“Little John, be patient. There is something else. And let us also do this other thing to content your Director and carry out the work.186 I want this work to be handed in tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. I want you to have finished this labor because ...I want to have you suffer with Me.
“Let us go far, far back. Let us return to the Temple, where I engaged in discussion at age twelve - indeed, let us go back to the roads leading to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to the Temple....187
“Now, pay close attention to what I say.
“I want this set of texts to be arranged in the following way.
First Sorrow: The Presentation in the Temple
Second Sorrow: The Stay in the Land of Egypt
Third Sorrow: My Disappearing in the Temple
Fourth Sorrow: The Death of St. Joseph
Fifth Sorrow: My Farewell in Nazareth. Then the dictation on February 10,
Sixth Sorrow: The description of the vision on February 13 (four points: the synagogue, the house in Nazareth, Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue, and the conversation with his Mother after having fled from Nazareth)
Seventh Sorrow: The vision on February 14. Then the dictation on February 15. Then the dictation on February 16.
Eighth Sorrow: The Paschal Supper
Ninth Sorrow: The Passion, taking the vision on February 11, 1944 and connecting it with the one on February 18.
Tenth Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus (February 19). Then the vision and dictation on February 20. The vision and dictation on February 22, as far as the point which is marked in this way.188 The other dictation, on Jesus’ being found again in the Temple, should be set in its proper place, under the heading of the Third Sorrow.
“Father189 shall first prepare the usual collection of texts for himself and for you, and you shall correct it so that not even one mistake will remain. He shall then prepare the copies he wants for others. Every vision should, of course, be accompanied by its dictation.
“Father wanted all of this for Easter. I wanted it to prepare for Easter, and I am having you hand it in today, since it is already 4:30 a.m. on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
“Get to work, children. And blessed be you. And blessed be those who accept the gift with simplicity of heart and faith. The fire that Father was hoping for today will be set aflame in them. The world will not change in its brutality. It is too corrupt. But they will be consoled by it and will feel the thirst for God, which is an impetus towards sanctity, growing within them.
“Go in peace, little John. Your Jesus thanks and blesses you.”
185 This entry is preceded, in the original notebook, by a description of Jesus’ apparition to his Mother before the Ascension and the commentary dictated on this episode, to be found in the Glorification cycle.
186 It will be clear from what follows that reference is being made to work connected with spiritual needs at that time, aside from the overall composition of the major opus on the Gospel.
187 The dictation continues uninterruptedly with considerations on Mary’s sorrow over losing sight of Jesus, to be found in the Preparation cycle.
188 There follows a sort of large asterisk which is also found at the end of the dictation following the episode of the “Apparition to his Mother.”
189 The reference, once again, is to Father Migliorini.