April 20, 1946prev home
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Holy Saturday
The words of the Most Glorious Risen One, who nonetheless is having me share in the agony of Our Lady until dawn tomorrow, appearing to me only to give me new life in the triumphal beauty of his Body rising from death.
“For those who may not understand the reasons of infinite mercy for which I do not disclose or accuse or point out before your excessively prompt disdain souls that are imperfect, even blameworthy, I shall recall the final words of the prophecy of Jonah, he who was a figure of Me in being swallowed into the body of the whale: ‘Shouldn’t I show pity to Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than 120,000 people who are unable to distinguish their right hand from their left?’ 229
“And the One speaking to Jonah was the Lord, the Lord of the time of indignation and sternness - it was God the Father.... But I am the Son, who became incarnate and died to bring you forgiveness and love. I am Mercy. I am Love. I am Forgiveness. I am Compassion. I defended the adulteress, not because her sin seemed slight to Me, but because the ones accusing her were not sinless. And one cannot condemn when one is not sinless. I taught you this by that act. I forgave the great sinners that the Gospel makes known to you. For to forgive, to forgive under one’s own protection, is to provide time to be redeemed. I taught you this by such forgiveness and protection. I forgave my crucifiers because ‘they did not know what they were doing.’ They were intoxicated with the ferment of their passions. I taught you this truth by that forgiveness. For all who err are intoxicated with some wicked passion. This does not justify them in their evil action. But Mercy grants forgiveness to give them time and assistance to emerge from their error. Only when ‘everything is finished’ for them, too - that is, earthly life ends, which is a chain of constant acts of mercy by God, a constant protection by the angelic spirit fighting against the infernal one - then Justice succeeds Mercy, out of Justice towards Itself and the just, who must not be equated with sinners.
“Let this make you and those who might be amazed at my behavior towards the souls you know about (Federici, Dora, Antonio, Pia, and so on) understand why Mercy redeeming from condemnatory Justice still superabounds for these souls. And imitate Me in order to be, like Me, clement and gentle in heart and charitable towards your neighbors who are sinners: ‘prayer, suffering, love.’ And do not complain about Me or judge my judgments, which are all just, or my actions, which are all holy and which you are unable to understand with your limited senses and affections.”
And after the Lord, another rebuke from Father Migliorini.... Let us go ahead and collect them with holy mortification! Sooner or later, as happened in Compito on December 19, he will have to say, “Now that I know the truth of all matters, I will formulate a different judgment.” Perhaps he will say this to me when we are both on the other side.... But it does not matter. At some fine moment he will say so! I await that moment. I know how to wait. And I know how to remain silent when I see there is no desire to accept sincere words. Even Jesus remained silent when He understood that it was useless to speak because even the most persuasive, undeniable explanation or assertion of facts which were unfortunately true could not be accepted by his opponent. I will imitate my Jesus by delegating Him alone, my Master and Judge, to defend me and make the truth shine out and provide for me, a spiritual orphan, since Father Migliorini no longer understands me....230
229 Jonah 4:10-11
230 We omit about twenty-two handwritten pages, dated April 21-28, 1946, containing Azariah’s commentary on the Masses for Easter and In Albis Sunday.