Volume 3
- 277. Jesus Sends the Seventy-Two Disciples.
- 281. At the Temple They Are Aware of Ermasteus, of John of Endor and of Syntyche.
- 283. The Mission of Four Apostles in Judaea.
- 284. Jesus Leaves Bethany for Trans-Jordan.
- 285. Arrival at Ramoth with the Merchant from the Other Side of the Euphrates.
- 286. From Ramoth to Gerasa.
- 287. Preaching at Gerasa.
- 288. The Sabbath at Gerasa.
- 289. From Gerasa to the Fountain of the Cameleer.
- 290. Going to Bozrah.
- 291. At Bozrah.
- 292. The Sermon and Miracles at Bozrah.
- 293. Farewell to the Women Disciples.
- 297. The Little Orphans Mary and Matthias
- 298. Mary and Matthias Are Entrusted to Johanna of Chuza.
- 299. At Nain, in the House of Daniel Raised from the Dead.
- 311. John of Endor Will Have to Go to Antioch.
- 312. The Beginning of the Third Year at Nazareth, while preparing for Departure.
- 313. Departure from Nazareth.
- 314. Towards Jiphthahel.
- 315. Jesus’ Farewell to the Two Disciples.
- 316. Jesus’ Sorrow, Prayer and Penance.
- 317. Leaving Ptolemais for Tyre.
- 318. Departure from Tyre on a Cretan Ship.
- 319. Storm and Miracles on the Ship.
- 320. Arrival and Landing at Seleucia.
- 321. From Seleucia to Antioch.
- 322. At Antigonea.
- 324. Return of the Eight Apostles and Arrival at Achzib.
- 328. The Day after at Alexandroscene. Parable of the Vineyard Labourers.
- 329. The Sons of Thunder. Going towards Achzib with the Shepherd Annas.
- 330. The Cananean Mother.
- 331. Bartholomew Has Understood and Suffered.
- 333. Meeting Judas Iscariot and Thomas.
- 334. Ishmael Ben Fabi. The Parable of the Banquet.
- 335. Jesus at Nazareth with His Cousins and with Peter and Thomas.
- 336. The Crippled Woman of Korazim.
- 337. Going towards Saphet. The Parable of the Good Farmer.
- 338. Going towards Meiron.
- 339. At Hillel’s Sepulchre at Giscala.
- 340. The Deaf-Mute Cured near the Phoenician Border.
- 341. At Kedesh. The Signs of the Times.
- 342. Going towards Caesarea Philippi. Peter’s Primacy.
- 343. At Caesarea Philippi.
- 344. At the Castle in Caesarea Paneas.
- 345. Jesus Predicts His Passion for the First Time. Peter is Reproached.
- 346. Prophecy on Peter and Marjiam. The Blind Man at Bethsaida.
- 347. From Capernaum to Nazareth with Manaen and the Women Disciples.
- 348. The Transfiguration and the Curing of the Epileptic.
- 349. Lesson to the Disciples after the Transfiguration.
- 350. The Tribute to the Temple and the Stater in the Mouth of the Fish.
- 351. The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Little Benjamin of Capernaum.
- 352. Second Miracle of the Loaves.
- 353. The Bread from Heaven.
- 354. Nicolaus of Antioch. Second Announcement of the Passion.
- 355. Going towards Gadara.
- 356. The Night at Gadara and the Sermon on Divorce.
- 358. In Matthias’ House beyond Jabesh-Gilead.
- 360. Miracle on the Jordan in Flood.
- 361. On the Other Bank. Jesus Meets His Mother and the Women Disciples.
- 362. At Thomas’ Home In Ramah. The Number of the Elect.
- 363. At the Temple. The “Our Father” and a Parable on True Sons.
- 364. At Gethsemane and Bethany. The boy disciple Marjiam accuses Judas of being a desecrator.
- 365. Letters from Antioch.
- 366. The Thursday before Passover. Morning Preliminaries.
- 367. The Thursday before Passover. At the Temple.
- 368. The Thursday before Passover. Instructions to the Apostles.
- 369. The Thursday before Passover. In Johanna of Chuza’s House.
- 370. The Thursday before Passover. The Evening.
- 371. Preparation Day. The Morning.
- 372. Preparation Day. At the Temple.
- 373. Preparation Day. In the Streets of Jerusalem.
- 374. Preparation Day. The Evening.
- 375. The Sabbath of the Unleavened Bread.
- 376. Mary Has Chosen the Better Part.
- 377. Jesus Speaks at Bethany.
- 378. Towards Mount Adomin.
- 380. The Parable of the Unfaithful Steward. Essenes and Pharisees.
- 381. In Nike’s House.
- 382. At the Ford between Jericho and Bethabara.
- 383. In Solomon’s House. Old Ananias.
- 384. At the Cross-Road near Solomon’s Village. Parable of the Labour Agents.
- 388. Arrival at Engedi.
- 389. Preaching and Miracles at Engedi.
- 390. Elisha of Engedi.
- 391. At Masada.
- 392. At the Country House of Mary Mother of Judas.
- 393. Farewell to Kerioth. Parable of the Two Wills.
- 394. Anne of Kerioth. Farewell to Judas’ Mother.
- 395. Farewell to Juttah.
- 396. Farewell to Hebron.
- 397. Farewell to Bethzur.
- 398. At Bether.
- 399. Jesus at Bether with Peter and Bartholomew.
- 400. Farewell to Bether.
- 401. Simon of Jonah’s Struggle and Spiritual Victory.
- 403. Little Michael and Preaching near Emmaus on the Plain.
- 404. At Joppa Jesus Speaks to Judas of Kerioth and to Some Gentiles.
- 405. In the Estate of Nicodemus. The Parable of the Two Sons.
- 406. At the Estate of Joseph of Arimathea. “If you have as much faith as the size of a mustard seed…”
- 407. In the House of Joseph of Arimathea on a Sabbath. John, a Member of the Sanhedrin.
- 408. The Apostles Speak.
- 409. The Miraculous Gleaning in the Plain.
- 410. The Lily of the Valley.
- 411. In Jerusalem for Pentecost.
- 412. Jesus at the Banquet of Helkai, the Pharisee and Member of the Sanhedrin.
- 413. At Bethany.
366. The Thursday before Passover. Morning Preliminaries.
23rd January 1946.
Dawn is breaking. Men are emulating birds, when they become active flying, working and singing in the early morning. The house at Gethsemane is awaking slowly, but it is forestalled by the Master, Who is coming back from the prayers He went out to say at daybreak, but He may have been out all night praying. The nearby camp of the Galileans on the tableland of the Mount of Olives is slowly awaking, and shouts and calls can be heard in the clear air, and although they are dulled by distance, they are sufficiently distinct to make one understand that the pious pilgrims gathered there are about to resume the Passover ceremonies interrupted the previous evening.
The town awakes, and the clamour begins with which it is filled during these overcrowded days, with the braying of market gardeners' donkeys, and the pressure of lamb vendors at the entrance gates, and with the touching bleating of hundreds of little lambs, which are carried on carts, pack-saddles or on shoulders to their tragic destiny, calling their mothers bleating plaintively, not knowing that they should weep because their lives have come so prematurely to an end. And the clamour increases more and more with the shuffling of feet in the streets and people calling one another from one terrace to another, or from terraces to streets and vice-versa. And the noise, deadened by distance, reaches the calm valley of Gethsemane, like the roar of sea waves.
An early sunbeam strikes one of the precious domes of the Temple and makes it shine as if it were a sun descended upon the earth, a little sun resting on a snow white pedestal, so beautiful although so small. The men and women disciples look at the golden Spot admiringly. It is the House of the Lord! It is the Temple! To understand what that place meant to Israelites it is enough to watch them staring at it. They seem to be seeing the Most Holy Face of God flashing in the glowing gold lit by the sun. Adoration and love for their country, holy pride of being Hebrews are more clearly expressed by their looks than they could possibly be revealed by their words.
Porphirea, who has not been to Jerusalem for many years, is moved to tears and unawares presses the arm of her husband, who is showing I do not know what to her, and she leans a little against him and like a bride, in love with her bridegroom, admires him and is happy to be instructed by him.
In the meantime the other women are talking in very low voices, in monosyllables, asking one another what is to be done during the day, and Anastasica, who feels like a lost stranger, is a little aside, engrossed in her thoughts. Mary, Who was speaking to Marjiam, sees her and approaches her embracing her waist with Her arm. "Are you feeling rather lonely, My dear daughter? You will feel better today. See? My Son is telling the apostles to go to the houses of the women disciples to inform them that they are to gather and wait for Him at Johanna's house in the afternoon. He wants to speak to us women and before doing so He will certainly give you a mother. She is very good. I have known her since I was in the Temple. Even then she acted as a mother to the younger virgins. And she will understand your heart because she has suffered very much, too. My Son cured her last year of a deadly melancholy, with which she was affected after the death of her two sons. I am telling you this so that you may know who will be loving you from now on and whom you will love. But as last year I said to Simon Peter, who was receiving Marjiam as his son, I now say to you: “Do not let this affection weaken your heart in its will to serve Jesus.” If that should happen, the gift of God would be more harmful than leprosy, because it would extinguish in you the good will that one day will give you the possession of the Kingdom."
"Do not be afraid, Mother. As for me, I will turn this affection into a flame to excite myself more and more in the service of the Saviour. I will not grow heavier in it, neither will I make Eliza dull, on the contrary we will support each other and in a holy competition, with the help of the Lord, we will fly along His way."
While they are speaking some old and new disciples arrive from the camp of the Galileans, from the town, from houses spread along the slopes of the Mount, from the hamlet or suburb, whichever it may be, just outside the town, on one of the two roads that from Jerusalem go to Bethany, and precisely on the longer one, which Jesus seldom takes. The last to arrive are Philip with his family, Thomas all alone and Bartholomew with his wife.
"Where are the sons of Alphaeus, Simon and Matthew?" asks Thomas not seeing them.
"They have gone ahead. The last two to Bethany, to tell the sisters to be at Johanna's house in the afternoon. The first two have gone to Johanna and Annaleah, to tell Johanna that I will be at her house this afternoon. We will meet at the third hour at the Golden Gate. In the meantime let us go and give alms to beggars and lepers. Let Bartholomew and Andrew go ahead and buy foodstuffs for them. We will follow them slowly and will stop at the suburb of Ophel, near the Gate, and later we will go to the poor lepers."
"All of us?" ask some, who are not very enthusiastic.
"All the disciples and all the women disciples. Passover has got us all together, as it was never possible before. Let us do together what will be future duties of men and women operating in My Name. Here is Judas of Simon coming in a hurry. I am glad because want him to be with us as well."
In fact Judas arrives panting. "Am I late, Master? It's my mother's fault. Contrary to her habit and to what I told her, she came. I found her yesterday evening in the house of a friend of ours. And this morning she kept me conversing... She wanted to come with me. But I did not let her come."
"Why not? Does Mary of Simon perhaps not deserve to be where you are? She deserves so much more than you do. So run and get her and join us at the Temple, at the Golden Gate."
Judas goes away without objecting. Jesus sets out, He is ahead with His apostles and disciples. The women, with Mary in the middle, are behind the men.