*Barely a glimmer of light. At the door of a wretched cabin—and I speak thus because calling it a house would be too much honor—stand Jesus with His followers, Jonah, and other poor peasants like him. It is the moment of farewell.*
*"Shall I not see You again, my Lord?" asks Jonah. "You have brought light to our hearts. Your goodness has made these days a festival that will last a lifetime. You have already seen how we are treated. The donkey receives more care than we do, and the tree is treated more humanely: they are worth money; we are merely millstones that yield profit, used until we die from excessive toil. But Your words have been like many caresses of wings. Bread has tasted more abundant and better because You savored it with us—this bread that our master does not even give to his dogs. Come share it with us again, Lord. Only because it is You do I dare say this. To anyone else, offering shelter and food that even a beggar despises would be an insult. But You..."*
*"But I find in them a heavenly fragrance and flavor, because in them are faith and love. I will come, Jonah. I will come. Stay where you are, bound to the cart like a draft animal. May the place where you are be your Jacob's ladder. Truly, between Heaven and you, angels come and go, intent on gathering all your merits and taking them to God. But I will come to you to console your spirit. Remain faithful to Me, all of you. Oh! I wish I could give you a peace that was human too, but I cannot. I must tell you: suffer a while longer. And that is sad for One who loves..."*
*"Lord, if You love us, it is no longer suffering. Before, we had no one to love us... Oh, if only I could at least see Your Mother!"*
*"Do not be distressed. I will bring Her to you. When the weather is milder, I will come with Her. Do not give cause for inhuman punishments out of eagerness to see Her. Know how to wait for Her as one waits for the rising of a star, the first star. She will appear before you unexpectedly, just like the evening star that is not seen now and immediately afterward glimmers in the sky. And remember that even now She pours out Her gifts of love upon you. Farewell to you all. May My peace serve as a shield for you against the cruelties of those who afflict you. Farewell, Jonah. Do not weep. You have waited for many years with patient faith; I now promise you a very short wait. Do not weep. I will not leave you alone. Your goodness wiped away My childhood tears; is Mine not enough to wipe away yours?"*
*"Yes... but You are leaving... and I am staying..."*
*"My friend Jonah, do not make Me depart burdened with the weight of not being able to comfort you..."*
*"I am not weeping, Lord... But how will I be able to live without seeing You now that I know You are alive?"*
*Jesus caresses the desolate old man once more and then steps away; but at the edge of the wretched threshing floor, standing erect, He opens His arms, blessing the countryside. Then He sets out on His way.*
*"What is the meaning of what You have done, Master?" asks Simon, who noticed the unusual gesture.*
*"I have placed a seal upon all things, so that the wicked cannot harm these unfortunate people by damaging them. More than this I could not do..."*
*"Master... let us walk ahead. I would like to tell You something without the others hearing us."*
*They separate further from the group, and Simon speaks.*
*"I wanted to tell You that Lazarus has orders to use the money to relieve all those who appeal to him in the name of Jesus. Could we not set Jonah free? That man is broken; his only joy is having You. Let us give it to him. What can You expect from his labor here? Your disciple would be free in this plain, so beautiful yet so desolate. Here, the richest in Israel own optimal lands, which they squeeze by cruelly exploiting the workers, demanding a hundredfold from them. I have known this for years. You will be able to remain here for only a short time because the sect of the Pharisees rules in this place, and I do not think they will ever be Your friends. The most wretched in Israel are these oppressed workers without light. You have heard it yourself: not even for Passover do they enjoy peace and prayer, while cruel masters, with grand gestures and studied postures, place themselves in the front row among the faithful. At least they will have the joy of knowing that You are alive, the joy of hearing Your words repeated by someone who will not alter a single iota of them. If it seems good to You, Master, give the order, and Lazarus will act."*
*"Simon, I had already understood why you were letting go of everything. I am not ignorant of the thoughts of man. And this has been one of the reasons why I have loved you. By making Jonah happy, you make Jesus happy. Ah, how it anguishes Me to see the good suffer! My condition as a poor man, despised by the world, anguishes Me only for this reason. If Judas heard Me, he would say: 'Are You not the Word of God? Order the stones to turn into gold and bread for the needy.' He would repeat the snare of Satan. I truly desire to satisfy hungers, but not as Judas would wish. You are still too unformed to understand the depth of what I say. But I tell you: if God remedies everything, He would commit a deprivation against His friends; He would deprive them of the ability to be merciful, and thus to obey the commandment of love. My friends must share this sign of God with Him: holy mercy, manifested in deeds and words. And the misfortunes of others provide My friends with the means to exercise it. Have you understood this thought?"*
*"It is profound. I meditate on it. And I humble myself, realizing how dull I am and how great God is, who wants us to possess all His sweetest attributes so that we may be called His children. God reveals Himself to me in His multiform perfection through each of the lights You diffuse into my heart. Day after day, like one walking through an unknown place, my knowledge of this immense Thing that is Perfection—which wants to call us 'children'—increases. And I seem to be ascending like an eagle, or plunging like a fish, into two fathomless depths like the sky and the sea, climbing higher and higher, diving deeper and deeper, without ever reaching the limit. But then, what is God?"*
*"God is unattainable Perfection, God is absolute Beauty, God is infinite Power, God is incomprehensible Essence, God is unsurpassable Goodness, God is indestructible Compassion, God is immeasurable Wisdom, God is Love made God. He is Love! He is Love! You say that the more you know God in His perfection, the more you seem to ascend or submerge into two fathomless depths of shadowless blue... When you understand what Love made God is, you will no longer ascend, you will no longer submerge into that blue, but into an incandescent whirlpool of flames, and you will be drawn into a beatitude that will be death and life to you. You will possess God fully when, by your own will, you have managed to understand Him and merit Him. Then you will remain fixed in His perfection."*
*"Lord!..." Simon feels overwhelmed.*
*Silence falls. They reach the road. Jesus stops to wait for the others.*
*When the group gathers once more, Levi kneels:*
*"I must leave You, Master, but Your servant raises a plea to You: Take me to Your Mother. This man is an orphan like me. Do not deny me what You give to him, to be able to see the face of a mother..."*
*"Come. I grant in My Mother's name what is asked in My Mother's name..."*
*Jesus is alone. He walks quickly through groves of olive trees laden with well-formed olives. The sun, despite waning, pierces the gray-green canopy of the precious, peaceful trees, but only penetrates the lattice of their branches with tiny eyes of light. The main road, on the other hand, boxed in between two slopes, is a ribbon of dusty, dazzling incandescense.*
*Jesus walks and smiles. He reaches a cleft in the terrain... and smiles even more brightly. Nazareth is there... Oppressed by the glaring heat of the sun, it seems almost to vibrate. Jesus descends even faster. He reaches the road, no longer minding the sun. He seems to fly in his haste, with his cloak—placed over his head for protection—billowing and fluttering at his sides and behind Him. The road is deserted and silent up to the first houses. There, the voice of a child or a woman can be heard coming from inside the houses or from the orchards, whose tree foliage hangs even over the road. Jesus takes advantage of these patches of shade to avoid the relentless sun. He turns down a small street that is half in shadow. There, women gather around a cool well. Almost all of them greet Him, voicing their joy at His return.*
*"Peace to you all... But... keep quiet. I want to surprise My Mother."*
*"Her sister-in-law just left with a fresh pitcher, but she has to return; they ran out of water. The spring is dry, or it disappears into the scorching ground before reaching your orchard; we don't know. Mary of Alphaeus was just saying so. Look, here she comes."*
*The mother of Judas and James approaches with a water jar on her head and another in each hand. She does not see Jesus immediately and calls out:*
*"This way I can hurry faster. Mary is very sad because her flowers are dying of thirst. They are still Joseph's and Jesus's flowers, and her heart breaks seeing them wither."*
*"But now that she sees Me..." says Jesus, appearing from behind the group.*
*"Oh, my Jesus! Blessed are You! I am going to tell her..."*
*"No. I will go. Give me the water jars."*
*"The door is only ajar. Mary is in the orchard. Oh, how happy she will be! She was talking about You this morning too. But to have come in this sun!... You are dripping with sweat! Are You alone?"*
*"No. With friends. I came ahead to see My Mother first. And Judas?"*
*"He is in Capernaum. He goes frequently..."*
*Mary says no more, but she smiles as she wipes Jesus's damp face with her veil.*
*The water jars are now full. Jesus, using His belt, balances two of them over His shoulders and carries the other in His hand.*
*He walks, turns a corner, reaches the house, pushes the door, enters the small room—which appears dark compared to the harsh sun outside—slowly lifts the curtain covering the door to the orchard, and looks.*
*Mary is standing near a rosebush, her back to the house, sorrowful over the thirsty plant. Jesus sets the water jar on the ground, and the copper clinks against a stone.*
*"Back already, Mary?" says the Mother without turning. "Come, come! Look at this rosebush, and these poor lilies; they will all die if we do not help them. Bring some small stakes to support this stem that is falling."*
*"I bring you everything, Mama."*
*Mary turns suddenly. She stands astonished for a second; then, letting out a cry, she runs with open arms toward her Son, who has already opened His own and awaits her with a smile that is all love.*
*"My Son!"*
*"Mama! Dear Mama!"*
*The display of affection is long and sweet, and Mary is so happy that she does not see or feel how sweaty Jesus is. But then she realizes:*
*"Why, Son, at this hour? You are flushed red and sweating like a sponge. Come, come inside; let Mama dry you and refresh you. Now I will bring you a new tunic and clean sandals. But Son! Why do You travel the roads in this sun? The plants die from the heat, and You, my Flower, on the roads...!"*
*"To arrive sooner, Mama!"*
*"Oh, my dear One! Are You thirsty? Of course You are. Now I will prepare..."*
*"Yes. For your kiss, Mama. For your caresses. Let me stay like this, with my head on your shoulder, as when I was small... Oh! Mama! How much I have missed you!"*
*"Just tell me to go, Son, and I will go! What have you lacked because of my absence?: food to your liking?, fresh clothes?, a well-made bed? Oh, tell me, my Joy!, what have you lacked? Your servant, oh my Lord!, will try to remedy it."*
*"Nothing apart from you..."*
*Jesus, who has re-entered the house holding His Mother's hand, has sat on the bench against the wall and now looks intently at Mary. He has her in front of Him, encircled by His arms. His head rests against her heart, and from time to time He kisses her. He says:*
*"Let Me look at you. Let Me fill My eyes with you, my holy Mama!"*
*"First the tunic. It is not good to be so wet. Come."*
*Jesus obeys. When He returns with a fresh tunic, the gentle conversation continues.*
*"I came with disciples and friends. But I left them in the forest of Melca. They will come tomorrow at dawn. I... could wait no longer. My Mama!..."—and He kisses her hands—"Mary of Alphaeus stepped aside to leave us alone; she too understood My thirst for you. Tomorrow... tomorrow you will belong to My friends and I to the Nazarenes. But today you are My Friend and I am yours. I have brought you... Oh, Mama!, I met the shepherds of Bethlehem, and I have brought two of them to you: they are orphans and you are the Mother, the Mother of all, and even more so of orphans. And I have also brought one who needs you to overcome himself; and another who is a righteous man and has wept; well,... and John... And the memory of Elijah, Isaac, Tobias (now Matthias), John, and Simeon. Jonah is the most wretched. I will take you to him; I promised him. I will keep looking for others. Samuel and Joseph are in the peace of God."*
*"Were you in Bethlehem?"*
*"Yes, Mama. I took the disciples I had with Me there. I bring you these little flowers, born among the stones at the entrance."*
*"Oh!"—Mary gathers the dried stems and kisses them—"And Ann?"*
*"She died in Herod's massacre."*
*"Poor thing! She loved You so much!"*
*"The people of Bethlehem suffered greatly and have not been fair to the shepherds. They have suffered much..."*
*"But with You back then they were good!"*
*"Yes. For this reason they should be pitied. Satan is envious of that goodness of theirs and instigates them to evil. I have also been to Hebron. The shepherds, persecuted..."*
*"So much?"*
*"Yes. Zechariah helped them, and thanks to him, they were able to have masters and bread, even if those masters were harsh. But they are souls of the righteous, and out of persecutions and wounds they have crafted stones of holiness. I gathered them. I healed Isaac and... and I gave My Name to a little child... In Juttah, where Isaac was consuming himself and where he has been reborn, there is now an innocent group called Mary, Joseph, and Jesai..."*
*"Oh, Your Name!"*
*"And yours, and the Just One's. And in Kerioth, the homeland of a disciple, a faithful Israelite died against My heart out of the joy of having found Me... And also... I have so many things to tell you..., my perfect Friend, sweet Mother! But first of all, I implore you, I ask you to have great pity on those who will come tomorrow. Listen: they love Me, but they are not perfect. You, Teacher of virtue... Mother, help Me make them good...! I would like to save them all...!"—Jesus has slid down to Mary's feet. Now She appears in Her majesty as Mother.*
*"My Son! What can your poor Mama do that You cannot?"*
*"Sanctify them... Your virtue sanctifies. I brought them to you on purpose. Mama... one day, before the urgency of sanctifying spirits, seeing in them the desire for redemption, I will say to you: 'Come.' I alone will not be able to... Your silence will be as active as My word. Your purity will aid My power. Your presence will keep Satan at bay... Your Son, Mama, knowing you are near, will find strength. You will come, will you not, my sweet Mother?"*
*"Jesus! Love! Son! I do not feel You are happy... What is wrong, Creature of my heart? Has the world been harsh with You? No? Believing so brings me comfort... but... Oh! Yes. I will go. Wherever You wish, however You wish, whenever You wish—even now, under the sun, under the stars, or through ice or downpours. Do You want me with You?: here I am."*
*"No. Not now. But one day... How sweet the house is! And your caress! Let Me sleep like this, with My head on your lap. I am very tired! I am still your little Son..."*
*And Jesus indeed falls asleep, tired, exhausted, sitting on the mat with His head on His Mother's lap, while She affectionately strokes His hair.*