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Locations - Mountain retreat with the Twelve - Gorges d'Arbel

Theme: Near Lake Gennesaret (Lake Tiberias or Sea of Galilee)

Reading comfort

Aa

GRM 164

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Jesus is in Capernaum and leaves the disciples. Mary of Alphaeus, Mary Salome and the Virgin return to Nazareth. Susanna returns to Cana. For his part, Christ and the Twelve go to the Arbel Gorge to pray. He leaves Isaac, Timon and Joseph of Emmaus, urging them to join them in prayer.

Without a word, the group obeys, but the climb is difficult and by the end, even the youngest lose their cheerfulness. They're really in the mountains, near rocky caverns, and Jesus says they'll stay there in prayer for a week, to prepare his apostles for something great. They're a long way from any village, and the weather is quite mild; besides, they have just enough food.

Jesus has been with the first disciples for about a year, and the Savior wants to train them all to be his ministers. To this end, he uses the great weapon of prayer, and gives a short lesson on it. Finally, he points out that they will meet in the morning, at noon and in the evening, to pray together and break bread, and that each one will return to his cave, remaining "before God and his soul". Thanks to this retreat, they will reach the age of spiritual reason, and "the rest will come later".

GRM 165

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

The vision opens with birds attracted by the food near the caves. Jesus gives them breadcrumbs, and one bold bird even manages to take a piece of cheese. When the meal is over, Christ goes to wake the other apostles. Some are already ready, others are slower; John and Judas even have trouble getting up. Jesus goes to wake up his favorite, who, still fast asleep, takes him for his mother. Jesus laughs and gently wakes him up with a kiss on the cheek. The beloved disciple then wakes up completely, is surprised to see Jesus, and reveals to the Master what he has experienced in the cave. He had not come to see Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, during that week's retreat, but had come to Christ in the "Fire that is the Eternal Love of the Most Holy Trinity". After recounting his mystical experience to him, John asks not to say anything to his companions. Jesus agrees, and asks him to get ready for them to leave.

The Twelve are changed by this retreat: they are calmer, quieter, and more attentive to Christ's words. The soul has been king these last few days, and has made them grow: they are no longer children, but spiritual adolescents.

If Jesus were to remain with them, isolated from the world, he would soon turn them into great saints, but he must return to the world to fulfill the Father's Will. The Master will also send his apostles.

These are no longer the preferred disciples, but the apostles, the leaders of his Church. They will not be enough to accomplish everything, so they associate them with the disciples. They will all have the same mission, but their functions will be different. They will not all be perfect, nor will the spirit that animates them be eternal, for the world will tempt them, and they will have to defend themselves against temptation and against themselves.

The group now leaves the Gorge d'Arbel and heads for Tiberias for a few hours.

Jesus gives a short dictation to Maria, in which he points out that twenty centuries may have deprived the apostolic Gospel of certain parts. This does not harm the doctrine, but it does harm the ease of understanding the apostolic Gospel.