Mother of Mark of Josiah
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She is the mother of Mark of Josiah, the young demoniac from Gerasa whom Jesus delivered[1]. Having become a disciple of the Master, Mark is among those who abandon Him following the discourse on the Bread from Heaven[2] delivered in the synagogue at Capernaum. After drifting away from Christ, he falls back under the sway of the demon - so severely that the situation appears irreversible.
Overwhelmed with grief, the mother turns to Jesus with maternal faith and deep anguish, imploring Him to deliver her son, who had previously been healed but had voluntarily fallen back under demonic possession. However, the Lord’s words imply that Marc’s ruin, however total, will not be final, and that his mother’s perseverance will contribute to his salvation.
In Maria Valtorta’s *The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me*, it is stated that even Judas Iscariot could have been saved had he repented after his betrayal[3].
Apostolic Journey[edit | edit source]
«I am going to tell my mother that I am going with this kind gentleman to Jerusalem to be cured. He knows Jesus of Nazareth and will take me there.»[6]The woman does not recognize the Master, yet she nonetheless recounts her sufferings to the man she takes for a simple pilgrim:
A fine looking woman travelling on a donkey’s back, in the company of a maidservant and a servant, turns around on hearing Jesus being mentioned, then draws rein, stops the donkey, dismounts and goes towards Jesus. «Do You know Jesus of Nazareth? Are You going to Him? I am going too… To have a son cured. I would like to speak to the Master because…» she bursts into tears under her thick veil.After entrusting Jaïa to the apostles and the woman's servants, Jesus remains alone with her on the threshing floor of a country house. It is then that He reveals Himself and invites her to open her heart to Him.«What is the matter with your son? Where is he?»
«He is from Gerasa. But now he is going towards Judaea. He wanders about like one possessed… Oh! What have I said!»
«Is he possessed?»
«Lord, he was and he was cured. Now… he is worse than before because… Oh! I can only tell Jesus of Nazareth!»[7]
They are left alone. «Speak, woman. I have already said that God made us meet before the end of our journey, for your relief.»Jesus comforts her, explaining that the suffering of mothers can contribute to the salvation of their children, and promises her that Mark’s definitive liberation will take place after His own sacrifice as Redeemer:«There is no more relief for me! I had a son. He became possessed. He behaved like a wild beast among sepulchres. Nothing stopped him. Nothing cured him. He saw You. He adored You with the demon’s lips and You cured him. He wanted to come with You. But You thought of his mother and you sent him to me, to restore my life and mind, which the grief of a possessed son made vacillate. And You sent him also to preach You, since he wanted to love You. Oh!… to be a mother once again… and of a holy son! Of a servant of Yours! But tell me! When You sent him back to me, did You know that he was… that he would become a demon again? Because he is a demon who has left You after receiving so much good, after knowing You, after being chosen for Heaven… Tell me! Did You know? But I am raving! I am speaking but I have not told You why he is a demon… For some time he has become like a madman again, oh! only a few days! but much more grievous to me than the long years when he was possessed… And then I thought I could never be more grieved than then… He came… he destroyed the faith that Gerasa had for You through Your merit and his, and he spoke infamously of You. And he is preceding You towards the ford of Jericho, doing harm to You!»
The woman who has never removed the veil behind which she is sobbing desolately, throws herself at Jesus’ feet imploring: «Go away! go away! Don’t let them insult You! I came away in full agreement with my sick husband, praying God that I would find You. He heard my prayer! Oh! May He be blessed for that! I do not want You, the Saviour, to be ill-treated because of my son. I will not allow that! Oh! why did I bring him into the world? He betrayed You, Lord! He misreports Your words. The demon has taken him once again. And… oh! Most High and Holy Lord! Have mercy on a mother! And he will be damned. My son! Previously it was not his fault if he was possessed by demons. It was a misfortune, which befell him. But now that You had cured him, now that he had known God and had been taught by You! Now he wanted to be a demon and no power will free him again! Oh!» The woman is lying on the ground, a heap of clothes and flesh shaken by sobs. And she moans: «Tell me, tell me, what must I do for You, for my son? To make amends! To save him! No. To make amends! You can see that my grief is atonement. But to save him! I cannot save the disowner of God. He is damned… And what is that to me, an Israelite? It’s torture.»[8]
Jesus bends. He lays a hand on her shoulder. «Stand up, calm down! You are dear to Me. Listen, poor mother.»The woman follows Jesus to Jaïa’s house, and as the group leaves Pella-traveling about a kilometer through the countryside - she witnesses the miraculous healing of the boy. He is sent back to his mother, who is also blind, so that she may be healed by her son. After the miracle, Jesus reveals to Mark’s mother that this event is God’s answer to those seeking to weaken faith in Christ, and bids her return in peace, thereby strengthening both her own faith and that of her husband, Josiah.[10] The final mention of Mark's mother in the Work occurs when Jesus encounters the unfaithful disciple at the Golden Gate of the Temple in Jerusalem and attempts in vain to bring him back:«Are You not cursing me because I gave birth to him?!»
«Oh! no! You are not responsible for his error, and for your own relief you must know that you can bring about his salvation. The ruin of sons can be repaired by mothers. And that is what you will do. Your grief, since it is sincere, is not sterile, it is prolific. The soul you love will be saved through your suffering. You are expiating for him, and with such righteous intention that you are the indulgence of your son. He will go back to God. Do not weep.»
«But when? When?»
«When your tears will dissolve in My Blood.»
«Your Blood? So it is true what he says? That You will be killed because You deserve death?… Horrible blasphemy!»
«The first part is really true. I shall be killed to make you worthy of Life. I am the Saviour, woman. And salvation is granted through word, through mercy and through holocaust. That is what is required for your son and that is what I will give. But… help Me. Give Me your grief. Go with My blessing. Keep it in your heart, so that you may be merciful and patient with your son, and remind him thus, that Another One was merciful to him. Go, go in peace.»
«But You must not speak at Pella. Don’t speak in Perea. He has set them against You. And he is not alone. But I see and speak only of him…»
«I will speak by means of a deed. And it will suffice to demolish the work of the others. Go home in peace.»
«Lord, now that You have absolved me for giving birth to him, look at my face, that You may know what the face of a mother is like when her heart is torn to pieces» and she uncovers her face saying: «Here is the face of the mother of Mark of Josiah, the denier of the Messiah and the torturer of his mother» and then she lowers the thick veil over her face disfigured by weeping and moans: «No other mother in Israel will be as deep in grief as I am!»[9]
But near the Golden Gate they meet Mark of Josiah, the faithless disciple, who is speaking animatedly to Judas Iscariot. Judas sees the Master coming and he tells his companion, who turns around when Jesus is already behind him. Their eyes meet. What a glance Jesus casts at him! But he is now deaf to all holy power. In order to run away at once, he almost pushes Jesus against a column. And Jesus reacts only by saying: «Mark, stop. Have mercy on your soul and on your mother!» «Satan!» shouts the other. And he goes away.[11]The work does not directly recount the conclusion of Mark’s story of Josiah. However, the promises Jesus made to his mother foreshadow that his final liberation will come through the Passion and Redemption of Christ.
Character and appearance[edit | edit source]
She is described as a beautiful woman who arrived in Pella accompanied by a manservant and a maidservant, and riding a donkey.
Her defining trait is maternal love: the anguish caused by her son's condition does not drive her to despair but, on the contrary, impels her to seek Jesus with confidence. Her attitude reflects a simple, persevering faith - one that the Master recognizes and encourages.
Her name[edit | edit source]
This woman's name is not mentioned in Maria Valtorta's work. She is identified only as the mother of Mark and the wife of Josiah of Gerasa.
Where is she mentioned in the work?[edit | edit source]
GRM 358 GRM 368
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The episode of the demoniac of Gerasa appears in the Synoptic Gospels: the Gospel according to Matthew (8:28–34), the Gospel according to Mark (5:1–20), and the Gospel according to Luke (8:26–39).
- ↑ Gospel according to John 6:22–66.
- ↑ GRM 647.4.
- ↑ AI-generated illustration.
- ↑ During the first four months.
- ↑ GRM 358.5.
- ↑ GRM 358.6.
- ↑ GRM 358.7.
- ↑ GRM 358.8.
- ↑ GRM 358.10.
- ↑ GRM 368.12.