Jesus ... takes the thirteenth morsel of bread and the chalice, and He goes out of the Supper-room.
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| Maria Valtorta |
p. 504
you may do what I have done.
I tell you solemnly: no servant I greater than his master, no apostle is greater
than He Who appointed him.
Try to understand these things.
Then, if you understand the and put them into practice, you will be blessed. But
not all of you will be blessed. I know you. I know whom I chose. I am not speaking of everybody in the same way. But I say what is true. On the other hand, what
has been written concerning Me, is to be fulfiled! "He who eats the bread with
Me, rebels against Me". I am telling you everything before it happens, that
you may have no doubt about Me. When everything has been accomplished, you will
believe even more that I am 1. He who receives Me, receives Him Who sent Me:
the Holy Father Who is in Heaven; and he who receives those whom I send, will receive
Me. Because I am with the Father an you are with Me ... But now let us finish the
rite.»
He pours more wine into the
common chalice and before drinking of it and letting the others drink, He stands
up, and everybody stands up with Him, and He sings one of the previous psalms again:
«I had faith and that is why I spoke ... » and then He sings a psalm that never
comes to an end. Beautiful... but eternal! I think I have found it, by its beginning
and its length, as psalm 118. They sin it as follows. They sing one part in chorus.
Then, in turns, one r cites a
Maria Valtorta
The Poem of the Man-God
Volume 5
508 The Passover Supper
couplet, and the others in chorus
sing another part, and s forth till the end. No wonder they are thirsty at the
end!
14 Jesus sits down. He does not lie down. He sits
as we do. And He says: «Now that the old rite has been accomplished, I will celebrate
the new one. I have promised you a miracle of love. It i time to work it. That
is why I have longed for this Passover. From now on this is the Victim that will
be consumed in a perpetual rite of love. My beloved friends, I have loved you throughout
the whole life of the Earth. I have loved you for the whole eternity, My children.
And I want to love you till the end. There is nothing greater than this. Bear that
in mind. I am going away. But we shall remain for ever united through the miracle
that I will now work.»
Jesus takes a loaf still entire
and places it on the chalice that has been filled. He blesses and offers both, He
then breaks the bread and takes thirteen morsels of it, and gives one to each apostle
saying: «Take this and eat it. This is My Body. Do this in remembrance of Me, Who
am going away.» He gives the chalice and says: «Take this and drink it. This is
My Blood. This is the chalice of the new alliance in My Blood and through My Blood,
that will be shed for you, to remit your sins and give you the Life. Do this in
remembrance of Me.»
Jesus is very sad. There is no
smile, no trace of light, no colour on His face. It is already an agonizing face.
The apostles look at Him utterly anguished.
15
Jesus stands up saying: «Do not move. I
shall be back at once. »
He takes the thirteenth morsel of bread and
the chalice, and He goes out of the Supper-room.
«He is going to His Mother» whispers John.
And Judas Thaddeus says with a sigh: «Poor
woman!"
Peter asks in a very low voice: «Do you
think She knows?» «She knows everything. She has always been aware of
everything.»
They all speak in very low voices, as if
they were in front of a corpse.
«But do you think that really ... » asks
Thomas, who does not want
to believe yet.
«And do you doubt it? It is His hour»
replies James of Zebedee. «May God grant us strength to be faithful» says the Zealot.
«Oh! I...» says Peter who is about to speak. But John, who is on the look-out,
says: «Silence! He is here.»
Jesus comes back in. He has the empty
chalice in His hands. Only at its bottom there is a trace of wine, and in the light
of the chandelier it looks just like blood.
Judas Iscariot, in front of whom is the chalice, looks at it as if
he were enchanted, then he averts his eyes. Jesus watches him and shudders, and
John, leaning as he is on His chest, feels it. «Why not say so! You are shivering
... » he exclaims.
«No. I am not shivering because I am feverish ... 16 I
have told you everything, and I have given you everything. I could not have given
you anything else. I have given you Myself.»
He makes His usual kind gesture with His hands, which, previously
joined, now separate and stretch out, while He bows His head as if He wished to
say: «Excuse Me if I cannot give you more. It is so.»
«I have told you everything and I have given you everything. And
I repeat. The new rite has been accomplished. Do this in remembrance of Me. I have
washed your feet to teach you to be humble and pure like your Master. Because I
solemnly tell you that disciples must be like their Master. Remember that,
bear it in mind. Also when you are in high offices, remember that. There is no
disciple greater than his Master. As I washed you, do the same to one another.
That is, love one another like brothers, helping and respecting one another,
setting an example to one another. And be pure, to be worthy of eating the living
Bread that descended from Heaven, and have the strength, in yourselves and through
It, to be My disciples in the hostile world that will hate you because of My
Name. But one of you is not pure. One of you will betray Me. My Spirit is deeply
perturbed by that... The hand of him who will betray Me is here with Me on this
table, and neither My love, nor My Body and Blood, nor My word make him mend his
ways and repent. I would forgive him going to My death also on his behalf.»
505
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