Who are the apostles?

«Listen. Tomorrow at daybreak the leper will leave the sepulchres to find someone who will inform the priest. You will be the first to go to the sepulchres. It is charity. And you will shout: “Come out, you, the one who was cleansed yesterday. I have been sent by Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of Israel, He who cleansed you”. Let the world of the “living dead” know My name, let them throb with hope, and let those come to Me, who will have faith in addition to hope, that I may heal them. It is the first form of purity that I am bringing, the first form of the resurrection, of which I am the lord. One day I will grant a greater purity… One day the sealed tombs will violently expel those who are really dead, and they will appear and laugh with their empty eye sockets, with their bare jaws, because of the rejoicing of the souls freed from Limbo, a remote rejoicing and yet perceived even by skeletons. They will appear to laugh because of this liberation and to throb knowing it is due to… Go! He will come to you. You will do what he asks you to do. You will assist him in everything, as if he were your brother. And you will also say to him: “When you are completely purified, we will go together along the road of the river, beyond Doco and Ephraim. Jesus, the Master, will be waiting for us to tell us in what we have to serve him”.»

«I will do that. And what about the other one?»

«Who? The Iscariot?»

«Yes, Master.»

«The advice I gave him still stands. Let him decide by himself and let him take a long time. Even better, avoid seeing him.»

«I will be with the leper. Only lepers wander about in the valley of the sepulchres and those who pitifully are in touch with them.»

• Judas de Kérioth (apostle)
• Simon the Zealot (apostle)

55.4 Peter mumbles something. Jesus hears him.

«What is the matter with you, Peter? You either grumble or are silent. You seem to be discontented. Why?»

«I am discontented. We were the first and You did not work a miracle for us. We were the first and You let a stranger sit beside You. We were the first and You entrust him, not us, with a task. We were the first and… yet, yes, we seem to be the last ones. Why are You going to wait for them on the road near the river? Certainly to entrust them with some mission. Why them, and not us?»

Jesus looks at him. He is not angry. On the contrary He smiles as one smiles at a child. He gets up, goes slowly over to Peter and, smiling, says to him: «Peter! Peter! You are a big, old baby!» And He says to Andrew, who is sitting beside his brother: «Go and take My seat» and He sits beside Peter, clasping his shoulders with His arm, and He speaks to him, holding him thus against His own shoulder: «Peter, you think I am being unfair, but I am not. On the contrary it is a proof that I know what you are worth. Look. Who needs proof? He who is not yet certain. I knew you were so certain about Me, that I did not feel any need to give you evidence of My power. Proof is required here in Jerusalem, where vices, lack of religion, politics and many worldly things dim souls to such an extent that they can no longer see the Light passing by. But up there, on our beautiful lake, so clear under a clear sky, amongst honest and good willing people, no proof is required. You will have miracles. I will pour torrents of graces upon you. But consider how I valued you, I took you without demanding any proof and without finding it necessary to give you any, because I know who you are. You are dear to Me, so dear, and so faithful.»

Peter cheers up: «Forgive me, Jesus.»

«Yes, I forgive you because your sulkiness is a sign of love. But do not be envious any more, Simon of Jonas. Do you know what the heart of your Jesus is? Have you ever seen the sea, the real sea? You have? Well, My heart is bigger than the immense sea! And there is room for everybody. For the whole of mankind. And the smallest person has a place just like the greatest. And a sinner finds love just like an innocent. I am entrusting these with a mission. Certainly. Do you want to forbid Me? I chose you. You did not choose yourselves. I am therefore free to decide how I want to employ you. And if I leave them here with a mission — which might well be a test, as the lapse of time granted to the Iscariot may be due to mercy — can you reproach Me? How do you know that I am not keeping a greater mission for you? And is not the nicest mission to be told: “You will come with me”?»

«It is true. I am a blockhead! Forgive me…»

«Yes. I forgive everything. Oh! Peter!… But I beg you all never to discuss merits and positions. I could have been born a king. I was born poor, in a stable. I could have been rich. I lived with My work and now I live out of charity. And yet, believe Me, My friends, there is no one greater than I in the eyes of God. Greater than I am, Who am here: the servant of man.»

«You a servant? Never!»

«Why not, Peter?»

«Because I will serve You.»

«Even if You served Me as a mother serves her child, I have come to serve man. I will be a Saviour for him. What service is there like that?»

«Oh! Master! You explain everything. And what seemed dark becomes clear at once!»

«Are you happy now, Peter? 55.5 Now let Me finish talking to Thomas.»

• Lessons and Teachings for the Apostles
• Simon-Pierre - Simon de Jonas (apostle)

55.4 Peter mumbles something. Jesus hears him.

«What is the matter with you, Peter? You either grumble or are silent. You seem to be discontented. Why?»

«I am discontented. We were the first and You did not work a miracle for us. We were the first and You let a stranger sit beside You. We were the first and You entrust him, not us, with a task. We were the first and… yet, yes, we seem to be the last ones. Why are You going to wait for them on the road near the river? Certainly to entrust them with some mission. Why them, and not us?»

Jesus looks at him. He is not angry. On the contrary He smiles as one smiles at a child. He gets up, goes slowly over to Peter and, smiling, says to him: «Peter! Peter! You are a big, old baby!» And He says to Andrew, who is sitting beside his brother: «Go and take My seat» and He sits beside Peter, clasping his shoulders with His arm, and He speaks to him, holding him thus against His own shoulder (...).

• André (apostle)

«Are you sure you will recognise the leper? He is the only one healed; but he may already have left by starlight, to find an early wayfarer. And someone, anxious to enter the town and see his relatives, might perhaps take his place. Listen to his description. I was near him and I saw him well in the twilight. He is tall and thin. Of a dark complexion, like a cross-breed, very deep and dark eyes with snow-white eyebrows, hair as white as linen and somewhat curly, and a long snubbed nose like the Lybians’, two thick protruding lips particularly the lower one. He is so olive-coloured that his lips verge on violet. He has an old scar on his forehead and it will be the only stain, now that he has been cleaned from scabs and dirt.»

«He must be old, if he is all white.»

«No, Philip, he looks old, but he is not. Leprosy made him white.»

«What is he? A cross-breed?»

«Perhaps, Peter. He resembles African people.»

«Will he be an Israelite, then?»

«We will find out. But suppose he is not?»

«Eh! If he were not, he would go away. He is already lucky that he deserved to be healed.»

«No, Peter. Even if he is an idolater, I will not send him away. Jesus has come for everybody. And I solemnly tell you that people living in darkness will overcome the children of the people of Light…»

Jesus sighs. He then stands up. He thanks the Father with a hymn and blesses everyone.

The vision ends in this way.

• Simon the Zealot (apostle)

55.6 I point out incidentally that my internal adviser said to me, since yesterday evening when I saw the leper: «It is Simon, the apostle. You will see him and Thaddeus coming to the Master.» This morning, after Holy Communion (today is Friday) I opened my missal and I saw that this is the eve of the feast of Saints Simon and Judas, and tomorrow’s Gospel deals with charity, almost repeating the very words I heard before the vision. However, I have not seen Judas Thaddeus so far.

• Jude of Alphée (apostle)
• Simon the Zealot (apostle)
• Writing the Work

• Jesus Christ
• Jude of Alphée (apostle)
• Kinship of Jesus Christ
• Simon the Zealot (apostle)
• Summary of EMV

56.2 Three wayfarers are standing on the road, in the middle of the bend. They look up and down, to the south, where Jerusalem is and to the north, where Samaria lies. They look anxiously between the trees to see whether anyone is arriving as expected. They are Thomas, Judas Thaddeus and the healed leper. They are speaking.

«Can you see anything?»

«No, I can’t.»

«Neither can I.»

«And yet this is the place.»

«Are you sure?»

«I’m sure, Simon. One of the six said to me, when the Master was going away amid the acclamations of the crowd, after the miraculous healing of a crippled beggar, who was healed at the Fish Gate: “We are now going out of Jerusalem. Wait for us five miles between Jericho and Doco, at the bend of the river, along the road in the woodland”. This one. He also said: “We will be there in three days’ time at dawn”. This is the third day, and we have been here before dawn.»

«Will He come? Perhaps we should have followed Him from Jerusalem.»

«You were not yet allowed to mix with the crowds, Simon.»

«If my cousin told you to come here, He will certainly come here. He always keeps His promise. All we can do is wait.»

56.3 «Have you always been with Him?»

«Yes, always. Since He came back to Nazareth He was my good companion. We were always together. We are about the same age, I am a little older. And I was the favourite of His father, who was my father’s brother. Also His Mother was very fond of me. I grew up more with Her than with my own mother.»

«She was fond… Is She no longer as fond of you, now?»

«Oh! Yes, She is. But we have parted a little since He became a prophet. My relatives are not happy about it.»

«Which relatives?»

«My father and the two older brothers. The other one is undecided… My father is very old and I did not have the courage to hurt him. But now… Now, no longer so. Now I am going where my heart and my mind tell me. I am going to Jesus. I don’t think I am offending the Law by doing so. In any case… if what I want to do was not right, Jesus would tell me. I will do what He says. Is it right for a father to prevent a son from doing good? If I feel that my salvation is there, why prevent me from reaching it? Why, at times, are our fathers our enemies?»

Simon sighs as if he were overwhelmed by sad memories, he lowers his head, but does not speak.

Thomas instead replies: «I have already overcome the obstacle. My father listened to me and he understood me. He blessed me saying: “Go. May this Passover be for you the liberation from the slavery of waiting. You are lucky because you can believe. I will wait. But if it is really Him, and you will find out following Him, then come and say to your old father: ‘Come, Israel has the Expected One’”.»

«You are luckier than I am. And we always lived beside Him!… And we, in the family, do not believe!… We say, that is: they say: “He has gone mad”!»

56.4 «There, there is a group of people» shouts Simon. «It’s Him, it’s Him! I recognise His fair head! Oh! Come! Let us run!»

They start walking fast southwards. When they reach the centre of the bend, the trees cover the remainder of the road, so that the two groups face each other unexpectedly. Jesus seems to be coming up from the river, because He is among the trees on the bank.

«Master!»

«Jesus!»

«My Lord!»

The three cries of the disciple, the cousin and the cured leper are full of joy and veneration.

«Peace to you!» There is the beautiful, unmistakable, full, resonant, calm, expressive, clear, virile, sweet, incisive voice!

• Jude of Alphée (apostle)
• Simon the Zealot (apostle)
• Thomas (apostle)

56.3 «Have you always been with Him?»

«Yes, always. Since He came back to Nazareth He was my good companion. We were always together. We are about the same age, I am a little older. And I was the favourite of His father, who was my father’s brother. Also His Mother was very fond of me. I grew up more with Her than with my own mother.»

«She was fond… Is She no longer as fond of you, now?»

«Oh! Yes, She is. But we have parted a little since He became a prophet. My relatives are not happy about it.»

«Which relatives?»

«My father and the two older brothers. The other one is undecided… My father is very old and I did not have the courage to hurt him. But now… Now, no longer so. Now I am going where my heart and my mind tell me. I am going to Jesus. I don’t think I am offending the Law by doing so. In any case… if what I want to do was not right, Jesus would tell me. I will do what He says. Is it right for a father to prevent a son from doing good? If I feel that my salvation is there, why prevent me from reaching it? Why, at times, are our fathers our enemies?»

Simon sighs as if he were overwhelmed by sad memories, he lowers his head, but does not speak.

Thomas instead replies: «I have already overcome the obstacle. My father listened to me and he understood me. He blessed me saying: “Go. May this Passover be for you the liberation from the slavery of waiting. You are lucky because you can believe. I will wait. But if it is really Him, and you will find out following Him, then come and say to your old father: ‘Come, Israel has the Expected One’”.»

«You are luckier than I am. And we always lived beside Him!… And we, in the family, do not believe!… We say, that is: they say: “He has gone mad”!»

• Alphée de Jacob (father of James and Jude d'Alphée and uncle of Jesus)
• James of Alphaeus (apostle)
• Joseph d'Alphée
• Jude of Alphée (apostle)
• Kinship of Jesus Christ
• Marie d'Alphée (Mary of Cleophas)
• Simon d'Alphée

«I have already overcome the obstacle. My father listened to me and he understood me. He blessed me saying: “Go. May this Passover be for you the liberation from the slavery of waiting. You are lucky because you can believe. I will wait. But if it is really Him, and you will find out following Him, then come and say to your old father: ‘Come, Israel has the Expected One’”.»

• Father of Thomas the apostle
• Thomas's relatives

56.5 «You too, Judas, My cousin, are here?»

They embrace each other. Judas is weeping.

«Why are you weeping?»

«Oh! Jesus! I want to stay with You!»

«I have been waiting for you all the time. Why did you not come?»

Judas lowers his head and is silent.

«They did not let you! And now?»

«Jesus, I… I cannot obey them. I want to obey You only.»

«But I did not give you an order.»

«No, You did not. But it is Your mission that gives it! It is He, Who sent You, Who is speaking here, in my heart, and says to me: “Go to Him”. It is She, Who bore You, my sweet teacher, Who with Her gentle look, as mild as a dove’s, says to me without uttering a word: “Be of Jesus!”. Can I ignore that heavenly voice that pierces my heart? Can I ignore the prayers of such a Holy Woman, Who implores me for my own good? Only because I am Your cousin on Joseph’s side, am I not to acknowledge You for what You are, whereas the Baptist recognised You, although he had never seen You, here, on the banks of this river and he greeted You as the “Lamb of God”? And I, should I not be capable of anything, although I was brought up with You, and I was good because I followed You, and I became a son of the Law through Your Mother, from Whom I learned not the six hundred and thirteen precepts of the rabbis, besides the Scriptures and the prayers, but the essence of them all?»

«And your father?»

«My father? He does not lack bread and assistance, and then… You give me the example. You have thought of the welfare of the people, rather than the little advantage of Mary. And She is alone. Tell me, Master, is it not right for a son to say to his father, without lacking respect: “Father, I love you. But God is above you and I will follow Him”?»

«Judas, My cousin and My friend, I tell you: you have made good progress on the way to Light. Come. It is lawful to speak thus to a father, when it is God Who calls. There is nothing above God. Also the laws of relationship cease, that is they are raised to a dignity, because with our tears we give our fathers and mothers a greater help and for something everlasting, not for a short time in this world. We draw them with us to Heaven, and by sacrificing our affections, to God. So, Judas, stay here. I have been waiting for you and I am happy to have you, the friend of My life at Nazareth.»

Judas is touched.

• Alphée de Jacob (father of James and Jude d'Alphée and uncle of Jesus)
• Jude of Alphée (apostle)
• Kinship of Jesus Christ