ubt Me. A good shepherd must lay down his life
for his flock."

"Master," said Thomas, and his voice trembled, "not when you live; only
when you die, could we doubt you."

Then Jesus looked sadly round the circle, and said: "One among you
doubts Me, though I live."

"What do you mean by that, Lord?" asked Judas.

Jesus said: "The Son of Man goes His appointed way. Yet it would be
better for that man never to have been born. One of My own people will
betray Me this night."

As if struck down by a heavy weight, they were silent for a moment.
Then they exclaimed: "Who is it? Who is it?"

"One of the twelve who sits at this table."

"Master!" exclaimed Peter, "what causes that gloomy thought? No one is
unfaithful."

Jesus said to him; "Yes, Simon Peter! And another at this table will
deny Me before morning cockcrow."

They were silent, for they were all greatly afraid. After a while He
continued speaking. "It must happen as the Father in His wisdom has
determined. But the time of work begins for you. You will be My
apostles, My ambassadors, who will travel over the world to tell all
the nations what I have told you. You shall be the salt of humanity,
and season it with wisdom. You shall be the yeast which causes it to
ferment. To others I have said, Do the good work secretly; to you I
say, Let your light shine forth as an example. Be wily as the serpent,
and let not hypocrites deceive you; be like clever money-changers, who
accept only good coins and refuse the false. Be without guile, like
doves, and go forth, innocent as the sheep who go among wolves. If
they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. Where you sow
peace for others, there will be the sword for you. It will also come
to pass that your message of peace will awake discord; one brother will
dispute with the others, children will be against their parents,
because some will be for Me and others against Me. But the time will
come when they will be united, one flock under the care of one
shepherd. Then there will be a great fire on earth, that of enthusiasm
for the Spirit and for Love. Would it were already burning! Do not
despair because, with your simplicity and want of eloquence, your
ignorance of foreign tongues, you must travel in strange lands. The
moment you have to speak, My Spirit will speak through you in burning
eloquence. If you are silent, then the stones must speak, so vital is
the word that must be spoken.