Jesus says:
“My Church is like a large garden surrounding the palace of a great king.
“The king, for reasons of his own, does not come out of the palace, and, after having sowed the most beautiful flowers and plants, he has thus delegated a gardener to look after his Church. The gardener, in turn, has many helpers who assist him.
“In the garden there are flowers and plants of all species. All fertilizing substances were scattered by the king on the flower beds to make them fruitful, and at one time only useful and beautiful flowers and plants blossomed. At the center of the garden is a fountain with seven outlets sending its channels everywhere and nourishing and refreshing plants and flowers.
“But the Evil One, in the absence of the king, entered and scattered, in turn, harmful seeds, in such fashion that the garden now presents a disorderly - if not desolate - appearance. Unhealthy, thorny, poisonous weeds have spread where before there were borders, flower beds, and most beautiful shrubs, and they have choked them or made them scanty because they have sucked up the humors of the earth and kept the sun from descending upon the little plants.
“The gardener and his helpers labor to trim, uproot, and straighten up small plants doubled over under the weight of other unhealthy ones. But if they work at one point, the Evil One works at another, and the garden thus continues to present its desolate appearance. Snakes, toads, and snails take advantage of the disorder to nestle, gnaw, and slaver. Here and there some sturdy plants withstand everything and blossom up towards the sky, and also some flower beds, especially if they contain lilies and roses. But the lovely borders of little daisies and violets are almost completely canceled out.
“When the king comes, he will no longer recognize his beautiful garden, which has become wild, and he will angrily tear out the weeds, crush the slippery animals, and pick the flowers remaining, taking them into his palace and eliminating the garden forever.
“Now, pay close attention to the explanation.
“The king is Jesus Christ. The garden is his militant Church. The gardener is my Peter, and his helpers are priests. The flowers and the plants are the consecrated faithful and the baptized. The fertilizing substances are the virtues, and especially my Blood, entirely shed to fecundate the world and make the earth fertile for the seed of eternal life. The fountain represents the seven sacraments. The harmful seeds are the vices, passions, and sins sown by Satan out of hatred for Me.
“The disorder is caused by the fact that the good plants have not reacted and have let themselves be choked off by the wicked ones annulling the benefit of my Blood, my Sacraments, and the Sun of grace.
“The Supreme Gardener and his few, true helpers are unable to set things in order because of the bad will of the good plants and their spiritual sloth, as well as the bad will and sloth of many false gardeners who do not labor in the holy work of cultivating, helping, and straightening up souls.
“The snakes, toads, and snails are temptations. If all the gardeners were industrious and if all the plants were watchful, they would be crushed. Instead, souls do not call the church to their aid when they understand that temptation is stronger than they are, and ecclesiastics - all of them - do not rush over when one of the poor souls that I have paid for with my Pain and set free in advance with my Blood asks for help.
“The good plants that withstand are the true : from my Vicar, the Supreme Gardener and supreme tree raising its top, intrepid and upright, up to the sky, to the simple priests who have remained the salt of the earth.
“The flower beds, especially of roses and lilies, are the virginal souls and the loving souls. But the borders of little daisies – innocence -and those of violets – penance - present a desolate appearance. Innocence arises and blossoms, but soon disappears because malice, lust, vice, and imprudence destroy it. Penance is literally dried up by the couch-grass of lukewarmness. a few specimens withstand. And it is they that perfume a large expanse of the garden with the scent of purification over against the miasmas of Evil.
“When I come, in my terrible hour, I will tear out, trample on, and destroy accursed weeds and accursed parasites; I will erase the garden from the universe, taking with Me, into my royal palace, the blessed plants and blessed flowers that have been able to withstand and blossom for my joy.
“And woe to those who have uprooted themselves from Me and hurled themselves into the kingdom of Mammon, the wicked sower whom they have preferred to the Divine Sower; and woe to those who have preferred to listen to the voice of snakes and toads and have preferred the kiss of snails to the voice of my angels and the kiss of my grace. It would be better for them never to have been born!
“But joy, eternal joy for those who have remained my good, faithful, chaste, and loving servants. And joy, even greater, for those who have wanted to be my followers twice over by taking the ways of Calvary as their way, to accomplish in their bodies what is still lacking to the eternal passion of Christ. Their glorified bodies shall shine like suns in eternal life, for they will have fed upon my twofold bread - the Eucharist and Pain - and with their blood will have increased the great lavacre begun by Jesus, the head, and continued by them, the members, to cleanse their brothers and sisters and give glory to God.”
I later say to Jesus, “I don’t understand this passage in the Gospel” (Jn 2:23-25), and He explains the following to me:
“Man is the eternal savage and the eternal child. To be attracted and seduced, especially in what is good - for his vitiated nature leads him to accept evil readily and to accept good with difficulty - he needs a farandole of prodigies. The prodigy shakes and exalts him. It’s a knock pushing him onto the fringes of Good.
“‘Onto the fringes, ’ I said. I knew those who believed on account of my miracles were on the fringes. To be there does not mean to be on my Way. It means to be curious or interested spectators ready to drift away when the advantage ceases and a danger looms up, and to become accusers and enemies just as before they showed themselves to be admirers and friends. Man is ambiguous until he belongs entirely to God.
“I see into the depth of hearts . I thus did not trust the admirers for an hour, the believers for an instant. They would not be the true confessors, my witnesses. Nor did I need witnesses. My works witnessed for Me, and the Father witnessed to them, He who is Perfection and Truth eternally.
“This is why John says that I did not need others to witness for Me. Others aside from the Father and Myself.
“The truth does not take root in man; his witness is thus not truthful and lasting. There were many who believed, few who persevered, and very few who testified throughout their lives, and with their death, that I am the Messiah, the true Son of the true God.
“Eternally most blessed are they!”