They demanded that
he should preach, at least, although he assured them he had no right to
preach in church; and, keeping him in their midst, they pressed him so
hard, that he finally signed to them with his hand to leave the church,
promising those nearest him to speak outside. And he had spoken outside!
What he had really said the servant could not tell Maria, nor could
Maria herself gather much from Torquatof; but by dint of much
questioning, and with the aid of her own imagination, she succeeded in
reconstructing his discourse somewhat as follows:
Are you fit to enter the church? Are you at peace with your neighbour?
Do you know what the Lord Jesus means, when He says to you that no man
may approach the altar if he be not at peace with his neighbour? Do
you know that you may not enter the church if you have sinned against
charity or justice, and have not made amends, or have not repented when
it was impossible to make amends? Do you know that you may not enter the
church, not only if you bear ill-will against your neighbour, but
also if you have injured him in any manner whatsoever, either in your
dealings with him, or in his honour, if you have slandered him, or
harbour in your heart wicked desires against his body or his soul? Do
you know that all the Masses, all the Benedictions, all the Rosaries,
and all the Litanies, count for less than nothing, if you do not first
purify your hearts, according to the word of Jesus? Are you unclean with
hatred, or with any impurity whatsoever? Then go! Jesus will not have
you in the church! "_Ma che_!" said Torquato, "The discourse was
nothing, it was the face, the voice, the eyes!"
The worthy man spoke as if he himself had been present, telling how the
crowd had thrown themselves upon their knees and wept, and how certain
women, who were enemies, had embraced each other.
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