" And I saw in a
night-vision a woman of simple appearance, though she was very important. From
her I would have received. I knew that I had to reach her, I felt like being
forced. Then a figure of a man appeared. He told me that to be able to
reach the woman I had to pass through the under-ground where he was indicating.
It was a dark hovel, with walls
made of stone, humid and slippery. I hardly got inside for a short way
when I got a glimpse of a long and difficult course, I would have lost myself
easily, like in a labyrinth. The place was cold, bare and narrow and I doubted
if I should succeed in reaching the woman. I couldn't even tell the time it
would take, I was frightened.
I got back on my feet and once in
the light again, I addressed myself to the man I saw previously, saying that I
could not resist in the hovel, asking if there was another track, some other way
to reach the woman. Then he put a large book before me, measuring from the
ground the height of 14 vocabularies and he said: "In the meantime read
this one.
" On the green cover I read written in gold letters: "I Times".
In my consternation I told him:
"The book is too big" and I justified myself saying that it would take
too long to read it. Then the man, seeing that I still resisted at his
invitation, handed me another book, much smaller : I had to read this one.
On the cover was written : "Saint Gregory", while a voice was saying:
"It's a best-seller".
I woke up at dawn without
comprehending the dream. "
The Spirit of the Lord gave at that time the following
interpretation.
To encourage Marcello to face such a
long time and the great weight of such teachings, the angel of the Lord sought
him to read and learn the writings of Saint Gregory the Great, beginning from
the most read and widespread: "The Pastoral Rule", the
best-seller !
An old and esteemed dean of Assisi, Don Aldo Brunacci,
indicated in Pope Gregory the Great, that "Saint Gregory" of whom
Marcello knew nothing. So, "The Pastoral Rule" of Pope Saint Gregory
the Great, his most famous book, destined to bishops, resulting a real fortune
for popes, kings, governors, princes and whoever had commanding-roles, was a
precious gift in the hands of Marcello, as well as for leading the community as
for his ministry.
Don Aldo, who by that time ran a religious library in Assisi,
gave to Marcello - whom he called "the prophet" - other books of Saint Gregory, like "Moralia" and the "Sermons of
Ezekiel".
These writings permitted to Marcello to consolidate the
prophetic initiation with his community, at the service of the Church.
" The Lord GOD hath given me the
tongue of the learned,
that I should know how to speak a word
in season to him
that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning,
he wakeneth mine ear to hear as
the learned. " *1
