51.
The Evangelists Saint Matthew (XVII, 14-20), Saint Mark (IX, 13-28) and
Saint Luke (lX, 37--44) relate what occurred as Jesus descended Mount
Thabor with His three Apostles on that same day, the 7th of August.
Harmonizing these texts we teach as follows: They had still not reached
the foot of the Mount when the other Apostles and the disciples came to
meet them, followed by a great multitude of people, many from the nearby
village of Daburiyeh. On seeing the Master they greeted Him, somewhat
fearful and surprised, for His Deific Body yet showed signs of His
Transfiguration and His three companions were as though illuminated. Jesus
found the people disputing with the pharisees, scribes and doctors of the
Law, who usually followed Him to spoil His work. When He asked what the
dispute was about, a man from the village presented Him his son, who was
possessed, and whom the Apostles and disciples that had remained there to
preach had been unable to heal, in spite of having performed other
miracles. In our judgement, however, the principal reason why they had not
cast out the evil spirit was the lack of faith shown by many due to the
confusion sown by Jesus' enemies; and also due to the Apostles' and
disciples' being somewhat humiliated in that difficult situation,
wherefore they had not exhibited courageous faith in the powers given them
by Jesus. The reproaches mentioned by the three Evangelists (Matthew XVII,
16; Mark IX, 18; Luke IX, 41), which Saint Luke expresses thus: "O
faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer
you?", were addressed by Jesus to His enemies and to others of bad
faith, but in nowise to His faithful followers, nor, consequently, to His
Apostles and disciples. We see in the Gospels that Jesus healed the
possessed boy when his father, moved by grace, manifested his faith in Him,
uttering moreover this most inspired ejaculation: "I do believe,
Lord. Help my unbelief". Saint Mark goes on to say: "And when He
was come into the house...", with which we teach that Jesus, shortly
after curing the deranged child, entered the mansion of his father who had
invited Him, and evangelized and baptized all his family. Saint Mark also
relates that in the house His disciples asked Him why they had been unable
to cast out the demon, and Saint Matthew tells it with the same meaning
adding, moreover, that Jesus replied: "Because of your unbelief",
and also that "this kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting".
Thus He taught them that in this way the soul is better prepared to
exercise faith with greater vigour and without hesitation, since to expel
certain spirits an out of the ordinary effort is required, which is only
possible through truly heroic penances. We teach that Jesus permitted
Satan to remain in the body of the possessed boy in spite of the Apostles'
and disciples' having commanded him to depart, in order to show all that
only He, being the Son of God, could not be resisted by anything, not even
by Hell itself. That is why Saint Luke says: "And all were astonished
at the mighty power of God" (Luke IX, 44a). Jesus celebrated the
Jewish Sabbath before sunset on the 7th of August in the synagogue of
Daburiyeh, where He taught the multitudes, many of whom believed in Him.
52.
Saint Mark says: "And departing from thence, they passed through
Galilee: and He would not that any man should know it" (Mark IX, 29).
With these words we teach that Jesus, after preaching in the synagogue of
Daburiyeh, departed from there in the evening of that same day, the 7th of
August, and entered Decapolis, in order afterwards to enter Galilee once
more, by unfrequented paths, on His way to Capharnaum; for He wished to be
alone with His Apostles and disciples to speak of mysteries reserved only
to them, for the time being, such as those of His Passion, Death and
Resurrection. We know through Saint Matthew that He taught these things in
Galilee, for he says: "And when they abode together in Galilee, Jesus
said to them: The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, And
they shall kill Him: and the third day He shall rise again" (Matthew
XVII, 21- 22a). Saint Mark (IX, 30) too, tells it in the same sense. Saint
Luke presents us with the contrast between the joy of the Apostles and
disciples at the marvels worked by Jesus, and the sadness, incomprehension
and fear that overpowered them on hearing the words related to His Passion
and Death: "But while all wondered at all the things He did, He said
to His disciples: Lay you up in your hearts these words, for it shall come
to pass that the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But
they understood not this word: and it was hid from them, so that they
perceived it not. And they were afraid to ask Him concerning this word"
(Luke IX, 44b-45). Saint Mark says also that "they understood not the
word: and they were afraid to ask Him" (Mark IX, 31). And Saint
Matthew that "they were troubled exceedingly", (Matthew XVII,
22). We teach that the Apostles and disciples did not understand how Jesus,
the Son of God, full of power and glory, could acknowledge defeat in the
face of His enemies. Such an idea they rejected as impossible, since,
besides, it frustrated the hopes they had made themselves for the future.
However they did not dare to ask Jesus for explanations lest He reproach
them. This episode occurred on the 9th of August, now close to Capharnaum.
53.
The following day, the 10th of August, there took place in the town what
Saint Matthew relates (XVII, 23-26), the text commencing in this way:
"And when they were come to Capharnaum, they that received the
didrachmas came to Peter and said to him: Doth not your Master pay the
didrachmas?" (Matthew XVII, 23). We teach that the ecclesiastical
tribute of the didrachmas, inspired out of the Law of Moses, was meant for
the maintenance of worship in the Temple of Jerusalem and had to be paid
annually by all Israelites of twenty or more years of age. The priests and
levites were, of course, exempt from the tax because of their dedication
to worship, as also were those who lacked means, as in the case of Jesus,
the Apostles and disciples, who, as religious, lived solely on alms. This
was known by the collectors of the ecclesiastical tribute and therefore,
ever since the foundation of the new Carmelite convents by Christ, they
had never exacted it of them. The tax was usually collected, according to
the region, a few weeks before the feasts of Passover, Pentecost or
Tabernacles, and specifically in Galilee, before this last feast. We
teach, therefore, that in the event ralated in the Gospel, when the
collectors - incited by the Sanhedritic commission of pharisees, scribes
and doctors of the Law - went to Peter's conventual house in Capharnaum to
collect the tribute, they did so with the perverse intention of finding
out Jesus' opinion with regard to it, for they expected Him to oppose it -
for which they could afterwards denounce Him. According to the text of
Saint Matthew, at the question of those collectors, "Doth not your
Master pay the didrachmas?", Peter said that He did; which must be
understood in the sense that Jesus would not oppose the payment of the
tax, an answer in which Peter compromised Him to a certain extent before
the collectors. Saint Matthew goes on to say, for this reason, that when
Peter had entered the house, Jesus said to him: "What is thy opinion,
Simon? The kings of the earth, of whom do they receive tribute or custom?
Of their own children, or of strangers? And he said: Of strangers. Jesus
said to him: Then the children are free" (Matthew XVII, 24-25). With
this He made him see that if a king of the world was not subject to any
tribute, nor his children, then even less so would He be subject, being
God and King of the Universe, and that they, His Apostles and disciples,
for the religious life they led and their dedication to the apostolate,
were the chosen children of the Divine King and were, therefore, exempt
from payment of the tribute for His worship. Jesus concluded by saying:
"But that we may not scandalize them, go to the sea and cast in a
hook: and that fish which shall first come up, take: and when thou hast
opened its mouth, thou shall find a stater: take that and give it to them
for Me and thee" (Matthew XVII, 26). With such conduct Jesus not only
confounded His enemies by paying the tribute for Himself and for Peter,
but He also gave us example of the sacred obligation to contribute to
divine worship. Moreover, through this miracle of the stater, which was
seen by the collectors, Jesus gave an indication of His poverty, as well
as testimony before them of His power as God, to Whom all worship in the
Temple was offered. A stater was the equivalent of two didrachmas.
54.
In the afternoon of that same day, 10th of August, after Peter had paid
the tribute of the didrachmas, there took place in the conventual house
the episode related by the first three Evangelists (Matthew XVIII, 1-35;
Mark lX, 32-36 and 4O-49; Luke lX, 46-48 and XVII, 1-10), in which Jesus
corrected His Apostles for having argued amongst themselves about which of
them would be the greatest, and afterwards taught them several thing, some
of which we shall mention. Harmonizing the above texts, let us consider
what gave rise to the argument. The fact that Jesus chose Peter, James the
Greater and John to go up to the top of Mount Thabor when He was
transfigured, and not all the Apostles, caused some resentment among the
other nine due to the preference shown towards the three, so much so that
they felt slighted. This made them brood about which of the Twelve, after
Peter, would occupy the highest places in the Kingdom Christ was to
establish on earth; and besides, Satan tempted them to ambition. That is
why Saint Luke says: "And there entered a thought into them, which of
them should be greater" (IX, 46). The sadness of the nine Apostles
had, moreover, increased when Jesus, with Peter, James and John, came down
from Thabor, their faces showing that something very great and
supernatural had occurred there - a mystery about which the three Apostles
kept silent as Jesus had commanded. It so happened that when they returned
from Thabor to Capharnaum, Judas Iscariot, who always sought ways to
divide his companions, took advantage of the opportunity to sow discord
among the Twelve. Though not reaching violent degrees - given that Jesus,
though somewhat apart, walked with then - the controversy certainly caused
ill-feeling. In order to know Jesus' opinion, the Apostles asked Him when
in Capharnaum: "Who thinkest Thou is the greater in the Kingdom of
Heaven?" (Matthew, XVIII, 1), referring to the kingdom they expected
Jesus to establish and not to that of eternal happiness. This gave Him the
opportunity, in turn, to ask them: "What did you treat of in the
way?", as Saint Mark says (IX, 32), thereby alluding to the dispute
they had. But they kept silent for fear of reproach. We teach that when
this episode took place the Apostles had a more spiritual idea of the
Kingdom that Jesus was to establish on earth, a Kingdom they already
related with the Church He was to found. For that reason they no longer
shared the Jewish view of a mere political and temporal kingdom.
55.
In view of what had taken place among the Apostles, Jesus saw the need
immediately to teach both them and the people who were then filling the
conventual house, as Saint Mark (IX, 34) says: "And sitting down, He
called the Twelve", whom, according to our interpretation, He placed
at either side of Him. He began His sermon as follows: "If any man
desire to be first, he shall be the last of all and the minister of
all" (Mark IX, 34). In order for them better to understand, He took
one of the children there, whom after embracing He set beside Him in the
midst of all, saying: "Amen I say to you, unless you be converted and
become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the
greater in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew XVIII, 3-4). He thus
referred not to worldly kingdoms but to eternal happiness, whither they
must direct their intentions in order to acquire the true merit worthy of
high degrees of heavenly glory. Jesus then emphasizes His predilection for
exemplary children in suchwise that whatever good is done to them is done
to Him and to Him Who sent Him, as Saint Mark relates: "Whosoever
shall receive one such child as this in My name receiveth Me. And
whosoever shall receive Me receiveth not Me but Him that sent Me"
(Mark IX, 36); and Saint Luke (IX, 48) gives it with the same meaning. At
the same time, Jesus threatened with most severe punishment whosoever
scandalizes any innocent child, as is shown in the texts of Saint Matthew
(XVIII, 6) and Saint Mark (IX, 41). Jesus not only praised the virtue of
exemplary children, but also commanded us to esteem and imitate them
since, because of their virtue, the Heavenly Father delights in them for
their likeness to the angels, whom He requires to keep watch over them and
to protect their innocence in a very particular way. That is the meaning
of the following text of Saint Matthew: "See that you despise not one
of these little ones: for I say to you that their angels in Heaven always
see the face of My Father Who is in Heaven" (Matthew XVIII, 10). We
teach that the child whom Jesus presented as example in this Gospel
passage later on became Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr.
56.
We take the opportunity to teach the following: God has entrusted the
protection of men to angels. Moreover, He assigns to each human being at
the moment of conception, at least one guardian angel, who is to assist
him particularly until the moment of true death, when his mission ends,
and that independent of the good or bad inclinations of each person.
Satan, in turn, by divine permission, has entrusted to the fallen angels
the seduction of men to evil. Moreover, He assigns to each human being at
the moment of conception, at least one of those infernal spirits,
particularly to try to turn him away from good during his earthly life
until the moment of true death, and that independent of the good or bad
inclinations of each person. All this shows once more that the devil is
the `ape of God'.
57.
At another moment of Jesus' sermon in the conventual house on the 10th of
August, He lamented the scandals of the world, which are in fact
inevitable because of the general corruption, the malice of the devil, the
weakness of men and the lack of correspondence of many to grace . He then
gave a series of maxims to follow in order to renounce evil and attain
eternal life, as can be seen for example in Saint Matthew: "Woe to
the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come:
but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy
hand or thy foot scandalize thee, cut if off and cast it from thee. It is
better for thee to go into life maimed or lame than, having two hands or
two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize
thee, pluck it out and cast from thee. It is better for thee having one
eye to enter into life than, having two eyes, to be cast into
hellfire" (Matthew XVIII, 7-9). Saint Mark (IX, 42-47) and Saint Luke
(XVII, 1-2) relate it in the same sense. By these words, which cannot be
interpreted literally, we are shown the violence we must use against the
enemies of the soul in order to save ourselves, and the need therefore at
times of determination greater than that required to pluck out an eye or
to cut off a hand or a foot to save the life of the body. Merely to
practice mortification in daily spiritual life is proof already of the
great effort necessary to preserve the life of grace.
58.
Jesus later spoke of His mission as Redeemer when He said: "For the
Son of Man is come to save that which was lost" (Matthew XVIII, 11).
For all better to understand, He again explained the parable of the lost
sheep, as Saint Matthew recounts (XVIII, 12-14), even though He had
already done so on many occasions, for example some months previously in
one of the synagogues of Jerusalem, according to the version of Saint Luke
(XV, 3-7). Therefore if Jesus anxiously seeks out the sinner in order to
save him, how much more does He desire men to avoid sin, and even more,
not to corrupt one another, but on the contrary to act with integrity so
that there reign in them the innocence of children and it not perish
through scandal, as we interpret from the following text: "Even so it
is not the will of your Father Who is in Heaven, that one of these little
ones should perish" (Matthew XVIII, 1-4).
59.
Another of the themes of the sermon given by Jesus on the 10th of August
in the conventual house concerned fraternal correction and the forgiveness
of sins, as Saint Matthew (XVIII, 15-18) relates: "But if thy brother
shall offend against thee, go and rebuke him between thee and him alone.
If he shall hear thee, thou shall gain thy brother. And if he will not
hear thee: take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell
the Church. And if he will not hear the Church: let him be to thee as the
heathen and publican" (Matthew XVIII, 15-17). With the expression
"if thy brother shall offend against thee", Jesus principally
referred to those public sins committed by members of the Church against
the Faith, the authority of the Pope or his legitimate representatives,
against morals and so forth, which bear the penalty of excommunication.
Therefore the expression "against thee" is equivalent to:
<
60.
Referring to the forgiveness of sins, Jesus, then said: "If thy
brother sin against thee, reprove him: and if he do penance, forgive him.
And if he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day
be converted unto thee, saying: I repent: forgive him" (Luke XVII,
3-4). On the one hand, Jesus addressed these words to priests, for them to
bear them very much in mind in the administration of the Sacrament of
Penance, since the expression "against thee" is also equivalent
to << against the Commandments of God >> whose representative
the priest is. On the other hand, the words must be applied also to
personal offenses among men, offenses they are to seek mutually to
correct. They will always forgive one another when the offender,
repentant, asks forgiveness. In the event of his not asking forgiveness,
the one offended is to forgive him interiorly and pray for him. We teach
that this new teaching surprised many of those who heard it, not excepting
the Apostles. Peter, coming nearer to Jesus with the intention of hearing
it once more from His lips, said to Him: "Lord, how often shall my
brother offend against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus
saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times, but till seventy times
seven times" (Matthew XVIII, 21-22), meaning whenever one's brother
asks forgiveness. Once again Jesus replaced the exaggerated rigour of the
Law of Talion with a law of love.
61.
Before we continue our Gospel narrative it is necessary to speak of the
spiritual chaos that engulfed principally the region of Galilee as a
consequence of the apostasy of a good number of Jesus' disciples, as well
as of many of His other followers. This began after the Sermon of the
Promise of the Eucharist. Of the multitudes who had followed Jesus, only a
few remained firm. The disciples who had apostatized greatly contributed
to that spiritual decay, and were effective instruments in the hands of
the pharisees, scribes and doctors of the Law, and ultimately of the
Sanhedrin. Jesus, Who had chosen Galilee, and especially Capharnaum, as
the centre of His apostolate, and had adopted that town even as His very
own, contemplated with profound bitterness how many of His fellow-
countrymen, who had shared the attentions of His Divine Heart, proved ever
more indifferent and even aggressive. That is why He sought of late to
stay but briefly in that region, and to dedicate more attention to other
places, as is proved, for example, by His journeys to Phoenicia, to
Cyprus, to Decapolis, etc., until He decided finally to leave Galilee once
and for all.
62.
Before doing so, however, He wished to retire and pray in solitude, for
which He chose the very house at Capharnaum, which had a private garden
with trees. He also took advantage of the days of His retreat, which began
on Wednesday the 11th of August, to strengthen the faith of the Apostles
and other religious, given the difficult circumstance created by the
almost general apostasy in Galilee. The Divine Mary did the same for the
women religious. On the 21st of August, after celebrating the Sabbath in
the synagogue of Capharnum, Jesus, accompanied by His Apostles and some of
His disciples, leaving others as customary in the conventual houses,
undertook His last journey through that region, visiting first the towns
most affected by the spiritual crisis, among them Bethsaida Galilee,
Magdala, Corozain and others mostly on the western side of the Lake, all
often visited before by Him and with His teachings and miracles. Jesus'
enemies, ever bolder, and more numerous, spent all their efforts to ensure
that on this apostolic journey He be given a cold reception by the people,
as indeed occurred. The Divine Master, observing the wicked disposition of
many, worked no miracles on this occasion. He limited Himself to appealing
to them once more with love and to making them see the graces He had
poured out, warning that if they failed to correspond to them the divine
wrath would fall upon them.
63.
On Friday the 3rd of September Jesus returned to Capharnaum, and in the
evening, the Jewish Sabbath having begun, He preached for the last time in
the principal synagogue. After a long and emotive exhortation, in which He
allowed His immediate and definitive departure from the town to be
suspected, He reminded all of His Heavenly Father's predilection for them,
and of how they were obliged to correspond to the innumerable graces
received. Finally He foretold the most severe punishment that would befall
them if they did not amend, a punishment referred to in almost the same
terms by Saint Matthew (XI, 20-24) and Saint Luke (X, 13-15), from whose
texts we select: "Woe to thee, Corozain! Woe to thee, Bethsaida! For
if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought
in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. But I say
unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgement than for you. And thou Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted up to
Heaven? Thou shalt go down even unto Hell. For if in Sodom had been
wrought the miracles that have been wrought in thee, perhaps it had
remained unto this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable
or the land of Sodom in the day of judgement than for thee" (Matthew
XI, 21-24). As we see in Jesus' words, Corozain and Bethsaida, for their
hardness of heart were considered worse than the pagan towns of Tyre and
Sidon, since these were favoured neither with His teachings nor with His
miracles, for He had never visited them. And Capharnaum, for its contempt
of grace, was treated worse by Jesus than the ill-fated Sodom since the
latter, had it received the same graces, would have repented of its
iniquity. We see why He says of Peter's hometown, according to our
interpretation, that, after having been "exalted unto Heaven"
(Luke X, 15), now, due to its pride and rejection of God, it will be
"thrust down to Hell" (Luke X, 15), that is, not only would He
treat it with most severe rigour at the Judgement, but it would also
disappear from the earth. Similar punishments would also befall Corozain
and Bethsaida, as well as other places not mentioned in the Gospel rebuke,
one of which was Magdala. We teach that the towns of the Lake of
Genesareth which were cursed were later to be laid waste by Roman troops
in the so-called war against the Jews, shortly before the destruction of
Jerusalem. Although they were later reconstructed partially, they
completely disappeared in the Persian and Moslem invasions, in suchwise
that only insignificant ruins remain. We teach that in this final sermon
in the synagogue of Capharnaum, the Divine Mary and Her two inseparable
sisters Mary Cleophas and Mary Salome were present, as were some of the
other holy women.
64.
On the same 3rd of September, after the sermon in the synagogue, there
took place in the conventual house at Capharnaum, according to our
interpretation, what Saint John (VII, 2-8) narrates. He says first:
"Now the Jews' feast of Tabernacles was at hand. And His brethren
said to Him: Pass from hence and go into Judea, that Thy disciples also
may see Thy works which Thou dost. For there is no man that doth any thing
in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If Thou do these
things, manifest Thyself to the world. For neither did His brethren
believe in Him" (John VII, 2-5). Making a profound study of this text
we teach that after Jesus cursed Capharnaum and the other towns,
discouragement took an even greater hold of the Apostles, since they saw
that His prestige among the people was diminishing in such a way that He
already had almost no followers in Galilee, not realizing that the true
ones had always been few. They also thought that this had partly come upon
Jesus for His not availing Himself of occasions favourable to the
implantation of His Kingdom, which they now considered almost impossible
in Galilee due to the small number of followers. That is why the Apostles,
called "brethren" in the Gospel, suggested to Jesus that He go
into Judea to manifest there His works with the same intensity as in
Galilee. Thus He would achieve greater fame in that region, not only among
His followers whom the Evangelist calls "disciples", but also
among many sympathizers. Besides, since the Apostles' understanding was
blinded, they insisted that should He decide to do so, after having gained
prestige among the multitudes He no longer defer the implantation of His
Kingdom, which is the meaning of the expression "manifest Thyself to
the world" (John VII, 4). The Evangelist, referring principally to
the Apostles, also says: "For neither did His brethren believe in
Him" (John VII, 5), which does not indicate that they had lost faith
in Jesus, but as we have already said, that discouragement blinded them,
to which the bad faith of Judas Iscariot contributed not a little.
65.
The Evangelist goes on to say: "Then Jesus said to them: My time is
not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you:
but Me it hateth, because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof
are evil. Go you up to this festival day: but I go not up to this festival
day, because My time is not accomplished. When He had said these things,
He Himself stayed in Galilee" (John VII, 6-9). In the light of this
text, we teach: When Jesus heard the anxious pretensions of His Apostles,
He said: "My time is not yet come", thereby indicating to them
that for Him to be glorified by His Father and for the Kingdom they
awaited to be made manifest namely the founding of His Church, it was
necessary that He first suffer and die. Besides, He wished them to
understand that the Kingdom for which they yearned was in its most
fundamental aspect already established in souls through Sanctifying Grace,
which is the meaning of the words: "But your time is always
ready", and that they did not duly appreciate that interior kingdom
because of their worldliness and -lack of spirituality. Besides, with His
words He gave them to understand that His Church would always be holy. We
interpret that Jesus then told them that for the present the world would
hate only Him, because He reproached the wickedness of many, that is,
because He was the object of contradiction; but that after His Death they
also would be hated for the same reason Jesus then told them to go on
alone to the feast of Tabernacles, and that he would go later because His
time was not yet come; that is, that it was not the moment to go, for He
wished beforehand to remove from the now apostate town of Capharnaum all
the religious, male and female, and take them to live in Bethany, as we
shall see later, a decision He did not deem prudent to mention beforehand.
66.
On the following day, Saturday the 4th of September, the twelve Apostles
and many of the disciples left for Jerusalem, passing through the
territory of Gerasa, which, as we know, is on the east side of the Lake.
While crossing Decapolis they saw with surprise that a man, invoking the
power of Jesus, freed some possessed persons of evil spirits, and did not
recognize him as one of the formerly possessed men of Gerasa, who, as we
know, was fulfilling the mission entrusted him by Christ of preaching to
the Gentiles. Of this the Apostles knew nothing, and being indignant, they
forbade him to fulfil that mission. Nevertheless he carried on, complying
with the orders of the Master. The formerly possessed man of Gerasa,
though recognizing some of the Apostles, among them Peter, did not reveal
to them the mystery of his apostolate. After this incident the Apostles
and disciples followed the Jordan by land almost as far as Jericho, and
thence to Bethany, hometown of Lazarus. On the following day, the 5th of
September, Jesus sent the remaining male religious, under the authority of
the Holy Prophet Agabus, to that town, and He sent likewise the female
religious, lead by Seraphia. Only to these two did Jesus reveal His
decision to establish them in Bethany, while to the others He merely said
that it was necessary for them to go to the feast of Tabernacles. The
Evangelist Saint John says: "But after His brethren were gone up,
then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but, as it were, in
secret" (John VII, 10), from which we interpret that once the
Apostles and the other religious of the Carmelite communities of both
sexes, whom the Evangelist calls "brethren", had left for
Jerusalem, Jesus, together with His Divine Mother and His aunts Mary
Cleophas and Mary Salome, left to go there on the 6th of September. He
first visited Sephoris since there He wished to celebrate privately, on
the 8th of September, the anniversary of the birth of the Divine Mary. He
then went on to Jerusalem. Saint Matthew also alludes to this journey:
"And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these words, He departed
from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judea, beyond Jordan"
(Matthew XIX, 1), which text indicates how Jesus, after sending His
Apostles and disciples to Jerusalem alone, also went, now leaving Galilee
once and for all. Saint Matthew, moreover, gives us some details about
this journey of Jesus, in which he concurs with Saint Mark, who says also:
"And
rising
up from thence, He cometh into the coasts of Judea beyond the Jordan"
(Mark X, 1a). That is, He spent some days in Bethabara of Peraea before
going up to the Temple, as we shall see later. Saint Luke supplies some
further information: "And it came to pass, as He was going to
Jerusalem, He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee" (Luke
XVII, 11). In the light of this text we teach that after celebrating the
birthday of His Divine Mother, Jesus left Sephoris on the 9th of September
and made for Jerusalem through the plain of Esdrelon, later to enter
Jenin, a town which, although belonging to Samaria, was on the border
between that region and Galilee.
67.
On Friday the 10th of September there took place in Jenin the curing of
the ten lepers, as Saint Luke relates (XVII, 12-19). As the Evangelist
says, one was a Samaritan, and we affirm that the other nine were Jews
from Galilee. It appears strange at first sight that Jesus, before curing
them, should send the lepers to present themselves to the priests, since
the Law of Moses prescribe that they do so when freed of their affliction.
We teach that Jesus acted thus in order first to try the faith of the ten,
for when He said to them: "Go, shew yourselves to the priests",
He was foretelling them that they would be healed on the way, which indeed
took place because they believed in His word. He healed them away from His
presence in order to reveal also whether or not they fulfilled the true
spirit of the Law in this case; for the ten lepers, once healed, before
presenting themselves to the priests, ought first to present themselves to
Him from Whom they had received their health, for He was the Son of God
and Eternal High Priest. We see in the Gospel that only one of them, the
Samaritan, when cured of his leprosy returned and prostrated Himself at
Jesus' feet and gave Him thanks, whereas the other nine did not. This
shows that the one who returned to Jesus concerned himself more with the
giving of glory to God and with his own spiritual health than with the
literal interpretation of the Law, for which he received his well-deserved
praise. On the contrary, Jesus showed His displeasure at the ignoble
conduct of the other nine, who, without considering the duty to give
thanks, followed literally the instructions He had given them, moved by
their concern to be re-incorporated into society after showing themselves
to the priests. We teach that the grateful leper, though a Samaritan, was
by conviction a faithful observer of the Law of Moses. Not only was he
rewarded with Baptism, but also with the grace of a vocation, to which he
corresponded later by joining the disciples.
68.
From Jenin Jesus made for Abelmehola with His Mother and two aunts.
Bypassing the town He crossed the Jordan a little later. Once in Peraea,
He skirted the east bank of the river and reached Bethabara, where He had
been baptized by the Precursor. There He crossed the Jordan once more and
then went to Bethany, hometown of Lazarus, where He arrived on the 18th of
September. He saw with great joy that the male religious were already
lodged in Lazarus' home, and the female religious in that of Simon the
Leper. To that end Lazarus and his two sisters had withdrawn to a dwelling
attached to the house, which allowed them to live apart; and Simon the
Leper had joined the disciples. Some days later Jesus went alone to
Bethabara of Peraea and stayed until He went up to the Temple.
69.
The feast of Tabernacles in the year 33 of the Christian era commenced on
the 29th of September after sunset, when there began the first day of the
feast or fifteenth day of the Jewish seventh month. Consequently, it ended
on the 7th of October at sunset, that is, at the end of the eighth day of
the feast. Let us consider, however, what Saint John says: "The Jews
therefore sought Him on the festival day and said: Where is He? And there
was much murmuring among the multitude concerning Him. For some said: He
is a good man. And others said: No, but He seduces the people. Yet no man
spoke openly of Him, for fear of the Jews" (John VII, 11-13). From
this text one can see that the scribes, pharisees and doctors of the Law,
surprised at not seeing Jesus in Jerusalem but only the Apostles and
disciples, particularly when these, unaware of His whereabouts, could give
no account of Him, searched for Him during the first four days of the
feast. So did many of the pilgrims, some of whom wished to see Him out of
loyalty or curiosity; and others, who waited to dispute with Him. In
general, all spoke of Him, either for or against. Those who spoke well did
so with great caution, for fear of the Master's enemies.
70.
Saint John also says: "Now, about the midst of the feast, Jesus went
up into the Temple and taught" (John VII, 14). This was on the 4th of
October, and although the Evangelist says "went up", we
interpret that of a sudden He set out from Bethabara for the Temple, where
He rejoined His Apostles and disciples, and preached there intensely,
despite the opposition of His enemies, who mortally persecuted Him. Verses
14 to 27 of the same chapter VII of Saint John tell us in general what
Jesus experienced in the Temple on the first day of His visit for the
feast of Tabernacles. As can be seen in those texts, the Sanhedrin had
already planned to kill Him on that occasion. Verses 28 to 31 of the same
chapter of Saint John give some details of the intense apostolate Jesus
accomplished in the Temple on the 5th of October, the second day of His
visit, as well as of His miracles and conversions, because of which all
were speaking of Him. We teach that this led the Sanhedrin to assemble in
order to prepare the capture of Jesus, which they wished to effect on the
6th of October. The Evangelist Saint John narrates the episode: "The
pharisees heard the people murmuring these things concerning Him: and the
ruler and pharisees sent ministers to apprehend Him. Jesus therefore said
to them: Yet a little while I am with you: and then I go to Him that sent
Me. You shall seek Me and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither you
cannot come. The Jews therefore said among themselves: Whither will He go,
that we shall not find Him? Will He go unto the dispersed among the
Gentiles and teach the Gentiles? What is this saying that He hath said:
You shall seek Me shall not find Me? And: Where I am, you cannot
come?" (John VII, 32-36). With that Jesus gave them to understand
that the hour of His death had not yet come, but that it was near; and
that when it arrived He would return to the Father, to Whom they could not
go except through Him. Wherefore they had the opportunity of conversion,
which later on would be more difficult, for they would look for Him and
would not find Him. As we shall see later, the Temple guards, somewhat
affected by the words of the Master, did not dare to apprehend Him,
although we teach that kept Him under constant surveillance.
71.
Saint John gives some details (VII, 37-53) of what took place on the last
day of the feast of Tabernacles, the 7th of October. He begins by saying:
"And on the last, and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and
cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He that
believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith: Out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water" (John VII, 37-38). In these words, Jesus
summed up what had been foretold in the Scriptures about the outpouring of
most abundant graces and charismas upon the members of His Church,
principally beginning with the outpouring of the Spirit upon the Apostles
on the day of Pentecost as the Evangelist clearly affirms when he
interprets the above words of Jesus: "Now this He said of the Spirit
which they should receive who believed in Him: for as yet the Spirit was
not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John VII, 39). Saint
John then relates how the words Jesus had spoken a little while before
deeply penetrated many of His listeners, for some exclaimed: "This is
the Prophet indeed", and others: "This is the Christ". But
Saint John goes on to say that some said: "Doth the Christ come out
of Galilee? Doth not the Scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of
David and from Bethlehem the town where David was?" (John VII,
41-42). With regard to these different opinions, the Evangelist says:
"So there arose a dissension among the people because of Him. And
some of them would have apprehended Him: but no man laid hands upon
Him" (John VII, 43-44). As the sacred text reveals the pharisees, in
order to disqualify Jesus as Messias before the people, reminded them that
the Prophet foretold had to be a Judean and not a Galilean. However, since
many replied that Jesus, though He had lived in Galilee, was known to have
been born in Bethlehem, they - unable to deny this so well-known truth -
once again tried to confuse them, contrasting the poor and humble
condition of Jesus, born in a cave at Bethlehem, with the royal dignity
with which the Messias ought to manifest Himself as descendant of the
House of David and heir to his throne.
72.
After the episode in the Temple, Saint John (VII, 45-49) speaks, according
to our interpretation, of the anger of the newly-assembled Sanhedrin on
the same day, 7th of October, when they learned that the guards had not
seized Jesus. We teach that they had not taken hold of Him because,
attracted by His veracity, they suspected Him truly to be the Messias, as
we discern from their reply: "Never did man speak like this man"
(John VII, 46), to which the pharisees retorted: "Are you also
seduced? Hath any one of the rulers believed in Him, or of the pharisees?
But this multitude, that knoweth not the Law, are accursed" (John
VII, 47-49). After this, Saint John relates the defence of Jesus made by
the secret disciple Nicodemus before the Council of the Sanhedrin, saying:
"Doth our Law judge any man, unless it first hear him and know what
he doth? They answered and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search
the Scriptures, and see that out of Galilee a Prophet riseth not. And
every man returned to his own house" (John VII, 51-53). We teach that
Nicodemus came to the Master's defence in order to give testimony before
the Sanhedrin that, as a principal member of that Council, he indeed
believed in Jesus. We see that he was scornfully accused of being a
disciple of the Lord, when they asked him if he too was a
"Galilean", for it was known that the majority of the Apostles
and disciples came from that region, the Jews despising Galileans because
many Gentiles dwelt amongst them. The Council, moreover, maliciously
having recourse to the Sacred Scriptures, invited Nicodemus to examine
them and see that the Messias would not be born in Galilee, thus
hypocritically feigning ignorance of the Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
However, since the Council expected its false arguments to be refuted
expertly by that distinguished member of the Sahedrin, who would no doubt
be supported by Gamaliel and Joseph of Arimathea, it brought the session
to a close without letting him speak. And as related by the Evangelist,
"every man returned to his own house". That is, they refrained
from capturing Jesus for now and awaited a more opportune moment. After
relating what happened on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles, Saint
John says that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives (John VIII, 1). We teach
that He did this on each day of the feast after visiting the Temple, and
moreover, that His Apostles and some of His disciples accompanied Him.
73.
Before continuing we shall clarify the chronology of the feast of
Tabernacles of the previous year, 32; chronology of which we spoke in
Chapter XXXI of this Treatise when we said that the feast commenced on
Sunday the 11th of October and ended on the 18th of the same month, the
final and principal day of the feast. Consequently, though we said that
the feast of Tabernacles began on the 11th of October, this implicitly
means, in accordance with Jewish custom, that it began after sunset on the
10th, when the first day of the feast - that is, the fifteenth day of the
seventh month - began. For that reason we said that the 18th was the final
day of the feast, and that Jesus commenced a journey in the evening of
that day, that is, after sunset which marked the end of the octave. We
take this opportunity to clarify also what concerns the feast of
Tabernacles of the year 31 of the Christian era, already treated in
Chapter XXX of the present Treatise. When we said that <
74.
On Friday the 8th of October there took place what is mentioned by Saint
John: "And early in, the morning He came again into the Temple: and
all the people came to Him. And sitting down He taught them" (John
VIII, 2), after which he relates the episode of the adulterous woman (John
VIII, 3-11), which we teach occurred during the sermon of Jesus, in the
presence of the Apostles, disciples and a great multitude, in an unpaved
porch of the Temple. We deem opportune to clarify that episode. The
scribes and pharisees brought the sinner to Jesus' with the perverse
intention of laying a most compromising snare for Him; since if He said in
public that she had to be killed for her adultery, they would denounce Him
before the Roman Governor for usurping the power that belonged only to
him, since the death penalty prescribed by the Law of Moses for certain
offenses could not now be carried out without the consent of the Roman
authorities. Besides, with that act of condemnation they would likewise
discredit Jesus before the people, to whom the Master had given so many
proofs of love and mercy. If, on the contrary, He absolved her, they would
denounce Him before all as a deceiver and an enemy of the Law. Finally, if
Jesus excused Himself from making judgement by saying that only the
Governor was able to pass judgement on her, they would likewise discredit
Him before the people, and present Him as an enemy of the Jewish People
and therefore a supporter of the Roman oppression. Jesus, however,
expertly undid the snare of His enemies, giving them to understand that if
the woman had committed adultery, they too had many and grave sins
deserving of punishment, and even of stoning. We teach that for that
reason Christ wrote their sins on the ground, commencing with those of the
eldest, in suchwise that the accusers, seeing their own iniquities
revealed and hearing Christ say: "He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone at her" (John VIII, 7), withdrew one by
one full of shame and horror. The Gospel expression does not imply they
had stones in their hands, nor that they intended to pick up stones to
throw at the woman, for they well knew that they were forbidden to do so
on their own authority. The Evangelist goes on to say: "And Jesus
alone remained, and the woman standing in the midst" (John VIII, 9),
from which it follows that although the accusers were now no longer there,
she continued to be surrounded by many people. We teach that she, on
witnessing the goodness of Christ, moved by grace sincerely repented of
her sins, which she manifested by kneeling at the Master's feet in tears
of gratitude. That is why Jesus said to her: "Woman, where are they
that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?", to which she
replied: "No man, Lord". And He said to Her: "Neither will
I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more" (John VIII, 10-11), telling
her as well that she would soon receive the waters of Baptism.
75.
Following this moving scene, Jesus addressed His divine word to the woman
and to the many there present. Saint Luke (XIII, 23-30), according to our
interpretation, cites part of those divine teachings of Christ in the
porch of the Temple, and begins his Gospel narrative as follows: "And
a certain man said to Him: Lord, are they few that are saved? But He said
to them: Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall
seek to enter and shall not be able" (Luke XIII, 23-24). Later, with
the allegory of the householder, which the Gospel relates, He forewarned
them also of the apostasy of the majority of the Jews, and, if they were
not converted, of how many of the Gentiles would take their places in the
Kingdom of Heaven. He ended with these words: "And behold, they are
last that shall be first: and they are first that shall be last"
(Luke XIII, 30). Saint Luke goes on to say, according to our
interpretation, that while He was speaking, "there came some of the
pharisees, saying to Him: Depart, and get Thee hence, for Herod hath a
mind to kill Thee" (Luke XIII, 31). We teach that the pharisees,
availing themselves of the tetrarch's presence in Jerusalem for the feast
of Tabernacles, tried to intimidate Jesus into leaving the city, telling
Him that the king wanted to kill Him. This was not true, for Herod never
attempted to kill Christ even though he felt an irresistible rejection of
His divine doctrine, so much opposed to the depraved morals of the
monarch. Nonetheless Jesus, to show that He feared nothing and also to
make clear His reproach of Herod for his vices, said to them: "Go and
tell that fox: Behold, I cast out devils and do cures, today and tomorrow,
and the third day I am consummated. Nevertheless, I must walk today and
tomorrow and the day following, because it cannot be that a prophet
perish, out of Jerusalem" (Luke XIII, 32-33). This He said mainly to
give the pharisees, and in short the Sanhedrin, to understand that nothing
would now impede His preaching in Jerusalem, neither for the feast of
Tabernacles, nor for the following feasts of Dedication and Passover, and
that in the last of these He would die; that is, that He would come to
Jerusalem for the other two feasts until they killed Him, since, because
of its hardened impiety, that city was the fitting one in which to be
killed, as it had been for some of the prophets also immolated there.
Jesus, overwhelmed by sorrow, then said: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that
killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood under her
wings, and thou wouldest not? Behold your house shall be left to you
desolate. And I say to you that you shall not see Me till the time come
when you shall say: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the
Lord" (Luke XIII, 34-35). With these words He not only lamented over
the city, but also reproached it for its perversity, as well as holding it
responsible for the corruption and apostasy of the Jewish People. He thus
prophesied as well its destruction, and consequently that of the Temple,
which would soon be deprived of the presence of His Most Divine Soul,
present there under the appearance of Sacred Fire. Besides, following its
deicide, that People would not recognize Him as the Son of God until His
glorious Second Coming was at hand, which is the meaning of the verse:
"You shall not see Me till the time come when you shall say: Blessed
is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Luke XIII, 35);
indicating, as well, that in Jerusalem they would acclaim Him with that
eulogy before killing Him.
76.
On the 9th of October Jesus, with His Apostles and disciples, again
visited the Temple, and preached in the gazophylacium where the offerings
were made, an episode related by Saint John (VIII, 12-20). who begins with
these words: "Again therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the
Light of the world. He that followeth Me walketh not in darkness, but
shall have the light of life"(John VIII, 12). We teach that since the
Temple was illuminated in a special way during those feast days, Jesus saw
the opportunity once more to declare Himself Light of the World, and
thereby to exalt Himself - the true and inextinguishable Light - above the
ephemeral Jewish spiritual light, represented by the illumination of the
temple. We see that in the course of His sermon He reproached the
pharisees listening to Him for their hypocrisy and pride, which were the
cause of their not having acknowledged Him as Messiass despite the
testimony He had given in favour of Himself through His teachings and
miracles, and the testimony which, by the divine virtue of those deeds,
had been given in His favour by His Father. He warned, moreover, that if
they did not acknowledge the Envoy, neither would they acknowledge Him Who
sent Him. The Evangelist says that during His sermon "no man laid
hand, on Him, because His hour was not yet come" (John VIII, 20).
77.
The last days that Jesus preached in the Temple during His stay in
Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles were Sunday the 10th and Monday the
11th of October, and what He said is narrated by Saint John (VIII, 21-59).
The teaching the Master gave on the Sunday afternoon, which the Evangelist
includes in verses 21 to 29, was addressed principally to the pharisees,
scribes and doctors of the Law, for on that occasion a good number of them
had assembled. Saint John identifies them using the term "Jews".
We teach that during the sermon, in which Jesus spoke to them, among other
things, of the mystery of His Divine Person, of His Messianic work and of
His mission as Redeemer, He gave them a very special opportunity of
conversion, filling them with inspirations and interior lights. That is
why those who were better disposed, though not understanding all they
heard, accepted the teaching, as did the simple folk present; for the
Evangelist relates that "when He spoke these things, many believed in
Him" (John VIII, 30). Jesus afterwards left for Bethany with His
Apostles and disciples.
78.
In the afternoon of the following day, the 11th of October, Jesus, with
His Apostles and disciples, again went up to the Temple, where there took
place what Saint John narrates in verses 31 to 59 of chapter eight of his
Gospel. We teach that the pharisees, scribes and doctors of the Law who
had believed because of the sermon of the previous day sought Jesus, Who
exhorted them to perseverance, saying, among other things: "If you
continue in My word, you shall be My disciples indeed. And you shall know
the truth: and the truth shall make you free" (John VIII, 31-32).
However some of them, induced by the pharisees who always had opposed the
teachings of Jesus, replied: "We are the seed of Abraham: and we have
never been slaves to any man. How sayest Thou: You shall be free?"
(John VIII, 33); thus pretending not to understand that the Master
referred to freedom from slavery to sin by means of grace. For that reason
He stressed it even more, saying that "whosoever committeth sin is
the servant of sin. Now the servant abideth not in the house forever: but
the son abideth for ever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you
shall be free indeed" (John VIII, 34--36). That is to say, only those
who through grace break with slavery to sin will possess divine sonship,
and consequently will be rewarded afterwards with heavenly glory,
impossible to attain except through the Onlybegotten of God. Then Jesus,
principally addressing the pharisees and other enemies who were present to
oppose Him and confuse those who had manifested belief in Him, said:
"I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill
Me, because My word hath no place in you" (John VIII, 37), thereby
giving them to understand that they were so only according to the flesh,
and not the spirit. Wherefore, among other things, He denounced them
publicly as children of Satan, for they acted as hypocrites and liers,
whereas Abraham had not, because he had God as Father. Once more Jesus
gave testimony to them of His Messiahship, with these words: "For
from God I proceeded and came. For I came not of Myself: but He sent
Me" (John VIII, 42), at once stressing that they, nonetheless,
refused to accept His word and believe in Him, proving that they were not
sons of God. Jesus' enemies, ever more obstinate and furious, called Him
"Samaritan" and <
79.
On the morning of the 16th of October there took place the curing of the
man born blind, related by Saint John (IX, 1-41). We teach that Jesus,
with His Apostles and disciples, set out from Bethany for the Garden of
Olives, taking the way that led to the Valley of Cedron. Passing by the
pool of Siloe He saw a man blind since birth called Sidonius, thirty years
old, who was begging alms. The Apostles, as the Evangelist says, when they
saw the blind man, asked Jesus: "Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man or
his parents, that he should be born blind?" (John IX, 2), since it
was very common among the Jews to attribute illnesses and other
misfortunes to one's personal sins or to those of one's forebears; and
some were of the opinion, also, that illness was the consequence of sin
that would be committed in the future. That mentality betrayed their false
and overstrict concept of the justice of God, Who often permits men to be
tried in this way, not necessarily because of their sins but, among other
reasons, to make reparation for the many offenses He receives from
mankind. We know, however, that human suffering is always the result of
original sin. The question they put to the Master does not reveal that the
Apostles believed a child could commit sin before the use of reason, as
some rabbis believed. All of this prompted Jesus to reply that neither he
nor his parents had sinned, but that he was blind in order that the glory
of God be manifested in him, saying to them also: "I must work the
works of Him that sent Me, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no man
can work" (John IX, 4). He thus taught them that while He remained on
earth He had to continue working so that they might believe in Him,
because at His Death His Messianic work would come to an end. We see why
He also says to them: "As long as I am in the world, I am the Light
of the world" (John IX, 5), giving them to understand that as long as
He was in the world He had to give testimony of the Truth, and that after
His Death He would no longer do so directly but through His Church. Let us
consider how the blind man was healed. Saint John relates that Jesus
"spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and spread the clay
upon his eyes, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, which is
interpreted, Sent. He went therefore and washed: and he came seeing"
(John IX, 6-7).
