Sunsets Into Sunrises
Bishop Martin - The Progress of a Soul in the Beyond
- Chapter 80 -
PARABLE ABOUT THE WHEAT AND THISTLES. - MARTIN'S LOVE FOR THE LORD IS AWAKING. - CONTINUATION OF THE SCENE WITH THE LADIES OF THE SACRED HEART.
1
(Borem): "That is right! The Lord's best and wisest will be done! Apparently, the thistles are inferior to the wheat, which is more or less the same all over the world. However, if you examine all the different kinds of thistles, you will find the delicious pineapple, the medicinal aloe, and the fig-thistle in Africa, rich in sugar content.
2
How foolish it would therefore be to condemn the entire genus of thistles since nature shows how they can be improved. Wheat stays wheat, but a thistle, ennobled, can become a pineapple.
3
Thus a Peter, a James, an Andrew, and so on, remained what they were from the beginning - a pure wheat in the Lord's barn! But among this wheat there was also a very prickly wild thistle. Its name was Saul. And behold, the Lord made a pineapple out of it, the most delicious fruit on earth.
4
And what the Lord has done then, he is still doing now, and we can only say from the depths of our hearts: 'O Father, Thy most holy will be done!'"
5
(Bishop Martin, moved to tears, says): "Yes, my dear brother, His holiest will be done in eternity! If I had Him here now, I could press Him to my heart in my overwhelming love. Oh, my good Lord Jesus, do come to both of us!"
6
(Borem): "Brother, now you have set your foot on the right path. You have now begun to draw Christ towards you, and salvation is not far off for you. You will soon learn what it means: 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him.' Nothing counts with the Lord but love, and this love for Him you have now awakened in your heart. If you stay in this love and allow it to grow, you will soon find what it will do for you. But now have a look at the tablet and tell me what you see there."
7
Bishop Martin glances quickly at the tablet and is startled when he sees it shine brighter than the sun. In the midst of all the brilliance, he reads the words: 'Brother, have patience for a short while and I shall be with you.' Surprised and overjoyed, he says:
8
(Bishop Martin): "O brother, I feel an ecstasy which I would not have thought possible! What will happen if this continues to grow, this love that I feel for the Lord Jesus constantly growing in my heart?
9
Yes - my love for the Lord Jesus is already overwhelming me, wanting me to be absorbed in Him with all my being!
10
Beloved Jesus, only now do I realize how utterly wise and good You are! And this realization, which so far has only been like a bright dream, has now become a certainty.
11
How I am now looking forward to the coming of the Lord, Who will no doubt help us to straighten out our still rather stubborn looking guests!"
12
(Borem): "Yes, brother, that will happen as soon as these ladies have shed the coarsest parts of their materialistic natures. Therefore, compose yourself now and describe the scene you see, which is going to be even more educational and interesting than before."
13
Bishop Martin once more concentrates on the back of the head of the Lady of the Sacred Heart, and finds that so far nothing has changed since the diversion of the shining tablet and his discussion with Borem.
14
But now the old man turns again to one of the men in white, and Bishop Martin follows attentively what is being discussed. He eventually says:
15
(Bishop Martin): "Now look at this! The old man is quite smart! He begs the two messengers to use their power to free at least his daughter from this abominable state so that he can go to heaven together with her, without any further delay, as he was getting desperately bored. He understood that the two were acting in accordance with the just will of the Lord. However, a feeling of insipidity and utter boredom was getting hold of him and he would like to leave this place as soon as possible.
16
The old man isn't at all stupid! But the two wise men in white seem to disagree with him, and one of them says:
17
'Friend, patience is the principal rule in life, and this applies here just as it does in the world. Everything has its time, and to the extent that you continue to quicken in your heart's love and true faith in the Lord, your liberation from this desperate plight will be sped up.
18
However, our power cannot assist you in any way, for know that in this world nobody gets to heaven through would-be pious merits, nor through direct or indirect mercy of the Lord, but solely through his own love of the Lord and the consequent grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the one and only Lord and God of heaven and earth.
19
And mind this: There is no heaven outside of you. If you want to go to heaven, you have to open it up yourself. For true life must be free, and a life under compulsion is not life, but death!
20
If we freed you through our might, you would not be free but condemned; not alive but completely dead. Tell us - would you gain anything through such poor aid?'
21
The old people are now pondering over these words, but do not seem to comprehend their full meaning."