Too Much Wrath

From the words I hear, I gather that there has been an incident between the usual Pharisees and Jesus and that the people are upset because of that. Jesus in fact is exhorting them to be peaceful and to forgive, saying that the word of God cannot bear fruit in hearts which are upset.

 

« We cannot bear You to be insulted » shouts someone from the crowd.

 

« Leave it to My Father and yours and imitate Me. Be patient, and forgive. Enemies are not convinced by returning insult for insult.»

 

« They are not convinced either by continual meekness. You are letting them tread upon You » shouts the Iscariot.

 

« My apostle, do not cause scandal by setting an example of wrath and criticism.»

 

« Your apostle, however, is right. His words are just.»

 

« The heart which utters them is not just, neither is the heart which listens to them. He who wants to be My disciple must imitate Me. I tolerate and I forgive. I am meek, humble and peaceful. The children of wrath cannot stay with Me, because they are the children […] of their passions. […] 

 

I do not love cruel people. I do not love proud people. I do not love wrathful, greedy, lustful people. I have not confirmed by word or set an example for you of such things, on the contrary I have always taught you the virtues which are the opposite of such evil passions. 

 

How beautiful is the prayer of our king David, when, re-sanctified by sincere repentance of past sins and by years of wise behavior, he praised the Lord, meek and resigned to the decree by which he was not allowed to be the builder of the new Temple! [...]

 

Then, in His habitual tone, Jesus resumes: « You must always remember that everything is in the hands of God, every enterprise, every victory. Magnificence, power, glory and victory belong to the Lord. And He grants this or that thing to man, if He deems that it is the right time to grant it for a certain good purpose. But man cannot pretend anything. God did not allow David to build the Temple, although he had been forgiven, as he was still in need of victory over himself, after his past errors: “You have shed much blood and fought too many battles; it is not for you to build a house for My Name since you have shed so much blood in My presence. But a son will be born to you and he will be a man of peace... he will therefore be named Peaceful (1)... he shall build a house for My Name.” That is what the Most High said to His servant David. I say the same to you. Are you willing, because of your wrath, not to deserve to build in your hearts the house for the Lord your God? 

 

Reject, therefore, every feeling which is not love. Have perfect hearts, as David invoked for his son, the builder of the Temple, so that, by keeping My commandments and doing every thing according to what I taught you, you may succeed in building within your hearts the abode of your God, while waiting to go yourselves to His eternal joyful house. […] 

 

The misfortunes of the Fatherland, the sorrows of fellow-citizens must always grieve those who are just. Do not measure as other people do, but as God measures, that is, mercifully. What are you, therefore, to do with respect to this Fatherland and these fellow-countrymen, whether by Fatherland and fellow-countrymen you mean the great Fatherland and its inhabitants, the whole of Palestine, or this little one, that is, Capernaum, your hometown, whether you mean all the Hebrews, or these few, who are hostile to Me, in this little town of Galilee? 

 

You must accomplish deeds of love. Endeavor to save Fatherland and fellow-countrymen. How? Perhaps through violence? With scorn? No. By love, by patient love to convert them to God. [...] “If I find one man who does right, I will pardon him.” Strive, therefore, so that hearts may come to justice and become just. […] It is love which you must hand down to posterity and inflame. And to do that you must be inflamed. You must be convinced, heroically convinced, in order to convince. In place of ill manners, in reply to insults, you must have humility and love. And with them you must go and remind of the words of the Lord those who no longer remember them: “We must fear the Lord Who gives us the rain of the early and later season.”»

 

« They would not understand us! On the contrary they would offend us saying that we are sacrilegious, teaching without the right to do it. You know who are the scribes and Pharisees!...»

 

« Yes. I know. But even if I had not known, I would know now. But it does not matter what they are. It matters what we are. If they and priests clap their hands to false prophets who prophesy what gives them some profit, forgetting that hands should be clapped only to the good deeds which the Decalogue commands, that is no reason why my faithful believers should imitate them or feel discouraged and just stand looking, as if they had been defeated. [...]

 

« You must work as hard as Evil works, to build within you and around you the house of the Lord, as I was saying at the beginning. You must act with great holiness so that God may descend again into hearts and on our dear Fatherland, which is already punished so severely and does not know which clouds of misfortune are piling up for her in the north, in the strong country which already rules over us [Rome] and will rule more and more, because the deeds of citizens are such as to disgust the Most Kind Lord and to arouse the strong ruler. And with the indignation of God and of the ruler, do you expect perhaps to have peace and welfare?

 

Be good, children of God. Strive to have not one, but hundreds of good people in Israel, to ward off the dreadful punishments of Heaven. I told you at the beginning that where there is no peace, there can be no word of God, which heard peacefully may yield fruit in hearts. [...] There is too much agitation in hearts...» 

 

1) Peace is shalom; « Solomon » is derived from it

 

From Chapter 445 of The Poem of the Man-God, by Maria Valtorta. 

 

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