Through the season of Lent 2006 Scoop will be publishing a serialisation of Katya Rivas’s "The Passion". Readers can sign up to receive the serial by email at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dailykatya/. To order a video about Katya's work see… http://www.apleatohumanity.com/
The Medallion of the Apostolate of the New Evangelization
The Passion
Reflections that Jesus makes on the mystery of His suffering and the value it has on the Redemption.
Cochabamba — Bolivia
Spanish Editions: 1996 and 1998
English 1st Edition - November 1999
The
Passion
Extract 8
Jesus
After having been comforted by My Father’s messenger, I saw that Judas, followed by all those who would apprehend Me, was approaching Me. They had ropes, sticks, and stones… I stepped forward and told them: “Who are you looking for?” While Judas, with a hand on My shoulder, kissed Me…
So many souls have sold Me and will sell Me for the wretched price of a delight, for a momentary and passing pleasure… Poor souls, those that look for Jesus, as the soldiers did.
Souls whom I love; you, who come to Me and receive Me in your bosom, who tell Me so many times that you love Me…will you hand Me over after you receive Me? In the places that you visit there are stones that wound Me, there are conversations that offend Me, and you, who have received Me today lose the beautiful whiteness of Grace there.
Why do the souls who know Me, hand Me over this way when on more than one occasion they boast of being pious and practicing charity? All things that truly could help you acquire greater merits… What are they to you but a veil to cover your crime of treasuring goods on earth?
Be watchful and pray! Fight without rest and do not let your bad inclinations and defects become habitual.
Look, it is necessary to cut down the grass every year and possibly even during the four seasons. You have to work the land and clear it. You have to make it better and take care to pull out the weeds that sprout up in it.
You also have to take care of the soul with much diligence and you must straighten out the twisted tendencies.
Do not believe that the soul who sells Me and gave itself to grave sin, started with a grave sin. Usually the great fall started with something little: something the soul enjoyed, a weakness, an illicit consent, a pleasure that is not forbidden but that is not very convenient… In this way, the soul starts blinding itself, it diminishes in Grace, the passion strengthens, and lastly, it conquers.
Understand this: if it is sad to receive an offense and ingratitude from any soul, it is more so when it comes from My most beloved, chosen souls. However, others can do reparation and console Me.
Souls, you whom I have chosen to make My resting place, the garden of My delights, I expect from you greater tenderness, more gentleness, and a lot more love.
I expect you to be the balm that heals My wounds, to clean My face made ugly and dirty; to help Me give light to so many blind souls that in the darkness of night apprehend Me and bind Me to give Me death.
Do not leave Me alone… Wake up and come, for My enemies are arriving!
When the soldiers came close I said: “I am!” These same words I repeat to the soul who is about to fall into temptation: ”I am,” there is still time and if you want, I shall forgive you. And instead of you tying Me up with the ropes of sin, I am He who shall tie you up with the bond of Love.
Come, I am He who loves you; the One who has so much compassion for your weaknesses; the One who is anxiously waiting to receive you in His arms.
The episode of My capture, well examined, has a lot of importance. If Peter had not given that blow to Malchus, I would not have had the opportunity to call to your attention the method I want you to use in fighting for Me.
Then I made use of a proverb to admonish Peter and I restored Malchus’ ear because I do not like violence, being that I am the Lord of liberty. But notice that apart from doing this, I expressed to Peter the firm desire that My Passion be completed and I made him contemplate the fact that if I wanted, the Father would defend Me with His Angels.
See how many things in just one episode? But the main thing is precisely the lesson that I had to give to all of you about fighting your enemies. Whoever is like Me does it thus: he allows himself to be taken where they want to take him, because he will have strength in the moments which are not those sought by the world (by man), by human experience, and by the astuteness of self-love.
No, whoever is like Me shall stay in the situation where he is placed and will receive unknown but vigorous strength to dominate his suppressors. My true disciple does the most improbable things without interrupting in the least My designs for him. The world pleases itself with singularities, in excelling, and showing its own superiority. This is the spirit that I have fought and conquered. That is why I told you all to take courage, because having conquered it, that world can now do nothing to cut its unity with Me provided that you do not unite with it. If you do, you would have to suffer the consequences with the added difficulty that since I Myself oppose its victory with the weapons of the world, many times you will have as adversaries the world and Me - the world because of its selfish love, and Me for pure Love, for Love of your true well- being.
Therefore, no blows like Peter’s to the ears of your enemies without full acceptance of the Chalice that I offer you. A Chalice in which you should see My Will as I saw that of My Father when I asked the beloved Peter: “Do you not want Me to drink from this Chalice that My Father gives Me?”
Always meditate on My Passion, but penetrate intimately into My Spirit and obtain the impressions that are wholesome and incite you to imitate Me. Naturally, I am He who works these things in you but you must apply yourselves and, later, you will attain what I say.
Ah! If man could only understand this aspect of My Passion! How much easier it would be to yield and relive My Life!
Go ahead, My children, everything is a question of love, not of anything else. Of love and My work that I want to accomplish in you, and of you always loving Me more. Stop reasoning in a human way; open your mind to My world, to the one that I have with you. This is important!
You are Mine for three reasons: because I created you from nothing; because I redeemed you; and because you shall receive part of My Crown of Glory. That is why you must remember that I care for you for these three reasons, and that I could never lose My interest in whom I have created, have saved, and in whom shall be My Glory.
You are driven to this path and you must travel it all. As it was for Me, it will not only be good for you but also for many of your brothers who should receive from Me, through you, Grace and Life.
Advance, because I delight Myself in it; learn, because Love wants to possess you completely.
I give you My Blessing, full of promise. I give it to all of you with the power that I enjoy as a man, power that is yours, and joy that I shall award with the prize, which shall confirm My infinite Love for you.
My hour had come; the hour in which I had to consummate the sacrifice, and I surrendered Myself to the soldiers with the meekness of a lamb.
EDITOR’S NOTES: Through the Christian season of Lent 2006, Scoop will be publishing a series of daily reflections on the Passion from Bolivian author Katya Rivas. Rivas, has received an official imprimatur from the Catholic Church for several books.. Readers can sign up to recieve daily extracts from Katya Rivas's writings by email at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dailykatya/
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