The vision was left interrupted by the letter from Father Migliorini I received from Rome, and Jesus said to me, “Open it and read it.” I did so. And I frankly did not know how to answer.... As I was thinking it over, while rereading it, the most beloved voice of my Lord was so close behind me that it caused me to give a start. He said:
“In my name reply to him as follows:
“Wisdom states and the Gospel states, in such a way that you cannot deny these words in view of their holiness, ‘Jesus taught in his native town, Nazareth, and in their synagogues.... And they were scandalized by Him.... And on account of their incredulity He did not work many miracles there’ (Matthew and Mark).... ‘And Jesus went to Nazareth, where He had been raised, and entered the synagogue and got up to read.... And He said, “No prophet is accepted in his home town....” And the people in Nazareth, filled with indignation, pushed Him to the top of the mountain and wanted to hurl Him down” (Luke). ‘He then began to reproach the cities in which He had worked many miracles and which had not repented, saying, “Woe to you, Chorazin; woe to you, Bethsaida... and you, Capernaum... for you have not converted to the Lord” ’ (Matthew). ‘And Jesus said, “Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you.... Your house will thus be left deserted, and you will not see Me again until the day when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’ ” ’ (Luke). ‘And Jesus, on seeing Jerusalem, wept over it and said, “Oh, if only you knew...! You have not recognized the time in which you have been visited by the Lord” ’ (Luke).234
“That’s it, as stated. Bethlehem did not want the Lord. Nazareth did not want the Lord. Capernaum did not deserve the Lord, nor did Bethsaida and Chorazin. And Jerusalem hated the Lord because ‘it did not recognize Him in his Word.’ There are many ‘christs’ and many who set against the christs and their missions what the cities of Palestine set against their Savior and Master. Say this, and say, ‘Let those understand who have ears capable of understanding, and let those possessing intelligence reflect and those possessing charity act.’
“The rest remains a lesson between you and Me, O my spokesman, and may my peace, my grace, and my love and that of the Father and the Spirit be with you.”
And we resumed seeing....235
234 Matthew 11:20-24, 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:14-30, 13:34-35, 19:41-44.
235 We omit about seventy-four handwritten pages containing the rest of the episode mentioned above in note 232, as well as five other episodes from The Third Year of the Public Life written between May 22 and June 3, 1946. A long series of subsequent texts written between 1946 and 1948 and found in multiple notebooks from that period also pertain to Maria Valtorta’s life of Christ and are not included in this volume.