Now check this out: a young guy came up to take the bread at mass, and what do you know? His hands shrivelled up so he couldn’t use them to feed himself! When Brother Tom heard about this, he called the guy to him, and said, “Listen, don’t worry about being judged by me. Tell me what you did. The eucharist itself turned you in. Most people get healed by eating the bread, but you ended up with withered hands, and this had to have happened for a reason.”
The guy, in tears, threw himself at Tom’s feet. “I was trying to do something good, but it backfired on me. I had a huge crush on a gorgeous lady who lives in a motel just outside of town, and she loved me, too. Then I heard about you, and how the God you teach about is the Living God, and believed, and was sealed. Of course, you also said that anybody who has sex– especially adulterous sex– won’t have life with the God you’re talking about. So, I talked to my love about this, and begged her to join with me in chastity and purity, but she wouldn’t. When she refused, I couldn’t deal with the idea that she’d end up with someone else, and like it’s said, if I can’t have her, I don’t want anybody to have her. In a fit of insane rage, I ran her through with my sword.”
When Tom head this, he replied, “Lust, you insanity that ruins us and makes us do shameful things! Lust, how could you make this man do this? Lust, you’re the work of the Archon, and turn against your own!” He asked for a bowl of water, and when someone brought it, he prayed over it:
“Come, waters of the living waters sent our way,
The true from the Truth,
The repose from the Repose,
The power of salvation from the Power over all things,
That conquers all things.
Come and live in this water,
So that they’re filled with the Holy Spirit.”
He turned to the young man. “Come here and wash your hands in this water.” When the guy put his hands in the basin, they were instantly restored to wholeness! “Do you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ did this, as he can do anything?”
The young man replied, “Even though I’m totally worthless, I believe. But, doesn’t it matter that I did this thinking I was doing good? I tried to get her to follow your teachings and keep herself chaste, but she wouldn’t do it.”
Tom answered, “Come on, let’s go find this motel where this happened.” The young man led him there, and when they got there they found her body, lying in a pool of blood. When he saw how young and beautiful she was, Tom was even more upset. He had her brought into the middle of the motel, and they brought her out into the courtyard and laid her on a bed. Tom put his hands on her, and said a prayer:
Jesus, who always shows yourself to us,
Because you want us to always bee on the lookout for you,
And because you’ve taught us how to pray for what we need;
We can’t see you with our physical eyes,
But we can always see with our soul’s eyes,
and can see you in the works you do,
and the acts you do–
You’ve told us to ask and it will be given,
seek and we’ll find it,
knock and it’ll be opened.
Knowing that we’re imperfect, we’d like to ask you,
not for money or stuff or anything worldly.
Instead, we’d like to ask you in your holy name
to bring this woman back to life,
by your power and glory and because we believe in you.
Then he made the sign of the cross over the young guy, and told him to contemplate the Lord, and told him, “Go on and take her hands, and then tell her, ‘I killed you with these hands, and now with these same hands I’m gonna raise you up.'”
The young guy went over to her and said, “I believe in you, Jesus Christ.” Then he looked over to Tom, and said, “You pray for me, too, so the Lord helps me.” He took her hands, and said, “Come on, Lord Jesus, bring her back to life and strengthen my faith in you.”
As soon as he’d finished talking, she sat right up!
She looked around all boggled at the huge crowd around her, and hopped off the bed, falling at Tom’s feet, saying, “Hey, Lord, where’s that other guy who was with you a second ago, who didn’t leave me behind in that dark and scary place, but sent me over to you, saying ‘Take this lady and make sure she gets saved so she eventually comes home’?”
Tom asked her, “Can you tell us about where you were?”
She answered, “An ugly man in rotten clothes whose face was all black like soot led me to a nasty smelling place where there were all these holes in the floor, and he made me look inside each hole. The first hole was filled with fire, and these souls were hanging from burning wheels that banged into each other. They were all screaming and crying, and nobody could save them. The dark man told me, ‘These are your people, and when they die, they’re doomed to torture and trouble, and when they’re annihilated they get replaced immediately. These are the ones who’ve mixed up the intercourse of male and female.’ I looked down, and saw a pile of babies, and the babies were fighting with each other. He said, ‘These are their children, and they’re here as proof of their wickedness.’
“Then he walked me over to the next hole, which was filled with bubbling mud and maggots, and souls were in there, moaning. He told me, ‘These are the souls of adulterers.’
“He showed me another hole where souls were all hanging up in weird positions by their tongues, hair, hands, feet, and smoked with charcoal and lava. ‘The ones hanging by their tongues are liars who never apologized for lying. The ones hanging by the hair are the show-offs who walked around like they owned the place. The ones hanging up by their hands are the thieves and the greedy bastards who never gave anything to those in need. The ones hanging up by their feet are those that ran away from the good works they could’ve done. As you can see, each soul’s punishment fits its crime.’
“Finally he took me to a deep, dark cave that smelled worse than anything, and all these souls were crammed inside, trying to get a breath of fresh air, but demons wouldn’t let them. ‘This is where the souls are taken between punishments,’ the dark guy told me. ‘Some of them finish their tortures and are kept here to make room for others. Some of them are taken along to different tortures when they’re done with the first ones. Some are totally consumed.’
“Then the demons yelled up at us, ‘Send that one down here, sp we can keep her here until it’s time for her torture!’ But he replied, ‘I can’t do that, because of the one who gave her to me. I was told not to leave her here, but to keep her with me until I get further orders.’ He took me through another place where a bunch of guys were being tortured, until a man showed up who looked just like you and brought me to you. He said, ‘Take this woman, because she’s one of my lost sheep.’ Then you took me, and now I’m here, and I really hope you’ll help me so I don’t get sent to those horrifying places I saw.”
Tom turned away, and said to everybody there, “You heard what she said about these tortures! These aren’t the only ones, either– some are far worse. If you don’t follow God and stop doing the ignorant things you used to do without gnosis, you’re gonna end up where she was. You’d better believe in Jesus Christ, so he cleans up your blemishes and gets rid of your desires, and fixes all of your mistakes that cling to you like stickerbushes. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll throw away the old you, and become new, and give up how you used to walk and talk. If you steal, you’d better stop stealing, but work for your living. If yuo’re a cheater, stop cheating on your spouse or you’re gonna be tortured– adultery is the worst thing you can do. Stop with your greed, and always tell the truth, and don’t get drunk all the time or spread gossip about people, and don’t do bad things to people who do bad things to you, because these are all pretty foreign to the God I’m talking about. Instead, you’d better believe, and be humble and holy, and hope, because these things make God happy, and he’ll give you the gifts that only he can give.”
All those people there believed at that moment, and pledged their souls to the living God and Jesus Christ, celebrating the powerful works of the Highest and being able to serve him. They forked over lots of cash for needy widows, because Tom had set up places for them in a few different cities and sent them food, clothes and other necessities.
Tom never stopped talking in public about Jesus Christ, how he was told about in the scriptures, came to the world, was crucified and raised up three days later. He explained very clearly how Jesus’s coming was foretold in the prophets, and how the world needed him, and how he’d do everything that he needed to do. People were talking about him everywhere, and started bringing their sick and wounded and possessed to him, and putting them in his path. But that Tom healed all those people, so that they all said:
Yours is the Glory, Jesus,
Who healed us through the working of your messenger Tom.
Now we’re healthy, and celebrating,
And ask that you take us into your fold,
So we can be your sheep.
Accept us, Lord, and don’t hold our errors
From our previous lives against us,
Since we didn’t know any better.
And Tom said:
All Glory to the Father’s only son!
All Glory to the eldest child!
All Glory to you, who protects and helps anyone who asks,
Who never falls asleep but wakes the ones who are sleeping,
Who brings the dead back to life.
Jesus Christ, Son of the True God,
Savior and Assistant,
Peace and relaxation of the tired,
Healer of those who sweat in the heat for you,
Thanks for the gifts you’ve given us,
And for the help you’ve brought us when we’ve needed it.
Make us strong so that we can find our courage in you.
Look over us because we’ve run away from our homes and parents for you,
And have made ourselves foriegners for your sake.
Look over us, Lord, because
We’ve gotten rid of all of our stuff for you,
So we can inherit eternal stuff.
Look over us,
Because we’ve abandoned our tribes and countries,
All so we can be part of your tribe and country.
Look over us,
Because we’ve abandoned our families,
So we can be with your Father,
And be fed by him on the best food ever.
Look over us,
Because we’ve abandoned our desire for procreation,
So we can be part of an eternal romance,
And give birth to Heavenly Fruits that can’t be stolen,
Who we’ll live with,
And who will live with us.
Amen.
Living Apocrypha - Christian and Gnostic Apocryphal Texts for Everyone 