“Do Not be Afraid, Little Flock.”

An overview of a chapter from Maria Valtorta’s Poem of the Man-God. 

 

Jesus is on a hill near the western edge of the Sea of Galilee, teaching his apostles and disciples. He continues to speak to them while they take some food and rest in a thicket. He says that man should only worry about becoming rich in virtues rather than in worldly goods, progressing without anxiety or fearful haste. If he makes an error, he should remain peaceful; being angry with oneself is a symptom of pride and lack of confidence. Be humble and serene, even if defeated by some weakness. Be active in spiritual matters the way worldly people are with their bodies. 

 

In fact, as far as your bodies are concerned, do not imitate those who are always trembling about their future. They worry about being taken ill, about dying, about losing their goods to enemies, or about lacking things that are superfluous. Do not be anxious about what to eat or drink or wear and other necessities of life. The spirit is more important than the body, and the body is worth more than the garments that clothe it. The mortification of your bodies will help your souls to attain eternal life. Only God knows how long He will let your souls remain in your bodies, and until the hour of separation He will provide for what is necessary. 

 

He does so even for crows, which eat the carrion of dead animals. And their reason for being is to remove such putrefying matter. These impure birds have neither larders nor granaries, yet God takes care of them. So how could God neglect you, even in the matter of clothing? The lilies of the valleys perform no work except to raise their pleasing scent to the Most High, yet the Lord gives them growth and garbs them more beautifully than any of the robes of Solomon [Luke 12:27]. 

 

On your own, you cannot add a tooth to a toothless mouth, or lengthen a shortened leg by even an inch, or make an eye see brighter. If you cannot do such things, how can you think that by yourselves you can hold back miseries and disease, or turn the dust of the earth into food. No, you cannot do such things, but do not be lacking in faith, because you will always have what your need. 

 

So stop worrying like worldly people, who only strive to satisfy their pleasures. Your Father in Heaven knows what you need. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added to you [Luke 12:31; Matt. 6:33].

 

Do not be afraid, little flock. Our heavenly Father has been pleased to call you to His kingdom. Therefore, aspire to it, and assist Him with your good will and holy deeds. Thieves cannot break into heaven, and its treasures and purses never fail. Wood-worms cannot reach them. Keep heaven in your hearts, and your hearts in heaven, near your true treasures. 

 

Jesus is silent for a moment. Peter has been listening so intently as to forget to finish his food. He takes advantage of this silence to ask the Lord if this teaching is for everyone, or just the apostles and disciples. The Lord responds that while it is for everybody, it is primarily for those who have been chosen as stewards of the Master. They are to be twice as vigilant, both as stewards and as simple believers.

 

The more one is aware of the will and the mind of his Teacher, the more one is expected to fulfill it faithfully. Much is asked of him who has been given much. The more that is entrusted to his care, the more he must return. The stewards of the Lord will be held to account even to the soul of an hour-old infant. 

 

Jesus explains that to be His follower does not mean relaxation in the cool air of a flowery wood. He has come to bring fire upon the earth, and what else does He desire except that it be ignited. This is why He tires Himself, and wants His followers to also tire themselves, even until their death, until the entire earth is a “celestial bonfire!” He is to be baptized with a baptism, such that He is distressed until it is accomplished. But through it He will be able to make His followers and stewards fire-bearers and yes, agitators, who will act in and against every social stratum, to make of it one thing only, the flock of Christ. 

 

Truly, it is not restful to serve the Lord, according the worldly meaning of that word. Heroism and unwearying effort are required. But at the end it will be He Himself who will gird His waist and serve His disciples. He will sit with them at the eternal banquet where all labors and sorrows are forgotten. 

 

An overview of part of Chapter 275 of the Poem of the Man-God by Maria Valtorta. 

 

View my Catholic writings Here.