Live for the Destination

435. Jesus and His Mother Converse.

15th May 1946.

I do not know whether it is the evening of the same Sabbath. I know that I see Jesus and Mary, sitting on the stone seat against the house, near the door of the dining-room, from which comes the faint light of an oil lamp placed close to the door. The little flame palpitates in the air, rising and sinking, as if it were breathing. It is the only light in the moonless night: a faint light visible in the kitchen garden where it illuminates the small strip of ground before the door and dies on the first rose-bush in the flower-bed. But the feeble light is sufficient to illuminate the profiles of the Two engaged in intimate talk in the calm night full of the scent of jasmines and other summer flowers.

They are speaking of their relatives… of Joseph of Alphaeus persistently stubborn, of Simon not very brave in his profession of faith, overwhelmed as he is by his eldest brother, who is as overbearing and obstinate in his ideas as his father was. It is the great sorrow of Mary Who would like all Her nephews to be disciples of Her Jesus.

Jesus comforts Her and to excuse His cousin He points out his strong Israelitic faith: "An obstacle, You know? A real obstacle. Because all the formulae and precepts form a barrier against the acceptance of the Messianic idea in its truth. It is easier to convert a heathen, provided his spirit is not completely corrupt. A heathen ponders and sees the good difference between his Olympus and My Kingdom. But Israel… the more learned part of Israel… finds it difficult to follow the new concept!…"

"And yet it is always that concept!"

"Yes. It is always that Decalogue, those prophecies. But their nature has been perverted by man. He has taken them, and from the supernatural spheres - where they were, and has brought them down to the level of the Earth, in the atmosphere of the world, he has handled them with his humanity altering them… The Messiah, the spiritual King of the great Kingdom - which is called Kingdom of Israel, because the Messiah is born of the throne of Israel, but it would be more correct to call it: the Kingdom of Christ, because Christ centralises the better part of Israel, both past and present, and sublimates it in His perfection of God-Man - according to them the Messiah, cannot be the meek poor man, without yearning after power and riches, obedient to those who rule over us by divine punishment, because obedience is holiness when it does not invalidate the great Law. We can therefore say that their faith works against the true Faith.

Of such stubborn people convinced that they are right, there are many… in every class… and even among My relatives and apostles. Believe, Mother, that their dullness in believing in My Passion lies in that. Their errors in valuation originate from that… Also their obstinate aversion to consider Gentiles and idolaters, not looking at man, but at the spirit of man, that spirit which has only one Origin and to which God would like to give only one Destiny: Heaven. Take Bartholomew… He is an instance. Very good, wise, willing to do everything to honour and comfort Me… But before, I will not say an Aglae or a Syntyche, who is already a flower compared with poor Aglae, whom penance only restores from filth to a flower, but not even before a child, a poor child whose lot excites pity and whose instinctive modesty draws admiration, does his disgust for the Gentiles vanish, neither does My example convince him, nor My words that I have come for everybody."

"You are right. Nay, Bartholomew and Judas of Kerioth, the two most learned, or at least: the learned Bartholomew, and Judas of Kerioth, who I do not know to which class he belongs exactly, but who is imbued and saturated with the air of the Temple, are the most resistant. But… Bartholomew is good and his resistance can still be excused. Judas… no. You heard what Matthew, who went to Tiberias on purpose, said… And Matthew is a man of experience, particularly of that life… And the remark of James of Zebedee is correct: “Who is it that gives so much money to Judas?” Because that life costs… Poor Mary of Simon!"

Jesus makes His gesture with His hands, to say: "It is so…" and He sighs. He then says: "Did You hear that? The Roman ladies are at Tiberias… Valeria has not told Me anything. But I must know before I resume My journey. Mother, I want You to come to Capernaum with Me for some time… You will then come back here, I will go towards the Syro-Phoenician border, and I will come back to say goodbye to You before going down towards Judaea, the obstinate sheep of Israel…"

"Son, I will go tomorrow evening… I will take Mary of Alphaeus with Me. Aurea will stay with Simon of Alphaeus, because her staying here with You for several days would certainly be criticised… Such is the world… And I will go… To Cana as first stage, then at dawn I will leave and stop at the house of the mother of Salome of Simon. Then I will set out again at sunset and we will arrive at Tiberias in daylight. I will stay in the house of Joseph, the disciple, because I want to go personally to Valeria's house, and if I went to Johanna's, she would want to go… No. I, the Mother of the Saviour, will appear in her eyes, different from the disciple of the Saviour… and she will not say no to Me. Do not be afraid, Son!"

"I am not afraid. But I am sorry for all Your trouble."

"Oh! to save a soul! What are twenty miles in a good season?"

"It will also be a moral strain. To beg… perhaps to be humiliated…"

"A passing trifle. But a soul remains!"

"You will be like a lost swallow in corrupt Tiberias… Take Simon with You."

"No, Son. Just the two of us, two poor women… But two mothers and two disciples. That is, two great moral strengths… I will not be long. Let Me go… Just bless Me."

"Yes, Mother. With all My heart as Son, and with all My power as God. Go and may the angels escort you along the way."

"Thank You, Jesus. Well, let us go in. I will have to get up at dawn to prepare everything for those who leave and for those who are staying. Say the prayer, Son…"

Both Jesus and Mary stand up and they say together the Our Father… They then go back into the house, they close the door… the light disappears and human voices are heard no more. Only the rustling of the breeze among the leaves can be heard and the soft gurgling of the water in the fountain basin…