence and Supreme Goodness, of being the cause of their suffering, and they will do the same with you, and you will be hated on account of My Name. It is Satan who instigates them. And many will be scandalised and they will betray and hate one another. It is still Satan who instigates them. And many false prophets will arise, who will deceive many. And Satan is still the true author of so much evil. And with the increase of lawlessness, love in many men will grow cold. But those who stand firm to the end will be saved. And first this Good News of the Kingdom of God is to be preached all over the world, as a witness to all the nations. Then the end will come. The return to the Christ of Israel who will accept Him and the preaching of My Doctrine to all the world. 35 And then another sign. A sign for the end of the Temple and for the end of the World. When you see the abomination of the desolation prophesied by Daniel – let those who are listening to Me understand properly and let those who read the Prophet read between the lines – then those who are in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those who are on the terrace must not come down to collect what is in their houses, and those who are in the fields must not come back home to fetch their cloaks, but they must flee without turning back, otherwise it may happen that they will no longer be able to do so, and while running away they must not even turn round to look, in order not to keep the horrible sight in their hearts, and thus go mad. Woe to those with child and to those giving suck in those days! And woe if you have to escape on a Sabbath! The flight would not be sufficient to save you without sinning. So pray that it may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath, because then the tribulation will be so great as it has never been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will ever be alike again, because it will be the end. And if those days were not shortened for the sake of those who are chosen, no one would be saved, because the satan-men will enter into an alliance with hell to torture men. And even then, in order to corrupt and mislead those who have remained faithful to the Lord, some people will arise and say: "The Christ is there, the Christ is here. He is in that place. There He is." Do not believe them. Let no one believe them, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and produce great signs and portents, enough to deceive even the chosen, if it were possible, and they will speak doctrines that are apparently so comforting and good as to deceive even the best ones, if the Spirit of God were not with them enlightening them on the truth and the satanic origin of such portents and doctrines. I am telling you. I am foretelling it, so that you may know how to behave. But do not be afraid of falling. If you remain in the Lord, you will not be led into temptation and ruin. Remember what I told you: "I have given you the power to walk on snakes and scorpions, and of all the power of the Enemy nothing will harm you, because everything will be subjected to you." But I also remind you that, in order to achieve this, you must have God within you, and you must rejoice, not because you control the powers of Evil and poisonous things, but because your names are written in Heaven. 36 Remain in God and in His truth. I am the Truth and I teach the truth. So I repeat to you once again: whatever they may say about Me, do not believe it. I alone have spoken the truth. I alone tell you that the Christ will come, but when it is the end. So, if they say to you: "He is in the desert", do not go. If they say to you: "He is in that house", do not listen to them. Because in His second coming the Son of man will be like lightning striking in the east and flashing as far as the west, in a shorter time than a blink. And He will glide over the great Body, suddenly turned into a Corpse, followed by His shining angels, and He will judge. Wherever the corpse is, there will the eagles gather. And immediately after the distress of those last days, as you have been told – I am speaking of the end of time and of the world and of the resurrection of the bones, of which the prophets speak – the sun will be darkened, and the moon will shed no more light, and the stars will fall from the sky like grapes from a bunch that is too ripe and is shaken by a gale, and the powers of Heaven will be shaken. And then in the darkened vault of heaven the dazzling sign of the Son of Man will appear, and all the nations of the Earth will weep, and men will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory. And He will order His angels to reap the corn and gather the grapes, and to separate the darnel from the corn, and to throw the grapes into the vat, because the time of the great harvest of Adam's seed has come, and there will be no more need to keep small bunches or seeds, because the human race will never be perpetuated again on the dead Earth. And He will order His angels to gather the chosen with loud trumpets from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to another, so that they may be beside the Divine Judge to judge with Him the last living men and those who have been raised from the dead. Learn the similitude from the fig-tree: when you see its twigs grow supple and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So, when you see all these things, know that the Christ is about to come. I solemnly tell you: this generation that did not want Me will not pass away, before all this takes place. My word does not pass. What I have said will take place. The hearts and minds of men may change, but My word does not change. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 37 But as for the day and the exact hour, nobody knows them, not even the angels of the Lord, only the Father knows them. As it was in the, days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of man comes. In the days before the Flood, men were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, without worrying about the sign, right up to the day Noah went into the ark and the cataracts of heaven were opened and the Flood swept all living beings and things away. It will be like this also for the coming of the Son of man. Then two men will be close to each other in the field, and one will be taken and the other will be left, and two women will be at the millstone grinding, and one will be taken and one left by the enemies in the Fatherland, and even more by the angels who will be separating the good seed from the darnel, and they will have no time to prepare for the judgement of the Christ. So be awake because you do not know at what time your Lord will come. Consider this: if the head of a family knew at what time a burglar would come, he would stay awake and would not let his house be robbed. So be vigilant and pray, being always prepared for the coming, without letting your hearts become sluggish through all kinds of abuse and intemperance, and your spirits be dull and distracted from the things of Heaven by excessive care for the things of the Earth, so that death may not take you all of a sudden, when you are not prepared. Because, bear this in mind, each one of you must die. All men, once they are born, must die, and this death and subsequent judgement is a particular coming of the Christ and its universal repetition will take place at the
solemn coming of the Son of man. What will happen to that faithful and prudent servant, appointed by his master to give food to the servants in his absence? His lot will be a happy one if his master comes back suddenly and finds him doing his duty with diligence, justice and love. I tell you solemnly that he will say to him: "Come, good faithful servant. You have deserved my reward. Here, administer all my property." But if he seemed good and faithful, but was not, and if interiorly he was as bad as he was hypocritical exteriorly, and once the master has left, he says to himself: "The master will come back late! Let us have a good time", and he begins to beat and ill-treat his fellow servants, cutting down their food and everything else to have more money to spend with revellers and drunkards, what will happen? The master will come back all of a sudden, when the servant does not expect him, and his wrong-doing will be found out, his position and money will taken off him, and he will be led where justice wants. And there will he remain. And the same will happen to the unrepentant sinner, who does not think that death can be close at hand, as his judgement can be near, and he enjoys himself and abuses saying: "Later I will repent". I tell you solemnly that he will not have time to do so, and he will be condemned to be forever where there is dreadful horror, where there is only blasphemy and weeping and torture, and he will come out only for the final Judgement, when he will be reclothed with the flesh raised from the dead, to present himself entire at the final Judgement, as he was entire when he sinned in the time of his earthly life, and in body and soul he will present himself to Jesus Judge, Whom he did not want as his Saviour. 38 They will all be gathered there before the Son of man. An infinite multitude of bodies, given back by the land and by the sea and recomposed after being ashes for such a long time. And the souls in their bodies. To each flesh returned to the skeletons will correspond its own soul that once animated it. And they will stand before the Son of man, splendid in His divine Majesty, sitting on His throne of glory supported by His angels. And He will separate men from men, placing the good on one side and the bad on the other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the kids, and He will place the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left. And in a gentle voice and with a benign appearance he will say to those who look at Him with all the love of their hearts, and are peaceful and beautiful, shining with the glorious beauty of their holy bodies: "Come, you who have been blessed by My Father, take possession of the Kingdom prepared for you since the origin of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a pilgrim and you gave Me hospitality, I was naked and you clothed Me, sick and you visited Me, in prison and you came to comfort Me." And the just will ask Him: "Lord, when did we see You hungry and we fed You, thirsty and we gave You drink? When did we see You a pilgrim and we welcomed You, naked and we clothed You? When did we see You sick and in prison and we came to visit You?" And the King of kings will say to them: "I tell you solemnly: when you did one of these things to one of the least of My brothers, you did it to Me." He will then address those who are on His left hand and will say to them, looking very severe, and His eyes will be like flashes of lightning striking the reprobates, and in His voice the wrath of God will thunder: "Go away from here! Away from Me, with your curse upon you! Go to the eternal fire prepared by the fury of God for the devil and the angels of darkness and for those who have listened to their voices of treble obscene lechery. I was hungry and you did not give Me any food, I was thirsty and you did not quench My thirst, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was a pilgrim and you rejected Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. Because you had but one law: the pleasure of your own egos." And they will say to Him: "When did we see You hungry, thirsty, naked, pilgrim, sick, in prison? Really, we never met You. We did not exist, when You were on the Earth." And He will reply to them: "That is true. You never met Me. Because you did not exist when I was on the Earth. But you were acquainted with My word and you had among you people who were hungry, thirsty, naked, ill, in prison. Why did you not do to them what you would have perhaps done to Me? Because no one says that those, who had Me among them, were merciful to the Son of man. Do you not know that I am in My brothers, and that where one of them suffers, I am there, and that what you have not done to one of the least of My brothers, you have refused it to Me, the First-Born of men? Go and burn in your own selfishness. Go and be enveloped in darkness and ice, because you were darkness and ice yourselves, though you knew where the Light and the Fire of Love were." And they will go to the eternal torture, whereas the just will enter eternal life. 39 Those are the future things... Go now. And do not part from one another. I am going with John, and I shall be with you half through the first watch, for supper, and then we shall go to our teaching.»
«Also this evening? Shall we be doing that every evening? I am aching all over because of the dew. Would it not be better to go to some hospitable house now? Always under tents! Always watching at night, when it is cold and damp...» says Judas complaining. «It is the last night. Tomorrow... it will be different.» «Ah! I thought You wanted to go to Gethsemane every night. But if it is the last one...» «I did not say that, Judas. I said that it will be the last night to spend all together at the Field of the Galileans. Tomorrow we will prepare for Passover and will consume the lamb, then I will go by Myself to Gethsemane to pray. And you can do what you like.» «But shall we not come with You, Lord! When have we ever wanted to leave You?» asks Peter.

«You should be quiet, because you are culpable. You and the Zealot do nothing but flutter here and there as soon as the Master does not see you. I have been keeping an eye on you. At the Temple... on the day... in the tents up there...» says the Iscariot, happy to denounce them. «That is enough! If they do that, they are doing the right thing. But do not leave Me alone... I beg you...» «Lord, we are not doing anything wrong. Believe me. Our deeds are known to God, and His eyes do not turn away from them in disgust» says the Zealot. «I know. But it is useless. And what is useless may always become harmful. Be together as much as possible.» He then says to Matthew: «My good reporter, you will repeat to them the parable of the ten wise virgins and the ten foolish ones, and that of the master who gives some talents to his three servants to make them bear interests, and two earn twice as much and the sluggard hides it in the ground. Do you remember?» «Yes, my Lord, very well.» «Repeat them, then, because not everybody knows them. And also those who know them will be pleased to hear them again. You can while away the time so, in wise conversation, until I come back. Stay awake! Be vigilant! Keep your spirits awake. Those parables are also appropriate to what I have said. Goodbye. Peace be with you.» He takes John by the hand and goes away with him towards the town... The others set out towards the Fields of the Galileans -----------40 Jesus says: «You will put here the second part of the very toilsome Wednesday before Passover. Night (1945). Remember to mark in red the passages that I told you. Those little words throw light. A lot of light for those who can see it.»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

595. The Night of the Wednesday before Passover. Last Teachings to the Apostles. 8th March 1945.

1 «I said to you: "Be careful, be awake and pray that your eyes may not become heavy with sleep." But I see that your tired eyes are trying to close and your bodies, even against your will, are anxious to find positions to rest. You are right, My poor friends! Your Master has exacted quite a lot of you these last few days, and you are so tired. But in a few hours, by now only few, you will be happy that you have not lost even one moment of My attention for you. You will be glad that you have not refused anything to your Jesus. In any case, this is the last time that I speak to you of sad things. Tomorrow I will speak to you of love and I will work a miracle of total love for you. Prepare yourselves through a great purification to receive it. Oh! how much more it agrees with My Ego to speak of love than to speak of punishment! How pleasant it is for Me to say: "I love you. Do come. Throughout My life I have dreamt of this hour!" But it is love to speak also of death. It is love because death, for those who love you, is the supreme proof of love. It is love, because preparing dear friends for a misfortune is providence of affection that wants them ready and not dismayed at that hour. It is love, because confiding a secret is proof of holding in high esteem those to whom it is confided.

2 I know that you have harassed John with questions to learn what I said to him when I remained alone with him. And you did not believe that no word was spoken. But it is so. It was enough for Me to have someone near Me...»
«Then, why he and not somebody else?» asks the Iscariot, and he does so in an arrogant indignant tone. Also Peter, and with him Thomas and Philip say: «Yes. Why he and not the others?» Jesus replies to the Iscariot: «Would you have liked to be the one? Can you pretend it? It was a fresh clear morning in the month of Adar... I was an unknown wayfarer on the road near the river... Tired, covered with dust, pale with fasting, with an unkempt beard and broken sandals, I looked like a beggar on the roads of the world... He saw Me... and he recognised Me as the one on whom the Dove of the eternal fire had alighted. In that first transfiguration of Mine, an atom of My divine brightness must have revealed itself. The eyes of the Baptist, opened by Penance, and those preserved angelic by Purity, saw what the others did not see. And the pure eyes took that vision into the tabernacle of the heart, and closed it in there, like a pearl in a coffer... When almost after two months those eyes looked up at the worn-out wayfarer, his soul recognised Me... I was his love. His first and only love. The first and only love is never forgotten. The soul feels it coming, even if it had gone away, it feels it coming from remote distances, and leaps for joy, and awakes the mind, which arouses the flesh, so that they all may take part in the banquet of joy in meeting again and loving each other. And his trembling lips said to Me: "I greet You, Lamb of God." Oh! faith of the pure, how great you are! How you overcome all obstacles! He did not know My Name. Who was I? Where was I coming from? What was I doing? Was I rich? Was I poor? Was I wise? Was I ignorant? Of what avail to faith is it to know all that? Does it increase or diminish through knowledge? He believed what the Precursor had told him. Like a star that by order of the Creator transmigrates from one sky to another, he had parted from his sky, the Baptist, from his constellation, and had come towards his new sky, the Christ, in the constellation of the Lamb. And he is not the biggest star but he is the purest and the most beautiful one in the constellation of love. Three years have gone by since then. Large and small stars joined My constellation and then they departed from it. Some fell and died. Others have become smoky because of heavy vapours. But he has remained fixed with his pure light near the Pole-star. 3 Let Me look at his light. Two will be the lights in the darkness of the Christ: Mary and John. But it will be almost impossible for Me to see them, so deep will be My sorrow. Let Me impress in My eyes these four irises that are strips of sky between fair eyelashes, to take with Me, where no one will be able to come, a remembrance of purity. All the sins! Everything on the shoulders of the Man! Oh! Oh! this drop of purity!... My Mother! John! And I!... The three ship wrecked persons emerging from the shipwreck of mankind in the sea of Sin! It will be the hour in which I, the offspring of David's stock, will say, moaning with David's ancient sigh: "My God, turn to look at Me. Why have You deserted Me? The shouts of the crimes that I have taken upon Myself on behalf of everybody are driving Me away from You... I am a worm, no longer a man, the dishonour of mankind, the refuse of the populace." And listen to Isaiah: "I abandoned My body to those who struck Me, My cheeks to those who tore at My beard, I did not remove My face from those who insulted Me and covered Me with spittle." Listen to David again: "Many bull-calves have surrounded Me, many bulls have assailed Me. Their jaws are agape to tear Me to pieces, like lions tearing and roaring. I am like water that is draining away." And Isaiah completes: "I dyed My garments Myself." Oh! I am dyeing My garments Myself, not with My anger, but with My sorrow and My love for you. Like the two flat stones of the press, they squeeze Me and My Blood. I am like the pressed bunch of grapes, that was beautiful when it entered the press, and afterwards it is pulp squashed without juice and beauty. And I say with David, My heart "is like wax and melts within My chest". Oh! perfect Heart of the Son of man, what are you becoming now? You are like the heart that a long life of revelry has exhausted and enervated. All My vigour has withered. My tongue is sticking to My palate because of fever, heat and agony. And death is advancing in its suffocating blinding ashes. And there is no mercy either! "A pack of hounds surrounds Me and bites Me. They bite Me where I am wounded and blows strike Me where I have been bitten. No part of My body is without pain. My bones creak as they are dislocated through beastly stretching. I do not know where to lay My body. The dreadful crown is a ring of iron that penetrates My head. I am hanging from My pierced hands and feet. Raised up as I am, I show My body to the world and everybody can count My bones"...»

4 «Be quiet! Be quiet!» says John sobbing. «Say no more! You make us suffer the throes of death!» say His cousins imploringly. Andrew does not speak, but with his head between his knees he is weeping noiselessly.

Simon is livid. Peter and James of Zebedee seem to be tortured. Philip, Thomas and Bartholomew look like three stone statues representing anguish. Judas Iscariot is a gruesome demoniac masque. He looks like a damned person who at last realises what he has done. With his mouth open to utter a cry that howls inside him but is stifled in his throat, his eyes wide open and frightened like those of a madman, his cheeks sallow under the brownish veil of his shaven beard, his hair unkempt as he ruffles it now and again with his hand, wet with perspiration and cold, he seems to be on the point of fainting. Matthew, raising his eyes, so far lowered, to seek some assistance in his torture, sees him and says: «Judas! Are you not well?... Master, Judas is suffering!» «And I, too» says Christ. «But I am suffering with peace. Become spirits to be able to bear this hour. Anyone who is "flesh" cannot live it without becoming mad... 5 Once again speaks David, who sees the tortures of his Christ: «"They are not yet satisfied and they look at Me, they laugh scornfully at Me and they divide My garments among them and cast lots for My tunic. I am the Evil-doer. It is their right." Oh! Earth, look at your Christ! Recognise Him, although He is so consumed. Listen, remember the words of Isaiah and understand why, the great why, He became so, and man was able to kill the Word of the Father, reducing Him to such a state. "He is without beauty and splendour. We saw Him. He was not handsome. And we did not love Him. Despised like the last of men, He, the Man of sorrows and accustomed to suffering, had His face concealed. He was despised and we took no account of Him." This masque of one who is tortured was His beauty as Redeemer. But you, foolish Earth, preferred His serene face! "He really took our sufferings upon Himself, He bore our sorrows. And we looked at Him as if He were a leper, as one cursed by God and despised. He, instead, was injured because of our wickedness. The punishment reserved for us, the punishment that gives us back peace with God, has fallen upon Him. Through His wounds we are healed. We had all gone astray like sheep. Each had deviated from the straight path and the Lord burdened Him with the sins of all of us." Those who think that they have done good to themselves and to Israel should undeceive themselves. And likewise those who think they have been stronger than God. And also those who think that they do not have to expiate this sin, only because I voluntarily allow them to kill Me. I am fulfilling My holy task, My perfect obedience to the Father. But that does not exclude their obedience to Satan and their wicked task. Yes, o Earth, your Redeemer has been sacrificed because He wanted it. "He never opened His mouth to utter a word of prayer and thus be spared or a word to curse His murderers. Like a sheep He let Himself be led to the slaughter-house to be killed, like a lamb that is dumb before its shearers." "After being captured and condemned He was raised. He will have no offspring. Like a tree He was cut off from the land of the living. God has struck Him for the sins of His people. Will no one of His generation on His Earth pity Him? Will the man cut off from the Earth have no children?" Oh! I am replying to you, o prophet of your Christ. If my people will have no pity on the innocent Man killed, the angels of the heavenly people will pity Him. If His virility will have no children in a human way, because His Nature could not find union with a mortal body, He will indeed have children, and many of them, according to a procreation that will bring life not from animal flesh and blood, but from divine love and Blood, a procreation of the spirit whereby eternal will be its offspring. And I will also explain to you, o world, that do not understand the prophet, who are the wicked placed at His grave, and the rich man at His death. Consider, o world, whether even one of His murderers had peace and a long life! He, the Living One, will soon leave death. But, like leaves that the autumn wind lays one by one in the hollow of a furrow after detaching them with repeated gusts, they will soon be laid one by one in the ignoble tomb that had been decreed for Him; and one who lived for gold, if it were lawful to put an unclean man where the Holy One was, could be laid where there will still be the dampness brought about by the numberless wounds of the Victim sacrificed on the mountain. 6 As He was accused although He was innocent, God avenges Him, because there was never perjury in His mouth, or iniquity in His heart. He was consumed by pain. But once consumption has taken place and His life has been taken for the sacrifice of expiation, His glory will begin with future generations. All the desires and the Holy wills of God on His behalf will be accomplished. Because of all the anxiety of His soul, He will see the glory of the true people of God and will be happy. His heavenly doctrine, which He will seal with His Blood, will be the justification of many of the best ones, and He will take upon Himself the wickedness of sinners. And that is why this unknown King, Whom the wicked mocked at and the best ones did not understand, will have a large multitude, o Earth. And with His followers He will divide the spoils of the defeated. He will divide the spoils of strong men, the only Judge of the three kingdoms and of the Kingdom. He has deserved everything, because He gave everything. Everything will be delivered to Him, because He delivered Himself to death and was numbered with criminals, He Who was without sin. Without any other sin except perfect love and infinite goodness. Two sins that the world does not forgive, such a love and goodness that urged Him to take upon Himself the sins of many, of the whole world, and to pray for sinners. For all sinners. Also for those through whom He was put to death. 7 I have finished. I have nothing else to say. Everything has been said of what I wanted to tell you of the Messianic prophecies. I have explained them all to you, from My birth to My death, so that you may know Me and have no doubts, and may have no excuses for your sin.

And now let us pray together. This is the last evening we can pray thus, all united like grapes to the bunch supporting them. Come. Let us pray. "Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen." "Hallowed be Thy Name." Father, I have hallowed it. Have mercy on Your Son. "Thy Kingdom come." I am dying in order to establish it. Have mercy on Me. "Thy will be done." Support My weakness, You Who created the flesh of man and clothed Your Word with it, that I may obey You down here as I have always obeyed You in Heaven. Have mercy on the Son of man. "Give us our Bread"... A bread for the soul. A bread not of this Earth. I do not ask it for Myself. I need only Your spiritual comfort. But I, the Beggar, stretch out My hand for them. Before long it will be pierced and nailed, and it will no longer be able to make a gesture of love. But it can still do it now. Father, grant Me to give them the Bread that daily fortifies the weakness of the poor children of Adam. They are weak, Father, they are inferior, because they do not have the Bread that is strength, the angelical Bread that spiritualises man and leads him to be deified in Us. "Forgive us our trespasses"...» Jesus Who has spoken standing and has prayed with His arms stretched out, now kneels down and raises His arms and face to Heaven. A face made wan by the effort of the supplication and by the kiss of the moon, furrowed by silent tears. «Forgive Your Son, o Father, if I wronged You in any way. I may also seem imperfect to Your Perfection, I, Your Christ, burdened by flesh. To men... no. My conscious intellect assures Me that I have done everything for them. But forgive Your Jesus... I also forgive. I forgive, that You may forgive Me. How much I have to forgive! How much!... And yet I forgive. Those who are present here, the disciples who are absent, those whose hearts are deaf, My enemies, mockers, traitors, killers, deicides... Here. I have forgiven the whole of Mankind. With regard to Me, o Father, consider remitted all debts of man to the Man. I am dying in order to give Your Kingdom to everybody, and I do not want the sin against the Love incarnate to be imputed to them as condemnation. No? Are You saying no? It is My grief. This "no" is pouring the first sip of the bitter chalice into My heart. But Father, Whom I have always obeyed, I say to You: "Thy will be done". "Lead us not into temptation". Oh! if You want, You can drive the demon away from us! He is the temptation that incites flesh, minds, hearts. He is the Seducer. Turn him away, Father! Your archangel in our favour! To put to flight him who lays snares for us from our birth to our death!... Oh! Holy Father, have mercy on Your children! "Deliver us, deliver us from evil!" You can. We are weeping here... Heaven is so beautiful and we are afraid of losing it. You say: "My Blood cannot lose it". But I want You to see the Man in Me, the Firstborn of men. I am their brother. I pray for them and with them. Father, mercy! Oh! mercy!...» 8 Jesus bends with His face on the ground. He then stands up. «Let us go. Let us say goodbye to one another this evening. It will no longer be possible tomorrow evening. We shall be too upset. And there is no love where there is perturbation. Let us kiss one another with the kiss of peace. Tomorrow... tomorrow each of you will belong to himself... This evening we can still be one for all and all for one.»
And He kisses them, one by one, beginning from Peter, then Matthew, Simon, Thomas, Philip, Bartholomew, the Iscariot, His two cousins, James of Zebedee, Andrew and last John, on whom He leans while leaving Gethsemane.

Next Chapter: 596. The Thursday before Passover. Preparation for the Supper and Announcement of the Glorification through Death. 3rd April 1947.
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

With Passion Sunday behind us, we are now hardly 10 days from Holy Thursday, a wonderful time to deepen our meditations on the Passion, and reflect more fully on that precious last day, and final hours of Our Dear Lord's Life and Suffering, His Crosses, Sorrows, Griefs and Passion. Let us enter into the Passion in spirit.

596. The Thursday before Passover. Preparation for the Supper and Announcement of the Glorification through Death. 3rd April 1947.

1 It is morning again. So serene! So joyful! Even the rare clouds that yesterday were wandering slowly in the cobalt-blue sky are no longer there. Neither is there the heavy sultriness that was so oppressive yesterday. A light breeze blows gently on people's faces. And it carries the scent of flowers, of hay, of pure air. And it gently moves the leaves of the olive-trees. It seems anxious to let people admire the silver shade of the small lanceolate leaves, to shed tiny white scented flowers on the steps of Christ, on His fair-haired head, to kiss Him, to refresh Him – because each tiny calyx has its very small dew-drop – to kiss Him, to refresh Him, then die before seeing the impending horror. And the grass on the hillocks bows shaking the bellflowers, the corollas, the little palms of thousands of flowers. The large wild ox-eye daisies, stars with golden hearts, are standing high up on their stems as if to kiss the hand that will soon be pierced, and the small daisies and the wild camomile kiss His generous feet, which will stop walking for the good of men only when they are nailed to give an even greater good, and the brier-roses smell sweetly, and the hawthorn, which no longer has any flowers, moves its indented leaves. It seems to be saying: «No, no» to those who will use it to torture the Redeemer. And «no» say the reeds of the Kidron. They do not want to strike either, and their will of little things does not want to harm the Lord. And perhaps also the stones on the slopes are happy to be out of town, in the olive-grove, because being there, they will not hurt the Martyr. And the thin rosy convolvuli, which Jesus loved so much, are weeping, as well as the corymbs of the snow-white acacias, similar to clusters of butterflies pressing against one stem, perhaps they are thinking: «We shall never see Him again.» And the myosotes, so slender and pure, drop their corollas when touched by the purple mantle that Jesus is wearing again. It must be beautiful to die being struck by something that belongs to Jesus. All the flowers, also a lost lily of the valley, which perhaps fell there by accident and came up among the protruding roots of an olive-tree, is happy to be seen and picked by Thomas and offered to the Lord... And happy are the thousand birds among the branches to greet Him with joyful songs. Oh! the birds that He always loved do not curse Him! Even a small herd of sheep seem to be wishing to greet Him, although they are sad, having been deprived of their little ones that have been sold for the Passover sacrifice. It is the lament of mothers resounding in the air, as they bleat calling their little ones that will never come back, and they come to rub against Jesus, looking at Him with their meek eyes. 2 The sight of the sheep reminds the apostles of the rite and when they are almost at Gethsemane, they ask Jesus: «Where shall we go to consume the Passover? Which place are You choosing? Tell us and we will go and prepare everything.» And Judas of Kerioth says: «Give me Your orders and I will go.» «Peter. John. Listen to Me.» The two, who were a little ahead, approach Jesus Who has called them. «Go ahead and enter the town by the Dung Gate. As soon as you go in, you will meet a man who is coming back from En Rogel with a pitcher of that good water. Follow him until he goes into a house. You will say to him who is in it: "The Master says: 'Where is the room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'" He will show you a large supper-room, which is ready. Prepare everything there. Go quickly and then join us at the Temple.» The two go away in a hurry. Jesus instead proceeds slowly. The morning is still cool, and only the first pilgrims appear on the roads leading into town. They cross the little Kidron bridge that is before Gethsemane and enter the town. The gates are no longer watched by legionaries, probably because of a counter-order by Pilate, who has been reassured by the lack of disputes concerning Jesus. There is in fact absolute tranquillity everywhere. Oh! no one can deny that the Judaeans have been able to control themselves! No one has molested the Master or His disciples. Behaving respectfully if not affectionately, and as well-mannered people, they have always greeted Him, even the most rancorous members of the Sanhedrin. Also yesterday's reproof was borne with incomparable patience. And as Caiaphas' country house is close to that gate, just now a large group of Pharisees and scribes passes by coming from it, and among them there is the son of Annas with Helkai, Doras and Sadoc. And bending their backs covered with wide mantles they pay their respects among the fluttering of garments, fringes and bulky headgear. Jesus greets them and passes by, regal in His red woollen tunic and His mantle of a darker shade, the headgear of Syntyche in His hand, while the sun turns His copper-red hair into a golden wreath and a shining veil reaching down to His shoulders. After He has passed the backs straighten up and the faces appear: those of furious hyenas.

3 Judas of Kerioth, who was always looking around with his treacherous face, moves to the roadside under the pretext of tying his sandal and, I can see him very well, beckons to those men to wait for him... He lets the group of Jesus and His disciples go ahead, always busy at the buckle of his sandal to strike an attitude; he then passes quickly close to the scribes and Pharisees and whispers: «At the Beautiful Gate. About the sixth hour. One of you.» and he darts away quickly, joining his companions. Frank, impudently frank!... They go up to the Temple. Only few Jews as yet. But many Gentiles. Jesus goes to worship the Lord. He then comes back and He tells Simon and Bartholomew to buy the lamb getting the money from Judas of Kerioth. «I could have done it!» says Judas. «You will have other things to do. You know that. There is that widow to whom the offering of Mary of Lazarus is to be taken, informing her that after the festivities she should go to Bethany, to Lazarus. Do you know where she lives? Have you understood?»«Yes, I know! Zacharias, who knows her well, showed me the place.» And he adds: «I am very glad to go. Not so much because of the journey, as because of the lamb. When have I to go?» «Later. I shall not stop long here. I will rest today, as I want to be fit for this evening and for My night prayer.» «All right.» Well, I wonder: Jesus, Who in the past days has said nothing about His intentions in order not to let Judas have any details, why does He now say, why does He repeat what He will do during the night? Has His Passion already begun with the blindness of foresight, or has this foresight increased so much that He can read in the books of Heaven that that is «the night» and that therefore it is necessary to make it known to him who is waiting to know, so that he may hand Him over to His enemies, or has He always known that His immolation is to begin that night? I cannot give any answer. Jesus does not give me any reply. And I remain with my queries, while I watch Jesus Who is curing the last sick people. The last ones... Tomorrow, in a few hours, He will no longer be able... The Earth will be bereft of its powerful Healer of bodies. But the Victim, from His scaffold, will begin the series, uninterrupted for twenty centuries, of His spiritual healings. 4 Today I am contemplating rather than describing. My Lord makes me project my spiritual sight from what I see happening in the last day of Christ's freedom, to what it will be throughout ages... Today I am contemplating the feelings, the thoughts of the Master rather than what is happening around Him. I am already in the distressing understanding of His torture at Gethsemane... 5 As usual Jesus is overwhelmed by the crowd that has increased and consists now mainly of Hebrews, who forget to hasten to the place where lambs are sacrificed, anxious as they are to approach Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who is about to be immolated. And the people go on asking questions and they want further explanations. Many are Hebrews who have come from the Diaspora, and having heard people speak of the reputation of the Christ, of the Galilean Prophet, of the Rabbi of Nazareth, they are curious to hear Him speak and are anxious to get rid of every possible doubt. And they push through the crowd and they implore those from Palestine saying: «You always have Him with you. You know who He is. You can hear His words whenever you wish. We have come from afar and we shall be departing immediately after satisfying the precept. Let us go to Him!» The crowd gives way with difficulty to make room for them. And they approach Jesus and watch Him with curiosity. They talk in low voices to one another, group by group. Jesus observes them, even if at the same time He listens to a group of people who have come from Perea. Then, after dismissing the latter group of people, who have given him money for the poor, as many people do, and He has handed it to Judas as usual, He begins to speak.

6 «You are all of the same religion, but of different places of origin, and many of those who are present here are wondering: "Who is this man who is called the Nazarene?", and their hopes clash with their doubts.

Listen: It is said of Me: "A shoot will spring from the stock of Jesse, a flower will come from this root and the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him. He will not judge by what appears to the eyes, He will give no verdict on hearsay, but He will judge the wretched with integrity, He will take up the cudgels for the lowly. The shoot of the root of Jesse, placed as a signal among nations, will be implored by peoples and His sepulchre will be glorious. After hoisting a flag for the nations, He will gather together the refugees of Israel, He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the Earth." It is said of Me: "Here is the Lord God coming with power, His arm will triumph. He carries with Him His prize, His work is before His eyes. Like a shepherd he will pasture his flock."

It is said of Me: "Here is My Servant with Whom I will stay, in Whom My soul delights. I have endowed Him with My spirit. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout, He will not break the crushed reed, He will not put out the smoky wick, He will do justice according to truth. Without being sad or turbulent, He will succeed in establishing justice on the Earth, and the islands will await His law."

It is said of Me: "I, the Lord, have called You in justice, I have taken You by the hand, I have preserved You, I have appointed You as covenant of the people and light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and those who lie in darkness from the dungeon."

It is said of Me: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to announce the Good News to the meek, to cure those whose hearts are broken, to preach liberty to slaves, freedom to prisoners, to preach the year of grace of the Lord."

It is said of Me: "He is the Strong one, He will feed His flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. They will be converted to Him, because as from now He will be glorified to the utmost limits of the world."

It is said of Me: "I will go and look for My sheep Myself. I will look for the lost ones, I will bring back those that have been driven away, I will bind those with fractures, I will nourish the weak ones, I will watch over the ones that are fat and strong, I will pasture them with justice."

It is said: "He is the Prince of peace and will be the peace." It is said: "Here comes your King, the Just One, the Saviour. He is poor, He is riding a little donkey. He will announce peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea, to the utmost limits of the Earth."

It is said: "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people, for your holy city, so that prevarication may be removed, sin may come to an end, wickedness may be canceled, eternal justice may come, visions and prophecies may be fulfilled, and the Holy of Holies may be anointed. After seven plus sixty-two the Christ will come. After sixtytwo He will be killed. After one week He will confirm the will, but in the middle of the week victims and sacrifices will stop, and the abomination of desolation will be in the Temple, and it will last until the end of time." So will there be a shortage of victims in these days? Will the altar have no victim? It will have the great Victim. Here, the prophet sees it: "Who is this coming with garments stained with crimson? He is handsome in His garment and He marches in the fullness of His strength." And He Who is poor, how did He dye His garment with purple? Here, the prophet explains it: "I abandoned My body to those who struck Me, My cheeks to those who tore at My beard, I did not turn My face away from those who insulted Me. My handsomeness and My splendour were lost, and men no longer loved Me. Men have despised Me and considered Me the last one! The man of sorrows, My face will be veiled and scorned and they will regard Me as a leper, whereas on behalf of everybody I shall be covered with sores and put to death. Here is the Victim. Be not afraid, Israel! Be not afraid. The Passover Lamb is not unavailable!

Be not afraid, o Earth! Be not afraid. Here is the Saviour. Like a sheep He will be led to the slaughter-house, because He wanted that, and He did not open His mouth to curse those who are killing Him. After being condemned He will be raised and consumed in pain, with His limbs dislocated, His bones uncovered, His feet and hands pierced. But after the anguish through which He will justify many, He will possess multitudes because, after delivering His life to death for the salvation of the world, He will rise from the dead and will rule the Earth, He will nourish peoples with the waters seen by Ezekiel, flowing out of the true Temple that, even if it is knocked down, will rise again through its own strength, and with the wine by which also the snow-white garment of the spotless Lamb has been dyed purple, and with the Bread descended from Heaven." You who are thirsty, come to the waters! You who are hungry, take your nourishment! You who are worn out and you, sick people, drink My wine! Come, you who have no money, you who are in bad health, come! And you who are in Darkness! And you who are dead, come! I am Riches and Health. I am Light and Life. Come, you who are looking for the Way! Come, you who are seeking the Truth! I am Way and Truth! Do not be afraid of not being able to consume the Lamb because there are no really holy victims in this desecrated Temple. You will all be able to eat of the Lamb of God, Who has come to take away the sins of the world, as the last of the prophets of My people said of Me. Of that people whom I ask: My people, what have I done to you? In what have I grieved you? What else could I have given you more than what I gave you? I taught your minds, I cured your sick people, I helped your poor people, I satisfied the hunger of your crowds, I loved you in your children, I forgave and prayed for you. I loved you to the extent of Sacrifice. And what are you preparing for your Lord? One hour, the last one, is given to you, My people, My regal and holy town. Come back in this hour to the Lord your God!»


7 «He has spoken true words!» «That is what is said! And He really does what is said!» «Like a shepherd He has taken care of everybody!» «As if we were stray sheep, sick, in darkness, He has come to lead us to the right way, to cure our souls and bodies, to enlighten us.» «All the peoples really go to Him. Look over there, at those Gentiles, how admired they are!»

«He has preached peace.» «He has given love.» «I do not understand what He says about the sacrifice. He speaks as if He had to be killed.» «It is so, if He is the Man seen by the prophets, the Saviour.» «And He speaks as if all the people had to ill-treat Him. That will never happen. The people, we, love Him.» «He is our friend. We will defend Him.» «He is a Galilean, and we Galileans will give our lives for Him.» «He is of David's stock, and we men of Judaea will raise our hands to defend Him.» «And we, whom He loved as He loved you, we from Hauran, from Perea, from the Decapolis, shall we ever forget Him? We will all defend Him.» These are the voices of the crowd, which by now is very numerous. How transient are human intentions! Judging by the position of the sun I think it must be about nine o'clock a.m. our time. Twenty-four hours later these people will have been round the Martyr for many hours, to torture Him with their hatred and blows, and shouting they will request His death. Few, very few, too few among the thousands of people who are crowding from every part of Palestine and farther away, and who have received light, health, wisdom, forgiveness from Christ, will be those who not only will not try to tear Him away from His enemies, because their small number compared with the multitude of the strikers prevents them, but will not even be able to comfort Him giving Him a proof of their love by following Him with a friendly attitude. The praises, assents and admired comments spread through the large court, like waves that from the open sea go far to die on the beach. 8 Some scribes, Judaeans and Pharisees try to counteract the enthusiasm of the people as well as the ferment of the people against the enemies of the Christ saying: «He is raving. His tiredness is so great and makes Him delirious. He mistakes honours for persecutions. His words have torrents of His usual wisdom, but mixed with delirious sentences. No one wants to hurt Him. We have understood. We have understood who He is...» But the people are doubtful about such a great change of humour and some rebel against them saying: «He cured my insane son. I know what madness is. One who is mad does not speak like that!» And another one says: «Let them say. They are vipers who are afraid that the club of the people may break their backs. They sing the sweet song of the nightingale in order to deceive us, but, if you listen carefully, there is the hiss of the snake in it.»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

And also another one: «Sentries of the people of Christ, look out! When the enemy caresses, he has a dagger concealed in his sleeve, and he stretches out his hand to strike. Keep your eyes open and your hearts ready! Jackals cannot become meek lambs.» «You are right: the owl lures and enchants simple little birds with the immobility of its body and with the false joy of its greeting. It laughs and invites with its cry, but it is ready to devour.» And so forth, from group to group. 9 But there are also some Gentiles, who have been constant and more and more numerous in listening to the Master during the days of the festivity. They are always at the edge of the crowd, because the Hebrew-Palestinian exclusivism is strong and repels them pretending the places closest to the Master, so they wish to approach Him and speak to Him. A large group of them casts glances at Philip, who has been pushed into a corner by the crowd. They approach him saying: «Sir, we wish to see Jesus, your Master, at close quarters, and speak to Him at least once.» Philip stands on the tips of his toes to see whether there is any apostle closer to the Lord. He sees Andrew and after calling him, he shouts: «There are some Gentiles here who would like to greet the Master. Ask Him whether He will receive them.» Andrew, a few metres away from Jesus, squeezed in the crowd, pushes his way through the crowd, working generously with his elbows without regard and shouting: «Make way! Make way, I say. I must go to the Master.» He reaches Him and informs Him of the wish of the Gentiles. «Take them to that corner. I will come to them.» And while Jesus tries to pass through the crowd, John, who has just come back with Peter, struggles to make way for Him and is assisted in doing so by Peter, Judas Thaddeus, James of Zebedee and Thomas, who leaves the group of his relatives that he met in the crowd in order to help his companions. Jesus is where the Gentiles already are and they greet Him. «Peace be with you. What do you want of Me?» «To see You and speak to You. Your words have upset us. We have always been wanting to speak to You to tell You that Your word affects us. But we were waiting for a suitable moment to do so. Today... You are speaking of death... We are afraid that we shall not be able to speak to You any more, if we do not take advantage of this hour. But is it possible that the Hebrews may kill their best son? We are Gentiles, and we have received no favour from Your hand. Your word was unknown to us. We have heard people speak of You vaguely. But we had never seen You or approached You. And yet, as You can see, we pay homage to You. It is the whole world that honours You with us.»

«Yes, the hour has come when the Son of man is to be glorified by men and by spirits.» Now the crowd is round Jesus once again but with the difference that the Gentiles are in the first row and the others behind. «But if it is the hour of Your glorification, You will not die, as You say, or as we have understood. Because it is not a glorification to die in that way. How will You be able to gather the world under Your sceptre, if You die before doing so? If Your arm is immobilised by death, how will it be able to triumph and gather peoples together?»

10 «By dying, I give life. By dying, I build. By dying, I create the new People. It is through sacrifice that one gains victory. I solemnly tell you that if the wheat grain that has fallen on the ground does not die, it remains unfruitful. If instead it dies, then it yields a rich harvest. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world, will save it for the eternal life. It is My duty to die to give this eternal life to all those who follow Me to serve the Truth. Let those who want to serve Me come: the places in My kingdom are not limited to this or that people. Let whoever wants to serve Me come and follow Me, and where I am, My servant will be there as well. And he who serves Me will be honoured by My Father, the Only, True God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Creator of everything that exists, the Thought, Word, Love, Life, Way, Truth; Father, Son, Holy Spirit, One being Trine, Trine being One, Only, True God. But now My soul is upset. And what shall I say? Shall I perhaps say: "Father save Me from this hour"? No. Because I have come for this: to arrive at this hour. So I will say: "Father, glorify Your Name!"» Jesus stretches out His arms crosswise, a purple cross against the white marbles of the porch and He raises His head, offering Himself, praying, ascending with His soul to the Father. 11 And a voice, louder than thunder, immaterial inasmuch it is not like any human voice, but very sensible to all ears, fills the clear sky of the beautiful April day and vibrates, more powerful than the chord of a gigantic organ, in a very beautiful tonality, and proclaims: «I have glorified Him and I will glorify Him again!»[/color] The people have been frightened. That voice, so powerful that the soil and what is on it vibrated because of it, that mysterious voice, different from any other, coming from an unknown source, that voice that fills everything, from north to south, from east to west, terrorises the Hebrews and amazes the heathens. The former, when possible, throw themselves on the ground, murmuring in their fear: «We shall die now! We have heard the voice of Heaven. An angel has spoken to Him!» and they beat their breasts awaiting death. The latter shout: «A peal of thunder! A rumbling roar! Let us run away! The Earth has roared! It has quaked!» But it is impossible to run away in the throng that increases with those who from outside the walls of the Temple rush inside shouting: «Have mercy on us! Let us run! This is a holy place. The mountain where the altar of God rises will not split!» So they all remain where they were, where the crowd and fear block them. Priests, scribes, Pharisees, Levites, magistrates, who were scattered in the meanders of the Temple, rush to its terraces. They are excited and dumbfounded. But of all of them only Gamaliel with his son comes down among the people in the courts. Jesus sees him passing by, all white in his linen garment, which is so white that it gleams even in the strong sun shining on it. Jesus, looking at Gamaliel, but as if He were speaking to everybody, raises His voice saying: «Not for Me, but for you, has this voice come from Heaven.» Gamaliel stops, turns round, and with the glances of his very deep dark eyes – which the habit of being a master worshipped like a demigod has involuntarily made as hard as those of predators – he pierces through the sapphire, limpid, majestically mild eyes of Jesus... And Jesus resumes: «The judgement of this world takes place now. Now the Prince of Darkness is about to be driven out. And when I have been lifted up, I will draw everybody to Myself, because that is how the Son of man will save.» «We have learnt from the books of the Law that the Christ lives forever. And You say that You are the Christ and You say that You must die. And You also say that You are the Son of man and that You will save, being lifted up. So who are You? The Son of man or the Christ? And who is the Son of man?» ask the crowds, who are taking heart again. «They are only one person. Open your eyes to the Light. Only for a short time the Light will still be with you. Walk towards the Truth while you have the Light among you, that you may not be overtaken by darkness. Those who walk in darkness do not know where they will end up. While you have the Light among you, believe in It, to be the children of the Light.» He becomes silent. The crowd is perplexed and divided. Some go away shaking their heads. Some watch the attitude of the main dignitaries: Pharisees, chiefs of the priests, scribes... and particularly of Gamaliel, and they regulate their conduct on that attitude. And others nod assent and bow to Jesus clearly meaning: «We believe! We honour You for what You are.» But they dare not side openly with Him. They are afraid of the vigilant eyes of Christ's enemies, of the mighty ones, who are watching them from the high terraces dominating the splendid porches surrounding the courts of the Temple. 12 Also Gamaliel, after remaining pensive for some minutes, and he seems to be questioning the marbles of the pavement for answers to his inward questions, sets out again towards the exit, after shaking his head and shoulders, as if to express disappointment or scorn... and he passes straight in front of Jesus, without looking at Him any more. Jesus, instead, looks at him compassionately... and he raises His voice again, very loudly – it sounds like the blare of a trumpet – to overcome every noise and be heard by the great scribe who is going away disappointed. He seems to be speaking to everybody, but it is clear that He is speaking for him alone. He says in a very loud voice: «He who believes in Me, does not really believe in Me, but in Him Who sent Me, and he who sees Me, sees Him Who sent Me. And He is indeed the God of Israel! Because there is no other God but He. That is why I say: if you cannot believe in Me as the man who is said to be the son of Joseph of David and the son of Mary, of the stock of David, of the Virgin seen by the Prophet, born at Bethlehem, as is announced by the prophecies, preceded by the Baptist, as also has been said for ages, believe at least the voice of your God Who has spoken to you from Heaven. Believe in Me as the Son of this God of Israel. Because if you do not believe in Him Who has spoken to you from Heaven, you do not offend Me, but your God Whose Son I am. Do not remain in darkness! I have come as Light to the world, so that he who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. Do not create remorses for yourselves, as you might not be able to appease your minds when I have gone back whence I came, and they would be a severe punishment of God for your stubbornness. I am willing to forgive, while I am among you, until judgement is passed, and as far as I am concerned, I wish to forgive. But the mind of the Father is different from Mine. Because I am Mercy and He is Justice. I solemnly tell you that if a man listens to My words and does not comply with them. I will not judge him. I did not come to the world to judge it, but to save it. But if I do not judge, I solemnly tell you that there is who will judge you by your actions. My Father, Who sent Me, will judge those who reject His Word. Yes, he who despises Me and does not acknowledge the Word of God, and does not receive the words of the Word, well, he has who will judge him: the very word that I have announced will judge him on the last day. It is said: God is not to be scoffed at. And the God scoffed at will be terrible with those who considered Him mad and mendacious. Bear in mind, all of you, that the words you heard Me utter, come from God. Because I have not spoken on My own account, but the Father Who sent Me, prescribed what I must say and of what I have to speak. And I obey His order, because I know that His commandment is just. Each command of God is eternal life. And I, your Master, set for you the example of obedience to all commands of God. You may rest assured that the things I told you and I am telling you, I said them and I am saying them as My Father told Me to say them to you. And My Father is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; the God of Moses, of the patriarchs and of the prophets, the God of Israel, your God.»

Words of light that fall into the darkness that is already growing darker in hearts! 13 Gamaliel, who had stopped once again, his head bowed, resumes walking... Others follow him shaking their heads or sneering... Jesus also goes away... But first He says to Judas: «Go where you have to go», and to the others: «Each of you is free to go where you have or you wish to go. Let the shepherd disciples remain with Me.» «Oh! take me also with You, Lord!» says Stephen. «Come...» They part. 14 I do not know where Jesus goes. But I know where Judas of Kerioth goes. He goes to the Beautiful Gate climbing the several steps that from the Court of the Gentiles lead to that of the women, and after going across it, climbing more steps at the end of it, he casts a glance at the Court of the Hebrews, and stamps his feet angrily, as he does not find the person he is looking for. He goes back. He sees one of the Temple guards. He calls him. With his usual haughtiness he says to him: «Go to Eleazar ben Annas. Tell him to come to the Beautiful Gate immediately. Judas of Simon is waiting for him for grave matters.» He leans against a column and waits. Shortly afterwards Eleazar, the son of Annas, Helkai, Simon, Doras, Cornelius, Sadoc, Nahum and others arrive with much fluttering of garments. Judas speaks in a low but excited voice: «This evening! After supper. At Gethsemane. Come there and get Him. Give me the money.» «No. We will give you it when you call for us this evening. We do not trust you! We want you to stay with us. You never know!» says Elkai with a sneer. The others nod assent in chorus. Judas flares up in a temper at the insinuation. He swears: «I swear by Jehovah that I am telling the truth!» Sadoc replies to him: «All right. But it is better to do it this way. Come when it is time, take those who are charged to capture Him and go with them, lest the stupid guards may arrest Lazarus by chance and may bring about a lot of trouble. By means of a signal you will point out the man to them... You must understand! By night... there will not be much light... the guards will be tired, sleepy... But if you guide them!... Well! What do you say?» The perfidious Sadoc addresses his companions saying: «As a signal I would suggest a kiss. A kiss! The best signal to point out the betrayed friend. Ha! Ha!» They all laugh. A chorus of sneering demons. Judas is furious. But he does not withdraw. He will not withdraw any more. He suffers because they sneer at him, not because of what he is about to do. So much so that he says: «But remember that I want the money counted in the purse before going out from here with the guards.» «You will have it! You will have it! We will give you also the purse, so that you may keep those coins as a relic of your love. Ha! Ha! Ha! Goodbye, snake!» Judas is livid. He is already livid. Never again will he lose that colour and that expression of desperate terror. On the contrary, it will grow more and more hourly, until it becomes unsustainable when he is hanging from the tree... He runs away... ------------15 Jesus has taken shelter in the garden of a friendly house. A quiet garden of the first houses in Zion. It is surrounded by high ancient walls. It is noiseless and cool, covered as it is with the quivering leaves of old trees. Not far away the voice of a woman is singing a sweet lullaby. Some hours must have gone by, because Lazarus' servants, who have come back after going I do not know where, say: «Your disciples are already in the house where the supper is being prepared, and John, after coming with us to take the fruit to Johanna of Chuza's children, has gone to get the women and take them to Joseph of Alphaeus, who arrived only today, when his mother no longer hoped to see him, and then, from there to the house of the supper, because night is falling.» «We shall go as well. It is supper time...» Jesus stands up and puts on His mantle. «Master, there are some people out there. Wealthy people. They would like to speak to You without being seen by the Pharisees» says a servant. «Let them come in. Esther will not object. Is that right, woman?» says Jesus, addressing a woman of ripe age who is coming to greet Him. «No, Master. My house is Yours, as You know. You have made use of it for too short a time!» «Sufficiently long as to say to My heart: it was a friendly house.» He says to the servant: «Bring in those who are waiting.» 16 About thirty dignified looking people come in. They greet Him. One of them speaks on behalf of everybody: «Master, Your words have shaken us. We have heard the voice of God in You. But they say that we are foolish, because we believe in You. So what shall we do?» «He who believes Me does not believe in Me, but believes in Him Who sent Me, and Whose most holy voice you have heard today. He who sees Me does not see Me, but sees Him Who sent Me, because I am one thing with My Father. That is why I say to you that you must believe in order not to offend God, Who is your Father and Mine, and loves you to the extent of sacrificing His Only-Begotten for you. Because, if hearts doubt whether I am the Christ, there is no doubt that God is in Heaven. And the voice of God, Whom I called Father today in the Temple, asking Him to glorify His Name, has replied to Him Who was calling Him Father, without saying that He is a "liar or blasphemer" as many say. God has confirmed who I am. I am His Light. I am the Light that has come to the world. I have come as Light to the world, so that he who believes in Me may not remain in Darkness. If a man listens to My words, and then does not comply with them, I will not judge him. I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who despises Me and does not accept My words, has who will judge him. It is the word announced by Me that will judge him on the last day. Because it was wise, perfect, kind, simple, as God is. Because that Word is God. It is not I, Jesus of Nazareth, called the son of Joseph, a carpenter of the stock of David, and the son of Mary, a Hebrew girl, a virgin of the stock of David, married to Joseph, it is not I Who has spoken. No, I have not spoken on My own account. But it is My Father, He Who is in Heaven and His name is Jehovah, Who spoke today, He Who sent Me, and He told Me what I must say and of what I must speak. And I know that in His commandment there is eternal life. So the things I say, I say them as the Father said them to Me, and there is Life in them. That is why I say to you: listen to them. Put them into practice and you will have Life. Because My word is Life. And he who accepts it, accepts at the same time with Me, also the Father of Heaven Who sent Me to give you the Life. And he who has God in himself, has the Life in himself. Go. May peace come to you and remain with you.» He blesses and dismisses them. He blesses also the disciples. He keeps only Isaac and Stephen. He kisses and dismisses the others. And when they have gone, He is the last to go out, with the two and He goes with them, along the most solitary and already dark lanes, to the house of the Last Supper. And when He arrives there, He embraces and blesses Isaac and Stephen with particular fondness, He kisses them, He blesses them once again, He watches them go away, then He knocks at the door and goes in... ------------17 Jesus says: «You will put here the visions of the farewell to My Mother, of the Supper-room and of the Supper. And now let the two of us, you and I, make the true Passover commemoration. Come...»

Next Chapter: 597. The Thursday Evening before Passover. Arrival at the Supper Room and Farewell to the Mother.
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

We are just about a week away from Maundy Thursday at this point. The holy Saints and Doctors of the Church tell us meditation on the Passion of Christ is so incredibly profitable for us that by simply by thinking on it, we gain more merit than if we fasted on bread and water for a whole year, or read the entire holy Book of the Psalms every day of the year. Let all our thoughts, all our focus, all our purpose, all our meditation be directed toward the Passion of Christ, to co-suffering with Him in His Passion, to consoling Him in the Garden, to entering Getshemane with Him and with His Apostles, to keeping Him company in His Sorrows while He is Redeeming us from sin.

See for source: "Blessed Albert the Great learned in a revelation that by simply thinking of, or meditating on, the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a Christian gains more merit than if he had fasted on bread and water every Friday for a whole year, or had beaten himself with his discipline once a week until the blood flowed, or had recited the whole Book of Psalms every day. If this is so, then how great must be the merit that we can gain by the Holy Rosary which commemorates the whole life and passion of Our Savior!" Let us therefore also try to often say the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary during this Sorrowful time leading up to the Passion and console Our Saviour. https://www.michaeljournal.org/articles/roman-catholic-church/item/the-secret-of-the-rosary

The Words of the Blessed Mother, Sea of Graces and Ocean of Sorrows, will henceforth be in Blue, «Son! Jesus! My Jesus!»

597. The Thursday Evening before Passover. Arrival at the SupperRoom and Farewell to the Mother. 17th February 1944.

1 I see the supper-room where the Passover is to be consumed, I can see it distinctly. I could enumerate all the rough spots on the walls and the cracks in the floor. It is a large room that is not perfectly square, but it is somewhat rectangular. The difference between the longer side and the shorter one is, at most, a metre or a little more. The ceiling is low. Perhaps it appears to be so, because the height of the room does not correspond to its size. It is slightly vaulted, that is, the two shorter walls do not form a right angle with the ceiling, but it is roundish. In the two shorter walls there are two large low windows, facing each other. I cannot see what they look onto, a court-yard or a street, because the shutters are closed. I said: shutters. I do not know whether it is the right word. They are window coverings made of boards and they are firmly closed by iron bars across them. The floor is made of large square bricks of baked clay discoloured by age. From the centre of the ceiling hangs a multi-arm oil lamp. In one of the two longer walls there is no opening, in the other, instead, there is a small door in one corner and it is reached by means of a small staircase of six steps with no bannisters, ending on a landing of one square metre. On the landing and against the wall there is another step, at whose level the door opens. I do not know whether I have made myself clear. The walls are just whitewashed without decorations or borders. In the centre of the room there is a long rectangular table, very long as compared to its width, it is placed parallel to the long walls and is made of very plain wood. Along the long walls there are some seats. Against the short walls, under the window, on one side there is a kind of chest with some basins and amphorae on it, and under the other window there is a long low sideboard, on top of which there is nothing at present. And that is the description of the room in which Passover will be consumed. I have seen it distinctly all day long, in fact I have been able to count the steps and observe all the details. And now that it is getting dark, my Jesus is taking me to the rest of the contemplation.

2 I see that the large room leads, by means of the six-step staircase, to a dark vestibule on the left side of which, with respect to me, there is a door that opens onto the street; the door is wide, low and very solid, reinforced with metal studs and bars. Facing the little door that leads from the supper-room into the vestibule, there is another door that opens onto another room, which is not so large. I would say that the supper-room has been obtained from the difference in level between the ground and the rest of the house and the street, it is like a basement, a sort of cellar that has been cleaned up or adapted, but is still sunken for a good metre in the ground, probably to heighten it and proportion it to its vastness. In the room that I see now, there is Mary with other women. I recognise the Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, Judas and Simon. They seem to have just arrived, led by John, as they take off their mantles and lay them folded on the stools scattered about the room, while they greet the apostle, who goes away, and a woman and a man, who have rushed there upon their arrival, and I am under the impression that they are the owners of the house and disciples or sympathisers of the Nazarene, because they are full of attention for and of respectful familiarity with Mary. She is wearing a deep blue dress, a deep indigo blue. On Her head She has a white veil that appears when She takes Her mantle off, as it covers also Her head. She looks worn out and aged. She is very sad, although She smiles kindly. She is very pale. Also Her movements are tired and hesitating, like those of a person engrossed in thought.

3 Through the door left ajar I can see the landlord coming and going in the vestibule and in the upper-room, which he illuminates completely lighting the remaining flames of the large oil lamp. He then goes to the main door and opens it and Jesus comes in with the apostles. I can see that it is getting dark, because the shadows of the night are already descending in the street closed between high houses. He is with all the apostles. He greets the landlord with His usual salutation: «Peace to this house», and then, while the apostles go down into the supper-room, He enters the room where Mary is. The pious women greet Him with deep respect and then go away, closing the door and leaving Mother and Son free. Jesus embraces His Mother and kisses Her forehead. Mary first kisses the hand of Her Son and then His right cheek. Jesus makes Mary sit down and sits beside Her, they are sitting on two stools close to each other. He makes Her sit down, taking Her to the stools, holding Her by the hand, and He continues to hold Her hand also when She has sat down. Jesus also is engrossed in thought and sad, notwithstanding that He strives to smile. Mary studies His expression anxiously. Poor Mother, Who through grace and love realises what this hour means! Painful spasms appear across Mary's face and Her eyes dilate at an interior vision of deep grief. But She does not make a scene. She is as solemn as Her Son.

4 He speaks to Her. He greets Her and implores Her to pray for Him. «Mother, I have come to get strength and comfort from You. I am like a little baby, Mother, who needs the heart of his mother for his grief, and his mother's breast for his strength. In this hour I have become Your little Jesus of a long time ago. I am not the Master, Mother. I am only Your Son, as in Nazareth when I was a little boy, as in Nazareth before departing from My private life. I have but You. Men, at the present moment, are not friendly with and loyal to Your Jesus. They are not even brave in doing good. Only the wicked are constant and strong in doing evil. But You are faithful to Me and You are My strength, Mother, in this hour. Support Me with Your love and Your prayers. Among those who more or less love Me, You are the only one who knows how to pray in this hour. You know how to pray and to understand. The others are concerned with the festivity, they are engrossed in joyful thoughts, or in criminal thoughts, while I am suffering from so many things. Many things will die after this hour, and among them their humanity, and they will be able to be worthy of Me, all of them, except him who got lost and whom no power can bring back at least to repentance. But for the time being they are unconscious men who do not perceive that I am dying, while they are rejoicing thinking that My triumph is more than ever close at hand. The hosannas of a few days ago have intoxicated them. Mother, I have come for this hour and from a supernatural point of view it is a joy to see it arrive. But My Ego is also afraid of it, because this chalice bears the name of betrayal, abjuration, ferocity, blasphemy, abandonment. Support Me, Mother. As when with Your prayers You drew the Spirit of God upon Yourself, and through it You gave the world the One Expected by peoples, draw now upon Your Son the strength that may help Me to accomplish the deed for which I came. Mother, goodbye. Bless Me, Mother; also on behalf of the Father. And forgive everybody. Let us forgive together, as from this moment, let us forgive those who torture us.» While speaking, Jesus has slid down on His knees at the feet of His Mother and He looks at Her embracing Her by the waist. 5 Mary weeps silently, Her face slightly raised for an internal prayer to God. Tears stream down Her pale cheeks and fall on Her lap and on the head of Jesus, Who then rests it on Her heart. Then Mary lays Her hand on Jesus' head, as if She wished to bless Him, She then bends, kisses His hair and caresses it, She caresses His shoulders and arms, She takes His face in Her hands and turns it towards Herself, She presses it to Her heart. She kisses Him again, shedding tears, on His forehead, His cheeks, His sorrowful eyes, She cuddles that poor tired head, as if He were a baby, as I saw Her lull the divine New-born in the Grotto. But She does not sing, now. She only says: «Son! Jesus! My Jesus!» but in such a voice that breaks my heart. Then Jesus stands up. He adjusts His mantle, remains standing in front of His Mother, Who is still weeping, and He blesses Her in His turn. Then He turns His steps towards the door. Before going out He says to Her: «Mother, I will come again before consuming My Passover. Pray while waiting for Me.» And He goes out.

Next Chapter: 598. The Passover Supper. 9th March 1945
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

It's a salutary practice adopted and recommended by many Saints to spend at least every Thursday, a Holy Hour in Adoration and Reparation before the Blessed Sacrament. St. Margaret Mary and Saintly Sr. Lucia used to commemorate from 11:00 to 12:00 the hours of bitterness Jesus spent in the Garden on the Night of Maundy Thursday before Good Friday. 9:00-12:00 were the Gethsemane hours. We can try in our own way to keep Him company as best we can every Thursday in His Sacrament of Love, if possible, at an earlier time.

598. The Passover Supper. 9th March 1945 1 The suffering of Maundy Thursday is beginning.

The apostles, there are ten of them, are bustling about preparing the Supper-room. Judas, who has climbed on the table, is watching whether there is oil in all the lamps of the big chandelier that looks like the corolla of a double fuchsia, because its stem is surrounded by five lamps in small vessels similar to petals, and under them, there is another circle or crown of small flames, and finally, there are three thin lamps hanging from tiny chains resembling the pistils of the bright flower. He then jumps down on the floor and helps Andrew to lay the tableware in an artistic style on the table, on which a very fine table-cloth has been spread. I hear Andrew say: «What a wonderful linen tablecloth!» And the Iscariot says: «One of Lazarus' best ones. Martha insisted in bringing it.» «And what about these chalices and these amphorae?» remarks Thomas, who has poured some wine into the precious amphorae and is admiring them, looking at himself in their slim bellies, and he caresses the chiselled handles with the eye of a connoisseur. «Phew! I wonder how much they are worth!» exclaims Judas Iscariot. «It is worked by hammer. My father would go mad for it. Silver and gold-foils are shaped easily when heated. But done with such craft... Everything can be spoiled in a moment. One wrong blow is enough. It takes strength and a light hand at the same time. See the handles? They have been shaped out of the block. They are not soldered. Things for rich people... Just consider that all the filings and cast-off parts are lost. I don't know whether you understand me.» «Phew! I understand you very well. In short, it is like sculpture.» «Exactly.» They all admire and then go back to their work. Some arrange the seats, some prepare the sideboards. 2 Peter and Simon come in together. «Oh! You have come at last! Where have you been again? After you came with the Master and us, you ran away again» says the Iscariot. «We had another errand before supper-time» replies Simon briefly. «Are you suffering from depression?» «I think there is every reason to be so, considering what we have heard these past days, and from those lips that we have never found to be false.» «And with that stench of... Well, be quiet, Peter» grumbles Peter between his teeth. «And you as well!... You seem to have gone mad for some time. Your face is like that of a wild rabbit that realises it is being chased by a jackal» replies Judas Iscariot. «And your face is like the snout of a weasel. You have not been very handsome either, these last few days. You look in such a way... You are even cross-eyed... What do you expect or do you hope to see? You seem to be self-confident, you want to appear so, but you look like one who is afraid» retorts Peter. «Oh! With regard to being afraid!... You are not a hero either!» «None of us is, Judas. You have the name of the Maccabee, but you are not such. I, with my name, say "God grants graces", but I swear to you that I tremble like a man who knows that he brings mischance and above all that he has lost God's favour. Simon of Jonah, renamed "the stone", is now as soft as wax near a fire. He no longer gets the weather-gauge of his own free-will. And yet I have never seen him frightened in the most violent storms! Matthew, Bart and Philip look like sleep-walkers. My brother and Andrew do nothing but sigh. The two cousins, who are grieved because of their family ties and of their love for the Master, look at them. They already look like old men. Thomas has lost his cheerfulness. And Simon seems to have become again the exhausted leper of three years ago, so much is he worn out by grief, I would say that he is worn away, deathly pale, dejected» John replies to him.

3 «Yes. He has influenced us all with His melancholy» remarks the Iscariot. «My cousin Jesus, my Master and Lord and yours, is and is not melancholy. If you mean, by that word, that He is sad because He is being excessively grieved by the whole of Israel, as we are aware, and because of the other hidden sorrow that He alone sees, I say to you: "You are right." But if you use that word to say that He is mad, I forbid you to do so» says James of Alphaeus. «And is a fixed melancholy idea not madness? I have studied also profane matters and I know. He has given too much of Himself. Now He is mentally tired.» «Which means insane. Is that right?» asks the other cousin Judas, who is apparently calm. «Exactly! How right was your father, a man of blessed memory, whom you resemble so much in justice and wisdom! Jesus, the sad destiny of an illustrious family now too old and struck by psychic senility, has always had a disposition to this illness. Mild at first, then more and more aggressive. You have seen how He attacked Pharisees and scribes, Sadducees and Herodians. He has made His life impossible, like a road strewn with quartz splinters. And He spread them Himself. We... we have loved Him so much that our love veiled our eyes. But those who did not love Him in an idolatrous manner – your father, your brother Joseph and at first also Simon – saw right... When we heard their words we should have opened our eyes. Instead we were all enticed by His meek charm of a sick person. And now... Who knows!» Judas Thaddeus, who is as tall as the Iscariot, and is standing just in front of him and seems to be listening to him peacefully, has an outburst of rage and, with a mighty backhanded blow, knocks Judas down with his back on one of the seats, and with anger repressed in his voice, bending over the face of the coward who does not react, as he is probably afraid that Thaddeus may be aware of his crime, he whispers: «This is for His insanity, you reptile! And only because He is in the other room, and this is Passover evening, I will not strangle you. But remember this, and remember it carefully! If any evil befalls Him, and He is not there to check my strength, no one will save you. The halter is as good as round your neck, and these strong honest hands of mine, the hands of a Galilean artisan and of a descendant of Goliath's slinger, will do the job for you. Get up, you spineless debauchee! And watch how you behave.» Judas stands up, he is livid, but does not react in the least. And, what amazes me, no one reacts to the new gesture of Thaddeus. On the contrary!... It is obvious that they all approve of it. 4 The room has just become calm again when Jesus come in. He appears on the threshold of the little door, through which His tall person can just pass, He sets foot on the small landing, and with His meek sad smile He says, opening His arms: «Peace be with You.» His voice is tired, like that of one who is languishing physically and morally. He comes down. He caresses the fair-haired head of John, who has rushed towards Him. He smiles at His cousin Judas, as if He did not know anything, and He says to His other cousin: «Your mother asks you to be kind to Joseph. He asked the women after you and Me a little while ago. I am sorry I have not greeted him.» «You will do it tomorrow.» «Tomorrow?... I shall always have time to see him... Oh! Peter! We shall be together for a little while at last! Since yesterday you seem a will-o'-the-wisp. I see you, then I no longer see you. Today I can almost say that I lost you. And you, too, Simon.» «Our hair, which is more white than dark, can assure You that we were not absent craving for flesh» says Simon gravely. «Although... at all ages it is possible to suffer from that hunger... The old! Worse than the young...» says the Iscariot offensively. Simon looks at him and is about to reply. But Jesus also looks at him and says: «Have you a toothache? Your right cheek is swollen and red.» «Yes, it is aching. But it is not worth worrying about.» The others do not say anything, and the matter dies away.

5 «Have you done everything that was to be done? You, Matthew? And you, Andrew? And you, Judas, have you seen to the offer for the Temple?» Both the first two and the Iscariot say: «Everything You said was to be done today, has been done. Do not worry.» «I took the early fruits of Lazarus to Johanna of Chuza. For the children. They said to me: "Those apples were better!" They had the savour of hunger, those ones! And they were Your apples» says John smiling and dreaming. Jesus also smiles at the recollection... «I have seen Nicodemus and Joseph» says Thomas. «You have seen them? Did you speak to them?» asks the Iscariot with excessive interest. «Yes, I did. What's strange about it? Joseph is a good customer of my father.» «You never mentioned it before... That is why I was amazed!...» Judas tries to make up for the impression, he had given previously, of his worry about Thomas' meeting with Joseph and Nicodemus. «It seems strange to me that they have not come to venerate You. They did not, neither did Chuza, nor Manaen... None of...» But the Iscariot laughs sneeringly, interrupting Bartholomew, and he says: «The crocodile hides itself at the right moment.» «What do you mean? What are you insinuating?» asks Simon aggressively as never before. «Peace, peace! What is the matter with you? It is Passover evening! We have never had such a worthy display for the consumption of the lamb. So let us consume the supper in the spirit of peace. I see that I have upset you considerably with My instructions of these last evenings. But, see? I have finished! Now I will not upset you any more. Not everything has been said of what refers to Me, but only the essential part. The rest... you will understand later. You will be told... Yes. There will come Who will tell you!

6 John, go with Judas and somebody else to get the basins for the purification. And then let us sit at the table.»
Jesus is heartrendingly kind. John with Andrew, Judas Thaddeus with James, bring the large basin, they pour water into it and offer the towel to Jesus and to their companions, who do the same for them. The basin (which is a metal wash-hand-basin) is placed in a corner. «And now to your seats. I here, and here (at His right side) John, and on the other side My faithful James. The first two disciples. After John My strong Stone, and after James he who is like the air. He is never noticed, but is always present and comforting: Andrew. Beside him, My cousin James. You are not sorry, My kind brother, if I give the first place to the first ones? You are the nephew of the Just One, whose spirit palpitates and quivers over Me this evening, more than ever. Have peace, father of My childish weakness, oak-tree in whose shadow the Mother and Son had solace! Have peace!... Beside Peter, Simon... Simon, come here a moment. I want to fix My eyes on your loyal face. Later I shall not see you well, because others will cover your honest face. Thank you Simon, for everything» and He kisses him. Simon, when he is left free, goes to his seat, covering his face with his hands for a moment, with a gesture of distress. «Facing Simon, My Bart. Two honest wise men reflecting each other. They match very well. And beside him, you, Judas, My brother. So I can see you... and I seem to be at Nazareth... when some festivity gathered us all together round one table... Also at Cana... Do you remember? We were together. A party... a wedding party... the first miracle... water changed into wine... Also today a festivity... and also today there will be a miracle... the wine will change its nature and will be...» Jesus becomes engrossed in His thoughts, His head lowered and isolated in His secret world. The others look at Him and do not speak. He raises His head again and stares at Judas Iscariot, to whom He says: «You will sit in front of Me.» «So much You love me? More than Simon, since You always want me in front of You?» «So much. As you said.»

«Why, Master?» «Because you are the one who has done more than everybody for this hour.» Judas casts an ever-changing glance at the Master and at his companions. At Jesus with ironical commiseration, at the others with an air of triumph. «And near you, on one side Matthew, on the other Thomas.» «So, Matthew on My left and Thomas on My right side.»

«As you wish, as you like» says Matthew. «It is enough for me to have my Saviour in front of me.» «Last, Philip. Now, see? Who is not beside Me in the place of honour, has the honour of being in front of Me.»

7 Jesus, standing in His place, pours wine into the large chalice placed in front of Him (they all have tall chalices, but He has a much larger one, in addition to one like those of the others. It must be the ritual chalice). He pours wine into it, He raises it, He offers it and lays it on the table. Then all together they ask in the tone of a psalm: «Why this ceremony?» A formal question, obviously, a ritual one. To which Jesus, as head of the family, replies: «This day reminds us of our liberation from Egypt. Blessed be Jehovah Who created the fruit of the vineyard.» He takes a sip of the wine He has offered and passes the chalice to the others. He then offers the bread, He breaks it into morsels and hands it round with the herbs dipped in the reddish sauce contained in four sauce-boats. When this part of the meal is over, they sing some psalms, all together. The large tray with the roasted lamb is brought from the sideboard to the table and placed in front of Jesus. Peter, who acts as... first voice of the chorus, if you wish so, (1) asks: «Why this lamb, as it is?» «In remembrance of the time when Israel was saved through the sacrificial lamb. No first-born died where the blood shone on doorposts and lintels. And afterwards, while the whole of Egypt, from the royal palace to hovels, was mourning the dead first-born males, the Hebrews, led by Moses, moved towards the land of liberation and of the promise. With their sides girded, their feet shod, the pilgrim's staffs in their hands, the people of Abraham started off promptly, singing hymns of joy.» They all stand up and intone: «When Israel came out of Egypt and the house of Jacob from a barbarous people, Judah became his sanctuary» etc. (if I have found the right one, it is psalm 113). Jesus now cuts the lamb, He pours wine into the chalice again, and He passes it round after drinking of it. Then they sing also: «Children, praise the Lord, blessed be the Name of the Eternal now and forever throughout ages. From east to west it is to be praised» etc. (but I cannot find it). Jesus hands out the portions, ensuring that everybody is well served, just like a father of a family among his children who are all dear to him. He is solemn, somewhat sad, when He says:

«I have longed to eat this Passover with you. It has been the desire of My desires since, from eternity, I was "the Saviour". I knew that this hour precedes that one. And the joy of giving Myself, brought this relief, in advance, to My suffering... I have longed to eat this Passover with you, because never again shall I taste the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God has come. Then I will sit again with the elect at the Banquet of the Lamb, for the wedding of the Living Ones with the Living One. But only those who have been lowly and pure in heart, as I am, will come to it.» 8 «Master, a short while ago You said that he who has not the honour of the seat, has that of being in front of You. So, how can we know who is the first among us?» asks Bartholomew. «Everybody and nobody. Once... we were coming back and we were tired and... nauseated at the bitter hatred of the Pharisees. But you were not so tired as to be prevented from discussing among yourselves who was the greatest... A little boy ran up to Me... a little friend of Mine... And his innocence mitigated My disgust for so many things. Your obstinate humanity not being the last. Where are you now, little Benjamin gifted with the wise reply, that came to you from Heaven because, as you were an angel, the Spirit spoke to you? Then I said to you: "If anyone wants to be the first, he must be the last and the servant of everybody." And I gave you the wise boy as an example. Now I say to you: "The kings of nations dominate them. And although the peoples oppressed hate them, they acclaim them and kings are called 'Benefactors', 'Fathers of the Fatherland'. But hatred smoulders under the false homage." But do not let it be so with you. The greatest must be like the smallest, the head like him who serves. Who is in fact greater? He who sits at the table, or he who serves? It is he who sits at the table. And yet I serve you. And before long I will serve you even more. You are the ones who have been with Me in My trials. And I will arrange a place for you in My kingdom, in the same manner as I shall be King in it according to the will of the Father, that you may eat and drink at My eternal table and you may sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. You have remained with Me in My trials... This is the only thing that makes you great in the eyes of the Father.» «And what about those who will come? Will they have no place in the Kingdom? We alone?» «Oh! How many princes in My House! All those who have been faithful to the Christ in the trials of life, will be princes in My Kingdom. Because those who have persevered to the end in the martyrdom of life will be like you, who have remained with Me in My trials. I identify Myself with those who believe in Me. The Sorrow that I embrace for you and for all men, I give it as insignia to those who are particularly chosen. He who is faithful to Me in Sorrow will be one of My souls in bliss, My beloved.» 9 «We have persevered until the end.»

«Do you think so, Peter? And I tell you that the hour of trial is still to come. Simon, Simon of Jonas, Satan has asked to sift you all like wheat. I have prayed for you, that your faith may not vacillate. When you have recovered, strengthen your brothers.» «I know that I am a sinner. But I will be faithful to You until death. I do not have that sin and I will never have it.» «Do not be proud, My Peter. This hour will change an infinite number of things, which previously were so and will now be different. How many!... They bring and impose new necessities. You are aware of that. I have always said to you, even when we were going along remote places infested by highwaymen: "Be not afraid. No evil will befall us, because the angels of the Lord are with us. Do not worry about anything." Do you remember when I used to say to you: "Do not worry about what you must eat and about your clothes. The Father knows what we need"? I also used to say to you: "Man is much more than a sparrow and a flower that today is grass and tomorrow is hay. And yet the Father takes care both of the flower and of the little bird. So can you doubt that He will not take care of you?" I also used to say: "Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone offends you, offer him the other cheek as well." I also used to say: "Take no bag or stick". Because I taught love and trust. But now... Now the times have changed. Now I say to you: "Have you ever been short of anything so far? Have you ever been offended?"» «Nothing, Master. You alone were offended.» «So you can see that My word was true. But now the angels have all been recalled by their Lord. It is the hour of demons... With their golden wings the angels of the Lord are covering their eyes and enveloping themselves and they regret that the colour of their wings is not a gloomy one, because it is time of mourning, of cruel sacrilegious mourning... There are no angels on the Earth this evening. They are near the throne of God, to drown the blasphemies of the deicide world and the weeping of the Innocent.

And we are alone... You and I: alone. And the demons are the masters of the hour. So we shall now take the appearances and the measures of poor men who do not trust and do not love. Now, he who has a purse should take also a haversack, he who has no sword should sell his cloak and buy one. Because this also is said of Me in the Scriptures and must be fulfilled: "He has been counted among the wicked." Truly everything that concerns Me has its purpose.»


10 Simon, who has got up and gone to the chest where he put his rich mantle – because this evening they are all wearing their best clothes, and so on their sumptuous belts they are carrying daggers, damaskened but very short ones, more like knives than daggers – takes two swords, two real, long, slightly bent swords and returning to Jesus with them he says: «Peter and I have armed ourselves this evening. We have these, but the others have only short daggers.»

«All right. They are enough. You did well in taking them. 11 But now, before drinking the third chalice, wait a moment. I told you that the greatest is the same as the smallest and that I am acting as a servant at this table, and I will serve you even more. So far I have given you food. A service for your bodies. Now I want to give you food for your spirits. It is not a dish of the ancient rite. It belongs to the new rite. I wanted to be baptised before being the "Master". That baptism was sufficient to spread the Word. Now His Blood will be shed. Another ablution is required for you, although you have been purified by the Baptist, in his days, and also today in the Temple. But it is not yet sufficient. Come, that I may purify you. Interrupt your meal. There is something more elevated and necessary than the food given to the stomach to fill it, even if it is holy food as the present one of the Passover rite. And it is a pure spirit, ready to receive the gift of Heaven, which is already descending to make its throne in you and give you the Life. To give the Life to those who are pure.» Jesus stands up, He makes John stand up to come out of His place more easily, He goes to the chest and takes off His red tunic and folds it placing it on His mantle, which is there already folded, He girds Himself with a large towel and He goes towards another basin, which is empty and clean. He pours some water into it, He takes it to the middle of the room, near the table, and puts it on a stool. The apostles look at Him dumbfounded. «Are you not asking Me what I am doing?» «We do not know. I tell You that we are already purified» replies Peter. «And I repeat to you that it does not matter. My purification will serve him, who is already pure, to become purer.» He kneels down. He unties the Iscariot's sandals and washes his feet, one at a time. It is easy to do so, because the couches are made in such a way that the feet are in the outer side. Judas is astonished and does not say anything. Only when Jesus, before putting the sandal on the left foot and getting up, makes the gesture of kissing his right foot, that has already been shod, Judas withdraws his foot violently and with the sole strikes the divine mouth. He does so unintentionally. It is not a strong blow. But it grieves me so much. Jesus smiles, and to the apostle who asks Him: «Did I hurt You? I did not intend to... Forgive me», He says: «No, My friend. You did it without malice and it does not hurt.» Judas looks at Him... A worried elusive look... Jesus passes on to Thomas, then to Philip... He goes round the narrow side of the table and arrives at His cousin James. He washes his feet and when getting up He kisses him on his forehead. He passes on to Andrew, who blushes with shame and makes efforts not to weep, He washes his feet and kisses him like a baby. Then there is James of Zebedee, who goes on grumbling: «Oh! Master! Master! Master! You are lowering Yourself, my sublime Master!» John has already untied his sandals and while Jesus is bent drying his feet, he kisses His head. But Peter!... It is not easy to convince him to submit to the rite! «You want to wash my feet? Do not even think about it! As long as I live, I will never allow You to do that. I am a worm, You are God. Each to his own place.» «You cannot understand now what I am doing. Later you will understand. Let Me do it.» «You can do anything You like, Master. Do You want to cut my neck? Do so. But You will never wash my feet.» «Oh! My Simon! Do you not know that if I do not wash you, you will take no part in My Kingdom? Simon, Simon! You are in need of this water for your soul and for the long journey you have to take. Do you not want to come with Me? If I do not wash you, you will not come to My Kingdom.» «Oh! my blessed Lord! Then, wash all my body! Feet, hands and head!» «Anyone who, like you, has had a bath, needs only to have his feet washed, as he is completely pure. The feet... Man walks with his feet on filth. And it would not be much either, because, as I told you, it is not what enters and comes out with food that dirties, and it is not what settles on his feet on the roads that contaminates man. But it is what smoulders and matures in his heart and comes out from it, which contaminates his actions and limbs. And the feet of a man with an impure spirit go to orgies, to lust, to illicit business, to crimes... Therefore, among the various parts of the body they are the ones that have much to be purified... with the eyes and mouth... Oh! man! man! A perfect being for one day: the first one! And then so corrupted by the Seducer! And there was no malice in you, man, no sin!... And now? You are all malice and sin, and there is no part in you that does not sin!»

Jesus has washed Peter's feet, He kisses them, and Peter weeps and takes Jesus' two hands in his own big ones and he rubs them against his eyes and then kisses them. Simon also has taken off his sandals, and without one word he lets Jesus wash his feet. Then, when Jesus is about to pass on to Bartholomew, Simon kneels down and kisses His feet saying: «Cleanse me from the leprosy of sin, as You cleansed me from the leprosy of my body, that I may not be confused in the hour of judgement, my Saviour!» «Be not afraid, Simon. You will come to the heavenly City as white as mountain snow.» «And what about me, Lord? What are You going to say to Your old Bart? You saw me in the shade of the fig-tree and You read my heart. And now what do You see, and where do You see me? Reassure a poor old man, who is afraid he may not have strength and time to become what You want him to be.» Bartholomew is deeply moved. «You must not be afraid either. I then said: "Here is a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit." Now I say: "Here is a true Christian worthy of the Christ." Where do I see you? On an eternal throne, dressed in purple. I shall always be with you.» It is Judas Thaddeus' turn. When he sees Jesus at his feet, he cannot control himself, he rests his head on his arm laid on the table and weeps. «Do not weep, My sweet brother. You are now like one who must endure the extirpation of a nerve and you think that you will not be able to stand it. But it will be a short pain. Then... oh! you will be happy, because you love Me. Your name is Judas. And you are like our great Judas: like a giant. You are the one who protects. Your actions are those of a lion and of a young roaring lion. You will rouse the impious who will withdraw when you face them, and the wicked will be terrified. I know. Be brave. An eternal union will strengthen and make perfect our kinship in Heaven.» He kisses his forehead as well, as He did for His other cousin. «I am a sinner, Master. Not me...» «You were a sinner, Matthew. You are now the Apostle. You are one of My "voices". I bless you. How far have these feet walked to come more and more forward, towards God... Your soul urged them and they left every way that was not My way. Proceed. Do you know where the path ends? On the bosom of your Father and Mine.» Jesus has finished. He takes the towel off and washes His hands in clean water, He puts His clothes on, goes back to His seat, and while sitting down He says: «You are now pure, but not all of you. Only those who wanted to be so.» He stares at Judas of Kerioth, who feigns he does not hear Him, intent as he is on explaining to his companion Matthew how his father decided to send him to Jerusalem. A useless conversation, the only purpose of which is to give an attitude to Judas, who, however bold, must feel ill at ease.

12 Jesus pours wine into the common chalice for the third time. He drinks and makes the others drink. He then intones, and the others sing in chorus: «I love because the Lord hears the voice of my prayer, because He turns His ear towards me. I will invoke Him throughout my life. The throes of death had surrounded me» etc. (Psalm 114, I think). A moment's pause. He then resumes singing: «I had faith, that is why I spoke. But I was deeply humiliated. And in my dismay I said: "Every man is untruthful."» He looks fixedly at Judas. My Jesus' voice, which is tired this evening, regains vigour when He exclaims: «The death of holy people is precious in the eyes of God» and «You have broken my chains. I will sacrifice a victim of praise to You invoking the name of the Lord» etc. (Psalm 115). Another short pause and He then resumes: «Praise the Lord, all nations, praise Him, all peoples. Because His mercy has been asserted upon us and the truth of the Lord lasts forever.» Another short pause and then a long hymn: «Sing praises to the Lord because He is good, because His mercy lasts forever...» Judas of Kerioth sings so much out of tune, that twice Thomas brings him back into tune with his powerful loud baritone voice and stares at him. The others also look at him, because he is generally in tune, and I have had the impression that he is proud of his voice as he is of everything else. But this evening! Certain sentences upset him so much that he sings false notes, and certain glances of Jesus underlining those sentences have the same effect. One of them is: «It is better to confide in the Lord than to confide in man.» Another one is: «When I was pushed, I staggered and was about to fall. But the Lord supported me.» Another is: «I shall not die, I shall live and narrate the deeds of the Lord.» And finally, these two, that I am going to relate now, strangle the Traitor's voice in his throat: «The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone» and «Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!» When the psalm is over, while Jesus is cutting and handing the lamb round again, Matthew asks Judas of Kerioth: «Are you not feeling well?» «No. Leave me alone. Don't worry about me.» Matthew shrugs his shoulders. John, who has heard, says: «The Master is not well either. What is the matter with You, my Jesus? Your voice is weak, like the voice of a sick person or of one who has wept much» and he embraces Him, resting his head on Jesus' chest.

«He has only spoken a lot, as I have only walked a lot and got cold» says Judas nervously. And Jesus, without replying to him, says to John: «You know Me by now... and you know what makes Me tired...»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

13 The lamb is almost consumed. Jesus, Who has eaten very little, and has only had a sip of wine at each chalice, but to compensate for that, has drunk a lot of water, as if He were feverish, resumes speaking: «I want you to understand My gesture of a short while ago. I told you that the first is like the last, and that I am going to give you a food that is not corporeal. I have given you a nourishment of humility, for your spirits. You call Me: Master and Lord. You are right, because so I am. So if I have washed your feet you should wash each other's feet. I have given you an example, so that you may do what I have done. I tell you solemnly: no servant is greater than his master, no apostle is greater than He Who appointed him. Try to understand these things. Then, if you understand them and put them into practice, you will be blessed. But not all of you will be blessed. I know you. I know whom I chose. I am not speaking of everybody in the same way. But I say what is true. On the other hand, what has been written concerning Me, is to be fulfilled: "He who eats the bread with Me, rebels against Me." I am telling you everything before it happens, that you may have no doubts about Me. When everything has been accomplished, you will believe even more that I am I. He who receives Me, receives Him Who sent Me: the Holy Father Who is in Heaven; and he who receives those whom I send, will receive Me. Because I am with the Father and you are with Me... But now let us finish the rite.» He pours more wine into the common chalice and before drinking of it and letting the others drink, He stands up, and everybody stands up with Him, and He sings one of the previous psalms again: «I had faith and that is why I spoke...» and then He sings a psalm that never comes to an end.

Beautiful... but eternal! I think I have found it, by its beginning and its length, as psalm 118. They sing it as follows. They sing one part in chorus. Then, in turns, one recites a couplet, and the others in chorus sing another part, and so forth till the end. No wonder they are thirsty at the end! 14 Jesus sits down. He does not lie down. He sits as we do. And He says: «Now that the old rite has been accomplished, I will celebrate the new one. I have promised you a miracle of love. It is time to work it. That is why I have longed for this Passover. From now on this is the Victim that will be consumed in a perpetual rite of love. My beloved friends, I have loved you throughout the whole life of the Earth. I have loved you for the whole eternity, My children. And I want to love you till the end. There is nothing greater than this. Bear that in mind. I am going away. But we shall remain forever united through the miracle that I will now work.»

Jesus takes a loaf still entire and places it on the chalice that has been filled. He blesses and offers both, He then breaks the bread and takes thirteen morsels of it, and gives one to each apostle saying:«Take this and eat it. This is My Body. Do this in remembrance of Me, Who am going away.» He gives the chalice and says: «Take this and drink it. This is My Blood. This is the chalice of the new alliance in My Blood and through My Blood, that will be shed for you, to remit your sins and give you the Life. Do this in remembrance of Me.» Jesus is very sad. There is no smile, no trace of light, no colour on His face. It is already an agonizing face. The apostles look at Him utterly anguished.

15 Jesus stands up saying: «Do not move. I shall be back at once.» He takes the thirteenth morsel of bread and the chalice, and He goes out of the Supperroom. «He is going to His Mother» whispers John. And Judas Thaddeus says with a sigh: «Poor woman!» Peter asks in a very low voice: «Do you think She knows?» «She knows everything. She has always been aware of everything.» They all speak in very low voices, as if they were in front of a corpse. «But do you think that really...» asks Thomas, who does not want to believe yet. «And do you doubt it? It is His hour» replies James of Zebedee. «May God grant us strength to be faithful» says the Zealot. «Oh! I...» says Peter who is about to speak. But John, who is on the look-out, says: «Silence! He is here.» Jesus comes back in. He has the empty chalice in His hands. Only at its bottom there is a trace of wine, and in the light of the chandelier it looks just like blood. Judas Iscariot, in front of whom is the chalice, looks at it as if he were enchanted, then he averts his eyes. Jesus watches him and shudders, and John, leaning as he is on His chest, feels it. «Why not say so! You are shivering...» he exclaims. «No. I am not shivering because I am feverish... 16 I have told you everything, and I have given you everything. I could not have given you anything else. I have given you Myself.» He makes His usual kind gesture with His hands, which, previously joined, now separate and stretch out, while He bows His head as if He wished to say: «Excuse Me if I cannot give you more. It is so.» «I have told you everything and I have given you everything. And I repeat. The new rite has been accomplished. Do this in remembrance of Me. I have washed your feet to teach you to be humble and pure like your Master. Because I solemnly tell you that disciples must be like their Master. Remember that, bear it in mind. Also when you are in high offices, remember that. There is no disciple greater than his Master. As I washed you, do the same to one another. That is, love one another like brothers, helping and respecting one another, setting an example to one another. And be pure, to be worthy of eating the living Bread that descended from Heaven, and have the strength, in yourselves and through It, to be My disciples in the hostile world that will hate you because of My Name. But one of you is not pure. One of you will betray Me. My Spirit is deeply perturbed by that... The hand of him who will betray Me is here with Me on this table, and neither My love, nor My Body and Blood, nor My word make him mend his ways and repent. I would forgive him going to My death also on his behalf.»

The disciples cast terrified glances at one another. They scrutinise one another suspiciously. Peter stares at the Iscariot in a revival of all his doubts. Judas Thaddeus in his turn jumps to his feet to look at the Iscariot above Matthew's body. But the Iscariot is so sure of himself! In his turn he looks at Matthew, as if he suspected him. He then looks fixedly at Jesus and smiling he asks: «Is it I perhaps?» He seems to be the one who is most certain of his honesty and to say so, not to let the conversation drop. Jesus repeats His gesture saying: «You are saying so, Judas of Simon, not I. You are saying so. I have not mentioned your name. Why are you accusing yourself? Ask your internal warner, your conscience of a man, the conscience that God the Father gave you that you might behave as a man, and listen whether it accuses you. You will be the first to know. But if it reassures you, why do you utter a word and speak of a deed that is anathema even to mention or to think of as a joke?» Jesus is speaking calmly. He seems to be supporting a proposed thesis as a learned man may do with his pupils. The confusion is great, but Jesus' calm appeases it. 17 But Peter, who is the most suspicious of Judas – perhaps Thaddeus also is so, but he does not look so, disarmed as he is by the Iscariot's easy manners – plucks John's sleeve, and when John, who has pressed against Jesus upon hearing Him speak of betrayal, turns round, he whispers to him: «Ask Him who it is.» John takes his previous position again, he only raises his head slightly, as if he wanted to kiss Jesus, and in the meantime he whispers in His ear: «Master, who is it?» And Jesus in a very low voice, kissing him, in His turn, on his head, says: «It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread dipped in the dish.» And taking another entire loaf, not the remains of the one used for the Eucharist, He detaches a large morsel, He dips it into the lamb's sauce left in the tray, and says:

«Take it, Judas. You like this.» «Thank You, Master. I do like it» and unaware of what that morsel is, he eats it, while John, horrified, closes even his eyes not to see the horrid smile of the Iscariot, as he bites the accusing bread with his strong teeth. «Well. Now that I have made you happy, go» says Jesus to Judas. «Everything has been accomplished, here (He lays much stress on the word). What is still left to be done elsewhere, do it quickly, Judas of Simon.» «I will obey You at once, Master. Then I will join You at Gethsemane. You are going there, are You not? As usual?» «Yes... I am going there... as usual.» «What has he got to do?» asks Peter. «Is he going by himself?» «I am not a baby» says Judas scoffingly, as he puts on his mantle. «Let him go. He and I know what must be done» says Jesus. «Yes, Master.» Peter is silent. Perhaps he thinks he has committed a sin suspecting his companion. Resting his forehead on the palm of his hand, he becomes pensive. Jesus presses John to His heart and whispers again through his hair: «Say nothing to Peter for the time being. It would be a useless scandal.» «Goodbye, Master. Goodbye, friends» says Judas greeting them. «Goodbye» replies Jesus. And Peter says: «Goodbye, boy.» John, his head almost on Jesus' lap, whispers: «Satan!» Jesus alone hears him and sighs. Everything comes to an end here, but Jesus says: «I am interrupting the vision out of pity for you. I will give you the end of the Supper later.»

(1) addressed to Maria Valtorta's spiritual adviser Fr. Migliorini)
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

18 (the Supper continues) There are a few moments of dead silence. Jesus has lowered His head, caressing John's fair hair mechanically. Then He rouses Himself. He raises His head, He looks around, and He smiles in such a way that encourages the disciples. He says: «Let us leave the table and sit all close to one another, like many children round their father.»

They take the couches that were behind the table (those of Jesus, John, James, Peter, Simon, Andrew and His cousin James) and they put them on the other side. Jesus sits on His own, still between James and John. But when He sees that Andrew is about to sit in the place left by the Iscariot, He shouts: «No, not there.» An impulsive shout, that His great prudence does not succeed in preventing. He then modifies His expression saying: «We do not need so much room. If we sit down, we can stay only on these. They are enough. I want you to be very close to Me.» Now, with respect to the table, they are placed in a U shaped disposition, with Jesus in the centre and the table, on which there are no victuals now, and Judas' place in front of Him. James of Zebedee calls Peter saying: «Sit here. I will sit on this little stool, at Jesus' feet.» «May God bless you, James! I wanted it so much!» says Peter and he presses against his Master, Who is now squeezed by John and Peter, with James at His feet. Jesus smiles and says: «I see that the word spoken earlier is beginning to work. Good brothers love one another. James, I also say to you: "May God bless you." Also this action of yours will not be forgotten by the Eternal, and you will find it up there. 19 I can obtain everything I ask for. You have seen that. A desire of Mine was sufficient for the Father to allow His Son to give Himself in Food to man. The Son of man has been glorified by what has happened now, because the miracle that is possible only to God's friends is a witness of power. The greater the miracle, the surer and deeper is this divine friendship. This is a miracle that, because of its form, duration and nature, and of the extremes and limits it attains, is so great that a greater one cannot possibly exist. I tell you: it is so powerful, supernatural, inconceivable by proud men, that only very few will understand it as it is to be understood, and many will deny it. So what shall I say? Condemn them? No. I will say: have mercy on them! But the greater the miracle, the greater the glory of its author. It is God Himself Who says: "See, My beloved wanted it, had it, and I granted it, because great is His grace in My eyes." And here He says: "His grace has no limits, as infinite is the miracle performed by Him." The glory that from God comes to the author of the miracle is the same as the glory that from the author returns to the Father. Because every supernatural glory, as it comes from God, returns to its source. And the glory of God, although it is already infinite, increases and shines more and more through the glory of His saints. So I say: as the Son of man has been glorified by God, so God has been glorified by the Son of man. I have glorified God in Myself. In His turn, God will glorify His Son in Himself. He will glorify Him shortly. Exult, o spiritual Essence of the Second Person, Who are going back to Your See!

Exult, o Body Who are going to ascend again after such a long exile in degradation. And not Adam's Paradise, but the sublime Paradise of the Father is about to be given to You as Your abode. If it has been said that the amazing order of God, given through the lips of a man, stopped the sun, what will happen among the stars when they see the wonder of the Body of the Man ascend and sit at the right hand of the Father in the Perfection of His glorified being? 20 My little children, I will remain with you for a short time. And afterwards you will be looking for Me as orphans look for their dead parent. And weeping, you will go about speaking of Him and in vain you will knock at His silent tomb, and you will also knock at the blue gates of Heaven, with your souls elevated in suppliant search for love, saying: "Where is our Jesus? We want Him. Without Him there is no more light in the world, no joy, no love. Either give Him back to us, or let us come in. We want to be where He is." But for the time being you cannot come where I am going. To the Judaeans also I said: "Later you will look for Me, but you cannot come where I am going." I say the same to you. Think of My Mother... Neither can She come where I am going. And yet, I left the Father to come to Her and become Jesus in Her immaculate womb. And yet, I came from the Inviolate Woman in the bright ecstasy of My Birthday. And I was nourished with Her love, that became milk. I am made of purity and love, because Mary nourished Me with Her virginity fecundated by the perfect Love Who lives in Heaven. And yet, I have grown up through Her, costing Her fatigue and tears... And yet, I ask of Her such heroism as no one has ever accomplished, and in comparison with which the heroism of Judith and that of Jael are the heroisms of poor women quarrelling with the rival at the village fountain. And yet, no one loves Me as She does. And, notwithstanding all that, I will leave Her and go where She will come only after a long time. The commandment I give you: "Sanctify yourselves year by year, month by month, day by day, hour by hour, to be able to come to Me when it is your hour" does not apply to Her. She is full of grace and holiness. She is the creature who has had everything and has given everything. There is nothing to be added or to be taken away. She is the most holy witness of what God can do. But in order to be sure that you are able to join Me and to forget the grief in mourning the separation from your Jesus, I give you a new commandment. And it is: love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another. By this love it will be known that you are My disciples. When a father has many sons, how does one know that they are such? Not so much by their physical appearance – because there are men who are in everything like another man, with whom there is no blood-tie and they are not even of the same country – as by their common love for the family, for their father and for one another. And even when the father dies, a good family does not break up, because one is their blood and it is the same they had from the seed of their father, and it ties in knots that not even death loosens, because love is stronger than death. Now, if you love one another after I have left you, everybody will acknowledge you as My children, and therefore as My disciples, and as brothers to one another, having had only one father.»


21 «Lord, but where are You going?» asks Peter. «I am going where at present you cannot follow Me. But you will follow Me later.» «And why not now? I have always followed You since You said to me: "Follow Me." I left everything without regret... Now, to go away without Your poor Simon, leaving me without You, Who are everything to me, after that for Your sake I left the little property I had previously, is not fair or nice of You. Are You going to Your death? All right. I will come as well. We shall go to the next world together. But I will have defended You before that. I am ready to give my life for You.» «You will give your life for Me? Now? Not now. I solemnly – oh! I do solemnly tell you – before the cock crows, you will have disowned Me three times. This is the first watch. Then the second will come... and then the third. Before the cock crows loudly, you will have disowned your Lord three times.» «Impossible, Master! I believe everything You say, but not that. I am sure of myself.» «Now, at present you are sure. Because you still have Me. You have God with you. Before long, the Incarnate God will be caught, and you will no longer have Him. And Satan, after making you heavy – your very certainty is a trick of Satan, ballast to weigh you down – will frighten you. He will insinuate to you: "God does not exist. I do." And as you will still be able to reason, although made dull by fear, you will understand that, when Satan is the master of the hour, Good is dead and Evil is active, the spirit is dejected and the human is triumphant. You will then be like warriors without a leader, chased by the enemy, and in the dismay of being defeated you will bow your necks to the conqueror, and in order not to be killed you will disown the fallen hero. 22 But, please do not let your hearts be upset. Believe in God. And believe also in Me. Believe in Me, against all appearances. Let him who remains and him who runs away believe in My mercy and in the Father's. Both he who is silent and he who moves his lips to say: "I do not know Him." And likewise believe in My forgiveness. And believe that, whatever your actions may be in future, in Good and in My Doctrine, consequently in My Church, they will give you equal places in Heaven. In the house of My Father there are many abodes. If it were not so, I would have told you. Because I am going ahead, to prepare a place for you. Do good fathers not do likewise when they have to take their little children elsewhere? They go ahead, they prepare the house, the furnishings, the provisions. They then go back to get their dearest ones. They do so out of love, so that the little ones may lack nothing and may not be uncomfortable in the new place. I do the same and for the same reason. I am going now. And when I have prepared a place for each of you in the celestial Jerusalem, I will come again and take you with Me so that you may be where I am, where there is no death or mourning, no tears, no shouting, no hunger, no pain, no darkness, no parching thirst, but only light, peace, happiness and singing. Oh! song of the Highest Heavens when the twelve chosen ones will sit on thrones with the twelve patriarchs of the tribes of Israel and in the ardour of the fire of spiritual love, standing upright over the sea of beatitude, they will sing the eternal song accompanied by the arpeggio of the eternal alleluia of the angelical host... 23 I want you to be where I shall be. And you know where I am going and you know the way.» «But, Lord! We know nothing. You are not telling us where You are going. How can we know the way to be taken to come towards you and curtail the wait?» asks Thomas. «I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. You have heard Me say so and explain it several times, and really some people, who did not even know that there is a God, have walked ahead, along My way, and they are already ahead of you. Oh! where are you, lost sheep of God, brought back to the fold by Me? And where are you, whose soul has been raised?» «Who? Of whom are you speaking? Of Mary of Lazarus? She is in the other room, with Your Mother. Do You want her? Or do You want Johanna? She is certainly in her mansion, but if You wish so, we will go and call her for You...» «No. Not them... I am thinking of the one who will be revealed only in Heaven... and of Photinai... They found Me. And they have never left My way again. To one I pointed out the Father as the true God and the Spirit as a Levite in this individual adoration. To the other, who did not even know she had a soul, I said: "My name is Saviour, I save whoever has the good will to be saved. I am the One Who looks for those who are lost, I give Life, Truth and Purity. Those who look for Me, will find Me." And they both found God... I bless you, weak Eves who have become stronger than Judith... I am coming, I am coming where you are... You comfort Me... May you be blessed!...»

24 «Show us the Father, Lord, and we shall be equal to them» says Philip. «I have been with all of you for such a long time, and you, Philip, still do not know Me? He who sees Me, sees the Father. So, how can you say: "Let us see the Father"? Can you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not say them by Myself. It is the Father, living in Me, Who accomplishes all My work. And do you, all of you, not believe that I am in the Father and He is in Me? What must I say to make you believe? If you do not believe My words, believe at least in My deeds. And I say to you and I truly say to you: he who believes in Me will perform the deeds that I do, and will perform even greater ones, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in His Son. And I will do anything you ask in behalf of My Name. My Name is known for what it really is, only to Me and to the Father Who generated Me and to the Spirit Who proceeds from Our love. And everything is possible to that Name. He who thinks of My Name with love, loves Me and obtains. But it is not sufficient to love Me. It is necessary to keep My commandments in order to have true love. Feelings are testified by deeds. And because of your love I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, so that He may remain with you forever, One against Whom Satan and the World cannot act cruelly, the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive or strike, because it cannot see Him and does not know Him. The world will deride Him, but He is so sublime that derision will not be able to offend Him, while being so merciful as to exceed all limits, He will always be with those who love Him, even if they are poor and weak. You will know Him, because He already dwells with you and will soon be in you. 25 I will not leave you orphans. I have already told you that I will come back to you. But I will come before it is time to come to take You and go to My Kingdom. I will come to you. Before long the world will no longer see Me. But you see Me and will see Me. Because I live and you live. Because I will live and you will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me and I in you. Because he, who accepts My precepts and observes them, loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father and will possess God, because God is love, and he who loves has God in himself. And I will love Him, because I shall see God in him, and I will show Myself to him, making him acquainted with the secrets of My love, of My wisdom, of My Incarnate Divinity. They will be My returns among the children of man, whom I love notwithstanding that they are weak and even hostile. But these will be only weak. And I will fortify them; I will say to them: "Rise!", I will say: "Come out!", I will say: "Follow Me", I will say: "Listen", I will say: "Write"... and you are among them.» «Why, Lord, are You showing Yourself to us and not to the world?» asks Judas Thaddeus. «Because you love Me and you keep My words. He who does that will be loved by My Father, and We shall come to him and make Our home with him, in him. Whereas he who does not love Me, does not keep My words and acts according to the flesh and the world. Now remember that what I said to you is not the word of Jesus of Nazareth, but it is the word of the Father, because I am the Word of the Father Who sent Me. I told you these things, speaking to you thus, because I want to prepare you Myself for the complete possession of the Truth and Wisdom. But you cannot yet understand or remember. But when the Comforter, the Holy Spirit Whom the Father will send to you in My name, comes to you, then you will be able to understand, and He will teach you everything, and He will remind you of what I told you. 26 I leave you My peace. I give you My peace. I give it to you not as the world gives it. And not even as I have given it to you so far: the blessed greeting of the Blessed One to the blessed ones. The peace I am giving you now is more profound. In this farewell I communicate Myself, My Spirit of peace to you, as I communicated My Body and My Blood to you, so that you may have strength for the imminent battle. Satan and the world are stirring up a war against your Jesus. It is their hour. Have Peace within you, My Spirit, which is spirit of peace, because I am the King of peace. Have it so that you may not be too forlorn. He who suffers with the peace of God within himself, suffers, but does not blaspheme and does not despair. Do not weep. You have also heard Me say: "I am going to the Father and then I will come back." If you loved Me beyond the flesh, you would rejoice, because I am going to the Father after such a long exile... I am going to Him Who is greater than I am and Who loves Me. I have told you now, before it takes place, as I informed you of all the sufferings of the Redeemer, before going to them, so that, when everything is fulfilled, you may believe more and more in Me. Do not be so upset! Do not be frightened. You hearts are in need of balance... I have not much more time to speak to you... but I have so much to say! Now that I have come to the end of My evangelization, I feel that I have not said anything yet, and that there is still so much to be done. Your mood increases My feeling. So, what shall I say? That I failed in My task? Or that you are so hard-hearted that My work has been of no avail? Shall I be in doubt about you? No. I rely on God and I entrust you, My beloved ones, to Him. He will complete the work of His Word. I am not like a father who dies without having any other light but the human one. I hope in God. And, although within Myself I feel the urgency of all the advice, of which I see you are in need, and I realise that time flies, I am going towards My destiny with a quiet mind. I know that the dew is about to descend on the seeds sown in you and it will make all of them spring up, then the sun of the Paraclete will come and they will become mighty trees. The prince of this world, with whom I have nothing to do, is about to come. And if it were not for the purpose of redemption, he would not have had any power over Me. But that is happening so that the world may know that I love My Father and I love Him so much that I will obey Him even to death, and I will, therefore, do what He ordered Me to do.

27 It is time to go. Stand up. And listen to My last words. I am the true Vine. The Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch that bears no fruit He cuts, and the one that does bear fruit He prunes, to make it bear even more. You are already purified by My word. Remain in Me and I will remain in you to continue to be so. The branch cut off from the vine cannot bear fruit. The same applies to you, if you do not remain in Me. I am the Vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains united to Me bears fruit in plenty. But if one is cut off, one becomes a dry branch and is thrown on the fire and burns there. Because, if you are not united to Me, you can do nothing. So remain in Me and let My words remain in you, then ask for whatever you want, and it will be done to you. My Father will always be the more glorified, the more you bear fruit and are My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Remain in My love that saves. By loving Me you will be obedient, and obedience increases mutual love. Do not say that I am repeating Myself. I am aware of your weakness. And I want you to be saved. I have told you this so that the joy I wanted to give you may be in you and may be complete. Love one another, love one another! This is My new commandment. Love one another more than each of you loves himself. There is no greater love than that of a man who lays down his life for his friends. You are My friends and I will lay down my life for you. Do what I teach and order you to do. I will no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master does, whereas you know what I do. You know everything about Me. I have made known to you not only Myself, but also the Father and the Paraclete, and everything I heard from God. You did not choose yourselves. But I chose you and I elected you, so that you may go among peoples and you may bear fruit in yourselves and in the hearts of those who are evangelized, and your fruit may remain, and the Father may give you everything you will ask of Him in My name. 28 Do not say: "So, if You chose us, why did You choose a betrayer. If You know everything, why did You do that?" Do not even ask who he is. He is not a man. He is Satan. I said so to My faithful friend and I let My beloved son say so. He is Satan. If Satan, the eternal mimic of God, had not become incarnate in human flesh, this possessed man could not have escaped My power of Jesus. I said: "possessed". No. He is much more: he is annihilated in Satan.»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

«Since You have driven demons away, why did you not free him?» asks James of Alphaeus. «Are you asking that for your own sake, fearing that you are the one? Be not afraid of that.» «I, then?» «I?» «I?» «Be quiet. I am not mentioning that name. I am being merciful, do likewise.» «But why did You not defeat him? Could You not do that?» «I could. But in order to prevent Satan from taking bodily form to kill Me, I should have had to exterminate the human race before Redemption. So what would I have redeemed?» «Tell me, Lord, tell me!» Peter has fallen on his knees and he shakes Jesus phrenetically as if he were a prey to frenzy. «Is it I? Is it I? Shall I examine my own conscience? I do not think so. But You... You said that I will disown You... And I am quivering... Oh' how horrible if it is I!...» [color=red«No, Simon of Jonah. It is not you.»[/color]

«Why are You depriving me of my name "Peter"? So am I Simon again? See? You are saying so!... It is I! But how could I? Tell me tell me, all of you When was it that I became a traitor?... Simon?... John?... Tell me!» «Peter, Peter, Peter! I am calling you Simon because I am thinking of our first meeting, when you were Simon. And I am thinking how you have always been loyal since the first moment. It is not you. I, the Truth, am telling you.» «Who, then?» «It is Judas of Kerioth! Have you not yet understood that?» shouts Thaddeus, who can no longer restrain himself. «Why did you not tell me before? Why?» shouts Peter as well. «Silence. It is Satan. He has no other name. Where are you going, Peter?» «To look for him.» «Leave that mantle and that weapon at once. Or shall I drive you away and curse you?» «No, no! Oh! my Lord! But I... but I... Have I become delirious, have I? Oh! Oh!» Peter has thrown himself on the ground and is weeping at Jesus' feet.

29 «I give you My commandment: love and forgive one another. Have you understood? Even if in the world there is hatred, let only love be in you. For everybody. How many traitors you will find on your way! But you must not hate them and return evil for evil. Otherwise the Father will hate you. I have been hated and betrayed, long before you. And yet, as you can see, I do not hate. The world cannot love what is different from it. Therefore it will not love you. If you belonged to it, it would love you; but you are not of the world, as I took you away from the world. And that is why you are hated. I said to you: a servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well. If they have listened to Me, they will listen to you, too. But they will do everything because of My Name, since they do not know, they do not want to know Him Who sent Me. If I had not come and I had not spoken, they would not be guilty. But now their sin has no excuse. They have seen My deeds, they have heard My words, and yet they have hated Me, and the Father with Me. Because the Father and I are one Unit only with the Love. But it was written: "You hated me for no reason." But when the Comforter comes, the Spirit of Truth Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and you also will witness for Me, because you have been with Me since the beginning. I am telling you this so that, when the hour comes, you may not be depressed and scandalised. The time is about to come when they will expel you from synagogues, and those who kill you will think that they are doing a holy duty for God. They have not known either the Father or Me. That is their excuse. I have not told you these things so extensively, before this hour, because you were just like new-born babies. But the mother is now leaving you. I am going away. You must become accustomed to other food. I want you to know. Not one of you has asked Me again: "Where are You going?" Sadness is making you dumb. And yet My going away is a good thing also for you. Otherwise the Comforter will not come. I will send Him to you. And when He has come, through the wisdom and the words, the deeds and the heroism that He will infuse into You, He will convince the world of its deicide sin, and of justice with regard to My holiness. And a clear cut will divide the world into reprobates, enemies of God, and believers. The latter will be more or less holy, according to their will. But judgement will be passed on the prince of the world and his servants. I cannot tell you more, because you are not yet able to understand. But He, the Paraclete, will give you the whole Truth, because He will not speak as from Himself. But He will tell you everything He heard from the Mind of God and will announce the future to you. He will take what comes from Me, that is, what is still of the Father, and will tell you. 30 There is still a short time to see one another. Then you will no longer see Me. And then a short time later you will see Me. You are grumbling among yourselves and in your hearts. Listen to a parable. The last one of your Master. When a woman has conceived and the hour of delivery comes, she is in great distress, because she suffers and groans. But when her little child is born and she presses it to her heart, all her pain comes to an end and her sorrow changes into joy, because a man has come into the world. The same applies to you. You will weep and the world will laugh at you. But later your sorrow will change into joy. A joy that the world will never know. You are sad now. But when you see Me again, your hearts will be filled with a joy of which no one will ever be able to deprive you. Such a full joy, that it will obliterate every need of yours to ask for anything for your minds, hearts and bodies. You will feed on seeing Me again, and you will forget everything else. And just from that moment you will be able to ask for anything in My name, and it will be given to you by the Father, so that your joy may be greater and greater. Ask, do ask. And you will receive. The time is coming when I shall be able to speak to you of the Father in plain words. That will happen because you will have been faithful in the trial and everything will have been overcome. So your love will be perfect, as it will have given you strength in the trial. And what you are short of, I will add it for you, taking it from My immense treasure and saying: "Father, as You can see, they have loved Me believing that I came from You." Having descended into the world, now I leave it and I am going to the Father, and I will pray for you.»

31 «Oh! now You are explaining things clearly. Now we know what You mean and that You know everything and that You give answers without being questioned by anybody. You really come from God!» «Do you believe now? At the last hour? I have spoken to You for three years! But the Bread that is God and the Wine that is Blood that did not come from man is already working in you, and is giving you the first thrill of deification. You will become gods if you persevere in My love and in My possession. Not as Satan said to Adam and Eve, but as I say to you. It is the true fruit of the tree of Good and of Life. Evil is defeated in him who feeds on it, and Death is dead. He who eats of it will live forever and will become "god" in the Kingdom of God. You will be gods if you remain in Me. And yet now... although you have this Bread and this Blood in yourselves, as the hour is coming in which you will be scattered, you will go away on your own account and will leave Me all alone... But I am not alone. I have the Father with Me. Father, Father! Do not abandon Me! I have told you everything... To give you peace. My peace. You will still have trouble. But have faith. I have conquered the world.»

32 Jesus stands up, He opens His arms out crosswise and with His face shining brightly He says the sublime prayer to the Father. John quotes it integrally. The apostles are shedding tears more or less openly and noisily. As a last thing, they sing a hymn. Jesus blesses them. He then says to them: «Let us put on our mantles now. And let us go. Andrew, tell the owner of the house to leave everything as it is, as I want that. Tomorrow... you will be pleased see this place again.» Jesus looks at it. He seems to be blessing walls, furniture, everything. He then puts on His mantle and sets out, followed by the disciples. Beside Him there is John on whom He leans. «Are you not saying goodbye to Your Mother?» Zebedee's son asks Him. «No. Everything has already been done. Furthermore, make no noise.» Simon, who has lit a torch at the chandelier, illuminates the wide corridor that leads to the door. Peter opens the main door cautiously and they all go out into the street, and then, working a gadget, they close the door from outside. And they start off.

17th February 1944. 33 Jesus says: «In addition to the consideration on the love of a God Who becomes Food for men, four main teachings stand out from the episode of the Supper.

The First: the necessity for all the children of God to obey the Law. The Law prescribed that a lamb was to be consumed at Passover according to the ritual given to Moses by the Most High, and I, the true Son of the true God, did not consider Myself exempted, because of My divine quality, from the Law. I was on the Earth: Man among men and the Master of men. I had, therefore, to do My duty towards God as and better than anybody else. Divine favours do not dispense from being obedient and from making an effort towards a greater and greater holiness. If you compare the most sublime holiness with divine perfection, you will always find it full of defects, and consequently it is obliged to strive to eliminate them and achieve a degree of perfection as similar as possible to God's.

34 The second: the power of Mary's prayer. I was God Who had become Flesh. A Flesh, that being without stain, had the spiritual strength of dominating the flesh. And I do not refuse, on the contrary I implore the help of the Full of Grace, Who in that hour of expiation would have also found Heaven closed over Her head, that is true, but not to the extent that She should not succeed in detaching an angel from it, since She is the Queen of angels, to console Her Son. Oh! Not for Herself, poor Mother! She also has tasted the bitter abandonment by the Father, but by means of that suffering offered for Redemption, She obtained and made it possible for Me to overcome the anguish of the Garden of Olives and to bring the Passion to completion in all its multiform bitterness, each of which aimed at cleansing a form and a means of sin.

35 The third: self-control and endurance of offences, the sublime charitable attitude towards all offences, as can be possessed only by those who make the Law of Charity the life of their lives, as I had proclaimed. And I had not only proclaimed it, but I had really practised it. You cannot imagine what it was for Me to have the Traitor at My table, to have to give Myself to him, and humiliate Myself before him, to have to share with him the ritual chalice, and put My lips where he had put his, and make My Mother do the same. Your doctors have discussed and still discuss the rapidity of My end and they say it originated in a heart lesion brought about by the blows of the scourging. Yes, My heart was injured also by those blows. But it had already been damaged at the Supper. I was heart-broken by the effort of having to endure the Traitor at My side. It was at the Supper that I began to die physically. What followed was only an increase of an already existing agony. What I was able to do, I did it because I was all one with the Love. Also when the God-Love withdrew from Me, I was able to be love, because I had lived of love during my thirty-three years. It is not possible to reach perfection, as is required to forgive and put up with our offender, if one has not acquired the habit of love. I had acquired it, and I was able to forgive and bear that masterpiece of an Offender, which was Judas.

36 The fourth: the more one is worthy of receiving a Sacrament, the greater is its effect. That is: if one has become worthy of it through persevering good will, that subdues the flesh and makes the spirit sovereign, mastering concupiscences, directing one's being towards virtues, bending it like a bow towards the perfection and above all of Love. Because, when you love, you are inclined to make the person you love happy. John, who loved Me as nobody else did, and who was pure, received the utmost transformation from the Sacrament. He began as from that moment to be the eagle, that is accustomed to soaring easily in the High Heaven of God and staring at the eternal Sun. But woe to him who receives the Sacrament without being worthy of it, and who, on the contrary, has increased his human unworthiness with mortal sins. Then instead of being the germ of preservation and life, it becomes the germ of corruption and death. Death of the spirit and decomposition of the flesh, whereby it "bursts", as Peter says with regard to Judas. It does not shed blood, the vital liquid always beautiful in its purple hue, but its entrails burst out, blackened by lechery, rottenness pouring out of the decomposed body, as out of the carrion of an unclean animal, a disgusting sight for passers-by. The death of the profaner of the Sacrament is always the death of a desperate person who, therefore, does not know the placid passing away peculiar to those who are in grace, or the heroic death of the victim who suffers intensely but looks fixedly at Heaven and feels certain peace in the soul. The death of one in despair is marked dreadful contortions and terror, it is a horrible convulsion of the soul already gripped by the hand of Satan, who chokes it to detach From the body and suffocates it with his nauseating breath. That is the difference between those who pass away after being nourished with love, faith, hope and every other virtue and heavenly doctrine and with the angelical Bread that accompanies them with its fruit – better still if with its real presence – in the last journey, and those who pass away, after the life of a brute, with the death of a brute that Grace and the Sacrament cannot comfort. The former is the serene end of a saint, to whom death opens the eternal Kingdom. The latter is the frightful fall of a damned soul, that feels it is falling into eternal death and in a moment knows what it wanted to lose and for which it can no longer find any remedy. Acquisition and joy for the former; despoilment and terror for the latter. This is what you give yourselves, according to whether you believe and love, or you do not believe and you deride My gift. And it is the lesson of this contemplation.»


Next chapter: THE PASSION 599. The Agony and the Arrest at Gethsemane. 10th February 1944.
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

THE PASSION 599. The Agony and the Arrest at Gethsemane. 10th February 1944.

1 Jesus says: «And now come. Although this evening you are like one who is about to breathe his last, come, so that I may lead you towards My sufferings. Long is the way that we shall have to cover together, because I was not spared any sorrow: neither the pain of the flesh, nor the grief of the mind, of the heart, of the spirit. I tasted all of them, I fed on all of them, I quenched My thirst with all of them, to the extent that I died of them. If you laid your lips on Mine, you would taste the bitterness that they still retain of so much sorrow. If you could see My Human nature in its appearance, which is now refulgent, you would see that that refulgence emanates from the countless wounds that like a garment of living purple covered My limbs, lacerated, exsanguinated, beaten, pierced for your sake. My Human nature is now refulgent. But one day it was like that of a leper, so fiercely it had been struck and humiliated. The Man-God, Who had in Himself the perfection of physical handsomeness, being the Son of God and of the immaculate Woman, to those who cast loving, curious, or scornful, or evil glances at Him, seemed a "worm", as David says, the scorn of mankind, the jest of people. My love for My Father and for My Father's children led Me to abandon My body to those who struck Me, to offer My face to those who slapped Me and spat at Me, to those who thought they were doing a meritorious deed by tearing My hair and My beard, piercing My head with thorns, making the earth and its fruits accomplices of the tortures inflicted on their Saviour, dislocating My limbs, laying bare My bones, tearing off My garments, thus offending My purity in the most cruel manner, nailing Me to a piece of wood and lifting Me up like a slaughtered lamb on to the hooks of a butcher, and barking around Me, while I was in agony, like a pack of ravenous wolves made even wilder by the smell of blood. I was accused, condemned, killed, betrayed, disowned, sold. I was abandoned even by God, because I was burdened with the crimes I had taken upon Myself. They made Me poorer than a beggar spoiled by highwaymen, because they did not even leave Me My tunic to cover My livid nakedness of a martyr. Even after My death I was not spared the insult of a wound and the slander of enemies. I was overwhelmed by all the dirt of your sins, I was hurled down as far as the bottom of the darkness of sorrow, deprived of the light of Heaven that might reply to My dying eyes, and of the divine voice that might answer My last invocation.

2 Isaiah explains the reason for so much grief: "He has really taken our evils upon Himself and ours are the sorrows He has carried."
Our sorrows! Yes, I carried them on your behalf! To relieve yours, to mitigate them, to cancel them, had you been faithful to Me. But you did not want to be so. And what did I gain by it? You "looked at Me as if I were a leper, one struck by God." Yes, the leprosy of your infinite sins was upon Me, it was on Me like a garment of penance, like a cilice; but how did you not see God shine forth, in His infinite love, from that garment worn on His holiness on your behalf? "He was wounded through our wickedness, and pierced through our crimes" says Isaiah, who with his prophetic eyes saw that the Son of man had become one huge sore to heal those of men. If they had only bruised My body! But what you most wounded, was My feelings and spirit. You made a laughing stock and butt of both; and you struck Me in the friendship that I had given you, through Judas; in the loyalty that I hoped to receive from you, through Peter who disowned Me; in the gratitude for My favours, through those who shouted at Me: "death to Him!", after I had cured them from so many diseases; through love, because of the torture inflicted on My Mother; through religion, calling Me a blasphemer of God, whereas out of zeal for the cause of God I had put Myself in the hands of man by becoming incarnate, suffering throughout My life and surrendering to human ferocity without uttering a word or complaining. A glance would have been sufficient to incinerate accusers, judges and executioners. But I had come spontaneously to accomplish the sacrifice, and like a lamb, because I was the Lamb of God and I shall be so forever, I allowed men to take Me to be stripped and killed, so that I might make a Life for you of My Flesh. When I was lifted up, I was already consumed by sufferings with no name, with all the names. I began to die at Bethlehem, seeing the light of the Earth, so distressingly different for Me Who was the Living Being in Heaven. I continued to die in poverty, in exile, in flight, in work, in incomprehension, in fatigue, in betrayal, in torn affections, in torture, in falsehood, in blasphemy. I had come to re-unite man to God, and that is what man gave Me! 3 Mary, look at your Saviour. He is not dressed in white, and His hair is not fair. His eyes are not the sapphire hue that you know. His garment is stained with blood, it is worn out and covered with dirt and spittle. His face is tumefied and twisted, His eyes are veiled with blood and tears, and He looks at you through the crust formed by them and by the dust that makes His eyelids heavy. My hands – can you see them? – are one big sore and are awaiting the last Wounds. Look at Me, little John, as your brother John looked at Me. My footprints are stained with blood. Perspiration washes away the blood that drops from the wounds made by the scourges, and that is still left after the agony in the Garden. Words come out of My parched bruised lips in the painful panting of My heart that is already dying through all kinds of torture. From now on you will often see Me like this. I am the King of sorrows and I will come in My regal dress to speak to you of My sorrow. Although you are in agony, follow Me. As I am the Merciful One, I shall be able to put also the scented honey of more serene contemplations before your lips, poisoned by My sorrow. But you must still prefer these ones, smeared with blood, because it is through them that you have the Life, and you will be able to take the Life to other people. Kiss My bleeding hand and be vigilant when meditating on Me, the Redeemer.»


I see Jesus as He describes Himself. This evening I have really been in agony as from 1900 hours (it is 1. 15 a.m. of the 11th, by now).
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

4 Jesus says to me this morning, the 11th February, at 7.30: «Yesterday evening I wanted to speak to you only of Myself, a prey to suffering, because I have begun the description and visions of My sorrows. Yesterday evening it was the introduction. And you were so exhausted, My friend! But before the agony comes back again, I must reproach you gently. Yesterday morning you were selfish. You said to your spiritual Father: "Let us hope that I shall be able to hold out, because my fatigue is greater." No. His is greater, because it is hard and is not compensated by the bliss of seeing visions and of having Jesus present, as you have Him, also in His holy Human nature. Never be selfish, not even in the least things. A woman disciple, a little John, must be very humble and charitable, like her Jesus. And now come and stay with Me. "The flowers have appeared... the pruning time has come... the voice of the little turtle-dove has been heard in the country... " And they are the flowers that have come up in the pools of Blood of your Christ. And He Who will be cut off like a pruned branch is the Redeemer. And the voice of the turtle-dove, calling the bride to a sorrowful holy wedding banquet, is Mine, for I love you. Rise and come, as today's Mass says. Come to contemplate and suffer. It is the gift that I grant My beloved one.»

16th March 1945. 5 There is dead silence in the street. In so much silence there is only the noise of a little fountain, the water of which falls into a stone basin. On the eastern side, along the walls of the houses it is still dark, whereas on the other side the tops of houses are beginning to grow white in the moonlight, and where the street widens out into a little square, the milky silvery moon-beams shine on it, embellishing the stones and the earth of the street. But under the many archivolts linking one house to another, like drawbridges or buttresses supporting the old houses with very few openings on the streets, and which are now all locked and dark as if they had been abandoned, there is complete darkness and the reddish light of the torch held by Simon becomes particularly bright and even more useful. In the red mobile light faces stand out in neat relief and each shows a different mood. The most solemn and calm is Jesus', although tiredness makes it look older, furrowing it with wrinkles that usually are not there and already show the future image of His face recomposed in death. John, who is beside Him, looks around at everything he can see with a surprised sorrowful countenance. He looks like a child who has been terrorised by a story he has heard or by a frightening promise and implores help from someone who is more experienced than he is. But who can help him? Simon, who is on Jesus' other side, looks reserved, gloomy like a man who is turning over dreadful thoughts in his mind. And he is the only one who, after Jesus, looks dignified.

6 The others, in two groups that continuously change in formation, are all in a ferment. And now and again the hoarse voice of Peter and the baritone one of Thomas are raised resounding strangely. They are then lowered, as if they were afraid of what they say. They are discussing what is to be done, and some suggest one thing, some another. But all proposals are dropped, because "the hour of darkness" is really about to begin, and the opinions of men are obscure and confused. «I should have been told earlier» says Peter worriedly. «But no one has spoken. Not even the Master...» «Never! He would never have told you. Brother! You do not seem to know Him!...» «I felt there was some trouble. And I said: "Let us go and die with Him." Do you remember? But, by our Most Holy God, if I had known that it was Judas of Simon...» shouts Thomas in a thunderous threatening voice. «And what did you want to do?» asks Bartholomew. «Me? I would do it even now, if you helped me!» «What? Would you go and kill him? Where?» «No. I would take the Master away. It is easier!» «He would not come!» «I would not ask Him whether He wants to come. I would abduct Him as one abducts a woman.»

«It would not be a wicked idea!» says Peter. And he goes back impulsively, he joins the group of Alphaeus' two sons, who with Matthew and James are whispering to one another like conspirators. «Listen, Thomas says that we should take Jesus away. All together. We could... from Get-Samni through Bethphage to Bethany and from there... to some other place. Shall we do that? Once He is in a safe place, we will come back and wipe out Judas.» «It is useless. The whole of Israel is a trap» says James of Alphaeus. «And now it is about to go off. It was understandable. Too much hatred!» «Matthew! You make me angry! You had more courage when you were a sinner! Philip, tell us what you think?» Philip, who is coming all alone and seems to be talking to himself, looks up and stops. Peter joins him and they whisper to each other. They then arrive at the previous group and Philip says: «I would say that the Temple is the best place.» «Are you mad?» shout the cousins, Matthew and James. «But it is in there that they want Him dead!» «Hush! How much clamour! I know what I am saying. They will look for Him everywhere. But not there. You and John have good friends among Annas' servants. A handsome present... and it is all settled. Believe me! The best place to hide one who is wanted is the jailors' house.» «I will not do it» says James of Zebedee. «But listen also to what the others say. John, first of all. And if they should arrest Him? I don't want anybody to say that I am the traitor...» «I had not thought of that. So?» Peter is at a loss. «Well, I would say that it is compassionate to do one thing. The only thing we can do. Take away His Mother...» says Judas of Alphaeus. «Of course!... But... Who will go? What shall we tell Her? You should go, as you are a relative of Hers.» «I am staying with Jesus. It is my right. You can go.» «I!? I have armed myself with a sword to die like Eleazar of Saura. I will pass through legions to defend my Jesus, and I will strike without restraint. If I get killed by a more numerous force, it does not matter. I will have defended Him» proclaims Peter. «But are you really sure that it is the Iscariot?» Philip asks Thaddeus. «I am certain. None of us has the heart of a snake. He only... Matthew, go to Mary and
tell Her...» «I? Deceive Her? See Her beside we while She is unaware, and then?... Ah! no. I am ready to die, but not to betray that dove...» Their voices mingle in a whisper.

7 «Do You hear? Master, we love You» says Simon. «I know. I am not in need of those words to know. And if they give peace to the Christ's heart, they wound His soul.» «Why, my Lord? They are words of love.» «Of an entirely human love. Truly, in these three years I have done nothing, because you are even more human than at the first hour. This evening, all the filthiest ferments are rising in you. But it is not your fault...» «Save Yourself, Jesus!» says John moaning. «I am saving Myself.» «Are You? Oh! My God, thank You!» John looks like a flower that had withered through excessive heat and becomes fresh again standing straight on its stem. «I will tell the others. Where are we going?» «I am going to My death. You to Faith.» «But did You not say just now that you were going to save Yourself?» The beloved apostle loses heart again. «Yes, I am in fact saving Myself. If I did not obey My Father, I would lose Myself. I obey Him. So I save Myself. But do not weep so! You are not so brave as the disciples of that Greek philosopher, of whom I spoke to you one day. They remained with their teacher, who was dying having taken a potion of hemlock, and they comforted him with their manly sorrow. You... you look like a little boy who has lost his father.» «And is it not so? What I am losing is more than the loss of a father! I am losing You...» «You are not losing Me, because you will continue to love Me. He is lost who is separated from us by oblivion on the Earth and from God's Judgement in the hereafter. But we shall never be separated. Neither by this one or by that one.» But John will not listen to reason.

8 Simon comes closer to Jesus and in a low voice confides to Him: «Master... Simon Peter and... I were hoping to do a good thing... But... Since You know everything, tell me: within how many hours do You think You will be arrested?» «As soon as the moon is at the summit of her arc.» Simon makes a gesture of grief and impatience, not to say of anger. «Then it was all useless... Master, I will now tell You. You almost reproached Simon Peter and me for leaving You so alone these last days... But we were away on Your behalf... For Your sake. Peter, frightened by Your words, came to me on Monday night while I was sleeping and he said to me: "You and I, I can trust you, must do something for Jesus. Judas also said that he wants to attend to it." Oh! why did we not understand then? Why did You not say anything to us? But, tell me, did You not tell anybody? Really? Perhaps You became aware of it only a few hours ago?» «I have always known about it. Even before he became a disciple. And I tried in every way to send him away from Me so that his crime might not be perfect, both from the divine and human points of view. Those who want My death are the executioners of God. This disciple and friend of Mine is also the Traitor, the executioner of man. My first executioner, because he has already killed Me through the effort of having him beside Me, at the table, and having to protect him by Myself against you.»«And does no one know?» «John does. I told him at the end of the Supper. But what have you done?» «And what about Lazarus? Does Lazarus really not know anything? We went to him today, because he came early in the morning, he offered his sacrifice and went back without even stopping at his mansion or going to the Praetorium. Because he always goes there, following a habit of his father. And, as You are aware, Pilate is in town these days...» «Yes. They are all here. There is Rome: the new Zion, with Pilate. There is Israel with Caiaphas and Herod. There is the whole of Israel, because Passover has gathered the children of this people at the foot of the altar of God...

9 Have you seen Gamaliel?»
«Yes, I have. Why are You asking me? I have to see him again tomorrow...» «Gamaliel is at Bethphage this evening. I know. When we arrive at Gethsemane, you will go to Gamaliel and say to him: "You will shortly have the sign that you have been awaiting for twenty-one years." Nothing else. Then you will come back to your companions.» «But how do You know? Oh! my Master, my poor Master, Who has not even the comfort of not being aware of deeds of other people!» «You are right! The comfort of not knowing! Poor Master! Because evil deeds are more numerous than good ones. But I see also the good ones and I rejoice at them.»

«Then You know that...» «Simon, it is the hour of My passion. To make it more complete, the Father is withdrawing His light from Me, as it gets nearer. Before long I shall have but darkness and the contemplation of what is darkness: that is, all the sins of men. You cannot, none of you can understand. Nobody, except who will be called by God for this special mission, will understand this passion in the great Passion, and as man is material even in loving and meditating, there will be who will weep and suffer because of the scourging and the torture of the Redeemer, but this spiritual torture that, believe Me you who are listening to Me, is the most atrocious one, will not be measured... So speak, Simon. Guide Me along the paths where your friendship went for My sake, because I am a poor man who is becoming blind and sees ghosts, not real things...» John embraces Him and asks: «What? Can You no longer see Your John?» «I can see you. But the ghosts rise from the fogs of Satan. Visions of nightmares and sorrows. This evening we are all enveloped in this hellish miasma. It is striving to create cowardice, disobedience and sorrow in Me. It will create disappointment and fear in you, in other people, who are neither fearful nor criminal, it will bring about delinquency and fear. In others, who already belong to Satan, it will give rise to supernatural perversion. I am saying so because their perfection in evil will be such as to exceed human possibilities and achieve the perfection which is always in the supernatural. 10 Speak up, Simon.»

«Yes. As from Tuesday we have done nothing but go around to find out, to prevent, to look for help.» «And what have you been able to do?» «Nothing. Or very little.» «And that little will be "nothing" when fear paralyses your hearts.» «I became irritated also with Lazarus... It is the first time that it happens to me... I was irritated because he seems to be slothful... He could take action. He is a friend of the Governor. He is always Theophilus' son! But Lazarus rejected every proposal of Mine. I left him shouting at him: "I think that you are the friend of whom the Master speaks. You fill me with horror!" and I did not want to go back to him any more... But this morning he sent for me and he said: "Can you still believe that I am the traitor?" I had already seen Gamaliel and Joseph and Chuza, Nicodemus and Manaen, and finally Your brother Joseph... and I could no longer believe that. I said to him: "Forgive me, Lazarus. But I feel that my mind is more deranged now than when I was condemned myself" And it is so, Master... I am no longer myself... But why are You smiling?» «Because that confirms what I said just now. The fog of Satan envelops and upsets you. What did Lazarus say in reply?» «He said: "I understand you. Come today, with Nicodemus. I must see you." And I went, while Peter went to the Galileans. Because Your brother, who is so far away, is more informed than we are. He says that he was informed by chance, speaking to an old friend of Alphaeus and Joseph, a Galilean who lives near the market.» «Oh!... yes... A great friend of the family...» «He is there with Simon and the women. There is also the family from Cana.» «I have seen Simon.» «Well, Joseph was told by this friend of his, who is also a friend of one of the Temple, who has become his relative on women's side, that they have decided to arrest You, and he said to Peter: "I have always opposed Him. But I did it out of love and while He was still Strong. But now that He has become like a child and is a prey to His enemies, I, a relative who has always loved Him, am with Him. It's my duty by blood and by love."» Jesus smiles, showing for a moment the serene face of joyful hours. «And Joseph said to Peter: "The Pharisees of Galilee are wicked like all the Pharisees. But Galilee is not all Pharisees. And many Galileans are here who love Him. Let us go and tell them to gather together to defend Him. We have nothing but knives. But also clubs are weapons when they are handled properly. And if the Roman troops do not come, we will soon get the better of those cowardly cads of the Temple guards." And Peter went with him. In the meantime I went to Lazarus with Nicodemus. We had decided to convince Lazarus to come with us and to open his house to be with You. He said to us: "I must obey Jesus and remain here. To suffer twice as much..." Is it true?» «It is true. I gave him that order.» «But he gave me the swords. They belong to him. One for me, the other for Peter. Chuza also wanted to give me some swords. But... What is the use of two bits of steel against the whole world? Chuza cannot believe that what You say is true. He swears that he knows nothing and that at the court they think of nothing but enjoying the feast... A revelry as usual. So much so that he told Johanna to retire to one of their houses in Judaea. But Johanna wants to remain here, closed in her mansion, as if she were not there. But she will not go away. Plautina, Anne, Nike, and two Roman ladies of Claudia's household are staying with her. They weep, pray and make innocents pray. But it is no time for prayers. It is time for blood. I feel the "zealot" becoming alive in me and I am eager to kill in revenge!...» «Simon! If I had wanted you to die as a damned soul, I would not have freed you from your desolation!...» Jesus is very severe.
«Oh! forgive me, Master... forgive me. I am like an inebriated raving man.» «And what does Manaen say?» «Manaen says that it cannot be true, and if it were, that he would follow You to the scaffold.» «How you all rely on yourselves!... How much pride there is in man! And what about Nicodemus and Joseph? What do they know?» «Nothing more than I do. Some time ago in a meeting Joseph was angry with the Sanhedrin, because he called them killers as they wanted to kill an innocent, and he said: "Everything is illegal in here. He is right when He says that there is abomination in the house of the Lord. This altar is to be destroyed because it has been profaned." They did not stone him, because he is Joseph. But since then they have kept him in the dark about everything. Only Gamaliel and Nicodemus have remained friendly with him. But the former does not speak. And the latter... Neither he nor Joseph have been summoned any more to the Sanhedrin for the really important decisions. It meets illegally here and there, at different hours, for fear of them and of Rome. Ah! I was forgetting!... The shepherds. They are with the Galileans as well. But we are few! If Lazarus had only listened to us and had come to the Praetor! But he would not listen to us... That is what we have done... Much... and nothing... and I feel so depressed that I should like to go around the country howling like a jackal, becoming brutal in an orgy, killing like a highwayman, if only to get rid of this idea that "everything is useless", as Lazarus said, as Joseph and Chuza and Manaen and Gamaliel said...» The Zealot no longer seems himself... «What did the rabbi say?» «He said: "I do not exactly know what Caiaphas' purpose is. But I tell you that what you say is prophesied only for the Christ. And as I do not recognise the Christ in this prophet, I see no reason to be excited. A good man, a friend of God will be killed. But of how many like him has Zion drunk the blood?!" And as we insisted on Your divine Nature, he stubbornly repeated: "When I see the sign, I will believe." And he promised to abstain from voting for Your death and, on the contrary, if possible he will try to convince the others not to condemn You. That, and nothing else. He does not believe! He will not believe! If only nothing happened till tomorrow... But You say it is not so. 11 Oh! what shall we do?!» «You will go to Lazarus and you will try to take as many as possible with you. Not only the apostles. But also the disciples that you will find wandering about the roads in the country. See if you can find the shepherds and order them to do so. The house in Bethany is more than ever the home in Bethany, the house of kind hospitality. Those who do not have the courage to face the hatred of a whole population, ought to take shelter there. And wait...»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

Now that we have entered Holy Week, let us, as far as possible, meditate on the Lord's Passion every minute. Let His Beautiful Face now Crowned with Thorns be ever before our eyes, Sublime Beauty now desecrated for our sake. Let the terrible Pains and loving Griefs in His Sacred Heart, caused by scourging and by hatred, by betrayal and by treason, by lack of love from us, be the object of our contemplation. All this our God and Saviour so lovingly and willingly bore for our sake, to deliver us from our sins and redeem our souls. As He delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and redeemed them from under Pharoah, He has delivered and redeemed us in his own blood from slavery to sin and Satan. If the thought of His Blood, His Wounds on His Hands and Feet, His Pierced Sacred Heart on the Cross, and all His other terrible pangs and sufferings for our sake, and the suffering of the Virgin Mother at the foot of His Cross, is ever before us, it will lead us by degrees to a complete and total contrition for all our sins, and will thus console Him and His Mother abundantly.

«We will not leave You.»«Do not part... Divided, you would be nothing. United, you will still be a power. Simon, promise Me that. You are calm, loyal, you can speak to and influence even Peter. And you have a great obligation towards Me. I am reminding you of it for the first time, to make you obedient. Look, we are at the Kidron. From there you, a leper, climbed up towards Me and you departed cleansed. Give Me that, for what I gave you. Give the Man what I gave man. I am the leper now...» «No! Do not say that!» say the two disciples moaning. «It is so! Peter and My brothers will be the most depressed. My honest Peter will feel like a criminal and will have no peace. And My brothers... They will not have the courage to look at their mother and at Mine... I recommend them to you...» «And what about me, Lord, to whom shall I belong? Are You not thinking of me?» «O My child! You are entrusted to your love. It is so strong that it will guide you as a mother. I give you neither order nor guide. I leave you on the waters of love. They are such a calm and deep river in you, that they raise no doubt in Me about your future. Simon, have you understood? Promise Me, do promise Me!» It is painful to see Jesus so distressed... He resumes: «Before the others come! Oh! thank you! May you be blessed!»

12 They all gather together again in a group. «Let us part now. I am going farther up, to pray. I want Peter, John and James with Me. You, remain here. And if you should be overwhelmed, call us. And be not afraid. Not a single hair of your heads will be hurt. Pray for Me. Lay aside hatred and fear. It will only be a moment... and then it will be full joy. Smile. That I may have your smiles in My heart. And once again, thank you for everything, My friends. Goodbye. May the Lord not abandon you...» Jesus parts from the Apostles and goes ahead, while Peter makes Simon give him the torch after the latter has lit with it some resinous dry twigs, that burn crackling on the edge of the olive grove, spreading a smell of juniper. It grieves me to see Thaddeus cast such an intense and sorrowful glance at Jesus, that the Latter turns round to see who has been looking at Him. But Thaddeus hides behind Bartholomew biting his lips to control himself. With His hand Jesus makes a gesture, which is of blessing and farewell at the same time, and goes on His way. The moon, now very high, with her light encircles His tall figure and seems to make it even taller, spiritualising it, making His red garment brighter and His golden hair paler. Behind Him Peter holding the torch and Zebedee's two son hasten their steps.

They go on until they reach the edge of the first escarpment of the rustic amphitheatre of the olive-grove, the entrance to which is a small irregular plain, and the tiers the several escarpments that rise up the mountain in groups of olive-trees. Jesus then says: «Stop, wait for Me here, while I pray. But do not fall asleep. I may need you. And, I ask you this out of charity, pray! Your Master is very depressed.» He is in fact already in a state of deep depression. He already seems overburdened by a weight. Where is now the virile Jesus Who spoke to the crowds, handsome, strong, with eyes of a ruler, a calm smile, a beautiful resonant voice? He already seems breathless. He is like one who has run or has wept. His voice is tired and exhausted. Sad, sad, sad... Peter replies on behalf of everybody: «Do not worry, Master. We will keep awake and pray. All You have to do is to call us, and we will come.» And Jesus leaves them, while the three stoop to gather leaves and twigs and light a little fire to keep them awake, and as a remedy against the dew that is beginning to fall plentifully. 13 Turning His back to them He walks eastwards, so that the moons shines on His face. I see that a deep sorrow dilates His eyes even more, perhaps it is the dark rings of tiredness that enlarge them, or it is the shadow of the eyebrows. I do not know. I know that His eyes are more open and deeper set. He climbs with His head lowered, only now and again He raises it with a sigh, as if He had difficulty in doing so and were panting, and then He casts His eyes, that are so sad, around the peaceful olive-grove. He climbs up a few metres, He then goes round an escarpment that thus remains between Him and the three apostles left farther down. The escarpment, a few centimetres high at the beginning, rises continuously and is soon more than two metres high, so that it protects Jesus completely from being noticed by more or less discreet or friendly eyes. Jesus goes on as far as a huge rock, that at a certain point blocks the path and has probably been put there to support the slope, that on one side descends more steeply and bare as far as a desolate heap of ruins preceding the walls beyond which is Jerusalem, and on the other rises with more escarpments and olive-trees. An olive-tree, all knots and twisted, dangles right above the huge rock. It looks like a bizarre question mark, placed there by nature to ask some questions. The leafy branches on the top of it answer the questions of the trunk, at times saying yes by bending towards the ground, at times no, swinging from left to right, in a light breeze, which blows through the branches, and at times carries the smell of the earth, at times the bitterish scent of olive-trees, at times the mixed perfume of roses and lilies of the valley, that one wonders where it comes from. Beyond the little path and beneath it, there are more olive-trees and one of them, just under the rock, that has survived although split by lightning, or cleft by some other agent unknown to me, of the original trunk has made two trunks that have come up like the two strokes of a huge block-letter V, with the foliage of one appearing on one side of the rock and that of the other on the other side, as if they wished to see or veil it at the same time, or form a peaceful silvery grey base for the rock. 14 Jesus stops there. He does not look at the town that is visible down there, all white in the moonlight. On the contrary, He turns His back to it and prays with His arms stretched out crosswise, His face towards the sky. I cannot see His face because it is in the shade, as the moon is almost perpendicular over His head, that is true, but there is also the thick foliage of the olive-tree between Him and the moon, that with difficulty filters through the eaves wit tiny rings and needles of light in perpetual movement. A long fervent prayer. Now and again He sighs and utters a word more clearly. It is neither a psalm nor the Our Father. It is a prayer rising from His love and His need. A true conversation with His Father. I understand it through the few words I grasp:

«You know... I am Your Son... Everything, but help Me... The hour has come... I no longer belong to the Earth. Stop all need of help for Your Word... Make the Man satisfy You as the Redeemer, as the Word was obedient to You... As You wish... I ask You to have mercy on them... Will I save them? That is what I ask of You. This I want: that they be saved from the world, from the flesh, from the demon... May I make further requests? It is a fair question, Father. Not for Myself. For man, who was created by You, and who wanted to soil also his soul. I will throw that dirt into My sorrow and into My Blood, so that the incorruptible essence of the spirit, which is pleasing to You, may be reinstated... And it is everywhere. He is the king this evening. In the royal palace and in houses. Among soldiers and in the Temple... The town is full of it, and it will be hell tomorrow...» Jesus turns round, He leans with His back against the rock and folds His arms. He looks at Jerusalem. Jesus' face becomes sadder and sadder. He whispers: «She looks like snow... and she is all sin. And how many I cured in her! How much I spoke!... Where are those who seemed loyal to Me?» Jesus lowers His head and looks fixedly at the ground covered with short grass shining with dew. But although His head is lowered, I understand that He is weeping, because some tears shine when falling from His face on the ground. He then raises His head, He unfolds His arms, He joins them holding them above His head, shaking them while they are so united. 15 He then sets out. He goes back towards the three apostles, who are sitting round the little fire of twigs. And He finds them half asleep. Peter is leaning with his back against a tree trunk, and, with his arms crossed on his chest, he nods in the first drowsiness of a profound sleep. James is sitting, with his brother, on a large root that emerges from the ground and on which they have spread their mantles in order not to feel its ruggedness so much, but although they are not so comfortable as Peter, they are also dozing. James has rested his head on the shoulder of John, who has inclined his on the head of his brother, as if doziness had immobilised them in that posture.

«Are you sleeping? Have you not been able to keep awake for one hour only? And I need your comfort and your prayers so much!» The three wake up with a start and are utterly confused. They rub their eyes. They murmur an excuse, blaming their poor digestion as the cause of their drowsiness: «It's the wine... the food... But it will soon be over. It was only a moment. We did not feel like speaking, and that made us fall asleep. But we will now pray in loud voices and it will not happen again.» «Yes. Pray and be on the alert. For your own sake as well.» «Yes, Master. We will obey You.» 16 Jesus goes away again. The moon, now shining on His face so brightly in her silvery light, that it makes His red garment seem paler and paler, as if she were spreading it with a veil of white shiny dust, shows me His depressed, sorrowful, aged face. His eyes are still dilated, but they seem clouded. His mouth is twisted with tiredness. He goes back to His rock more slowly and stooping more. He kneels resting His arms on the rock, which is not smooth, but at half its height it has a kind of protrusion, as if it had been placed there deliberately, and a little plant has grown on it. I think it is a plant of those little flowers, like lilies, that I have seen also in Italy, with small pulpy leaves, round but with indented edges and tiny little flowers on very thin stems. They look like small snowflakes spraying the grey rock and the little dark green leaves. Jesus lays His hands near them, and the little flowers tickle His cheek, because He rests His head on His joined hands and prays. Shortly afterwards He feels the coolness of the little corollas and raises His head. He looks at them. He caresses them. He speaks to them: «You are here as well!... You comfort Me! These little flowers were also in My Mother's little grotto... and She loved them because She used to say: "When I was a little girl, My father used to say: 'You are a little lily like these and you are completely full of heavenly dew'"... My Mother! Oh! My Mother!» He bursts into tears. His head on His joined hands, a little reclined on His heels, I see and hear Him weep, while His hands squeeze His fingers tormenting them. I hear Him say: [color]«Also at Bethlehem... and I brought them to You, Mother. But these ones, who will bring them to You now?...»[/color] 17 He then resumes praying and meditating. His meditation must be really sad, full of anguish rather than sadness, because, to divert His attention, He stands up, He goes backwards and forwards, whispering words that I do not grasp, raising His face, then lowering it, gesticulating, rubbing His eyes and His cheeks with mechanical agitated movements of His hands, running His fingers through His hair, as is typical of one who is in great anguish. To mention it is nothing. To describe it is impossible. To see it is to share His anguish. He makes gestures towards Jerusalem. Then He begins to raise His arms again towards the sky, as if He wanted to invoke help. He takes off His mantle, as if He were warm. He looks at it... But what does He see?

His eyes see nothing but His torture, and everything serves to increase that torture. Even the mantle woven by His Mother. He kisses it and says: «Forgive Me, Mother! Forgive Me!» He seems to be asking it of the cloth spun and woven by motherly love... He puts it on again. He is a prey to torment. He wants to pray to get out of His state. But recollections, concern, doubts, regrets come back to Him with His prayer... It is an avalanche Of names... towns... people... events... I cannot follow Him because He is fast and desultory. It is His evangelic life that passes in front of Him... and brings Judas, the traitor, back to Him. 18 His anguish is such that, in order to overcome it, He shouts the names of Peter and John. And He says: «They will come now. They are really loyal!» But "they" do not come. He calls them again. He seems to be terrorised, as if He saw I wonder what. He runs fast towards the place where Peter and the two brothers are. And He finds them comfortably fast asleep round a few embers, which are now dying out and show only some red zigzags among the grey ashes. «Peter! I have called you three times! What are you doing? Are you still sleeping? Do you not realise how much I am suffering? Pray. That the flesh may not win, that it may not overwhelm you. None of you. If the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. Help Me...» The three wake up more slowly, but at last they are successful, and with dull eyes they apologise. They get up, sitting up at first and then standing. «Just fancy!» murmurs Peter. «It had never happened to us! It must have been that wine. It was strong. And also this cold air. We covered ourselves not to feel it (in fact they had covered also their heads with their mantles), we did not see the fire any more, we were no longer cold, and so we fell asleep. Did You say that You called us? And yet I did not seem to be so fast asleep... Come on, John, let us get some twigs, let us get a move on. We shall soon be wide-awake. Do not worry, Master, because now!... We will stand up...» and he throws a handful of dry leaves on the embers, and he blows until the flame revives, and he tends the fire with the shrubs brought by John, while James brings a big branch of juniper, or of a similar plant, that he cut off a bush not far away, and he adds it to the rest. The fire blazes gaily, lighting up the poor face of Jesus. A face that is really so sad that one cannot look at it without weeping. All the brightness of that face is cancelled by a deadly tiredness. He says: «I feel an anguish that is killing Me! Oh! yes! My soul is sad even unto death. My friends!... My friends!» But even if He did not say so, His aspect would make one understand that He is really like a man about to breathe his last, and in the most distressing and desolate abandonment. Every word sounds like a sob... But the three are too heavy with sleep. They almost seem to be drunk, so much they stagger about with their eyes half closed... Jesus looks at them... He does not humiliate them by reproaching them. He shakes His head, sighs and goes away to the place where He was previously. 19 He prays once again standing, with His arms stretched out crosswise. Then on His knees, as before, His face bent on the little flowers. He is pensive. Silent... Then He begins to moan and sob loudly, almost prostrated, so much has He relaxed on His heels. He calls His Father, more and more anxiously... «Oh!» He says. «This cup is too bitter! I cannot! I cannot! It is above My power. I have been able to bear everything! But not this... Father, take it away from Your Son! Have mercy on Me!... What have I done to deserve it?» He then collects Himself and says: «But, Father, do not listen to My voice, if what I ask is against Your will. Do not remember that I am Your Son, but only Your servant. Let Your will be done, not Mine.» He remains thus for some time. Then He utters a stifled cry and raises His face, looking very upset. Only for a moment, then He drops on the ground, with His face really on the earth, and remains thus. A worn-out man overburdened by all the sins of the world, struck by all the Justice of the Father, oppressed by the darkness, the ashes, the bitterness, by that tremendous, terrible, most dreadful thing that is the abandonment by God, while Satan torments us... It is the asphyxia of the soul, it is to be buried alive in this prison that is the world, when we can no longer feel any tie between us and God, it is to be chained, gagged, stoned by our very prayers, which fall back on us bristling with sharp points and spread with fire, it is to butt against a closed Heaven, which neither the voice nor the appearance of our anguish can penetrate, it is to be the "orphans of God", it is madness, agony, the doubt of having been deceived so far, it is the persuasion of being rejected by God, of being damned. It is hell!... Oh! I know! and I cannot, I really cannot bear the sight of the cruel suffering of my Christ, knowing that it is a million times more dreadful than the pain that consumed me last year and that still upsets me, when I think of it... Jesus moans, having the death-rattle in His throat and sobbing like one in agony: «Nothing!... Nothing!... Away!... The will of My Father! His will! Only His will!... Your will, Father. Yours, not Mine... In vain. I have but one Lord: the Most Holy God. One Law: obedience. One love: redemption... No. I no longer have a Mother. I have no life any more. I have no divinity any longer. I no longer have a mission. In vain you tempt Me, devil, through My Mother, My life, My divinity and My mission. Mankind is My Mother and I love it to the extent of dying for it. I am giving My life back to Him Who gave Me it and Who is now asking Me for it, the Supreme Master of all living beings. I assert My Divinity, as it is capable of this expiation. I am fulfilling My mission through My death. I have nothing else, except to do the will of the Lord My God. Be off, Satan! I said so the first and the second time. I repeat it for the third time: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by. But let Your will be done, not Mine." Be off, Satan. I belong to God.»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

Then He speaks no more except to say, panting: «God! God! God!», He calls Him at each heart-beat, and at each beat blood seems to flow out of Him. The cloth on His shoulders gets soaked through in it and becomes dark, notwithstanding that the clear moonlight illuminates it completely. 20 A brighter light appears above His head, hanging about a metre above Him, it is so bright that even the Prostrate Master can see it filter through His wavy hair, already weighed down by blood, and notwithstanding the veil of blood covering His eyes. He raises His head... The moon shines on His poor face, and more brightly shines the angelic light, which is like the white-blue diamond of the star Venus. And all the dreadful agony appears in the blood transuding from His pores. His eyelashes, hair, moustaches, beard are sprinkled and covered with blood. Blood trickles from His temples, blood spouts from the veins of His neck, His hands drip blood, and when He stretches His hands towards the angelic light and His wide sleeves slide back towards His elbows, Christ's forearms can be seen sweating blood. Only His tears draw two neat lines in the red mask of His face. He takes off His mantle again and wipes His hands, face, neck and forearms. But His sweat continues. He presses the cloth against His face several times, holding it pressed with His hands, and every time He changes its position, clear impressions appear on the dark-red cloth, and as they are damp, they seem to be black. The grass on the ground is red with blood. Jesus seems on the point of fainting. He unties the neck of His tunic, as if He felt that He was suffocating. He takes His hand to His heart and then to His head and He waves it in front of His face, as if He wanted to fan Himself, with His mouth half open. He drags Himself towards the rock, but closer to the edge of the escarpment, and He leans with His back against it, His arms hanging along His body, as if He were already dead, His head bent on His chest. He moves no more. The angelic light slowly fades away. Later it seems-to vanish in the clear moonlight. Jesus reopens His eyes. He raises His head with difficulty. He looks around. He is alone. But He is less anguished. He stretches out one hand. He draws to Himself the mantle that He had left on the grass and wipes His face, hands, neck, beard and hair again. He takes a large leaf, which had grown on the edge of the escarpment, and is all wet with dew, and He continues to clean Himself with it, wetting His face and hands and then drying Himself again. And He does the same several times with other leaves, until He wipes out the traces of His dreadful sweat. Only His tunic is stained, particularly on the shoulders and at the folds of the elbows, at the neck, waist and knees. He looks at it and shakes His head. He looks also at His mantle. But He sees that it is too stained. He folds it and lays it on the rock, where it forms a cradle near the little flowers. With difficulty, owing to weakness, He turns round and kneels down. He prays resting His head on His mantle, on which He had already laid His hands. Then leaning on the rock He stands up, and still staggering a little, He goes to the disciples. His face is very pale. But it is no longer upset. It is a face full of divine beauty, although it is deadly pale and much sadder than usually.

21 The three are sleeping soundly, all enveloped in their mantles, lying down near the fire, which is out. They can be heard to breathe deeply as they begin to snore loudly. Jesus calls them in vain. He has to bend and shake Peter vigorously. «What is it? Who is arresting me?» the apostle asks as he emerges from his dark green mantle looking bewildered and frightened. «Nobody. It is I calling you.» «Is it morning?» «No. It is almost the end of the second watch.» Peter is completely benumbed. Jesus shakes John, who utters a cry of terror when he sees the face of a ghost – it is as white as marble – bending over him. «Oh!... You looked like dead to me!» He shakes James, who, thinking that his brother is calling him, says: «Have they arrested the Master?» «Not yet, James» replies Jesus. «But get up, now, and let us go. He who is going to betray Me is close at hand.» The three, still drowsy, get up. They look around... Olive-trees, the moon, nightingales, a light breeze, peace... Nothing else. But they follow Jesus without speaking. Also the other eight are more or less asleep around a fire that has gone out. «Get up!» orders Jesus in a thunderous voice. «As Satan is arriving, show him, who never sleeps, and his children, that the children of God are not asleep!» «Yes, Master.» «Where is he, Master?» «Jesus, I...» «But what happened?» And amid muddled questions and answers they put on their mantles again... 22 Just in time to appear in order to the guards headed by Judas, as they burst into the little square lighting it up sinisterly with many torches. It is a horde of bandits disguised as soldiers, who look like jail-birds and grin like devils. There is also an odd champion of the Temple.

All the apostles jump to one corner. Peter in front, the others behind him in a group. Jesus remains where He was. Judas approaches Jesus, enduring the glance of His eyes, which have become the flashing eyes of His best days. And he does not lower his face either. On the contrary, he approaches the Master with the smile of a hyena and kisses His right cheek. «My friend, what have you come for? Are you betraying Me with a kiss?» Judas bends his head for a moment, then raises it... insensible to reproach as to every invitation to repent. Jesus, after the first words uttered with the majesty of a Master, speaks in the sorrowful tone of one who resigns oneself to a misfortune. The guards, shouting, come forward with ropes and clubs and try to get hold not only of Christ, but also of the apostles, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, of course. «Who are you looking for?» asks Jesus calmly and solemnly. «Jesus the Nazarene.» «I am He.»

His voice is thunderous. Before the murderous world and the innocent one, before nature and the stars, Jesus bears this clear, loyal, certain witness to Himself, I should say that He is happy to be able to bear it. But, if He had thrown a thunderbolt, He could not have done more. They all fall to the ground like mown sheaves of corn. No one remains standing except Judas, Jesus and the apostles, who take fresh heart again at the sight of the overthrown soldiers, so much so that they approach Jesus, threatening Judas so explicitly that the latter makes a leap just in time to avoid a masterly stroke of Simon's sword. In vain pursued by the stones and sticks thrown at him by the apostles not armed with swords, he escapes beyond the Kidron and disappears in a dark lane. «Stand up. Who are you looking for? I ask you once again.» «Jesus the Nazarene.» «I have told you that I am He» says Jesus kindly. Yes, kindly. «So, let these others go. I will come. Put away swords and clubs. I am not a brigand. I have always been among you. Why did you not arrest Me then? But this is Satan's hour and yours...» But, while He is speaking, Peter approaches the man who is holding out the ropes to tie Jesus and gives a clumsy blow with his sword. If he had struck him with the point, he would have slaughtered him like a ram. Whereas all he does is to cut off part of his ear that remains hanging down shedding much blood. The man shouts that he is dead. There is chaos because some want to come forward, while some are afraid seeing swords and daggers shine. «Put those weapons away. I order you to do that. If I wanted, I could have the angels of My Father to defend Me. And you, be cured. In your soul first of all, if you can.» And before stretching out His hands to be roped, He touches the ear and cures it.

The apostles shout very unbecomingly Yes. I am sorry having to say so, but it is the truth. Some say one thing, some another. Some shout: «You have betrayed us!», and some: «He is mad!», and some say: «And who can believe You?» And those who do not shout run away and Jesus is left all alone He and the guards. And His way begins.
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Xavier

After the scene of His capture by the soldiers, the Lord gave that message where He said the souls who contemplate His Passion are His comfort. This should remind us that, one of the best ways to continue to fulfill the work our Blessed Mother performed at the Cross, is to meditate on the Passion, and try to console Our Lord Jesus. Excerpts:

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 ...

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 ...

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!

600. The Various Trials. 16th February 1944. 1 Jesus says: You have by now become acquainted with all the sorrows that preceded the Passion proper. I will now let you know the sorrows of My actual Passion. Those sorrows that affect your minds more when you meditate on them. But you meditate very little on them. Too little. You do not consider how much you have cost Me and what torture your salvation involved. You complain of a scratch, of knocking against a corner, of a headache, but you do not consider that My body was one big sore, that those sores were envenomed with many things, that things themselves served to torture their Creator, because they tortured the already tormented God-Son, without any respect for Him Who, Father of Creation, had formed them. But things were not guilty. The guilty one was still and always man. Guilty since the day he listened to Satan in the earthly Paradise. The things of Creation, up to that moment, had no thorns, no poison, no cruelty for man, the chosen creature. God had made that man king, He made him in His own image and likeness, and in His fatherly love He did not want things to be insidious to man. Satan laid the snare. In the heart of man first of all, then, with the punishment of sin, it brought spines and thorns 2 So I, the Man had also to suffer things and be grieved not only by people but also by things. The former insulted and tortured Me; the latter served as their weapons. The hand that God had made for man to distinguish him from brutes, the hand that God had taught man how to use, the hand that God had coordinated with man's mind making it the executor of the commands of the mind, this part, which is so perfect in you and which should have had nothing but caresses for the Son of God, by Whom it had only been caressed and cured, if it was diseased, turned against the Son of God and struck Him with slaps and blows, it armed itself with scourges, it became pincers to tear hair and beard and hammer to drive nails. Man's feet, which should have run nimbly only to worship the Son of God, were swift to come to arrest Me, to push and drag Me along the streets towards My executioners, and kick Me in such a way as would be unfair even with a restive mule. Man's mouth, which should have used words, the endowment given only to man among all animals created, to praise and bless the Son of God, filled with curses and lies and hurled them with its slaver at My person. Man's mind, the proof of his celestial origin, exhausted itself devising tortures of refined rigour.

Man, the whole man made use of himself, in his individual parts, to torture the Son of God. And he called the earth, with its forms, to assist him in torturing. Of the stones of torrents he made projectiles to wound Me; of the branches of trees, clubs to strike Me; of twisted hemp, ropes to drag Me, cutting into My flesh; of thorns, crown of stinging fire for My tired head; of minerals, an exasperscourge; of a cane, an instrument of torture; of the stones in streets, a snare for the unsteady foot of Him Who was going uphill, dying, to die crucified. And things of the sky combined with the things of the earth. The cold at dawn for My body already exhausted by the agony in the garden, the wind that irritates wounds, the sun that increases parching thirst and one's temperature and brings flies and dust, that dazzles tired eyes, which fastened hands cannot protect. And the fibres granted to man to cover his nakedness combine With the things of the sky: with leather, that becomes a scourge, with the wool of a garment that sticks to the sores made by the scourges and causes a rubbing and lacerating torture at each movement.

3 Everything served to torture the Son of God. He, for Whom all things had been created, in the hour in which He was the Victim offered to God, had everything against Him in a hostile manner. Your Jesus, Mary, had no comfort from anything. Everything that exists turned against Me, like fierce vipers, to bite at My flesh and increase My suffering. This is what you ought to think of when you suffer, and comparing your imperfection with My perfection and My sorrows with yours, you ought to admit that the Father loves you as He did not love Me in that hour, and therefore, you should love Him with your whole selves, as I loved Him notwithstanding His rigour.»
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)