THE MESSAGE OF
MERCIFUL LOVE was
received by Carmela Carabelli during a period which lasted some ten years, from
1968 to 1978. Carmela Carabelli was born in Melegnano on May 9, 1910, the feast
day of Our Lady of Bosco, to whom her Mother was devoted.
She died in the peace of Christ on November 25, 1978, the feast day of St
Catherine Laboure. Since 1968 she received, almost daily, messages from Jesus,
as the Merciful Jesus, and from the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of Divine Love.
She transcribed all that was said, without hesitation or correction, immediately
into notebooks. She wrote about her conversations with Jesus, who spoke about
His Father, who is the Father of all men, and of His Mother, very tenderly; and
lovingly of His foster father, St Joseph, and about many other saintly
people. Through this privileged
person, of Carmela Carabelli, all
of these writings were provided to the entire World, who wished to seek and find
God.
Extracted from a letter of Monsignor Pietro Santoro,
Bishop of Termoli, addressed to "Fidelitas", Carouge-Geneve, January
9, 1972.
"... These writings are truly rich in faith and
holy ardour for God's cause because God avails Himself of numerous circumstances
to express his Will, but above all, He uses humble and silent souls. May this
book do much good to a humanity greatly tormented
and living far from God ..!"
("Nulla Osta" to the original Italian edition
from Pietro Santoro Bishop of Termoli )
THE MERCY OF GOD
Wednesday ;
May I5 ,I968 (0330)
My beloved
child, listen to Me, do not forget My words but make them your daily bread and
the nourishment of your spirit. I speak to you of My mercy. I will never tire
speaking of It to you, for I am Mercy itself, infinite Mercy. The "misereor
super turbam" was not only for the time whilst I lived among men; but also
now. I continue to repeat: "l have pity, I have mercy, I have compassion on
these people." Then, it was a crowd who was tireless to follow Me, and
insatiable to listen to My word which evoked My pity. Now, I have pity on a
people which does not want to listen to Me, which does not want to believe in Me,
which does not want to follow Me. You see the Churches deserted whilst My
Ministers renew My real sacrifice, though bloodless. The teaching of My doctrine
is suppressed and neglected. Common liturgical and private prayers are being
shortened because it is boring to pray. Prayers are no longer said in families.
The little ones are no longer taught the truths of faith which were so well
taught by mothers. The joy of joining the hands of their little ones, of
teaching them to pronounce My Name and that of My Mother, this they no longer
do. Mothers are preoccupied with many other things! Even the best of them are
proud when their little ones know how to read and write before their time, when
they know the names of actors and the melodies of singers, and they forget to
acquaint them with and to taste the sweetness of the divine music of their soul,
the Presence of God within them, the song of their innocence and purity which
must be safeguarded and presented to God. In this way children lose their
innocence. You feel sorry when little children lose their mother; but the
saddest day of their life is not the day when they become orphans, but when they
lose God by their first mortal sin. And the young people who were the joy of My
mortal life? What shall become of them? Preoccupied with following the world and
its pleasures, they withdraw more and more from Me and live in vice and in the
depths of incredulity. Everything is permissible to them! The purity which was
their aureole is for them a residue of antiquity, a reminiscence and dose of
dishonour. The ideal for which young people would have given their life no
longer exists. It is egoism that prevails in all its forms, one's own "me",
one's own personality, while authority is ignored and while one throws oneself
into the mire.
And the
adults? They compete with the young in their impudence, their unbelief, their
neglect of their duties and love of pleasures. Everything is permissible:
betrayals, infidelity, luxury ... and families break up, ruin themselves, and
are unhappy. If God is taken away from families, He who is their bond, who can
keep them united? That is why there is hate, discord, unbelief and disorder.
Even society, which is made up of families, shows the
effects of this Situation, and it too is corrupted. There is no justice, no love
of duty, no uprightness, everything that made men honest is outdated. Now each
one must consider himself, his own interests, his own well- being, without
bothering himself with others. The thinking today is : What difference does it
make if you have to crush the head of your fellow man in order to secure a
higher position or get ahead monetarily or professionally?
What does it matter if one must take away bread from the mouth of his
brother? "The world belongs to the most powerful", if not in word, at
least in practice, within which you have social struggles and all sorts of
disorders, of all categories. Thus are born class hatreds, fratricidal wars and
civil struggles. Nations struggle amongst themselves for futile motives which
they themselves would not know how to define with precision; there are racial
wars, as if I did not come into the world to save all races and all nations, for
they are all My children. Faced with all these evils, which are a pale idea of
the real evil reigning in this world, I again address My Father and say to Him:
"Father, have pity on these people!" - "Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do!" My Mercy has no respite. I go about looking
for good little children who love Me. I go about searching for youth, generous,
ardent and pure, who follow Me. I go seeking good souls who amend: I am always
ready to forgive, to forget, to love. My children, do you wish to belong to this
number? Do you want to console My Heart filled with sadness? Do you want to weep
with Me, suffer with Me, love with Me? Do not wait until the cup overflows!
Beseech the Father to use again and always His Merciful Goodness and that He not
Stretch out His Hand on the world except to save it. Pray to My Mother to
present Herself once more before God to delight His Heart by Her wonderful
beauty and goodness. Offer My Blood to the Father and the merits of the Saints
so that He does not use Justice on a word so perverted and ungrateful. God is
always ready to forgive on condition that you repent; He forgets everything.
Repent, I entreat you, before it is too late! The day is coming when all men,
united in one choir with the Angels and Saints, will sing the Mercy of the Lord
in Eternity.
THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR LOVE
Monday.
July 29, 1968
My beloved child, let us together cast a glance at the
word. Does it not appear to you to be like an immense hospital? Sick in body, in
mind, in heart, in soul. And you, how can you remain indifferent in the midst of
so much evil, so much sorrow? Help Me, I beseech you, help those who suffer, do
it through the power of prayer. Pick up the fallen ones, assist those on the
point of falling. Run to the aid of those in misery, those who weep, those who
are about die. Do not abandon yourself to yourself. Don't you see that everyone
needs you? Indifference is a fault, it is egoism. Not to care about what is
happening around you makes you deserve no care from God. Enlarge your heart.
Don't you see how much the world is in need of your love? Love is stronger than
death because it outlives it. It is stronger than pain because it vanquishes it.
Love consoles, repairs, converts, gives strength, and stimulates to do good,
triumphs over evil. Sow love! Why do you go on proposing something that would do
well? Just do it, do not reason about it. Love does not like reasoning.
Reasoning can proceed from self interest. But love does not seek any interest;
it seeks the good of everyone. Live in love. Be strong and generous through love.
The word is vast, but love embraces all of it. Try to spread joy and love in the
little circle that you occupy and then broaden your view. By the aid of prayer,
go to all those in the world who are in need of comfort, joy, and love. Go to
all the sick and ask God, who is Pure Love, for a spark of His Divine Mercy to
love all the people of the earth. What is not possible for you is easy for God.
You will see how much good will be diffused from the little Cenacle of your
heart, from whence the Holy Spirit will spread the Sacred Fire of Love over the
whole word.
SADNESS
Saturday, May II, I968 (0345)
My beloved
child, do not be anxious about too many things. Accept life with serenity, for
if you make of each little thing a big Cross, what will become of you when the
Cross gets heavier. Do not let yourself be cast down by trifles. Be more serene.
Strive to surpass yourself by summoning up your courage. How can you help and
encourage others - for this is your mission in life - if you yourself are sad
and dejected? Let peace and joy always reign in your heart, for they are the
fruit of a conscience in peace with God and with one's neighbour. Love is to be
in harmony with everyone, and be ready to sacrifice your thoughts and to respect
the opinions of others, to put up with humiliations and wrong-doings.
Overcome evil with good. Take no notice of it, forget quickly any offence,
re-establish order, for thus the Lord acts, and He wants all of you to imitate
Him. Generally, sadness does not come from God, but from the Evil One. He uses
it to turn you away from doing good and from prayer. But because of sadness, you
lack the enthusiasm which makes you confront and overcome dangers, in view of
achieving the most sublime ends.
Let your mind be serene. Clarify your thoughts, turn
them towards noble things. Do not stop to consider the negative side of people
with whom you live, or those you meet, but strive to discover all that is good
in them. Everyone possesses some virtue. It will then be easier for you to love
everyone.
If you
must correct someone's faults, because you are in authority to do so, do it with
goodness and with tact. Never let yourself be carried away by resentment, by
anger or by a false zeal, for I assure you, you would derive no benefit neither
for the others nor for yourself. He who harshly reprimands is in no way inclined
to accept correction himself. Moreover, after unleashing your fury, sadness
overwhelms you, you perceive you are not master of yourself and you get
discouraged, thus blaming yourself for the wrong. Be more indulgent with others
than you are with yourself. Did you ever notice how skilful you are in hiding
your own faults? Well, do likewise with others. It is true that, very often,
your faults are hidden from you while you easily see those of others, and this
is natural; but if you keep an eye on yourself, you will discover more easily
your weak points and shortcomings and thus be able to excuse those of others.
Now and then you think yourself to be very good, but if you compare your
goodness with God's and with that of some Saints who have lived your life, you
see the distance that still remains for you to cover. You are not forbidden to
weep; I also wept during My mortal life. I wept over the ruin of Jerusalem as
now I weep over My Church, over its Ministers who betray their vocation too much
and their mission. I wept over the death of Lazarus as I weep over so many
sinners, deaf to My appeals and to My voice. I
wept in the Garden of Olives on seeing the uselessness of My sufferings
for so many souls, and I shed tears of blood, blood which poured forth from My
whole body. You, too, may weep, but let your tears be blessed. Weep over your
sins and over those of the whole world, and may your tears have the value of
purification and washing. Unite them to Mine and to those of My Holy Mother, and
may they be conducive in retaining the arm of Divine Justice. Weep, but let your
tears be sorrowful and not despairing. May they serve to allay your suffering
and not be the sign of rebellion against the Will of God.
Weep
also for those who do not weep as they feel no regret for having offended God
and for living their lives selfishly. Share the suffering of others. Weep with
those who weep. It is the best way
of comforting souls crushed by the weight of the Cross. My sweet Mother who, at
the foot of the Cross upon which I had been nailed, had not the comfort of tears,
so that her pain, offered for the benefit of all men, was more intense, My sweet
Mother often shows Her tears in diverse places. By Her tears, She wants to
invite all men to repentance and reflection. Unfortunately, people are often
loud in proclaiming the miracles and not so loud in proclaiming the message. It
is all so superficial. If the Mother is weeping, it is the duty of the
children to console Her and to find out the reason for Her pain. You, at least,
My child, do this. Do this all of
you, and the consolation you will give your Heavenly Mother will be repaid by
Spiritual joy and by many graces.
PRODIGAL SONS
Sunday, May I2, I968
My loving
child, hearken to the sorrowful cry reaching your ear, imploring solace and
assistance. Do not be deaf to this entreaty but bring the desired help to those
who implore you. I speak to you of
those souls whose sin keeps them far from Me or of those who, having already
reached their last dwelling place and not being completely purified, wail in
this place of expiation while waiting to be able to enter the Kingdom of the
Elect. If your charity must extend to all, certainly you must not forget either
the first or the second, being certain that by this you are pleasing Me and
accomplishing a duty whose reward shall be your salvation itself. You know what
costly price I paid for the salvation of souls. Therefore, you can understand
how much I love them and how much I desire to have them all close to Me, and all
that you do to help me get closer to them or to lead them to Me is blessed work.
Think of a mother who, having an absent son, who may perhaps be lost but wish to
see him again, finds a person taking care of him and doing everything to make
him go back. Imagine the joy of this meeting and the gratitude of this mother,
and there you have only a pale reflection of the immense joy that you give to My
Heart when, by your prayers, your love and your sacrifices, you lead My prodigal
sons to eternal salvation. Do you recall the resurrection of Lazarus? Martha and
Mary led Me to his tomb. He had been buried four days and already his body was
giving off a strong odour. But because of the love I bore him, because of the
prayers and tears of his two sisters, My friends, I resurrected him. You, also
do likewise. Take Me to the tomb of sinners, in the Spiritual sense. He who is
in the state of sin is dead to grace; that is why he lies as if in a tomb. By
means of your supplications, your love, you bring Me to sinners. Practice
virtues that are contrary to their sins and you will force Me to perform the
same miracle which restored life to My friend Lazarus. Remember the parable of
the Good Shepherd who, overcoming obstacles, wearing himself out and with grazes
on his hands and feet, goes in Search of the lost sheep; when he has found it,
he places it on his shoulders and, filled with joy, he brings it back to the
sheepfold. In just the same way I pursue souls who wander away from Me, and I do
not rest until I clasp them to My heart. You understand how great will be My
gratitude towards those who assist Me in this difficult and thankless work. If
you love Me and if you understand My desires, and if you wish to correspond with
them, you must help Me. Of course, it is I who save souls, and you will give Me
a helping hand. You will pray for those who do not pray, you will love those who
do not love; and along with your voluntary sacrifices, the acceptance of
suffering, you will help Me to make Redemption produce the desired result for
them. Furthermore, if you wish or if you have the occasion to exhort by word
those living estranged from God, gladly do so, provided you do it always with
great goodness and with great charity, respecting the other's liberty. But
invoke Me before undertaking any apostolic work of this nature, so that it be I
who speak in you and render your words effective. Not less pleasing to My Heart
are the prayers and offerings for the benefit of the Souls in Purgatory. They
endure bitter torments which they would not give up without seeing the work of
their purification completed. And yet, very great is the desire and hope for
Paradise in them; but infinitely greater is My desire of uniting them eternally
with Me. It is in your power to hasten this meeting and to introduce these souls
into glory. To pray to the souls in Purgatory and to have recourse to them in
order to obtain their help on this earth is a mark of faith. And this is so
pleasing to Me that I perform miracles through the intermediary of these souls
who, although they cannot pray for themselves, are powerful in assisting those
who turn to them. This double motive - their liberation and your good - must
impel you to accomplish this act of charity so agreeable to My Heart. Do not
regret to sacrifice yourself for souls estranged from God, no matter whatever
the motive of their estrangement may be. You may even find yourself in need and
the same measure will be used for you that you will have used for others.
THOSE WHO ARE FAR FROM GOD
Monday. May I3. I968 (0245)
My beloved child, cast your glance on those who are
victims of error and unbelief and, for this reason, live separated from Me.
Extend your charity even to them so that the light of the Holy Spirit may reach
them and they may be able to cast aside their errors and find again the path of
salvation. May the former (those in error) find the light of Truth; may the
latter (the unbelievers) know the True God and Me, who was sent to save them
all.
It is
therefore a double category of people that I confide to your prayers. The first
is comprised of those who have lost the faith, misled by false doctrines and
erroneous philosophies, or who, more conveniently, declare themselves atheists
in order to be able to commit, at their ease, all infamies. This category
comprises also those who grew up in countries where the existence of God is
systematically denied, because He is not seen; consequently, they are
unbelievers without it being their fault . The second category comprises those
who adore other divinities and not the true God. They live in superstition and
error, because they do not know the Truth, through no fault
of theirs. I desire to assist all of them and to usher them into My
sheepfold, even if it is not said that all these souls damn themselves for those
who live their religion in good faith, following the natural law that God has
placed in the hearts of all men, these may be able to save themselves. But if it
is difficult for you to follow My commandments and My precepts, you who are
guided by My Church and find in Her the means to sanctify yourselves and to work
out your salvation, how much more will it be for them! That is why, be filled
with a holy zeal and with great fervour. Forget your little crosses, your
personal interests, so as to make yours the interests of My Father. How much the
Father desires that the world achieve a great unity - one heart and one mind in
Him! The light of Truth must enlighten all men who lie in darkness. I
am the Light because I am the Truth. Blessed are they who receive Me!
Blessed are they who keep the gift of faith, because it is the beacon that shows
the harbour, it is the anchor that brings salvation, it is the barque which
gently sails on the agitated sea of life. If vice or negligence, wickedness or
ignorance induce man to alienate himself from Me, you can understand that the
harm done is wholly his. Rightly did Peter say: "Where shall we go, far
from You? for only You have the words of eternal life." And indeed it is
true. He who believes saves himself; he who believes in Me will not die but will
live eternally. Strive to keep this faith always alive in you and pray for those
who have lost it. Pray to the Spirit of the Lord that He may pull down and
remove the blindfold which covers their eyes so that they may see the Light.
Help Me, to the best of your ability, to spread the Truth. For, even amongst
those who call themselves Christians or especially practicing Christians - too
many lack faith. They let
themselves get discouraged by the first trial and quickly lose their confidence,
their hope and their peace. Assist in all possible ways the Missionaries who
leave for distant places to diffuse My Gospel. They give up their country,
animated with a great zeal and with much goodwill, but they also take with them
their heart and their nature; and very often, feel crushed under the weight of
the Cross, and lack the courage to continue. They see again all they left behind,
they hear again the dear voices of their parents and faraway friends. Perhaps
sickness or a different climate, customs, lack of food and rest, bring a great
sadness to their heart. I beseech
you, help them with their sacrifices and your prayers. See to it that they do
not feel alone. You celebrate when they leave and when they come back. Do not
forget them while they are far away. They are My precursor angels of the Good
News. They are the sowers of
good seed in soil that is perhaps ungrateful and unyielding. Help them to soften
the soil. Help them materially also. I repay
a hundred fold the charity that you extend to these heroic and loving sons of
Mine. Pray for those peoples so that they may become My messengers. Very often,
Satan establishes his reign among them, and the struggle against him is
exhausting, because he acts through lies and is cunning, performing amazing
things. The Missionary must first fight against Satan before successfully
implanting Truth, and the difficulties are enormous. However, nothing is
impossible to God. Thanks to your prayer and your help, these souls are being
reached. Once more, I entreat you to help Me. Be all Missionaries of Goodness!
The children of darkness are more wily
than the sons of light. Look with what ease evil is propagated. What a lot of
sacrifices the wicked impose upon themselves to spread it! With the same fury
with which they hurl themselves against God and diffuse hate, cast yourselves
upon God, and with as much love, draw forth from Him all you will bestow upon
your brothers and sisters, alienated from Him and wandering in darkness.
THE CROSS
Tuesday,
May I4. I968 (0500)
My loving child, listen to Me. Never refuse the Cross, no matter whence it comes, because it is always I who send it to you or permit and desire that others put it on your shoulders. Has it not been said to you in the Gospel: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him renounce himself, take up his Cross and follow Me?" Do you understand? It is the indispensable condition for following Me. It was also said to you that "My yoke is sweet and My burden light." And so it is, but the fact of feeling more or less the weight of the Cross depends on the way you carry it, on the love with which you love the Cross itself. If you drag your Cross with repugnance, it will always become more intolerable. If you embrace it with enthusiasm, thinking that I too, carried it for you, not only will it seem lighter, but the Cross will carry you so that by it, you will feel uplifted. And it will be so agreeable to you that you will not want to live but on the Cross and with the Cross. True science is not to know all human knowledge, to discover the atom or the laws that regulate the body of nature, but true science is that which, without disregarding all of these, provided they benefit humanity, goes back to Him who is superior in everything, and who also has dictated His laws, establishing fundamental principles, which are there to discover, to exploit, and to actualise in everyday life. If you take the trouble to follow My teachings, you will discover what role God has in your life, how much and why He wants your happiness. Form your character in the spirit of patience and sacrifice, so that you do not have to add one cross to another in everything that happens to you. It has been said to you: "To him who takes away your coat, give also your tunic. To him who slaps your left check, offer also the right one." By that I wanted to invite you to receive with joy, and not with patience only, the crosses offered you by your neighbours just as I Myself have endured and continue to endure the offences, insults, betrayals - in one word, the cross which, anew, you load on My shoulders. The world is strewn with crosses and if you were to destroy them, you would destroy the world itself. Each individual, each family, has its troubles. You must not be selfish or be parasites taking advantage of the goodness and the generosity of others. Each one must be aware of his own duty and assume the Charge which has been committed to him. But he who, generously and over and above his own duty, also helps others, is worthy of a greater reward. Mutual assistance lightens the Cross. Even I have been helped by the Cyrenean to carry Mine. However, you must not unburden yourselves of it so as to throw it on the shoulders of others, for the Cross that God gives you fits the shoulders of each one. Do not moan continually even about little things which time or treatment will suffer to resolve. Do not overload the Cross of your neighbour. If in physical illness, it is permissible and right to have recourse to the doctor, for life is a gift that you must conserve. The fact of you pausing to observe, to listen, to detect each little suffering will make you insufferable and sometimes, ridiculous in the eyes of others. The exercise of charity is indispensable and is agreeable to the Father. It is important, however, that it be exercised on both sides, that is to say, that it be reciprocal. As for moral sufferings which, very often, are greater than physical ones, they can be due to character, to an overly touchy sensibility or to the fact of wanting to take on nonexistent responsibilities. Therefore, you must overcome yourselves and endeavour to remove what is imperfect and look at things with more serenity. With most of the Crosses, although permitted by Me, men create them for themselves, whereas, with a little bit of goodwill, they could be avoided. As for the Crosses which come from the fact of seeing yourself imperfect and weak whilst you would like to walk speedily on the path of virtue, follow this rule: desire to attain the highest summits of sanctity and humble yourself each time that you fall and each time you draw back. Humble yourself before God, acknowledging that you are good for nothing. Ask Him to help you to pick yourself up again and to continue on your way, without upsetting yourself. Be full of confidence in my Mercy, for this attitude is very pleasing to My heart. Nothing offends My Heart more than the fact of doubting My pardon and My help. Dejection is a sign of pride or, at least, of self-love. If you did not have any exaggerated self-esteem, you would not become discouraged and you would not be astonished at being weak; rather it should seem to you very strange that in spite of your wretchedness, you can keep standing up. Always ask the Lord to help you know yourself so that in the contempt of yourself and in the confidence in God, you can improve yourself and walk with assurance. The little child who fears dangers and knows that it is not able to face them, entrusts itself to the arms of its mother who defends it and carries it. You also, My children, entrust yourselves to Her whom I have given to you as Mother at the foot of the Cross. And if you abandon yourselves as sweet little children, She will clasp you to Her Heart and will even carry your crosses with you, until you no longer feel their weight.
MODERATION
Thursday,
May I6, I968 (0430)
My beloved child, the lesson you are going to begin will teach
you moderation in all natural needs which, however, you may not renounce, unless
I want it. I speak to you of the
virtue of moderation, so little known by the world and one which many neglect to
practise, though it is a basic virtue of Christianity. Temperance is that virtue
which makes you moderate in eating and drinking, as well as in all natural needs.
When these are satisfied, they make human nature their slave, and no longer
dependent on the spirit, as it should be. Many think that it is a small thing,
or one of no importance, to be in control of oneself in the carrying out of the
duties of eating, drinking, sleeping, relaxation, and amusement, but it is not
so. I, Myself, acted to the contrary by imposing upon Myself a fast of forty
days before commencing My apostolic life. John the Baptist had preceded Me
preaching penance and charity to the desert where he had retired for forty days,
living on herbs and locusts. As to how important it is to fast, you can conclude
from the words that I said to you during My mortal life: "Certain demons
are not driven out except by prayer and fasting." Mortification in food,
united to prayer which calls upon God for help, has then the power of prevailing
over evil spirits and driving them away. Many, alas, make feeding the body the
first and absolute necessity, the most important necessity of life.
In the preparation of meals and drinks, they consecrate a good part of
the time which the Good God gives them, as precious money to transact for
eternity. Some are preoccupied solely with worrying about arranging everything
so that they may lack nothing in what their body demands.
At this point, this preoccupation becomes the center of their lives and
their thoughts. Have I not told you in the Gospel: "Why do you worry about
what you will eat, what you will drink and how you will dress? Look at the birds
of the air: they do not sow and they do not reap. And yet, your Father nourishes
them. Look at the lilies of the field: they do not spin and yet, Solomon in all
his wisdom was never attired as one of them." And I even added: "Seek
first the Kingdom of God and all the rest will be given to you in addition."
By these words, I did not mean to prohibit you from working, from earning your
living and from acquiring for yourself a position. I only wanted to teach you to
where each thing belongs and how to remember the reason for your existence.
Certainly, this reason is not to preserve life but to spend it well in the
knowledge of God, in the spreading of His Kingdom, and in the preoccupation of
earning eternal life, which is the only important true life to attain. I wanted
to teach you also how indispensable it is to abandon oneself into the arms of
Divine Providence, even whilst applying one's intelligence and will to that
abandonment which, for each man, is at one and the same time a chastisement and
a Gift of labour. Chastisement is a consequence of the sin of your first parents,
Adam and Eve. The Gift is a means of sanctification, worthy of an eternal reward.
The "god of the flesh", unfortunately, reigns in the world and gathers
around itself worshippers of all kinds and from all classes. That is why My
sweet Mother, in each of Her apparitions on earth, instills the thought and
expresses the desire and the commandment of penance, in order to destroy this
false divinity which impedes man in transferring his thoughts and his affections
to God and incites him to make a god of his own body. Moderation is a cardinal
virtue, a virtue of great importance in Christian life. I will tell you next
that it is a virtue which will help to conserve your body
longer, for it is health giving. He who does not abuse material things
keeps himself stronger. The rule and its methodical practice create order which
always brings with itself its benefits. To leave the table with a little bit of
appetite left is advantageous to health, whilst it makes you master of yourself
and enables you, by a little sacrifice, to elevate your thoughts to God who has
given you the gift of food and drink. Everything is a gift in the world, from
the wheat with which one prepares bread, to the grapes which give you the wine,
from animal to cooked meat. Everything
you eat has been given to you by the Father. Know how to use it gratefully and
with moderation. Do not forget those partly or totally deprived of these gifts.
Make presents of what you can with generosity to those in need and, above all,
do not waste what God has given you. Remember! One wastes by greed and one
wastes by throwing out the leftovers which could serve others. Let thrift and
saving, practiced with regard to yourself, help you to be generous with your
neighbor, even imposing upon you some sacrifices. "Charity goes out the
window and comes in through the door," and it is true, for the Lord repays
by multiplying for you what is done for others.
But I will even say to you, that the sacrifice of depriving yourself of
something in order to give it to someone who needs it, is a prolongation of the
hand of God. You become for your neighbour "the Providence of God".
Remember that temperance is only a partial practice of penitence which I sought
so much to inculcate during My mortal life and of which I have given you the
example. That is why I recall to you the warning: "If you do not do penance,
you will all likewise perish," a valid warning for all men of all times.
JOY
"True joy comes from God... "
Friday, May I7, I968 (0345)
My beloved child, I speak to you of joy which is the fruit of
peace, of a good conscience, and which, for this reason, comes from God. Not all
those whom you see happy and content, enjoy true peace and not all of them are
truly happy. Very often, on the contrary, they conceal within their heart a
profound bitterness and a great uneasiness which they mask with a smile and a
false gaiety. True joy comes from God and is an inherent gift in tranquillity
and in the certitude of having acted in conformity with God's Will. The Angels
announced it to the shepherds on the night I was born, and they promised it to
men of good will, for the latter is one of the conditions to take delight in joy
and peace. Good will consists in following the divine law and its teachings by
putting them into practice. Good will is the characteristic of simple souls, who
do not dispute the commandments, but employ all their faculties in accomplishing
them as best they can for the Glory of God.
A profound and real joy ensues from prompt obedience and simplicity of
intention in following My Commandments and My Invitations.
If man only does this outwardly and does not live it, then this is a lie.
True joy comes from within and stems from union with God, Supreme Good and
Supreme Happiness. No pain, intense as it may be, can succeed in destroying it
and no contrariety troubles it. It is not diminished in the soul by the fact
that others think evil of it and calumniate it. The presence of God in the mind
is like a rampart which defends this unalterable joy. It is as if the soul were
already in the beatific vision and it remains immobile before God, as if in
adoration, flooded with a light and an irresistible force which produces
serenity and peace. When you have
reached this degree of union with Me, you will not be affected by the most
impetuous winds of evil blowing around you.
The world will attempt to show you the uselessness of your life and your
sacrifices. It will not matter to you that the Evil One flies into a rage
against you to seduce you. You will remain plunged in contemplation of Me,
pervaded with the joy of God and inundated with His tenderness and His infinite
goodness. The closer that you come to God, the more you will feel the effect of
His Presence and the more you will be inundated with grace and love, to the
point of your being transformed into Him like the iron which, reddened in the
fire, becomes one with it. There is, however, one virtue that brings much joy to
the heart and that is humility. The more that you will feel little and as
nothing before God, the more you will taste the joy of being His and of feeling
protected and loved by Him. Your imperfections and failures themselves, will be
for you a cause for Spiritual profit and an incitement to mistrust yourself and
place all your hopes in God. Humility, that is to say, the low esteem of
yourself, will attract the benevolence of your fellow men who willingly will
listen to your words and to whom you will be able to do good. The satisfaction
and merit of the good done you will leave to God, who has accomplished it
through your intermediary and in you, but He will leave you the joy and He will
give you an eternal reward, even for the smallest action that you will have
performed on behalf of your neighbour, with the desire of pleasing Me. Death
too, towards which you travel daily, will not be a worry if you live your life
as I have told you; but it will be the Sister who will open to you the gate of
Heaven so that the true joy which you have begun to taste in your heart already
in this life will be complete and lasting. Ask Me each day for joy, because it
is indispensable to the Christian. If the first Christians had gone to their
martyrdom in tears, their death would not have aroused so much admiration and it
would not have been an attraction and a seed of other martyrs; but they went to
meet death smiling and joyful. That
is why, those who saw them asked who was this Jesus, in the name of whom these
martyrs gave their life with so much serenity. They then wanted to know Me, to
know the True God. Even today, and for everyone, joy is something that diffuses
itself, that communicates itself, propagates itself. Joy and serenity edify. A
Christian should always bc a messenger of joy. If all practising Christians felt
and showed joy in being in My service, their example would be imitated by many.
Do your best early in the morning to supply yourself with an abundant provision
of good humour; it is the consequence of internal joy. Try to maintain it and do
not become upset by trifles. Participate willingly in those family amusements
which aid the maintaining of harmony and serenity. Become a centre for the
diffusion of joy so that your Company is agreeable, and let it be understood
that what you give comes from God who dwells within you. The peace which men
desire in the world begins here: in
the peace of an upright conscience, in the peace of families well ordered and
united, from whence peace among nations is the consequence.
THE PROPHETS AND TUE CONSECRATED
Saturday,
May I8, I968 (0I00)
My beloved child, observe all that is happening in the world and tell Me if the goodness and patience of God can be exercised still more.
If you could see, for one instant only, with God's eye, the world and all
the evil that is being committed, you would die of fright. Homicides, suicides,
thefts, adulteries, blasphemies, rebellions, treasons of all kinds prevail.
They are such an accumulation of so much evil that the good seems to have
disappeared.
If there were at least some good souls, religious, consecrated, desirous
of virtue, of perfection and reparation, I could console Myself near them. But
they are so very rare, and even these are so inconstant and imperfect I go
about, choosing from time to time some privileged soul, and I give it abundant
graces and particular gifts so that it can use them for the salvation of a great
number. But these souls are nearly always mocked and calumniated. If they do not
let themselves be overcome by discouragement, it is because I grant them the
gift of an extraordinary faith and assistance. Because of the opposition these souls encounter, however, the
apostolic action that they should carry out becomes very limited. These are My
prophets. But just as in the Old
Testament they were persecuted and even slain, so too now they are slain again,
if not physically at least in their moral life, their honour; and, as before,
they are persecuted. It could be understood if they were attacked by the wicked.
No, it is their own brothers in the faith who injure their brothers and sisters
and, putting in doubt My work and their mission, become their persecutors and
insulators. My heart remains
profoundly saddened at those who do not acknowledge the almighty power, wisdom
and mercy of God, a God who can dispose at His pleasure events and facts.
PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS
It is true that
in this period of life of the world, I permitted the demons to unleash their
fury, especially against religious and consecrated persons, putting their virtue
to a hard test. I did this
precisely because I would like from them a greater perfection. But if they were
better trained to fight against the demon through the exercise of meditation, of
prayer and by the assiduous care of their interior life, even he would be
vanquished and subjugated. Well, by living a mediocre life and one lacking in
fervour, how could these souls teach others and stimulate them to be good? My
children, pray for My consecrated ones. For if you all need help, they have a
still more urgent need of it, especially My Ministers whom I have chosen to be
the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Do not fear to sacrifice
yourselves too much for them, for the dangers that surround them are very
numerous. Be near them to help them. Do not make them lose precious time which
they should employ for the good of souls. Do not be for them an occasion of
evil. Listen to their teachings so that they will feel encouraged to go up and
to do always more, always better. Doubts against faith that torment your mind,
trouble theirs also. Wearing a
religious habit does not exclude them from human weaknesses. Let your fidelity
and the conduct of your life be the most beautiful manifestation of gratitude
that you give to them for the work they perform in your favor. Even though a
Priest may not be equal to the state of his ministry, his hands give you Jesus
and permit Me to unite Myself to you. His words perform miracles, transforming
water, wine and bread into My Body and into My Blood. He absolves you, he
blesses you, listens to you, counsels you, and accompanies you in the different
stages of life. You have serious obligations towards him, towards all My
Ministers. Do not be ungrateful. Gratitude is a duty that I also demanded when I
accomplished good works on behalf of My people in Palestine. Do not forget these
beloved sons whom I call to a great perfection. In the ardor of their youth,
conscious of what they were leaving behind and of the cross they were bearing on
their shoulders, they generously gave Me the gift of their life on behalf of My
children. Constancy requires heroism. Do not be astonished to see them fall.
Help and assist them. Do not calumniate them, and do not murmur against them,
for the word in My Gospel always remains: "He who despises you, despises
Me." They are very precious to Me. Never forget it.
DETACHMENT FROM CREATURES
Sunday, May I9, I968
My beloved child, have faith and confidence and leave Me to act. Do not
fear anything. No one is indispensable to you, except God who loves you
infinitely. Disappointments and offenses on the part of dear ones are necessary,
I would say indispensable, so that you can better understand the goodness of God
and His fidelity, and address to Him all your affections.
The inconsistency of the human heart is great and he who trusts man
inevitably perishes with him.
That is why you must elevate your thoughts and your affections to God,
your Creator and your Father, and entrust yourself to Him in all your needs. He
will guide your Steps and accomplish His Will in you if you abandon yourself to
Him. Only this is necessary.
Twofold is his Will: your sanctification here on earth, and eternal
happiness in Heaven.
He sanctifies you with the cooperation of your will, by giving you the
necessary means. He enlightens your mind with particular light. He gives you the
Sacraments and love of prayer. He surrounds you with people desirous to do well
and to help, and who are a stimulant for you to walk in the way of God.
He strews your path with crosses, contradictions, disappointments,
physical sufferings, misunderstandings, calamities, and derision.
In summary, He gives you the daily bread of sorrow, alternated with a few
satisfactions, and a few passing joys.
In all that, He is beside you to teach you, to encourage you, to guide
you to Him, towards Heaven, by making you grow in perfection and achieve the
degree of glory that He wishes you to have.
You see well, My child, what must be your goal and how the support of
persons is very secondary. Actually, it is I who accomplishes it in you, and
even if I use My Ministers, who may be more or less enlightened, or if I use
other factors, you must keep present in your mind that they are all in My
service.
Love all indiscriminately, the good and the bad, the faithful and the
ungrateful. Love them in Me and with Me, in order to be able to do them good,
but keep your heart free, for I am a jealous God of this heart.
Do not attach yourself to any creature, as the more you approach them the
more you discover their defects. Many
times, human wickedness is so great that it would cause you incurable wounds.
Detach yourselves from creatures through love so that I may not
detach you by force.
Accept and offer up the sufferings that others give you and do not wish
to make anyone suffer. And if necessity obliges you to correct those about you,
do it with such goodness and much love, asking Me continually for help.
Receive with gratitude reprimands and counsels as if they come from Me.
You will thus enjoy much peace and serenity, for many of your crosses are such
because your self-love rebels before humiliation.
FRIENDSHIP
Monday,
May 20, I968 (0I00)
My child, listen to Me.
Do not be sad when you see yourself abandoned by creatures and rejected
by them. Confide constantly in God, for He alone is faithful. He will never
abandon you.
Even if you commit wickedness, He will never, never, abandon you. On the
contrary, He will continuously seek you out, calling you by the most sweetest
names and showing you His Heart, desirous only of your response.
The people of this world love you if you are joyous, and if you are
surrounded by honor. But if you are in pain, if you are ridiculed or
calumniated, they abandon you because they do not wish to get involved and
become the subject of gossip.
Only those whose hearts are modeled after My Heart will be faithful to
you and overcome the fear of derision, and they will not join all the others.
But faithful friends will be very few in number. It was rightly said to you that
he who finds a friend, finds a treasure, for true friendship is like a precious
pearl and precious pearls are not easily found.
Therefore, be very careful in not giving the name of a friend to
everyone. Above all, do not give your heart to all, for you will be bitterly
disappointed.
Remember that true friendship is based upon sincerity. It is not the one
who continually praises you that truly loves you, but the one who makes known to
you even your defects. Even though this is painful and disagreeable to him, he
continues to do this because he is desirous of your perfection.
The true friend is ready to sacrifice himself for the person he loves,
for sacrifice is the best proof of love, even though his sacrifice will not be
rewarded and may be misunderstood. That is why true friendship can be a great
Spiritual help. From a true friend you may ask for advice and you can be sure
that it will aim only toward making you better.
While all this is hard to find in creatures, you will find it in Me, for
I am constant in love and I could not be otherwise.
I love you, My children, as
the most tender of friends, as the most affectionate of fathers, as the best of
brothers. Remember, however, that love should make you similar to the one loved,
and I desire that you become similar to Me.
Yes, invoke Me also under this name "friend", that is so dear
to My Heart. Call Me "Jesus, my friend" and I shall be happy to come
near you to fulfil the role of a true Friend.
I also had My friends when I
lived in the world, and I loved them with a very tender love:
Lazarus, whom I resurrected after having wept at his tomb; Mary, My great
convert, and Martha, the very capable housekeeper. I
often used to go to their place for a rest, I was so well received there,
just like home.
After her conversion, Mary became a most loving soul. Thirsty for My
doctrine and for My words, she spent her time kneeling at My feet, gazing at Me,
weeping for her sins and loving Me.
There were many others whom I called friends, and who were not. I called
Judas a friend, and with this sweet name I would have liked to bring him back to
repentance and to God. But he did not wish to understand Me, and despaired.
And many, many other friends, whom I called by this name, abandoned Me in
the most terrible moment of My life.
Now again, I call many around Me friends. I call them by the most
sweetest names, even if the one with whom I share My friendship is tested by the
Cross. I told you that love makes one similar to the one loved. To My friends, I
give the Cross, a more or less heavy one according to the generosity of their
heart.
That is why, though I call many, My friends are reduced to a few. Faced
with suffering, they withdraw. They want no part of it, they rebel.
My sweetest friend who shared My joys and sorrows was My dear Mother. Oh!
How well She understood My heart! How She guessed My desires and anticipated
them! How She consoled Me in My pains and bitterness! Her smile and Her words
went straight to the depths of My Heart as a salutary balm.
I told you at other times
that as God, I had no need of anything, but as man, yes. I wanted to give the example in everything, and I wished to
submit Myself to all human necessities, even to the one of being comforted by a
friendly soul.
Consider My Mother also as your friend and confidant. She will be your
Teacher. She will be your comfort. She will never betray you, you can be sure of
that, as Her Heart is a perfect copy of Mine.
Pray to Her to mold your heart also on this Divine Model so that you
yourself can also be a guide and a help to souls whom you will call friends.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Tuesday.
May 2I, I968 (0245)
My
beloved child, now I speak to you on a very important subject. I
speak to you of the Holy Spirit, One of the Three Divine Persons. The
Holy Spirit is the Father's Spirit and Mine. He proceeds from the love which
unites the Father to Me. He is substantial Love. 'He is Pure Love. The Love
which unites Us, that is to say, which unites the Father with the Son, is so
great as to constitute a third eternal Person Who is wise, immense, infinite, in
everything equal to the other two Persons. It was the Holy Spirit who, over the
world, breathed life into creation and, inseparably from the other two Persons,
accomplished every Operation concerning the world and man. The Holy Spirit
overshadowed the Virgin Mary, His Divine Spouse, and made Her Mother of the
Savior. He hovered above My Head the day John the Baptist baptised me. I spoke
of Him in My preaching so that He would be ardently desired and awaited. I
promised that, as soon as I had ascended to the Father, I would send upon the
Apostles, the Holy Spirit, who would transform them. Indeed, the Apostles spent
nine days with Mary, My Mother, secluded in the Cenacle, in prayer and full of
fervour and hope, until a very violent wind announced to them His coming. The
Holy Spirit appeared in the form of an immense globe of fire which subdivided
itself into flames, and these went and rested over the head of each one. Then
the transformation took place which made the twelve inept and cowardly fishermen
true heralds of the Faith. Their intellect was enlightened; their hearts burned
with love and their zeal was so great that, leaving the Cenacle, they took to
preaching as if they were men of science. Peter spoke, converted and baptised
close to five thousand persons, won over by the power of his word. Even Mary, My
Mother, was confirmed in the Truth which I Myself had taught Her, in order to be
capable of guiding and instructing the new born Church. In this way, the fire of
the Holy Spirit, which enlightens and enkindles, began to dwell in souls as a
Sweet Guest and to act as the Soul of the Church. It is He who directs the
Church by enlightening its Head (the Pope) and rendering him infallible in the
government of It. It is the Holy Spirit who keeps the Church always living,
always young. It is He who raises up new apostles, assists them and prepares
them, filling them with ardour for the life of the apostolate. The presence of
the Holy Spirit gives rise to great acts of the Church, such as the Councils and
Encyclicals which are like letters He writes to His children and to His
faithful. It is the Holy Spirit
who, received in the Sacraments and particularly in Holy Communion, gives to
souls the desire for holiness and perfection. He works untiringly in souls. He
raises them up after falls. He heals the wounds of sin. He bends wills by
stimulating them towards good. He enkindles cold hearts to love God and
neighbor, and He redresses what is not just. He dwells in all souls that are in
a state of grace and acts constantly and untiringly. He speaks to us in the form
of inspirations. He dissipates doubts, clarifies ideas, enlightens intellects
and continually accomplishes the miracle which formerly transformed the ignorant
Apostles into learned orators. That is why you see persons who can barely hold a
pen or, not knowing any other pen than the hoe, dictate to men laws full of
wisdom, words which enlighten more or as much as those of a theologian. It is
the Holy Spirit who acts. It is He who transforms these inapt instruments and
makes of them prophets and pioneers of Faith. Formerly, in the Old Testament,
the Holy Spirit spoke through the Prophets. Now He speaks continuously. He
speaks through the mouth of the Pope, the successor of Peter and My Vicar. He
speaks through the intermediary of My Ministers and their word is listened to,
because the doctrine they teach is not theirs but Mine. He speaks to the mind
and to the heart of everyone who invokes Him. If a soul calls upon Him with
love, with desire and with insistence, then He comes to this soul and makes it
holy. My children, put yourselves in the disposition of receiving the Holy
Spirit. Place yourselves before Him like one who exposes himself to the sun in
order to be warmed and enlightened. Let Him act and you obey Him.
Listen to Him. He speaks in silence. He speaks with love. Do not
dissipate your souls in trivial and useless things. Do not forget that the Lord
wants you holy. To become that, you must correspond to the grace of the Holy
Spirit. He fills the soul with His Seven Gifts, and also fills those who desire
Him on the day of their Confirmation. He renews continually. He gives you
Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Knowledge, and Fear of the
Lord. He will inspire you with the desire of accomplishing works of Mercy. He
will be the soul of your apostolate, so that you won't be able to keep for
yourself the gifts that God is giving you, but you will want to communicate and
give them to everyone. You will want to spread faith, love, and goodness. You
will feel in your heart an irresistible force which will incline you to do good
for the glory of God and for the benefit of your brothers and sisters.
Consecrate yourself to the Holy Spirit, put yourself in His service and at His
disposal. You are the Living Church and as such, you must live your Baptism and
your Confirmation. Diffuse your Faith, with human respect, without fear, though
with graciousness and amiability. Remember that, if you are not an apostle, you
run the risk of being an apostate, for if you do not feel the duty of giving
what you also received gratuitously, you run the risk of losing even what you
possess. Look at the example of the Saints who, cooperating with the grace of
the Holy Spirit, spent their lives leaving an indelible mark of themselves of
goodness. You also need to work on fighting the evil in you and around you. Do
good wherever you are and wherever you go. To those who wanted to close the
mouths of the Apostles, it was answered: "If you shut their mouth, their
works will speak." Let it be the same for you also. Let your works speak
and let those who see them give glory to God who has accomplished them in you.
Wednesday,
May 22. I968 (0I40)
My
beloved child, the lesson that I am going to dictate to you will be much more
important than you think; it will even have a decisive importance in your life.
I will speak to you of that final
impenitence.
It is very important that you are able to arrive
at the end of your life with a mind filled with serenity towards everyone, but
it is still more important that you have peace with God, of which peace with
your neighbour is the consequence.
Should
one even find himself in the state of mortal sin, it is important to have the
soul disposed to a change of mind, to repent and turn to one's Creator, asking
Him for pardon.
This
would appear to be such an easy thing, especially just before death and before
judgement which, immediately after death, awaits the soul. Instead, it is not
like that. You say: "He who
lives well, dies well," and that is true: but it is also true that he who
habitually and voluntarily lives in sin does not accept to change his life at
the last moment but prefers and chooses to remain in sin and to continue to hate
God during all eternity.
Certainly, the impenitent
does not suspect to find what he will find because he is accustomed to seeing
things as they happen in the world, where God, while giving some little idea of
His Justice, uses exclusively His Mercy and Goodness; but when the impenitent
finds himself before God the Judge and it is too late to repent, he will
discover the enormity of his culpable ignorance and malice which will have
conducted him to such a desolate and horrible end. I desire that the sinner be
converted and live. I am patient and I knock and I wait, trying out all sort of
means to the very last day. All paths are good and I go about sowing graces; I
make use of everything. At times I grant material goods, at times I take them
away. I give health and take it
away. I give Spiritual graces of all kinds. I leave nothing untried because the
health of souls is what interests Me most, I who created and redeemed them at
such a dear price. If the soul refuses My help, if it refuses to repent, it will
fall into the abyss at the moment of death. Then, at last, its eyes will be
opened; it will see the punishment prepared for it. It will not have the
possibility to change, to repent; but will have to remain, during all eternity,
in the tragic Situation of those who hate God. How necessary it is, My child, to
reflect on these things while you are still alive and to repair quickly any
fault as soon as you perceive that
you have fallen into it!
The Lord knows your weakness and He knows that man sins very easily. If,
after the sin, man turns to God with a repentant heart, he obtains par- don,
which God gives easily as soon as He sees a minimum of goodwill and the desire
to pick oneself up. But obstinacy in fault
and the fact of not wanting to repent puts the Lord in the condition of
not wanting to pardon.
In each instance the co-operation of the human will is always necessary
for God to act, because He never forces the freedom of man.
The
trial must be freely overcome, it must not be an imposition. Be ready, My
children, to admit your errors and do this also amongst yourselves so that it
may be easier for you to humiliate yourselves before God Himself. Mutually ask
for pardon because you all have the possibility of making mistakes and sinning.
If your spirit is humble and inclined to peace towards your neighbour, it will
not support hate towards God before whom it will easily humiliate itself. It was
said to you: "Do not let the sun go down upon your anger", and now I
say to you: "Do not fall asleep with sin upon your soul and, therefore, in
anger with God." Seek at once to repair this. Repent, ask pardon, because
you do not know if, during the night, death will come as a thief. Be vigilant,
for you do not know the hour nor the day when the Groom will come. Have recourse
to God after each fall; however small it be, it is always grave if one thinks of
the dignity of the person offended. Always ask the Lord for sufficient light to
know your fault s and humility to detest them. Pray also for obstinate sinners
who, rebellious, impervious and ungrateful to God, persist in a life of sin,
which will surely conduct them to ruin. "Where there is life, there is
hope". This is a popular saying, and this is truly so. That is why, I beg
you, never forget those who, having reached the end of their existence, and are
still in sin.
Pray for the dying. A thread separates them from eternity. A prayer
offered with all your heart, a sacrifice made with love on their behalf, may
obtain providential aid, the necessary light for them to understand their
Situation and be converted. It has been said to you that "he who saves a
soul has saved his own". My children, give Me souls, I am thirsty for
souls! Do not make life onerous if you can use it for this purpose, I came into
the world to save what was lost. If you assist Me in this work your reward will
be great.
You
cannot and must not remain indifferent to souls losing themselves. Each one
carries a little bit of responsibility for his brother who is heading to his
ruin. "What have you done with your brother?" God asked Cain. He will
ask the same of each of you because each one is charged with saving his
neighbour. "What have you done with your children?" He will ask the
mother and father "and each with their spouse?" "What have you
done with the Priests whom I have given to you?" Have you suffered and
worked with them to save souls? Have you prayed for their sanctification, so
that it does not happen that after having preached to others, they themselves
are lost? And with all those people that I have placed beside you, what have you
done? Have you edified them by good counsel? Have you given them a few good
words and, above all, have you let them feel the ardour of your charity, of your
affection, in order to win them to God, to Me?
Have
you truly prayed with all your heart for everyone, or are you hermetically
shut-in within yourselves, limiting your supplications to such personal and
material trivialities before which it is ever pointless to linger? My children,
broaden your views and your hearts. Love, love everyone. How many problems
resolve themselves with ease, even though they appear insoluble. Never forget
that what counts the most is to save the soul, but you will save yours with
difficulty if you do not also have at heart the salvation of others.
I
am going to speak to you of My Ascension into Heaven. Forty days after My
Resurrection, after having
confirmed in the Faith My Apostles and My disciples, after having instituted the
Sacrament of Confession and given to the Church a head in the person of Peter,
assuring him of My assistance and confiding in him the custody of this Church
represented by sheep and lambs - a Figure of Speech I generally use to designate
souls, being Myself the Good Shepherd - in the presence of more than five
hundred people, I ascended into Heaven. All who remained turned towards Me and
awaited My return, even though, very often, I had affirmed that I would be going
up to the Father to prepare a place for everyone and that I would be coming back
at the end of the world, as Supreme Judge, to judge the good and the bad. I
ascended to Heaven because the Father had to glorify Me. Indeed, I only
sought His Glory. And you, too, will be glorified by God, if, in all your works,
you always seek His Glory.
LIFE IS A PILGRIMAGE
That is why you must always purify your
intentions. What you do through human motives is entirely lost. It
is like a letter which lacks an address; it cannot arrive at its
destination. You will be able to receive a human reward, which isn't much, but
if you want your works to have a resonance in Heaven, you must give them the
right Intention, you must work for Heaven. Keep your thoughts fixed on the goal.
Do not be side tracked, do not miss your goal. If you fall, pick yourself up,
ask for help and continue. Life is a pilgrimage. It
seems long if you suffer, but it is brief if you compare it to eternity.
How many persons have you known and grown up with that have already left you?
How many, even younger than you, have preceded you? Now it is your turn. I
have hidden the hour and the day from you because the thought of leaving
everything and everyone would sadden you. Perhaps you would give up hope. But
you do not know if you will reach the end of the year which you have begun, the
current month or the day that you are finishing. This incertitude must not
trouble you, nor leave you indifferent. Just as you worry about your interests,
so too you may not forget these things which are the chief concern of your life,
since they concern eternity. Live being good, live day by day, live for the Lord
and, at any moment, be ready for His summons. Many say that, when one is dead,
everything is finished: a coffin, a grave, a handful of earth; but does it seem
to you that it can be like that?
I
AM THERE IN YOU
Should goodness, justice, charity, suffering not
be rewarded? Should evil, wrongdoing, ingratitude, dishonesty not be punished?
All, all will be sifted and souls and bodies will participate in the reward or
in the eternal punishment. Even bodies, that is certain, one day will arise just
as I arose Myself, and will be reunited to the soul to which they were united in
the accomplishment of good and evil, in order to be glorified or condemned.
Courage, then, My child! Do not fear anything. You have beside you an Angel who
guides you. You have a Mother who constantly assists you. I
am there in you and with you. Courage! Climb with Me the holy mount of
Christian perfection. It is so beautiful to live with the Lord, to have confidence in
Him, to abandon oneself within His arms, to listen to His Voice. It
is beautiful also to remain on His Cross, for if you suffer with Him, you
no longer feel the suffering. To suffer is a joy. Walk towards Heaven and take
with you the world, that of the suffering, of the sinners, of the consecrated
ones. Walk with them, help them, do not complain, diffuse joy, love, peace. I
am with you now and will be forever.
Thursday,
May 23, I968 (0300)
My
beloved child, listen to Me and pay attention to all that I say to you. I
speak to you of the necessity of suffering. Mankind asks why do we have
to suffer, and it puts all its attention and all its care into avoiding
suffering. Now I ask you: is it necessary to suffer? And I reply to you Myself.
Suffering entered into the World with sin and as long as it lasts, expiation is
necessary. Without suffering, there is no remission of sin. Every offence
supposes a victim that pays. I was the first Victim and I paid for everyone; but
My sacrifice does not apply to souls unless they adhere to it by their own
suffering. That is why no one can be exempt. From birth to death,
from the first tears that the baby sheds in emitting its first cry
announcing life, to the last ones that run down the face of him who gives his
last goodbye to life, life is but a succession of small and big sufferings which
transform existence into a Calvary. Now, I am going to teach you to make these
sacrifices, these tears, these Crosses, not only acceptable but dear to your
heart and to Mine. Remember, however, that if the grain of wheat does not rot in
the earth, it does not produce the ear. Each one of you is My grain of wheat
that makes up the Host, the Victim, the Mystical Body. That is why each one of
you must ripen after saving decomposed in suffering. It
is not only a mystical law that I am telling to you about, but it is also
a natural law. Without sacrifice, you achieve nothing. Observe in the world how
many sacrifices there are in achieving great discoveries: how much sweat, how
many sleepless nights, how much labour, how many human victims! Every enterprise
requires its share of suffering. You say: "Nothing is won with
nothing." And that is truly so. If, then, in all human activities, there
exists the law of pain as the means of accomplishing little and great things,
all the more reason why this law must enter into the things of God. It
cannot be otherwise, for if the Father Himself, in His infinite Goodness
and Wisdom, wished Me, His Son, to submit to this law, it is because there is no
better law, no other means more efficacious, no other way more direct than that
of suffering. In the beginning this had not been the desire of the Father in
creating man who was destined for joy, for happiness and the glory of Paradise.
From the very beginning of this earth, living in communion with God, man, king
of creation, was destined to enjoy an anticipated paradise. The act of rebellion
with which your first parents stained themselves broke the filial relations
existing between man and God, and suffering was the logical consequence. But,
though living in abjection and in tears, man would not have been able to lift
his eyes to God and ask for pity. His cry would not have reached as far as
Heaven if l, by clothing Myself with human nature and making Myself one of you,
had not, as Victim, asked the Father for pardon for all humanity. Only after My
Sacrifice, and only if your sacrifices are united to Mine, do they have a
redemptive and purifying value. Here I wish to draw your attention to how many
useless sacrifices there are in the world, sufferings which will not be
remunerated, which will have no reward. Those are the sufferings which many
souls are subjected to or even endure while living in mortal sin. I
will explain: if you want to light up a room, you turn on the switch.
Well then, grace is the switch which permits the light of God to enter into you.
Illuminated by this light, which is divine Life, everything assumes a particular
importance and all little things, even one tear, can be used for the good of
all. For him who lives in the state of mortal sin, everything is pitch black,
everything is wasted, tears, pain, suffering and, what is more, despair, revolt
, discontent enter into his heart because he lacks God's help, when it is not
faith that is at fault . If you want to have strength to endure life as it is,
obtain it from the Heart of God, who knows how to transform pain into joy. Only
in this way can you make a gift of suffering to your brothers and sisters, and
you assist them to pay, and allay the sufferings of others, as I have done, and
as many Saints have done in the Church. By means of grace and suffering, each
Christian is able to present himself to the Father and say to Him: "l am
your Son, I am Jesus," and the Father, through His intermediary, bestows
blessings on humanity.
You, a mother, feel in your heart an ardent
desire to help your children. You would like them to be good, holy or at least
honest, in good health. Well then, you have a coin with which to pay for all
that: your suffering. You complain, perhaps, because you have no health and you
cannot on account of this fulfil your duties towards them. Do not complain. If
you after your sufferings to God with Me, God Himself takes your place, and even
if you do not see right away the fruits, you will see that He will guide your
children better than you would have been able to do yourself while in the best
of health. If you complain, if you
cry, if you despair, they will endure it all badly. The exercise of charity is
already difficult with the sick and you will not be able to do them good; you
will only be a weight for them. Have you some loved ones sick in the family? If
you approach them with goodness, with serenity, with patience, they will not
feel their illness so much and the Cross will be less heavy for everyone. Use
the Cross as a means of salvation. Love the Cross because on it you will find
Me. Suffering is the means by which you are able to prove your love: it is the
language of love. He who loves Me has no other choice to make than to follow Me
on the sorrowful way by carrying his share of the Cross. Accept with joy to
follow Me. On this road you will also find a Mother, the holiest of all
creatures, the most sorrowful of all mothers. Entrust yourself to Her and even
as She consoled Me, She will also assist you to reach the summit ... and then,
after the sufferings, glory and infinite joy which will never end.
PURGATORY
Saturday,
May 25, I968 (0I00)
My beloved child, the lesson that I will give you will deal with a theme that everyone thinks is of little importance but one which, in reality, is very important. I speak to you of Purgatory, that is to say of the place where souls of the deceased go in order to complete their purification before going to Heaven where no one enters unless he is pure. Do you remember the parable I narrated to you in the Gospel, of the invited guest who was found without the nuptial garment? Well, then, no one enters Paradise without the whiteness of the robe which you usually represent by the little white garment that the priest places on the body of the new born, the day of its Baptism. Since it is with much difficulty that souls come to die in their baptismal innocence, it is necessary that they reacquire it in this place of purification. An act of perfect contrition would suffice to give back this splendour to the soul by which, after death, it could immediately fly to the embrace of its God, but it is so difficult to have a perfect contrition so profound, and generally, therefore, all must pass through Purgatory. You will ask Me: "What is Purgatory?" It is very difficult to be able to explain it to you. You would need to understand what God is for a soul in order to grasp what the pain of the privation of Him involves, even though it is temporary. Think that God is essential to the soul as air is indispensable to your lungs. You know that certain illnesses give to a person affected by them a sense of suffocation - asthma, for instance. Well then, this can give you an idea, a pale idea, of one of the torments which, in Purgatory, constitutes the greatest anxiety. As long as you are wrapped up in this envelope, which you call the body, the soul is as though insensible to the call of its God; but when released from the strings that restrain it on earth, it would like to take its flight towards God; the fact of being deprived of Him shall be an indescribable torment. All the other pains which punish souls in their particular fault s, com- pared to this pain, will be secondary. The purifying fire into which souls are plunged will torment preferably the parts of the body which were the cause of sin. I spoke to you of the body because, although left behind on the earth, souls will have the Sensation of possessing it still, in order that it may participate in the pain that the Lord has inflicted upon the soul. This is also an act of Justice on the part of God, because after the Last Judgement, Purgatory will no longer exist and the body which was the soul 's companion in committing evil would therefore remain unpunished. Immediately after death, the soul of its own accord flies towards this place of purification. It would not be able to tolerate finding itself before God with the smallest stain and it would not want to come out of Purgatory before its splendour was not worthy of the place where, with God, must reign the Celestial Court, in all its holiness and perfection. The sole comfort for souls who suffer in the prison of purification is the hope that, one day, they will be able at last to leave it. These souls can do nothing for themselves, but they are able to do something for you who are still living in exile. They certainly do not waste their time which they use to love God and to assist men, especially those with whom they have had Spiritual and natural ties, those who have helped them to save their souls. And they help, above all, those who ask to be helped by them by praying for them. You understand right away the importance prayer has for these souls: whilst it gives them comfort and help, by hastening their liberation, it obtains for you special graces and favours. Undoubtedly, God must grant these favours, because the speeding up of the meeting of these souls with Him procures for Him a great joy. There are souls in Purgatory who are suffering for many years. No one thinks much of them because, during their lifetime, they too, perhaps, never thought of praying for others. And it is an act of great charity towards them and towards Me to hasten their liberation. To make you understand better to what extent you ought to be interested in praying for these souls who suffer indescribable pains, I am going to give you a little example. Have you noticed in some public places, hospitals, for instance, those lighted signs that appear when a patient rings? Well then, think that each time you offer something for these souls that may help them, immediately they repay the good they receive in this manner: it is as if they lighted up the luminous sign "God", summoning Him to help the soul that has done them good. How can you help the souls in Purgatory? A thousand ways. You can offer for them the merits of your good actions, your sacrifices, your almsgiving, your prayers. But the prayer and the sacrifice that helps them most is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is My Sacrifice offered to the Father for them. Well then, reflect that this act of charity which you can accomplish while you are on earth is also a duty of justice. Perhaps there lament in Purgatory fathers and mothers who, while alive, neglected their children. To have the Holy Mass offered for them is the best way to make reparation. Perhaps consecrated souls suffer there, priests in particular, for having been too indulgent with their penitents, or for having shortened or celebrated in too much hurry the Holy Mysterious, in order not to bore the faithful. Perhaps there are people who have sinned through too much indulgence thereby offending the law of God. Well then, it is a duty of justice to help them and to liberate them and you are able to do so and you must do it. Listen to the cry which they address to you: "Have pity on us, you who can help us!" Do not be deaf to their cries. You do not see them, I know that, and it is on account of this that you forget them; but if you have faith, you must believe My words and not doubt what I said in the Gospel that you will be rewarded, even for a glass of water given in My Name; do not doubt that for this charity in favour of My friends, I will give to you a great reward. Pray each day to My Mother to descend to this dark prison to free the souls that have loved Her most during their life, and be certain also that your invitation will be received by Her with joy and generously repaid.
(and v i e w i n g
m a t e r i a I s)
My child, the present lesson is meant to be for
you a guide in the choice of those things that attract you the most, so that
your choice is guided by prudence and common sense.
I
will speak to you of reading. It is
said that he who reads eats. Indeed, reading is like a nourishment of the
spirit. If the nourishment is wholesome it will elevate your spiritually and
will give joy to your spirit; if it is rotten, it will disfigure your soul, it
will drag you to sin and to ruin, not only spiritually, but also bodily.
That
is why you must know how to choose your reading and viewing material, and do not
throw yourself into whatever falls into your hands, devouring the words, because
it could be a dangerous poison insinuating itself into your mind and into your
heart. Through bad reading or films, you can lose peace and be dragged into
evil.
Many
before you and stronger than you have succumbed; that is why you must fear for
yourself. Regarding the choice of newspapers, books, and films know first the
contents. I assure you that you
will live more peacefully, have greater peace of mind and fewer nightmares.
Choose reading that elevates, instructs and serves as a guide for you on the
path of life. If reasons for study or responsibility oblige you to seek
knowledge and by the reading or viewing of various unpleasant news and all sorts
of books, begin by recommending yourself to God who watches over your thoughts,
your sentiments and your senses, so that they may not be influenced wrongly. How
many souls are ruined by bad reading! How much innocence is lost because of
newspapers and pornographic magazines! How many diabolical books! Modem youth,
in the name of liberty, does not want a limit in this field. To tell you the
evil that a fill the newspaper
publication or film may do is not easy. Youth, deceitfully or shamelessly,
diffuses evil; and the poison they have ingested they spread. And today, one
shows off with the latest unpleasant information or the most obscene joke. Know
how to choose, My children, and you, mothers, watch over the viewing of your
children and over your own. Do not be deluded by thinking that nowadays things
have changed and that it is good to know and to see everything. Obscene pictures
and films awaken the senses and lead to bad thoughts and to sins of impurity.
Certain disorders and changes in attitudes and ideas are sometimes due to bad
films or books. Do not say that you look superficially only to pass the time.
For, just as food nourishes your body, even though you eat by habit and without
thinking of what you are eating, so too entertainment, which is the food of the
spirit, brings forth its own fruit in opportune time. And it is when you find
yourself in circumstances similar to those you have read about in newspapers or
in books or seen in films, that it will come to you spontaneously to think of
them and to act in like manner. Deepen the study of Eternal truths. Read books
that point out examples for you to imitate. Read and study My Message of Love,
the Gospel, books full of wisdom and light. What does it matter to know the
"curriculum vitae" of singers, artists or personalities, if by
imitating them, you ruin your life? Resolve to do some good reading each day,
that will relax the mind or be good recreation. Resolve to make each day a
meditation, however short it may be. Do everything with order. Do not cram your
head by reading the entire book in one day because it pleases you, thus
neglecting your family duties. Being able to impose upon yourself a rule, a
timetable, even in this, has its advantages. To be able to interrupt your
reading because a duty of charity demands your presence is a proof of character.
Do not exaggerate in your reading, read moderately, reflect and assimilate what
you are reading in order to transform it into your practical life.
And now I am going to give you advice. There is
a book which every- one can read, even the illiterate. It
is the book of nature. Never tire reading it; furthermore, accustom
yourself to reading it each day, wherever you find it. Observe the flowers, the
trees, the sky, the stars, the animals. Observe the world of nature around you,
illuminated by the sun or lit up by the moon. Read in this marvellous book the
goodness of the Father, His Immensity, His Justice, His Providence. And after
having reflected upon it, there will come spontaneously a thought of gratitude
towards Him; you will have more confidence, you will feel better for it. The
Saints knew how to elevate their heart to God full of gratitude, by only looking
at a little flower of the field. Read the book of Creation, which is at
everyone's disposal, and you will discover God's love for men, whether good or
bad, and you also will feel your heart expand in the love of God and of your
brothers and sisters.
JESUS ASKS FOR YOUR HEART
Monday,
May 27,I968
My
beloved child, be prompt when I call and happy to make a little sacrifice for
your Lord, for He loves the one who gives with joy. The Lord will always ask you
for something, but above all he will ask for your heart of which He is jealous.
He wants your heart, your love. He wants you generous and disinterested.
Coldness repulses Him, stinginess saddens Him. If you are not able to do much,
do all you can, but have immense desires, because God loves men of great
desires. Let each of your deeds be accomplished by you in an act of pure love,
so as to make your life a long golden chain to offer to the Father. Into every
pot of soup, you put a pinch of salt , and watch out if it is not there! Well
then, into each of your actions, however insignificant, put a pinch of love.
Love of God and love of neighbour which, in the last analysis, becomes again
love of God. He who does not feel the fatigue, is not aware of the sacrifice,
for him everything is light, everything beautiful. See with what joy a mother
sacrifices herself for her children! She loves them. Love makes heroism
possible. At the base of all sanctity, you will find love. Rightly My dear
Augustine said: "Love and do what you will." If you love God, it is
not possible that you will offend Him. Prayer without love is like a harp
without sound. It s music does not go up to Heaven. Suffering without love
resembles that of an ox pulling the cart; it is like an insignificant thing and
without value. To suffer through force, to suffer stoically, is to suffer
uselessly. Wherever you put an act of love, you transform everything. You must
become holy, do you want to make yourself holy? Here is the shortest way and one
most sure: accomplish with love the Will of God. The greater your love is, the
more true will be your sanctity. The Will of God are your daily duties, those
inherent in your state. Do not make things difficult. From morning until night,
you go about plaiting your actions for the good of your family. Well then, tie
them up with the love of God. This is sanctity. The reward in paradise will be
proportionate to the love with which you will have penetrated your life. To pick
up a pin may be more meritorious than to construct a cathedral; the merit is
proportionate to the love put into the act. The Lord does not ask for great
works. These He accomplishes Himself and chooses the most unsuitable
instruments. He asks for love. He is a Beggar of Love. Love saves souls through
Me. It is I who -save souls through the intermediary of your love. That is why
your work can be grandiose. Through the power of your love, you can rejoin all
the points of the earth and help Me to accomplish Redemption and Salvation.
My beloved child, here you are in My service.
Things change and persons vary but I remain immutable and steadfast in My
thoughts and in My sentiments. That is why I repeat to you, entrust yourself
solely to Me, for he who trusts only in man, may perish with him. You yourself,
perceive how one minute is different from the next? At the very moment when you
decide one thing, you think of it differently and change your mind. Such is
human nature, subject to continual change. But God remains He who was. He who
is, and He who will be. Nothing changes in Him.
Neither goodness, nor beauty, nor mercy, nor justice, nor fidelity, nor
providence and all the most beautiful endowments that you find in him in an
infinite measure.
He
is Science, Wisdom and Perfection. Entrust yourself to Him, My child, and you
will never perish. Be the master of your intelligence and of your heart so as to
be able always to direct them towards God and to give them to him, to Him who
has the right to possess them.
Always
look ahead, always strive towards the goal, always free your heart more and more
of every sentiment not worthy of Him, since out with this freedom will you be
able to fly on the path of perfection without entangling your wings and clipping
them.
Free yourself also from yourself, as you are your first enemy. When you
seek yourself, you forget to seek your God. Do not perform any action for human
motives but let everything be actuated by My Will and have as your goal eternal
Life.
Praise
God in everything, for to Him only is due honour and glory for ever and ever.
IN
PREPARATION FOR PENTECOST
Wednesday,
May 29, I968 (I500)
My children, here you are reunited, like My
Apostles in the Cenacle, with Mary My Mother. May My Grace, My Blessing and the
Light of the Consoling Spirit be upon you. May all of you be inflamed with holy
love and may you be able to spread this love everywhere you go. Fill your
families with it, fill the whole world with it, this world which no longer
believes in God's Love and is destroying itself in frivolous love and in hate.
My children, love one another and love Me: therein is the Law. All the rest is
nothing. I bless you, My children;
in recollection and in prayer, in union with My Mother, prepare yourselves for
Pentecost.
APOSTOLATE - I SPEAK TO YOU WITHOUT WORDS
Monday,
May 27, I968 (I030)
My beloved children, do not be troubled, believe and adore. In its time, everything will appear clear to you. Know how to wait, My children. Did I not say to you: "Not he who will have seen and will have believed, but blessed is he who will have believed without seeing"? What does it matter if some believe and others do not? Continue your work serenely. Consider the fruits. If the fruits are good, the work comes from God. Your work, your mission, brings with it sincerity, peace, love, harmony. Well then, it is good. If it brought discord, quarrels, jealousy, you would doubt it. Pursue your path with serenity. Confide in Me who speaks to you. I speak to you in secret, I speak to you without words, but what does it matter since you understand Me? I speak by enlightening minds, I influence hearts. I move wills. The Word, it is l: the Eternal Word of the Father. During My mortal life, I spoke to crowds eager for My doctrine; but from all eternity I speak to all Creation. By My Word the Heavens and the earth were formed, plants and animals, fish and birds. By My Word, man was created to My Image and Likeness. In the Likeness of God, do you understand that? And to man was given a ray of what I possess from all eternity: the soul, immortal, Spiritual, capable of willing, loving, understanding and speaking. Yes, for you have the words to express your thoughts, your will, your desires, but only insofar as your soul makes you capable of such expression and sentiments. There are mute people who speak marvellously with their God and there are very talkative people who do not know how to say one word to Him, or who do not, by word, reach the Heart of God. So you see, it is not necessary for the Lord to speak to you with the sound of His Voice in order to make Himself understood by you, and you can speak to His Heart even if your lips are mute. Have confidence, My child, and write. I promise you that what you write will do much good to souls, much more than the books of great writers and great theologians, because in these pages breathes My Spirit, My Will, and your little work is only a trifle that you give to Me, a little collaboration of sacrifice. Do it with faith and with love, with simplicity and as obedience. I will give you merit for it as if you had accomplished a marvellous work, the most beautiful of your life. Do it for your children and for all those whom I have given to you. Do it for the Priests whom I have confided to you and whom I have put on your path. Yes, for those who make you suffer, for I will reward you, not for the correspondence that they will have brought to your maternal love and to your offering of each day, but for what you do for them. Remain serene, do not worry; pray for them, pray for everyone. Good and bad, they are all Mine before being yours and you must love them and pardon them. I bless you, My child; I will call you later.
Thursday,
May 30, I968 (I200)
My beloved child, this subject I speak to you about will be particularly pleasing to your heart and it is also to Mine. I speak to you of the charity which binds the large family of God, the family of the Saints, of those who live in the state of grace; that is why, what they do turns to the benefit of all the others. This is the wonderful dogma of the Communion of Saints. I remind you that, through this Communion, you are united not only to all men on earth, whatever their nation or their religion may be, but also to the Saints in Heaven and to the Souls in Purgatory. From this Communion there flows mutual assistance, made up of prayers and merits, which surpasses all human thought. It is like an exchange of marvellous gifts that souls make in Me, under the gaze of my Father, urged on by the animating breath of the Holy Spirit. Woe if there were not this exchange of gifts, thanks to which he who has more, is able to give to him who has nothing, and can pay to Divine Justice the debts of another. All heavenly treasure passes through My Hands and comes from Me, valorised by My Blood and My merits. My Mother is like the Heavenly Treasurer who, putting in the common coffer the abundance of Her merits, passes them on to Her children. Thus are doing and have done thousands and thousands of Saints who, having lived a life of innocence and of penance, are still able to distribute to the poor ones of the Church of God their superfluous, the merits that they have in excess. This marvellous Communion does not only unite the Saints in Heaven to the souls on earth, but it unites also the souls on earth. For this reason, you yourself can assist persons far away, unknown and ill. You can help the Pope, the Bishops, Priests; you can support them in their apostolic labour and participate in their merits. You can aid Missionaries and become a missionary, just by staying at home. You pray, you suffer, you work for them. What does it matter if your name is unknown to them? It is the Father who sees and who rewards, by giving each one a reward for his merits. There are ill ones who suffer and despair. Do you want to help them? You can: offer up for them your daily pains. Be patient under the crosses you must endure, be generous, suffer for those stricken by disease, perhaps more serious and more painful than yours, and you will be for them a help. Peace will enter into them even amidst pain. The Father accepts, approves and blesses this unselfishness, this gift to brothers and sisters, and He rewards the one who makes it. You express many proverbs that recall the usefulness of these reciprocal gifts and it is good that you keep them in mind. The proverb is like a seed of wisdom which keeps a truth alive in your mind. For example, remember this saying: "He who prays for others, hoards for himself." "Charity goes out the window and comes in through the door." It is true that it is more perfect to act through love, without thinking of the reward, but God is infinitely just and rewards over abundantly everything that one does for His children, even if for the good that will be done through pure love, the reward shall be still greater. In the other lessons, I have spoken to you of the souls in Purgatory and of their work of salvation on behalf of the living. They are not able to pray for themselves, but with what love they think of you and pray for you! The Communion of Saints rejoices in them, and they obtain comfort and relief whilst they repay this gift with generosity and love in God. That is why you do well when you make a gift of all your merits and of your prayers; be certain also that this heroic act of charity, which deprives you of everything in favour of your needs, will be repaid in a truly marvellous way. They will be beside you on the path of life, in a way as to save you from many dangers and to protect you against them. These souls will be good companions for you on whom you can rely in all your necessities. You are, therefore, not alone in the world. Just as you must not live egotistically for yourself, but think of all the others, in the same way be certain there are many who, with God, watch over you and assist you. Open your heart to great joy and to great hope, open your heart to love, make your contribution to the great family of God's Saints and from them also receive your share.
CARMELLA ON A VISIT TO SAN GIOVANNI
Friday.
May 3I, I968 (I2I5)
My beloved child, listen to Me. I
am giving you your lesson in this train, while you are on your way to be
near My son of predilection who snatches from My Heart so many graces and so
many gifts. I want to tell you how
it is that his prayer has such power over My Heart, so much so that what he asks
of My Mother and Me is like a command for Us. You see, he does not live for
himself, but solely in Me and for Me. He does not act, does not think, does not
speak, does not suffer, does not pray, except in God, accomplishing at each
instant the Holy Will of God. All that he accomplishes is divine and it is
Divinity It self which acts in him. That is why his works are wonderful, that is
why he does not know distance, either in space or in time. God is everywhere, as
you know, and this thought must, at each instant, revive your faith and incite
you to sentiments of confidence and hope. God never abandons you. He keeps you
immersed in His immensity just like the sea which contains fish in its waters.
Just as these could not live without water in which they are submerged and in
which they find their food, so too you cannot live unless immersed in your God.
He is everything for you, and you, by living ceaselessly in His Presence and
immersed in Him, you live the Spiritual life which is the main reason for your
existence. "Live in My Presence and you will be perfect," says the
Holy Spirit. Love to speak with your God in prayer, give your heart to your God.
I said it very often to you: God is
jealous of your heart and you must keep it exclusively for Him. Now you are
going to Padre Pio, and from this visit you must bring back these lessons.
You are going to pay a visit to a man who has
made of his life a complete gift to God to the point of allowing himself to be
replaced by Him. You are going to see a man who has made of his life a holocaust
on behalf of his brothers and sisters, in the sacrifice the most similar to the
one I Myself made on the Cross. Imitate him in these gifts. You too give
yourself completely to Me. Accomplish My Will with faith, with love, with joy,
at each instant of your life. Call Me to come within you so that I may take your
place. I will enter into your mouth and I will speak in you and then, you word
will be effective. I will think in
your mind, and I will love in your heart. I will sanctify your sufferings, I
will make fruitful your works which I myself will accomplish in you, and you,
you will be merely one of My Instruments. Imitate My dear son in his abandonment
on behalf of his brothers and sisters. Your sacrifice will be more effective and
will bring Redemption; it will be Me whom you will complete and will assist in
the work of salvation. Then the pilgrimage will bear fruit. I
am pleased with your offering on behalf of My son. I
love generosity, especially if it is exercised in favour of him who has
given all for others. I promise you that I will speak to him of you and of your
group, and that I will use his sufferings to obtain for everyone those Spiritual
and material graces for which you have undertaken this trip.
IN
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO
Saturday,
June I. I968 (0300)
My beloved child, always be ready to carry out
My Orders and to reply to My appeals. Light comes from above and strength also,
but the will, which God leaves free, it is you who must bring it into play, and
on this depends your merit. Always endeavour, on your part, to put forth a lot
of goodwill and much simplicity. Do not search for subtleties in things. Isn't
that right? Do it without hesitation, without doubting, without dilly-dallying.
Do it for the love of God, with simplicity, considering the goal: the Glory of
God and eternal Life. Always perform all your actions in this sense. You will be
tranquil and you will enrich yourself with merits. I recommend to you today a
special recollection: call upon the Holy Spirit to come upon you and upon the
world which is heading towards its min. Pray for the Church, for the Pope, for
the Bishops and for Priests. I bless
you, My child.
My beloved child, I am with you and I bless you. You have done well To offer your prayers for your country which have I made mine since in it is found the Seat of My Vicar on Earth. In this coastal region, you also will find the house where I spent my boyhood years, and especially My childhood beside My sweet Mother and My Fester Father. Greet this Holy Place where My Mother even to this day scatters Her most special graces. Line your route with reparation for, in these days and during all summer, sins will be multiplied and will draw down chastisements upon families and upon Italy, while many innocent ones will lose the most beautiful thing they possess which ravishes My Heart. Let your reparation be one of sacrifice, prayer, good example. I will reward you for them by blessing your intentions and your souls. My loving child, wherever you go, I am with you and My lessons must not be lacking to you. I confirm to you that what you are writing is a gift which comes from Me; it is I who suggest it to you and your collaboration is for you a duty which you may not shirk. You are acting through enlightenment and the teachings that you receive concern solely the Spiritual life; and the desires which I have for 'your sanctification are not only for you but for all the people whom you approach continuously. Today I have followed you in your pilgrimage and, in the House of My childhood, I have granted you numerous graces.
PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE
This is the spirit which must influence you
whilst visiting the sites where My Mother and I decided to live in a very
singular way, arranging things in such a way that these places become an oasis
in the desert of the world. You must come to such places with great love, great
respect and in a spirit of reparation. In these places, which are
like the vestibules of Heaven, you must praise God and make reparation
for the evil that is being committed in the world, which is the great temple of
God. I like also that each one make
known their needs, but pay great attention not to over estimate material needs
in comparison to Spiritual ones. Pilgrimages are pleasing to Me. They also
please My Mother, for they serve to practise penance and strengthen affection
among you whilst they revive faith and love for God and for My Mother. Love Me,
My children; love My Mother and love each other. My Heart is thirsty for love
and desires that love be diffused in the world. However, take great care in your
affections. Remember the Commandment of God: "You shall love the Lord with
all your mind, with all your heart, with all your strength." Remember the
second one which is similar to the first: "You shall love your neighbour as
yourself for the love of God." Remember also these words which you often
hear repeated: "He who loves his father and mother more than Me is not
worthy of Me." Love Me, then, as much as you can, and love everyone as
yourself; but love them in Me and for Me if you want your affections to be holy
and worthy of eternal reward.
Tuesday.
June 4, I968 (I500)
My
beloved child, do not wait till the last hour to do good, do not find yourself
with empty hands when your God comes to you. Do good while you have the time.
Humble yourself after each fall and continue on courageously. - Be sincere with
yourself so as to know your fault s better. Be sincere with God, avowing them to
Him and despising them in the Sacrament of Confession. Here is one very
important quality which you must bring to the tribunal of Penance: sincerity.
You know that the Sacrament of Confession was instituted by Me, after My
Resurrection. You know that in the confessional, My Ministers are only My
Representatives who have the duty to exercise My Mercy and to absolve your sins.
You must not, therefore, be anxious about hiding them; but take interest in
avowing them so that I can forgive them. Sincerity in Confession is a sign of
humility. The idea that My Minister may think badly of you after Confession must
not intimidate you. He could not do so without failing in My law of charity. And
besides, of what importance is it to you to have others think well of you - even
your confessor - when, by not using sincerity, you may indeed receive the favour
and esteem of a person, but not Mine. For I scrutinise the interior and I see
everything, even into the innermost depths. I
see each sin with all its malice. Using sincerity in this Sacrament
amounts to throwing your miseries into My Heart, throwing them in their entirety
and wanting their destruction. Scrutinise well your heart when you are preparing
to receive this Sacrament, and seek out the cause of the evil. A sin which you
detest under a specific appearance may reveal quite a different root. I
will explain it to you: a person may steal for different motives, and it
is the motive which counts. Another may slander and they may be impelled by
various other defects to commit this one fault . Remove these defects and
slandering also will be eliminated. One may slander, for example, through
vanity, through envy, through the habit of gossiping, etc. That is why it is not
so necessary to mention the sin as to discover its source. If one removes the
root of evil, all the rest is eliminated. When you go to confess, you go to the
doctor. Certainly it would not be advantageous to hide from him your
wrongdoings, for you have the desire to be healed. And the treatment will bc
more effective if, after the description of your ills, the doctor knows you
better. If you really want your Spiritual ills treated, expose them to My
Minister and conform yourself to his advice. By this I do not mean to say that
in confessing you have to go into details which may offend the ear of the
confessor, but I am merely insisting that you discover in yourself the source of
your defects so he can help you to correct yourself. Believe Me, My children:
many confessions are zero, when they are not sacrileges, because of the lack of
sincerity. When you confess, throw yourselves at My feet, exposing everything
with clarity, but also with delicacy, with simplicity and great faith, but above
all with sanctity, revealing the malice of your fault s followed by your
repentance. I will pour over your
soul My Blood and, through the intermediary of My Minister, you will receive
from Me a great light thanks to which it will be easy for you to correct and
improve yourselves and even to attain perfection.
Tuesday,
June 4, I968 (I500)
My children, here you are again in My presence
and in the presence of My very sweet Mother. Thank you, My children. Pray, pray:
the times are sorrowful, very sorrowful; the chastisements and crosses which
menace the world are dreadfully great.
Pray to the Father, have My Mother intervene so
that she may mitigate the chastisements and take pity on you. The Father is
weary with this world and what awaits you maybe is terrible. Pray, My children
and love one another, help one another, mutually pardon each other. Do not hold a grudge against anyone. Live
in the state of grace because the chosen ones will be marked, and no enemy power
will be able to vanquish them. But if you do not live in the state of grace, you
will be the prey of Evil. My children, do penance and pray, pray. The last hour
could be near. Call upon My great Archangel Michael so that he may protect the
world.
Thursday.
June 6.I968
My
beloved child, pay great attention to My words, which will resound in your ears
with a little bit of severity and I beg you not to forget them. I
will speak to you of the law of forgiveness. It
is a law so severe that, if you do not apply it to others, God Himself
will not apply it to you. And if God does not forgive you, what shall become of
you? I have come to perfect the law; whilst before My coming one could say
"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", with My coming into this
world I have taught you: "Love your enemies, do good to those that hate
you. Pray for those who persecute you."
Return good for evil. I
taught by parables, I taught by example what the behaviour must be of
those who wish to follow Me, behaviour which is not restricted to one particular
function but obligatory, to the extent of becoming for you a law of God.
Remember the parable of the man who owed a
hundred talents to his master and who, not being able to pay them, was pardoned
by him. But on going out of his master's house, the man met a friend who owed
him money; he maltreated him and demanded the money. When the master learned of
this, he summoned his servant and had him imprisoned. That is exactly how it is
going to be: to forgive is an indispensable condition for being pardoned. You
will be measured with the same yardstick with which you measure. Do you want to
know if the Father's judgement towards you will be full of goodness and mercy?
See if, in your life, you practise goodness and mercy. If it is easy for you to
discover your neighbour's fault s, to judge them with severity, how will you be
able to lay Claim to indulgence and mercy? Remember that I have given you the
example in everything, but the most beautiful example I have given you was from
the top of the Cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they
are doing." Never call down punishment upon anyone. Invoke light,
repentance, conversion, love. Always ask God to bless those who offend you,
calumniate you, those who do you wrong, and forget the wrong that you receive.
Always find a good word to say. If the wrongdoing is blameworthy in itself, he
who does it is not always guilty. Leave the care of judging to God. Judgement is
always very difficult, for real evil comes from the inside, it comes from the
mind and heart, so how can you know what is deep inside a person? You judge
according to appearance, but very often, some bad actions are made with good
intentions. Remember that God knows how to draw good from evil itself; that is
why you should leave it to him to act. Many times throughout the day you recite
the prayer that I Myself taught you, the "Our Father". Pause for a
moment on those words which should make many of My children tremble, those who
do not know how to forgive and harbour in their hearts desires of vengeance and
implacable hatred: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us." What a lot of things you all have to forgive! All of
you, you are all sinners! Your weakness is such that at the very moment that you
promise not to sin any more, you fall. And each day, you bring to Me your burden
of miseries and fault s. Well then, you bring to God your sins and He pardons
you and forgets all that you do against Him. But on one condition: forgiveness.
You are not the only one in the world; you live with your family, in society,
and the members who compose it are all imperfect, even the Saints.
Misunderstandings, fights, offences, are unavoidable.
Differences of opinion, character, education, upbringing could create in the
family and in society infernal
tension, and you know how painful if is to live in such surroundings where faith
and charity are lacking and where justice does not exist.
My Presence transforms everything; the
observance of My law, the law of love and pardon, transforms environments into
oases of peace. However, fault s do not disappear immediately, but one excuses
them in others more than in oneself. One understands another's difficulties - in
a word, one forgives. Apply yourself, My child, to destroying the hate and the
Evil that goes about in this world. Begin with yourself. I
commanded My Apostles to forgive seventy times seven, and by that I meant
always to forgive. But I say the same thing to you: "Always forgive and
forget." Your life will be more serene. Of what use is it to retain up in
your mind things of the past which have been for you a source of pain? Remember
the beautiful things that do good to your soul: as for the rest, let them go:
sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. Carry everywhere love and peace.
Always throw water over the fire. Love everyone, independently of their merits
and offences which may have been done against you and the pain they may have
caused you. ' Love them for love of Me, and in Me, and you will enjoy great
peace.
Friday,
June 7,I968
My
beloved child, listen to Me. I speak to your innermost heart where I dwell with
the Father and the Holy Spirit.
I
speak silently to you, for I do not like noise; I speak to you in recollection
and in prayer, be it meditation or vocal prayer, provided love is its base.
Always
listen to Me, I entreat you. I enjoy
being with you, I like your Company.
My
desire is to dwell in the hearts of all men. But many, very many, are
indifferent to My appeals and do not like to be with Me. Even many good people
who, at one time, loved Me and desired Me, have abandoned Me. They are weighed
down by a thousand thoughts and preoccupations, they are drawn to a thousand
material things.
Some,
with great difficulty, remember they are in My Presence when they are in Church.
Most of the time they are before Me only with their bodies. And I am not
speaking to you of sacrilegious souls who come to receive Me in the state of
mortal sin. My repugnance is so great, when I enter into these hearts, as it
would be for you were you to place yourself beside a corpse in putrefaction.
Some approach Me only to trample Me underfoot.
They would like to destroy Me, to annihilate Me.
I know they will never succeed, but
their desire renews within Me the pain of "Crucifige". If you only
knew of how many outrages My Body is the object of in the Most Holy Sacrament!
And nevertheless, you see, I
foresaw it on the day I instituted the Most Holy Eucharist and, if I did not
desist from instituting it, it is because I also foresaw that in the course of
centuries, a few good souls would receive Me with love, would make Communion
their delight, their treasure, their joy and that, consequently, I would be able
to pour out upon them all My Love and all My graces. I
love to dwell in the hearts of My Children, to be one with them. One
Communion well made could suffice to sanctify a soul, as My Presence could
transform everything. Many are the reasons put forward to stay away from Me, but
I assure you, the principal reason is lack of faith and love. It
is true, you see only a little Host, a little bit of bread, but if you
believed in My words ... Have I not proved by miracles the truth of these words?
Have I not spoken clearly to you when I instituted the Eucharist? "This is
My Body, this is My Blood." How was I to say it to you? And in the course
of centuries, have I not performed numerous miracles in order to manifest My
real Presence in the Most Holy Sacrament? Is not Communion the food, the
strength and the support of your soul, as it was for the martyrs who in It found
the fearlessness to vanquish death with their martyrdom?
Come to Me, all of you who
are weary and are bowed down under burns, all of you who are sorrowful and in
despair, all of you who do not accept your Gross, come to Me. I
shall open My Heart to you and in It you shall discover mysteries,
treasures of wisdom and of science; I shall open to you the path of holiness
shall disclose to you My secrets, I shall teach you the secret of happiness even
in the midst of suffering.
Come, come to Me... and if it is indeed not
possible for you to receive Me, call Me to come to you spiritually. Spiritual
Communion may sometimes be more effective than sacramental Communion if the
ardour with which you invoke Me is great.
Call upon Me many times during the day to come
into your heart. It will be like a renewal of the meeting of love, it will be a
rekindling of your faith, it will be a confirmation of the offering of your
actions, orientating them and rendering them fruitful.
Remember that Spiritual Communion is a sweet
reality, not only a pious desire. You call Me and I come, and if you call Me, it
is because you love Me. I make My
Father and the Holy Spirit come with Me and We establish Our dwelling within
you. You become Our Heaven. May your Communions well made, desired, prepared and
followed be the most fervent thanksgiving, be a reparation for sacrilegious,
cold and badly made ones. You will give Me consolation and you will have My
blessing.
My beloved child, the lesson that you are going
to begin will have as its theme greed, and
I will say it to you right now: "Guard yourself well from such
a vice: it is extremely repulsive to
the Lord, and it brings much unhappiness to him who is afflicted with it."
The miser does not consider what he possesses as
a gift of God, but he makes things his god. He thinks only of his own well-being
and does not, of course, make a gift of his life to his brothers and sisters,
but thinks only of getting goods for himself and of keeping what he has.
Greed is contrary to charity and to generosity,
virtues so dear to My Heart. The sufferings of others do not move the miser: he
pays attention only to himself, to his own health, to his own well-being, to his
own comfort. He does not see the necessity of depriving himself of anything on
account of others, as he never considers what he possesses as superfluous and,
as a result, does not believe that it is a duty to give.
The
miser looks upon God as the protector of his goods, and he is ready to hurl
himself against Him should anyone oblige him to deprive him of them.
Everything I have said pertains to the greedy in general,
greed for material goods. But this ugly fault
is also the heritage of persons who frequent the Church and live an
intense Spiritual life.
And
here I speak of those who would like that the most special gifts and Privileges
be reserved solely for them; they are jealous of them, as if these gifts were
patented. And not only do they not wish to share them with anyone, but they even
think that they are reserved exclusively for them. Such greed, coupled with
pride, displeases Me much more than the other, based on material goods, for it
can lead to great pitfalls. He who, convinced of his own greatness, thinks
everything is due to him, can easily be demoralised in a moment of privation, to
the point of losing faith and confidence, without considering that he will
probably fall into that other sin, very grave also: that of envying the grace
and gifts that others possess.
We have seen the negative side of this capital
sin; now I want to show you how beautiful it is to act in the opposite sense.
When the soul, detached from everything that
tethers it to creatures –be it persons or material or Spiritual goods -
when, detached from one's "me" and from one's egoism, the soul
soars up to its God, it feels light and agile, it truly feels free.
Freedom gives it wings and with them the soul
flies in the most complete generosity, seeking out people to whom it can do
good, whom it can love, instruct and help. It gives everything, it loves
everyone. The world is too small for its heart and it would like to have before
it a hundred worlds to save. Possessing nothing, God is its wealth and in Him it
finds strength to forgive and to sacrifice itself even to heroism.
0! beautiful is the generation of courageous and simple souls, generous and heroic, enthusiastic and ardent, who give all in order to find all in the bosom of God! Of what worth are the miserable things of here below which time uses and destroys, compared to those which are eternal?
Love God, My dear children, and love your
brothers and sisters to the extent of understanding deeply the necessities of
each one, of being capable of depriving yourselves for them, of giving
yourselves completely, of being able to forget yourselves, not only before men
but also before God.
Make
yours the necessities of others, because God desires this altruism which gives
first place to what concerns one's fellow man. Remember: he who prays for others
amasses for himself. It is a
reality, for no prayer attracts more than the benevolent gaze upon you than the
one which you make for others and which becomes an exercise of charity.
MARY
THE MOTHER OF DIVINE LOVE
Saturday,
June 8, I968 (I8I5)
My
children, here you are at My feet. I am
the Mother of Divine Love and your Mother. Thank you for your prayers and for
the love you have for Me. I have
asked the Holy Spirit, My Sweet Spouse, to fill your hearts with love so that
you can spread it everywhere. You have done well to consecrate yourselves to
Him. Try to live this consecration and you will see what profound transformation
He will effect in you. Love one another, My children, and prepare yourselves
well to celebrate the Feast of the Body of My Jesus by making reparation for the
offences and outrages that He receives from so many Christians and unbelievers.
Let your Communions be a joy for My Jesus, and a consolation for Me, who gave
Jesus the Body with which He nourishes you. I
bless you, My children, and for all your material necessities, put your
trust in Me who am your Mother.
My beloved child, be constant in prayer and
perform it as best as you can. Dismiss from your mind all useless thoughts, for
prayer-is the most important and the most solemn act of your whole life. You put
yourself in contact with your God in order to speak with Him, to place before
Him your needs, to adore Him, to love Him and to ask Him humbly to forgive you
your fault s. Such are the motives which must incite you to pray and to pray
well. That is why, dispose your mind, prepare yourself by asking for help from
God Himself so that the prayer you will make will be pleasing to Him. While
praying, unite yourself to the Saints, to Angels, to Souls in Purgatory, to the
Just on earth, and above all, unite yourself to Me, who am the Intermediary
between earth and Heaven. It is in
My Name that Heaven and earth were made, it is in My Name and through Me that
the Church prays continuously.
Well
then, if the liturgical and universal prayer of the Church is but an incessant
recourse to God through the intermediary of My mediation, so too, in private
prayer, you must unite yourself to Me and offer up My merits in order to give it
value.
I
told you that all that you ask for of My Father in My Name, He will grant it to
you. And this is true. But prayer must manifest a few characteristics which you
must not forget. Through it, remember to ask always and firstly for the Glory of
God and His Justice, His Reign. These are the main reasons for your existence.
You are in this world only to give glory to God.
Ask
next, in prayer, for your eternal salvation. It is by saving your soul that you
correspond with His plan of love in having created you. Ask for these two gifts,
through My merits; ask also for all the rest that
pertains to them.
That
is why, My child, I urge you, to add to each of your requests the following:
"If it is for Your Glory and the salvation of My soul, I ask for these
faces through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Saviour."
Let
your prayer be confident and full of faith. The miracles I performed during My
life were always a reward for the faith shown in Me.
To have faith is already a certainty of obtaining. Nothing is impossible
to God and if your confidence and your faith are great, God who can do all
things cannot deceive you. It
will be only a question of time. God will want test your constancy, your
perseverance: but above all, if you ask for
spiritual graces, you must not doubt, and you must insist: be certain
that you obtain them.
Many
mothers ask for the conversion of their children and of their spouse. Of course,
they would like this transformation to happen in an instant, and I could, too,
perform sensational miracles of conversion. I could strike them, like Paul, with
one ray of My light and pierce their mind, illuminating it. Instead, I permit
that their wills be not forced and I wish that most of the time it be the
mother's and wife's silent tears which, penetrating the dry and ungrateful
ground of the spouse 's soul, transform it. Do you recall Monica, how much she
cried for her Augustine? Through those tears, she sanctified herself and
Augustine was converted. No tear is ever going to be lost; never forget this,
you mothers, sisters, wives, who weep over the Spiritual ruin of those whom you
love. Have faith, and you shall reap the fruits of these tears in the increase
of your merits and, when God shall want it, in the conversion of the persons who
are dear to your heart. But have patience. The important thing is not that you
reap immediately the fruits of your tears, but that these souls are saved. Oh!
if only all the sinners of the world had near them one dear friend who prayed
and wept for them, I assure you that no one would bc damned, for the prayer of
some benefits the others. My children, pray with great humility. Make yourselves
little. Little children easily obtain all that they desire, especially if they
are meek and loveable. You also do the same: ask with the simplicity and
humility of children. God is touched, I assure you, and He grants. Be
persevering in prayer. Do not become discouraged, do not abandon everything at
the first difficulty. Insist, knock, seek and what you ask for will be granted
to you, always keeping in mind the Glory of God and the salvation of your soul.
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY IS IN YOU
Pray in the Name of the Father who created you,
the Son who redeemed you and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you. Offer to the
Father the thoughts of your mind so that they may always be guided by Him. Offer
your sentiments to the Holy Spirit so that they may be purified by Him and so
that you may thus sanctify your days and your life in union with the Blessed
Trinity, awaiting the enjoyment of the Beatific Vision of Heaven, His Presence
and His Life, of which you already have a foretaste here on earth. Often reread
My teachings so that they may remain imprinted in your memory and so that you
may put them into practice. Make them your daily bread and the nourishment of
your soul. Think often of the Most Holy Trinity present in your heart. Reflect
that by this adorable Presence and by the consecrations your body has received,
this body is a temple of God and a sacred thing. God dwells within you as a
Sweet Guest. Do not forget Him. Transform your life into a continual act of
adoration and often renew your consecration during the day. God is always with
you. Be His good companion. There are millions who forget Him; and even those
who know He exists, relegate Him to the furthest comer in Heaven as if He were a
Being who lives serenely in Himself, without bothering Himself about His
creatures. But you know it is not like that. He lives beside you and in you in
such an intimate manner that no one else can be nearer to you than He.
From
your body, He makes His temple, His dwelling. He partakes of your joys, He helps
you and shares your sufferings. He loves you as no one else could ever love you,
and He wants you happy with His happiness.
Therefore
accept with a good heart all that happens to you minute by minute, small
troubles as well as big ones, maintaining peace and tranquillity. Whatever may
seem insurmountable is often resolved very easily, without you knowing it. Evils
are always magnified by the human mind, consequently increasing suffering.
Be
serene, remain calm, keep an even disposition, even making an effort, for this
is a sign of virtue and of Spiritual maturity.
MY SACRED HEART
Tuesday,
June II. I968 (during the night)
My
beloved child, I shall speak to you of My Sacred Heart burning with love for all
men and desirous only to be repaid by love. I would like to make known to you the sweetness, meekness,
humility, sensitivity, ardour, goodness and desires of My Heart. I
would like to have you go into its inmost depths and taste how sweet it
is to dwell within. There is a saying of a good person that they have a good
heart, and it is the highest honour that you can pay them by speaking thus. The
goodness of their heart is manifested in their words, which are the translation
of good thoughts and of good works, which are the tangible consequence of
goodness. The good person fosters thoughts of peace towards everyone, they do
not further discord, do not sow disputes. They deplore evil itself, but do not
judge the one who commits it. The good person is anxious to do good to everyone
in order to see everyone happy. A good heart is compassionate towards all
miseries; suffers with the one who suffers; weeps with the one who weeps; does
not envy anyone but rejoices of the good of others. All this, you find in My
heart. My Heart is humble, good and loving. It
is very mild, compassionate and sincere. In It , you always find
understanding, peace, joy. Enter into It and
you will be happy.
Wednesday.
June I2. I968
My
child, the Feast of My Sacred Heart approaches, prepare yourself to celebrate
Me. Strive to make your heart like Mine. Be humble, very humble, and good.
Correct yourself and ask pardon as soon as you become angry and offend anyone.
Draw forth from My Heart patience and goodness.
Friday.
June I4, I968 (0535)
My loving child, listen to Me; I wish to speak
on a subject that means much to Me.. The other day, I spoke to you about My
human Heart, centre of human life, which gives to the human person the
characteristic of goodness if the heart is good, and that of wickedness if the
heart is bad. Now I am going to speak to you about My Divine Heart, the Heart of
God, since in Me resides the Divine Person of the Son of God. All the qualities
of this Heart reside in Me in an infinite degree. That is why, as long as you
are on this earth, you certainly will not be able to understand the dimensions
and the virtues of this Heart. Through a special grave, St Paul was able to
know, although in an imperfect manner, the length, height, depth of My Heart,
that is to say, of My Love. And, in fact, how will man be able to measure a love
without measure? My children, if you knew how great is the Love of God for you,
your life would be entirely different. You would hate sin which offends Hi and
you would combat evil under whatever form it presents itself to you. You would
rejoice in everything, as the good son rejoices in doing what his Father wishes.
Even more, your only worry would be precisely this: to seek out the desires of
the Heart of this Father, and correspond with them in the smallest details. Know
that in My Divine Heart all men, everybody and each one in particular, can take
up residence, can enjoy My infinite tenderness. A mother, as tender and good as
her heart is, cannot, though she wishes, do everything she wants on behalf of
her children, but I can do everything. It
is not for nothing that I said to you: "Come to Me all of you who
are who are weary and downtrodden, I shall renew your strength."
All,
all of you, come to My Heart, immense is Its goodness, infinite is Its grandeur
and Its tenderness.
Let
the little children come to Me, they are the delight of My Heart because of
their innocence, and I shall preserve them from evil. Consecrate to Me the
little children, put them in My arms. The enemy is on the watch,
he wants to withdraw them far from
me.
What
sadness My Heart experiences when these innocent ones commit their first mortal
sin. Oh! If their mothers thought often trusting them to Me day after day, how
much easier would their task be! I call the youth to My Heart who are the hope
of My Church. How much I desire that they consecrate themselves to Me and that
they deepen this consecration. If they respond to My call, I attract them to Me,
I introduce them into My Heart and I make them understand and discover My
secrets. My Heart is always young, for God never grows old. If youth would
approach Me and study Me more, how much greater would their ideal be, their life
more serene, their giving more generous.
Youth
scorns Me; does not understand Me, keeps far from Me; lets itself be taken in by
human respect, by love of amusement ... it does not know and does not wish to
understand Me. And the priests, the consecrated souls? Oh! if they would deepen
their studies of the qualities of My Heart, how fruitful would their apostolate
be! everyone would recognise Me in them. My beloved children, consecrate
yourselves to My Heart, strive to resemble Me, bring souls to Me. Make me known,
I will help you in this Apostolate and in your private life. I know that heroism
is demanded of you in order to remain faithful to your vocation, but I who have
called you, I will never abandon you provided you come to Me, I will be your
help ... Have faith, come, it is I who will give you perseverance and strength.
I know, your battle is tough, but if you give Me your will desirous of good, if
you remain dose to Me by prayer, if you inure yourselves against temptations
through mortification, you will bring your mission to a successful end; but I
beseech you, plunge yourselves into My Heart and everything will be easier. And
the sinners, the sick, the sufferers of all kinds, bring them to Me. I
am the Physician. If I do not want to cure the sick, it is because, by
means of illness, the soul is purified and Heaven acquired, I know how to
transform suffering, in a way that its weight is no longer felt .I give them joy
in the midst of suffering. Bring the sinners to Me. They have been and are the
great concern of My Heart. I love them, they are sick in spirit, let them come
to Me. You, good people, speak to Me about them in your Communions, bring them
to Me in your prayers, consecrate them to Me. I sigh for their return. The
Angels and Saints in Heaven have a great celebration when a sinner returns to
the bosom of the Father! Bring them to Me, I entreat you. And you, My devout and
loving children, who in My Heart already have made your dwelling and think only
of loving Me and of supporting My desires, live tranquilly. You are My little
children, My little lambs, My most precious gems. When the world repudiates me,
I look at you and I am consoled. In you I see My Mother, you are My family, My
most beloved friends. Thank you, My children, you can rely on Me. Had I to give
My life anew on the Cross for you, I would never abandon you. The devotees of My
Heart will never perish and, in Heaven, they will form My crown.
I KNOW EACH ONE OF YOU PERSONALLY
Saturday,
June I5 .I968
My beloved children, you who come here,
thirsting for truth and love, be blessed. The world does not know Me, but you
are My lambs and you know your Shepherd, and I know each one of you personally.
Continue to love Me and to make Me loved. Listen to My words and My
instructions. It is I who will
enlighten your minds so that you may understand and be able to put into practice
what you are taught. I know you by
name and I know all your Spiritual and material needs, but when you have begun
to follow Me, you will see that material things will become negligible for you.
You will be thirsty for Heavenly things, and your life will be very serene. If
the sun shines in your soul, what does it matter that it rains outside? My Holy
Mother protects you, helps you, consoles you and is an example for you in
everything. Continue in the good way, continue to love each other and to sow
love. You will form an oasis of goodness in the midst of this world which knows
only hate and envy. Make this oasis grow, let your example lead others. Did not
the Church start in this way? A handful of men - twelve - and moreover, ignorant
ones. They also, like you, reunited in the Cenacle, under the leadership and
watchful eye of My Mother; then, invested with the fire of My Spirit, the Spirit
of My Father, they became giants of strength, wisdom, charity, to the point of
possessing the science of God and being capable of instructing all peoples of
all times. Nothing is impossible to God. Give Me only your will and your desire
to do good, and I will make you all-powerful, for it will be I who will act in
you. You are astonished when you read in the lives of the Saints how
insignificant souls, weak young girls, persons of no education, were able to
accomplish wonderful works in the world. This is their secret: they entrusted
themselves to Me; they placed themselves in My Hands, they acknowledged their
nothingness and I acted in them and accomplished miracles. You, too, do the
same. May there set out from this Cenacle an army of souls inflamed with love of
God and of neighbour who, though noiselessly, but with a great faith and great
ardour, letting Me act in their mind, their heart and their will, be disposed to
give witness of Me in the world, to make Me known and loved. I
assure you, My beloved children: you will have so much joy in your souls
that you will distribute it to all whom you will approach. And now, I give you
My Peace in a paternal embrace. I clasp you to My Heart, and I promise to come
with you wherever you go, so as to make of you apostles of doing good, of faith
and of kindness.