GRM 166
The Gospel as revealed to me
Detail
Jesus descends from the Gorges d'Arbel. Men and women are waiting for him, and Jesus performs miracles to reward their faith. Then they introduce him to the apostles and say that they will take care of the needs of the souls, while he goes to find others who are even more miserable than they are. Frightened, the apostles follow him, but Jesus encourages them to obey and assures them that they have incorporated his Word without their realizing it. Dejected, they watch the Master leave, but Thomas and James of Alphaeus encourage them to practice obedience, and Matthew encourages them to say a prayer to Wisdom rather than lament.
As soon as the Twelve have finished, the people join him and nag them with questions. In particular, they want to follow the Lord's way, even though they are like grandchildren. Simon the Zealot takes the floor and urges them to examine themselves, keeping in mind the cornerstone of their faith. This is immutable, since it comes from God. Then we must examine all the other stones to see if they are good, bad or useless. If they are bad and come from sensuality, hatred or Satan, they must be destroyed; if they come from God, they must be kept, and our spiritual edifice rebuilt with them. In short, we must demolish "in order to rebuild and to ascend by testing the quality of your old stones at the sound of God's voice."
John then goes on to encourage souls not to be afraid of the path of holiness, even if they are children. There are heroes of holiness like John the Baptist, but the Lamb of God knows that souls are not yet purified, so he himself shows us the way. And his way is love.
John's long speech impressed all present.
Hermas and Stephen listened to him, and Stephen blessed him. But John is very humble and appoints Peter as their leader (Simon de Jonas is stunned). When Stephen asks to follow Christ, Andrew's brother asks him to examine himself, to discern, and then to come to the Lord. In the meantime, he can stay with them to see how they live.