December 19, 1945prev home
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11:30 p.m.
Jesus says:
“Here I am to explain many things. I am not fond of questions, especially from you. You are intelligent enough to understand the responses I give you through the dictations contained in the visions. But here, now that things have turned out as they should, without influencing anyone in any way, I shall speak and explain.
“Your questions - the ones I deem proper to take up - are: 1) Why is there so much difference between Dora’s121 manifestations and yours? 2) Why in the world are these cases becoming so frequent? 3) Could what for the time being has not been seen happen in the future (that is, an accusation against my phenomena)? 4) Will Dora remain in her current state? 5) Why do you feel spiritually detached in this regard, though admitting the supernatural is being manifested in her? 6) Should you keep the card received through an angelic dictation? 7) Is it appropriate for Dora to know you and your work? 8) Why did you wish to see her at the outset and afterwards fail to have this desire any more? 9) Why does the devil torture her in this way? The other questions are childish, and I shall pass over them.
“Now then. You must know that I adapt manifestations to the environment and purpose for which I have inspired them. You received the mission to become a worldwide voice. You must sing the hymn of Mercy and Love, Wisdom and Perfection, for all ears and all hearts, all intelligences and all souls. Therefore, after having prepared you for this capacity - and do not grow proud, for everything you have has been given you by Me for this mission, including illness and being alone, everything - I made you a complete ‘voice,’ a giant - you that are a pygmy. But it’s not you - it’s Me in you. I am the giant, then, my little Christopher who bear Christ but are borne by Him. Dora is destined to bring God to be loved by simple folk who are not even able to say the Our Father and are ignorant of the most elementary notions concerning religion. If she were to speak as I speak to you - I could do so - who would understand her? There are pages which make the learned pensive in what I have said to you. Could they be understood by the simple for whom I made you my instrument? Do you see how good and just God is? And how humble He is? He annihilates Himself, adapting to the instrument and those listening; He bears with gestures of familiarity which He would not endure from you. For you know how to behave, and in you they would be a lack of respect, whereas in Dora they are just instances of naiveté. And they make Me laugh because I seem to be hearing the good-natured Galileans who spoke to me as common people. Not all can be Janes of Cusa? Don’t you think?
“I shall reply to the second question as follows: Providence acts benevolently towards its creatures. General corruption, existing before the war and ever on the increase, the laxity of the clergy, the tremendous war, the pernicious doctrines, the pride of the... experts, or those who think they are, have diminished faith to such a point that it would end up dying of consumption. And - it is painful to say so - the agent doing most damage to their faith is the clergy, on whose faults I have dictated to you many times. Consequently, as on a moonless night the stars light up in greater numbers and even the smallest ones are visible and all of them serve to provide a minimum of light to guide night travelers, in the society of Catholics, who lack greater lights that is, an active clergy - stars and starlets. The last time will be the time of the spirit. And these lights, these voices, will teem to provide guidance for the upright of heart groping in the haze of the forms of materialism, rationalism, and sectarianism in which priests will take an active part. And God will always be known to his children, with his true vitality, not with the cold, automatic mechanism offered by those who no longer believe, though they cry out, ‘Faith! Faith!’ because that is their profession. Oh, what are the ones who cry out that way? Hired mourners or paid barkers? Men and women who, once their work is done, go off, not at all convinced about the worth of what they have exalted or saddened by the pain they have wept over. In truth, in truth I tell you that a ‘little voice,’ even if it makes some grammatical mistakes, but speaks words coming from God, will have more power than the utilitarian and unconvinced action of too great a part of the clergy! For this reason I go and inspire my ‘voices’ here and there. And I will always do so even if I am combatted through them. And the more I see my flock at the mercy of idolshepherds, the more I will do so.
“To the third question I reply, Certainly! It could happen. And the devil will do everything possible to make it happen. I therefore ask you to provide a great deal of assistance to your sister in this mission, who, because of her very ignorance and also because she is less prepared than you - a little warrior who have fought since adolescence, and even before, with Temptation out of love for Me, a little eagle with a solid beak who have endured bites and lost feathers, but you are healed of the Satanic wounds, flying higher and higher over purer and purer peaks so as to be cauterized and medicated by Me, the Sun; she, on account of all of this, is less sensitive than you in feeling and distinguishing, and in reacting, and could be subjected to a craftier assault than the others by the Evil One, who tries to destroy you and her - but you, much more than her, for your range of action is vaster than Dora’s and more powerful. And I state here that it would be necessary for Dora to be nourished very frequently with the Eucharistic Bread. If Satan does not want this, I do. Confession, too, will help her. But only because it will give her peace in the scruples which the Enemy will infuse into her heart. It can thus be less frequent. But let the Eucharist be her strength.
“And here is the fourth question. And I answer: souls are never static. They oscillate from the depths to the heights and vice versa. They sometimes plunge. When pride or deceit or lust enters, driving Me away from the soul. Or they shoot towards Heaven when they immolate themselves according to my example. But these are special cases. In the mass, ups and downs are observed. A soul, when taken to a certain level, can descend or ascend. It does not remain at that level. Dora is at a level which is very susceptible of change. She could be perfected. She could be ruined. Pray a lot. Let Father watch carefully over her humility and sincerity. The devil will try to bring ruin in these two areas.
“5) You could state the entire sentence. And it would be like this: ‘Why am I almost afraid of her?’ And you are afraid this is a sign that you are not in the grace of God. Come on! You are a girl sticking her head under the covers in order not to see the dark! But isn’t darkness thicker under the covers? What are you afraid of? Of what you are? Dora is not like you! Poor Dora! She is the most innocuous being on earth. But Mary, my Mother, was dismayed over the angel, and She was full of grace. What a mystery, for some, this fear felt by my Mother! And yet it is easy to understand. She was the humble one, the hidden one, the consecrated one, the Virgin. The secret is in these four words. And you are the violet of the Cross, the hidden one, the consecrated one. That is why you do not desire social contacts and tremble at being known. That seems to you like being left naked. Do not fear! The veils over your mystical love shall not be lifted. Be at peace! Be at peace! Do not tremble with suffering, O my violet, sister, and spouse. I alone know you. And let it be known that my permission goes as far as I want. The ‘other one’ knows and speaks as long as he can. Do you remember Punturieri?122 Well then? Of what use was he? To bring Giuseppe here and give him to Me. Do you see?
“The sixth question. Yes, keep that little page with your secret papers. Nothing else is necessary.
“Seventh question. No, it is not at all necessary. The stars follow their way even if they do not know or meet each other. Indeed, it’s a disaster if two stars meet in the sky! The two of you have different missions tending towards a single aim. You will meet in the Aim - in Me. It is likewise useless - indeed, it is really not useful - for the directly instructed woman to receive other instructions which would mean only exertion for her limited cultural background and superficial enjoyment. It is like this, at least for the time being. The environment is not suitable, either, for keeping dictations. I will never recommend sufficient moderation and prudence in distributing the notebooks. Since people are slow to seek protection for them, let them be very slow in giving them to one person or another.
“Eighth question. Why I carried out this action in you. The reasons? It is not necessary for Me to explain them. Because it was right to do so, and you, also through my action in you, intuited this after having reflected in vain until the Light came. It would be harmful for you to know one another because both you and she have dealings with a rationalistic world. Do you know what the world would say? ‘See how they exalt each other! This smacks of the middle ages!’ And they would call to mind the Patarinis and their likes, and the Piagnonis and their likes, until finishing with the great names in psychiatry.... Forget about it! Forget about it! Let every fount yield its own flow, without fusing. Similarly, it is also good for your work not to influence or seem to influence hers. Do you have the abundance of the Word? Does she make her voice heard? Very good! Let each remain with what is characteristic of her.
“Ninth question. She is tortured materially because he could not torture her as he tortures you, with a more refined psyche. He is subtle and intelligent with you and goads you in your psychic self. She, a poor creature, would not understand the problems he waves in front of you to bring you doubts and fears, and he thus takes her by the hair and slams her. Well then, pray for her, who will have so much to suffer, so very much, poor Dora! Support her. She is a sister. May she not be lost! May having been called not be harmful for her! You see that Satan was able to inject his venom into the disciples. Pray that this will not happen here. She is in a great test and at a turning point.
“Show Father all of this. But it is a lesson for you and for him, and for no other. Let no one disobey. I do not want them to.
“And now rest. With your body weary. With your soul at peace. Be at peace. I bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(And it is 1:20 a.m. on December 20. I am happy, though, to have received this dictation. And so soon. I thank my Lord for it.)
121 This refers to Dora Barsottelli, who said she was favored by manifestations concerning whose origins the writer harbored apprehension and doubt, as we shall see in the course of the present volume and as can be noted in other writings separate from The Notebooks.
122 See The Notebooks. 1944, note 788.