Notes for this theme

Apostles

Page 11 of 89

Reading comfort

GRM 60.1-2

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

60.1 Peter is speaking to Jesus. He says: «Master, I would like to ask You to come to my house. I did not dare to ask You last Sabbath. But… I would like You to come.»
«To Bethsaida?»
«No, here… to my wife’s house. I mean her home.»
«Why do you want that, Peter?»
«Well, for many reasons… also because today I was told that my mother-in-law is ill. If You would heal her, perhaps she…»
«Tell Me, Simon.»
«What I wanted to say is… if You go to her, she would stop… yes, well, You know, it is not the same thing to hear people speak of someone and to see and listen to someone, and if the person in question heals… well…»
«You mean also the ill-feeling would come to an end?»
«No, not exactly ill-feeling. But, You know… there are many opinions in the village, and she… does not know whom she should listen to. Come, Jesus.»
«I will come. Let us go. You will tell those who are waiting for Me that I will speak to them from your house.»
60.2 They go as far as a low house, even lower than Peter’s house at Bethsaida, and it is also closer to the lake. It is separated from the lake by the pebbly shore and I think that when there is a storm, the waves break against the walls of the house, which, while being low, is very wide, as if several people lived in it.
In the kitchen garden in front of the house, facing the lake, there is only an old gnarled vine, supported by a rustic pergola, and an old fig-tree which the winds, blowing from the lake, have bent towards the house. The ruffled foliage of the tree brushes the walls of the house and beats against the shutters of the little windows, which are now closed as a protection against the bright sunshine. There is nothing but the vine and the fig-tree and a greenish little wall of a low well.
«Come in, Master.»
There are some women in the kitchen, some are busy mending the nets, some are preparing the food. They greet Peter and they bow embarrassed to Jesus, peering up at Him curiously.

Detail

Peter has two homes: one in Bethsaida, which is his own, the other in Capernaum, which is actually his mother-in-law's house and Porphyria's birthplace.

Keywords

GRM 60.5-6

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James and John go and sit down in the kitchen garden. (...)
« Here is your mother-in-law coming towards us.»
«Master, I beg You to come and sit at my table.»
«Thank you, woman. May God reward you.»
They go into the kitchen and sit at the table. The old woman serves them with plenty of fish, both as soup and roasted. «I have nothing else but this» she apologises. And, to keep up the habit, she says to Peter: «Your brothers-in-law are doing even too much, all alone as they are, since you went to Bethsaida! If it had only helped to make my daughter richer… But I hear that you are very often absent and you do not go fishing.»
«I follow the Master. I have been to Jerusalem with Him and I am with Him on Sabbaths. I do not spend my time in revelries.»
«But you don’t earn any money. Since you want to be the Prophet’s servant, you had better come back here again. At least that poor daughter of mine will be fed by her relatives while you are acting the saint.»
«But are you not ashamed of speaking like that in front of Him Who healed you?»
«I am not criticising Him. He is doing His job. I am criticising you, you are a sluggard. In any case, you will never be a prophet or a priest. You are an ignorant sinner, a good for nothing.»
«You are lucky that He is here, otherwise…»
«Simon, your mother-in-law gave you very good advice. You can go fishing even here. I am told that you used to go fishing also at Capernaum. You can come back again.»
«And live here again? But Master, You do not…»
«Be good, Peter. If you are here, you will be either on the lake or with Me. So what difference is it for you if you are or you are not in this house?» Jesus has laid His hand on Peter’s shoulder and His calmness seems to pass into the fiery apostle.
«You are right. You are always right. I will do that. But… what about these?» and he points to his partners John and James.
«Can they not come, too?»
«Oh! Our father and above all our mother will be happier if they know we are with You, rather than with them. They will not object.»
«Perhaps Zebedee will come, too» says Peter.
«Quite likely. And others with him. We will come, Master. We will certainly come.»

Detail

Jesus has just healed Peter's mother-in-law. Healed, she serves a meal to the Master and his disciples... and reproaches her son-in-law.

Keywords

GRM 60.7

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

60.7 «Is Jesus of Nazareth here?» asks a little boy appearing at the door.
«He is here, come in.»
A boy comes in, whom I recognise as one of the boys I saw in the first visions of Capernaum, and exactly the one who tumbled down near Jesus’ feet, and promised he would be good, so he would get the honey of Paradise.
«My little friend, come here» says Jesus.
The little fellow, somewhat embarrassed because so many are looking at him, takes heart and runs to Jesus, Who embraces him and sits him on His knees, and gives him a bit of His fish on a slice of bread.
«Here, Jesus. This is for You. Also today that person said: «It is the Sabbath. Take this to the Rabbi of Nazareth and tell your friend to pray for me.» He knows that You are my friend!…» The child smiles happily, and eats his bread and fish.
«Well done, little James! You will tell that person that My prayers rise to the Father for him.»
«Is it for the poor?» asks Peter.
«Yes, it is.»
«Is it always the same offering? Let us look.»
Jesus hands over the purse. Peter empties it and counts the coins. «Still the same large sum! But who is this person? Say, boy, who is it?»
«I must not say, and I will not say!»
«You little rascal! Be good, and I will give you some fruit.»
«I will not speak, whether you insult me or caress me.»
«What a tongue he has! Just listen!»
«Little James is right, Peter. He is keeping his word: leave him alone.»
«Master, do You know who the person is?»
Jesus does not reply. He is busy with the child, to whom He gives another bit of roasted fish, after removing all the bones. But Peter insists, and Jesus is obliged to answer.
«I know everything, Simon.»
«And we are not to know?»
«And will you never be cured of your fault?» Jesus reproaches him, but smiles at the same time. And He adds: «You will soon know. Because if evil wants to be hidden and cannot always be such, good, even if it wants to be hidden, to be meritorious, will be made known one day, for the glory of God, Whose nature shines in one of His sons. The nature of God: love. And this person understands all that, because he loves his neighbours. Go, James. Take My blessing to that person.»
The vision ends in this way.

Detail

Pierre's curiosity about the purse brought by the child Jacques.

Keywords

GRM 61

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Jesus gives a parable about the king's beloved horse. It speaks of the will of man, of the Son being sent by the Father to save his beloved creature. The people tell Jesus that, in the face of such an attitude, the horse must return to God, since his king wishes him well, and Jesus encourages them to follow the response they have given.

Next, Jesus wants to give the obolus. A hunchback shows up (who didn't dare ask for the miracle), as does an old man who has come to beg for his daughter's healing; she's bedridden. Jesus heals them.

Then there's a 27-year-old woman with seven children who has nothing left. He gives her a large sum of money and promises that God's help will not fail her.

Finally, there's a ragged old man to whom Jesus gives nothing. The man claims that Christ is unjust and makes a fuss. But Jesus rebukes him, for he is a liar, a usurer, a miser and a thief. He orders him to leave and, as the crowd laughs, Jesus rebukes them too, urging them never to lack charity by insulting a sinner, for everyone has his own sin. Jesus must have shamed him, for it is never permissible to be a thief, but he suffered for doing so, and he invites men not to be greedy, not to lie, to be pure and honest.

Finally, Jesus frees two of the possessed. But he is overwhelmed, because there are possessions fermenting in hearts that close them off to honesty and love. Jesus is sad. The vision ends there.

Keywords

GRM 61.3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Jesus tells His disciples: «Let the poor come forward. There is a rich offer for them made by one who begs to obtain forgiveness from God.»

Detail

Jesus uses the purse given by Matthew to give them to the poor, and describes Matthew as "a person who commends himself to them to obtain God's forgiveness".

Keywords

Matthew (apostle)

GRM 61.3.5

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Jesus tells His disciples: «Let the poor come forward. There is a rich offer for them made by one who begs to obtain forgiveness from God.»
Three tattered old men come forward, two blind men and a cripple; they are followed by a widow with seven emaciated children.
Jesus stares at them, one by one, He smiles at the widow and particularly at the children. He says to John: «Put those over there in the kitchen garden. I want to speak to them.» But He becomes stern, with blazing eyes, when a little old man appears. But He says nothing for the time being.
He calls Peter, whom He asks for the purse received shortly before and for another one containing smaller coins, which are offerings collected from good-hearted people. He empties the coins onto the bench near the well, He counts them, and divides them. He makes six parts. A very big one, all silver coins, and five smaller ones in size, with many bronze coins and a few big ones. (...) The third old man comes forward, He seems to be the most ragged. But Jesus has only the big pile of money left. He calls in a loud voice: «Woman, come here with your little ones.»
The young emaciated woman comes forward with her head lowered down. She seems a sad hen with her sad brood of chickens.
«How long have you been a widow, woman?»
«Three years at the moon of Tishry.»
«How old are you?»
«Twenty-seven.»
«Are they all your children?»
«Yes, Master… and I have nothing else. I finished everything… How can I work if no one wants me with all these little ones?»
«God does not abandon even the worm He created. He will not abandon you, woman. Where do you live?»
«On the lake. Three stadia outside Bethsaida. He told me to come here… My husband died on the lake; he was a fisherman.» She points to Andrew, who blushes and would like to disappear.
«You did well, Andrew, telling the woman to come to Me.»
Andrew takes heart and whispers: «The man was a friend of mine, he was good, he died in a storm and lost his boat too.»
«Take this, woman. It will help you for a long time, then another sun will rise on your days. Be good, bring your children up in the Law and you will not be without God’s help. I bless you: you and your little ones.» And He pats them, one by one, with great pitiful love.
The woman goes away pressing her treasure to her heart.

Keywords

André (apostle)

GRM 62.4

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

62.4 Where were they from, those who were coming to Me?»
«From Korazim, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and there were some even from Tiberias and Gherghesa, as well as from the hundreds of villages around those towns.»
«Go and tell them that I will be at Korazim, Bethsaida and nearby villages.»
«Why not at Capernaum?»
«Because I came for everybody and everybody must have Me, and then… there is old Isaac waiting for Me. We must not disappoint his hopes.»
«Will You wait for us here, then?»
«No, I am going and you will stay at Capernaum to send the crowds to Me; I will come back later.»
«We will be here alone…» Peter is sad.
«Do not be sad. Obedience should make you happy as well as the conviction that you are a useful disciple. And the same applies to the others.»
Peter, Andrew, James and John cheer up. Jesus blesses them, and they part.
The vision ends in this way.

Detail

Peter informs Jesus that some people have come to see him, and he asks:

Keywords

GRM 64.1-2

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

64.1 I see the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. And I can see the boats beached by the fishermen; on the foreshore, leaning against the boats, are Peter and Andrew, intent on mending the nets, which their assistants bring them still dripping, having rinsed them in the lake to remove entangled rubbish. About ten yards away, John and James, bent over their boat, are busy at tidying it up, and they are helped by an assistant and by a man about fifty or fifty-five years old, who I think is Zebedee, because the assistant calls him «master» and also because he is very like James.
Peter and Andrew, with their backs to the boat, are working silently knotting the threads of the nets and fixing corks to them. Now and again they exchange a few words about their work, which, as far as I understand, has not been profitable.
Peter is sorry about it, not because of the loss of profit or the unprofitable work, but he says: «I am sorry, because… what shall we do to feed these poor people? We receive only occasional offerings and I am not going to touch the ten pieces of silver and the seven drachmas we collected during the last four days. Only the Master can tell me to whom and how that money is to be given. And He will not be back here until Sabbath! If we had had a good haul!… I would have cooked the small fish for the poor… and if anyone at home grumbled, I would not have cared. Healthy people can find food for themselves. But sick people!…»
«Above all that paralytic!… They have already travelled so much to bring him here…» says Andrew.
«Listen, brother. I think… we can’t remain divided like this, and I don’t know why the Master does not want us with Him all the time. At least… I would not see these poor people whom I can’t help, and if I saw them I would say to them: “He is here”.»
64.2 «I am here!» Jesus has come near them, walking quietly on the soft sand.
Peter and Andrew start. They exclaim: «Oh! Master!» and they shout: «James! John! The Master! Come here!»
The two brothers rush towards them. They all draw close to Jesus. Some kiss His tunic, some His hands, and John dares to encircle His waist with his arm, and lean his head on Jesus’ chest. Jesus kisses his hair.
«What were you talking about?»
«Master… we were saying that we would have liked to have You.»
«Why, My friends?»
«To see You and love You seeing You, and also because of some poor and sick people. They have been waiting for You for over two days… I did what I could. I put them over there, see that hut in that waste land? Over there the handymen repair the boats. I sheltered there a paralytic, who has a very high temperature, and a little boy who is dying in his mother’s arms. I could not send them away to look for You.»
«You did the right thing. But how have you been able to help them and who brought them here? You said they are poor!»
«Yes, Master, they are. Rich people have horses and carts. Poor people only have their legs. They cannot come looking for You as fast as they would like. I did what I could. Look: here are the offerings I have received. I have not touched anything. You will do that.»
«Peter, you could have done that, too. Certainly… My dear Peter, I am sorry that you should be reproached and have extra work because of Me.»
«No, Lord. You must not be sorry about that. It is no trouble for me. I am only sorry I have not been able to be more charitable. But, believe me, I have done, we have all done what we could.»
«I know. I know you have worked and in vain. But if there is no food, your charity remains: alive, active and holy in the eyes of God.»

Detail

Jesus is not with the disciples; he has left them at home for a while.

Keywords

GRM 64.1

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

64.1 I see the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. And I can see the boats beached by the fishermen; on the foreshore, leaning against the boats, are Peter and Andrew, intent on mending the nets, which their assistants bring them still dripping, having rinsed them in the lake to remove entangled rubbish. About ten yards away, John and James, bent over their boat, are busy at tidying it up, and they are helped by an assistant and by a man about fifty or fifty-five years old, who I think is Zebedee, because the assistant calls him «master» and also because he is very like James.
Peter and Andrew, with their backs to the boat, are working silently knotting the threads of the nets and fixing corks to them. Now and again they exchange a few words about their work, which, as far as I understand, has not been profitable.

Keywords

GRM 65.2-3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

65.2 Jesus says to Simon: «Call the other two. Let us go on to the lake and cast the net.»
«Master, my arms ache with fatigue: all night I cast and hauled the net, and all in vain. The fish are down at the bottom. I wonder where.»
«Do as I tell you, Peter. Always listen to those who love you.»
«I will do as You say, out of respect for Your word.» And he shouts to the assistants and also to James and John: «Let us go out fishing. The Master wants to go.» And while they are moving away, he says to Jesus: «However, Master, I assure You that it is not the right time. Goodness knows where the fish will be resting just now!…»
Jesus, sitting at the prow, smiles and is silent.
They form a semicircle on the lake and then cast the net. After a few minutes’ waiting, the boat is shaken in a strange way, because the lake is as smooth as a glass pane under the midday sun.
«But that is fish, Master!» says Peter, with his eyes wide open.
Jesus smiles and is silent.
«Heave ho! Heave ho!» Peter orders his assistants. But the boat tilts to one side, where the net is: «Hey there! James! John! Quick! Come Quick! With the oars! Quick!»
They rush and the joint efforts of the two crews succeed in hauling in the net without damaging the catch.
The two boats draw closer. They are now united. One, two, five, ten baskets. They are all full of wonderful fish, and there are still so many wriggling in the net: live silver and bronze, struggling to escape death. There is only one thing to be done: to empty the net into the bottom of the boats. They do that and the bottoms become a turmoil of agonizing lives. And the crew are up to their ankles in such abundance that the boats sink below the water-line because of the excessive weight.
«To the shore! Steer! Quick! The sails! Watch the depth line! Have the poles ready to prevent a clash. We have too much weight!»
65.3 As long as the manoeuvre lasts, Peter thinks of nothing else. But when he gets ashore, he begins to realise. He understands. He is frightened. «Master! My Lord! Go away from me! I am a sinner! I am not worthy of being near You!» He is on his knees on the damp shore.
Jesus looks at him and smiles: «Get up! Follow Me! I will not leave you anymore! From now on, you will be a fisher of men, and your companions with you. Be afraid of nothing. I am calling you. Come!»
«At once, Lord. You look after the boats. Take everything to Zebedee and to my brother-in-law. Let us go. We are all for You, Jesus! Blessed be the Eternal Father for this choice.»
And the vision ends.