Jesus, with the twelve toward Samaria

 


Jesus is with his twelve apostles. The place is still mountainous; however, the road being comfortable enough, they are all in a group talking to each other.

-Now that we are alone, we can say, "Why so much rivalry between two groups? - says Philip.
-Rivalry? it is nothing but arrogance! - Judas of Alphaeus refutes.
-No. I say that it is only a pretext to justify in some way their unjust conduct towards the Master. Under the veil of zeal for the Baptist, they manage to drive him away without upsetting the people too much," says Simon. -I would unmask them.

-We, Peter, we would do many things that he does not do.
-Why doesn't he do them?
-Because he knows that the right thing to do is not to do them. We are only to follow him, it is not for us to lead him. And we should be glad of it. It is a great rest to have only to obey.....
-You have spoken well, Simon," says Jesus, who was in front, thoughtfully, "It is so, as you said; to obey is easier than to command. It doesn't seem so, but that's how it is. Well, of course, it is easy when the spirit is good, just as it is difficult for an upright spirit to command; for if he is not upright, he orders things that are foolish, or worse than foolish. In that case it is easy to command and much more difficult to obey. When one has the responsibility of being the first in a place or in a group of people, one must always keep in mind charity and justice, prudence and humility, temperance and patience, firmness - but without stubbornness. It is difficult, yes. You, for the moment, you only have to obey: God and your Master.

You, and not only you, wonder why I do or do not do certain things; you wonder why God allows or does not allow such things. Look, Peter, and all of you, my friends. One of the secrets of the perfect faithful consists in never self-elevating to question God. "Why do you do this?": asks one unformed one to his God, and it seems as if he were putting on the role of an experienced adult before a schoolboy to say, "This is not done, it is foolishness, a mistake." Who can out-God God?

As you can see, I am now rejected under the pretext of zeal for John. This scandalizes you, and you would like me to rectify the error and put myself in a polemical attitude against those who express this reason. No. No. Never. You have already heard what the Baptist, through the mouth of his disciples, said: "He must increase and I must decrease". That is to say, there is no nostalgia, there is no clinging to one's own position. The saint is not attached to these things, he does not work with a view to the number of his "own" faithful; he does not have his own faithful; he works to increase the number of God's faithful. God alone has the right to have the faithful.

 Therefore, in the same way that I do not grieve that, in good or bad faith, some remain with the Baptist, neither does he grieve - you have already heard him - over the fact that disciples of his come to me; he is detached from these numerical trifles. He sets his gaze on Heaven, as I do. Do not, then, be quarrelling among yourselves as to whether it is right or wrong for the Jews to accuse me of snatching disciples from the Baptist, or whether it is right or wrong for these things to be allowed to be said. Disputes of this kind are typical of chattering women around a fountain. The saints help each other, give each other and exchange spirits with jovial ease, smiling at the idea of working for the Lord.

I have baptized, indeed, I have put you to baptize, because the spirit is now so heavy that it is necessary to present it with material forms of piety, of miracles and of teaching. Because of this spiritual heaviness, I will have to resort to the help of material things when I want you to work miracles. But, believe me, the proof of holiness will not be in oil, nor in water, nor in ceremonies. The time is coming when an impalpable thing, invisible, inconceivable to materialists, will be queen, the "restored" queen, mighty in all that is holy, holy in all that is holy. Through her man will be re-established as a "child of God" and will work what God works, because he will have God with him.

Grace: this is the queen that is returning. Then baptism will be a sacrament. Then man will speak and understand the language of God, and Grace will give life and Life, will give the power of knowledge and potency; then? oh! then!....

 
But you are not yet mature enough to understand what Grace will grant you. I beg you to help its coming with a continuous work of formation of yourselves, and to abandon the useless things proper to mean men....

There you see the boundary of Samaria; do you think it right that I should come near to speak?
-Oh!
Everyone, more or less, is scandalized.
-Truly I tell you, there are Samaritans everywhere. If I didn't have to speak where there was a Samaritan, I wouldn't have to speak anywhere. Come, then. I will not try to speak, but I will not refuse to speak about God if I am asked to do so. One year has ended, the second begins; it is straddling the beginning and the end. At the beginning the Master predominated, now, mark you, the Savior is revealed; the end will have the face of the Redeemer. Let us go. The river increases in flow as it approaches the mouth; as I, who increase the work of mercy because the mouth is already near."

-After Galilee, are we going to go to some mighty river? To the Nile? To the Euphrates? some comment in a low voice. -Perhaps we are going to the land of the Gentiles? - others reply.

 -Don't whisper. We are going to my mouth, that is, towards the fulfillment of my mission. Pay close attention to me, for then I will leave you, and you must go on in my name.