The crown of the Redemption is the Resurrection

I'm sure it's no surprise to think of the Resurrection of Jesus as the fulfillment and completion of the Redemption but as always with the designs of God there is so much more.  Jesus states that in all of God's works there is a progression from the lesser to the greater.  This progression was seen in the order of Creation and in the revealing of Jesus' life and therefore in the Redemption as well.  He also states that this will be mirrored in the order of the saints.  On a side note who hasn't at one time or another thought how wonderful it must have been to be alive when Jesus walked the earth?  He bursts that bubble here, but the reality of it is that by living in this time and age we have a much greater opportunity available to us.

Major things are done after minor ones, and are the fulfillment and crowning of those.  The resurrected Humanity of Jesus, symbol of those who will live in the Divine Will. 

                I was fusing myself in the Holy Will of my always lovable Jesus, and together with my Jesus, my intelligence was wandering in the work of Creation, adoring and thanking the Supreme Majesty for everything and for everyone.  And my Jesus, all affability, told me:

              “My daughter, in creating the heavens, first I created the stars as minor spheres, and then I created the sun, major sphere, endowing it with such light as to eclipse all the stars, as though hiding them within itself, constituting it king of the stars and of all nature.  It is my usual way to do minor things first, as preparation for major ones, and these, as crowning of the minor things.  The sun, while being my relater, also veils the souls who will form their sanctity in my Will; the Saints who lived in the mirror of my Humanity and as though in the shadow of my Will, will be the stars; the former souls, though later in time, will be the suns. 

“I maintained this order also in Redemption.  My birth was without clamor; on the contrary, it was neglected; my childhood was without splendor of great things before men; my life in Nazareth was so hidden that I lived as if ignored by all; I adapted Myself to do the littlest and most common things of the human life.  During my public life there were a few things that were great; but, still, who knew my Divinity?  No one, not even all the Apostles.  I passed through the crowds like any other man; so much so, that anyone could come close to Me, talk to Me, and if needed, even despise Me.”

And I, interrupting the speaking of Jesus, said:  ‘Jesus, my Love, how happy those times were, and happier those people who, by just wanting it, could come close to You, talk to You, and be with You.’

 

And Jesus:  “Ah! my daughter, only my Will brings true happiness.  It alone encloses all goods in the soul, and making Itself crown around the soul, It constitutes her queen of true happiness.  Only these souls will be the queens of my throne, because they are a birth from my Will.  This is so true, that those people were not happy; many saw Me, but did not know Me, because my Will did not reside within them as center of life.  Therefore, even if they saw Me, they remained unhappy; and only those who received the good of receiving the seed of my Will in their hearts disposed themselves to receive the good of seeing Me resurrected. 

“Now, the portent of my Redemption was the Resurrection, which, more than refulgent sun, crowned my Humanity, making even my littlest acts shine, with such splendor and marvel as to make Heaven and earth to be astonished; It will be the beginning, the foundation and the fulfillment of all goods - crown and glory of all the Blessed.  My Resurrection is the true Sun, which worthily glorifies my Humanity; It is the Sun of the Catholic Religion; It is the glory of every Christian.  Without the Resurrection, it would have been as though heavens without sun, without heat and without life. 

“Now, my Resurrection is symbol of the souls who will form their sanctity in my Will.  The Saints of these past centuries are symbols of my Humanity; although resigned, they did not have continuous attitude in my Will, therefore they did not receive the mark of the Sun of my Resurrection, but the mark of the works of my Humanity before my Resurrection.  Therefore, they will be many; almost like stars, they will form for Me a beautiful ornament to the Heaven of my Humanity.  But the Saints of the living in my Will, who will symbolize my resurrected Humanity, will be few.  In fact, many throngs and crowds of people saw my Humanity before Its death, but few saw my resurrected Humanity - only the believers, those who were most disposed and, I could say, only those who contained the seed of my Will.  In fact, if they did not have it, they would have lacked the necessary sight to be able to see my resurrected and glorious Humanity, and therefore be spectators of my ascent into Heaven.

“Now, if my Resurrection symbolizes the Saints of the living in my Will - and this, with reason, because each act, word, step, etc. done in my Will is a divine resurrection that the soul receives; it is a mark of glory that she undergoes; it is to go out of herself in order to enter the Divinity, and to hide within the refulgent Sun of my Volition; and in It she loves, works, thinks - what is the wonder if the soul remains fully risen and identified with the very Sun of my glory, and symbolizes my resurrected Humanity?  But few are those who dispose themselves to this, because souls, even in sanctity, want something of their own good; while the Sanctity of living in my Will has nothing – nothing of its own, but everything is of God; and in order for souls to dispose themselves to this, to stripping themselves of their own goods, it takes too much.  Therefore, they will not be many.  You are not in the number of the many, but of the few; therefore be always attentive to the call, and to your continuous flight.”

Vol. 12, April 15, 1919


He refers to those Saints who live in the Divine Will as being symbolized by his Resurrection, as hidden in the Sun and therefore full of light.  And here Luisa tells us of how she saw Jesus in the moment of his Resurrection.

So, finding myself in this position, I saw my adorable Jesus for a little, in the act of His Resurrection, with His face so refulgent as to not be comparable to any other splendor. It seemed to me that the Most Holy Humanity of Our Lord, though It was living flesh, was so bright and transparent that one could see with clarity the Divinity united to the Humanity. Now, while I was seeing Him so glorious, a light that came from Him seemed to tell me: “My Humanity received so much glory by means of perfect obedience which, destroying the ancient nature completely, gave Me back the new nature, glorious and immortal.

Vol. 4, April 7, 1901


He is full of light beyond compare, and to be certain of the origin of this light he further explains it.

As I was in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus made Himself seen all lovable and majestic, as though enwrapped within a net of light: light He sent forth from His eyes, light He unleashed from His mouth, and at each of His words, at each of His heartbeats, at each movement and step of His. In sum, His Humanity was an abyss of light. And Jesus, looking at me, bound me with this light, telling me: “My daughter, how much light, how much glory did my Humanity have in my Resurrection, because in the course of my life on this earth I did nothing but enclose the Supreme Will in each one of my acts, breaths, gazes - in everything. And as I kept enclosing It, the Divine Volition prepared for Me the glory, the light in my Resurrection. And since I contain within Me the immense sea of the light of my Will, it is no wonder that, as I look, as I speak, as I move, so much light comes out of Me as to be able to give light to all. Therefore I want to chain you and overwhelm you within this light in order to sow in you as many seeds of resurrection for as many acts as you keep doing in my Will. It alone makes soul and body rise again to glory; It is seed of resurrection to grace, seed of resurrection to the highest and perfect sanctity, seed of resurrection to glory. So, as the soul emits her acts in my Will, she keeps binding new divine light, because my Will is light by nature, and one who lives in It has the virtue of transmuting thoughts, words, works, and everything she does, into light.”

Vol. 15, April 2, 1923

The image of Jesus in his Resurrection is an image of that which we are called to be, true children of his Divine Will emitting acts of light.  This is something, excepting the Virgin Mary, for which no one who lived in Jesus' time on earth had the privilege to even imagine.

Crucifixion of the Divine Will



I think most Christians realize that Jesus died for all and each in particular as well as that he suffered for each individual sin as well.

After this, I seemed to find myself on mount Calvary, in the act of the crucifixion of Our Lord, and while He suffered the crucifixion, I could see – I don’t know how – all generations, past, present and future, in Jesus.  And since Jesus had everyone within Himself, He felt all the offenses that each of us would give Him, and He suffered for all in general, and for each individual in particular, in such a way that I could see also my sins, and the pains that He suffered for me individually; and I could also see the remedy that He administered to us, with the exception of no one, for our evils and for our eternal salvation.  Now, who can say all that I saw in blessed Jesus?:  from the first to the last man.  As I was outside of myself, I could see things clearly and distinctly; but finding myself inside myself, I see them all confused.  So, in order to avoid nonsense, I stop here.

Vol. 4, April 5, 1901



What some may not realize is that his crucifixion was not limited to either the three hours that he hung on the cross or the three nails by which he was crucified.  The Divine Will nailed every particle of his being and he remained crucified throughout his entire life from the moment of his conception.

How Jesus was nailed to the Cross in the Will of the Father.

This morning I was thinking of Our Lord in the act in which they were nailing Him to the cross; I was compassionating all of Him, and blessed Jesus told me:  “My daughter, not only my hands and feet were nailed to the cross, but all the particles of my Humanity, soul and Divinity were all nailed in the Will of the Father.  In fact, the crucifixion was the Will of the Father, therefore I was nailed and transmuted completely in His Will.  This was necessary because, what is sin but withdrawing from the Will of God, from everything that is good and holy which God has given us, believing to be something of one’s own, and offending the Creator?  And I, in order to repair for this audacity and for this self idol which the creature makes of herself, wanted to dissolve my will completely and live from the Will of the Father at the cost of great sacrifice.”
Vol. 7, February 23, 1906

...I was conceived crucified and died crucified.  My Cross was nourished by the Eternal Will alone, and therefore I was crucified for all and for each one.  My Cross marked everyone with Its emblem.

Vol. 14, June 6, 1922

It is only because of the Divine Will that Jesus was able to complete the Redemption for all mankind.  This universal act in the Divine Will is not restricted to Jesus but he wants this completeness of act in the Creature as well.

 

 

 

 The Divine Will forms the complete crucifixion in the soul.

 

I was lamenting to my sweet Jesus, saying to Him:  ‘Where are your promises?  No more cross, no more likeness to You.  Everything has vanished, and there is nothing left for me but to cry over my sorrowful end.’  And Jesus, moving, told me in my interior:

 

“My daughter, my crucifixion was complete - and do you know why?  Because it was done in the Eternal Will of my Father.  In this Will, the Cross became so long and so wide as to embrace all centuries and penetrate into every heart, present, past and future, in such a way that I remained crucified in each heart of creature.  This Divine Will put nails through all of my interior – into my desires, into my affections and heartbeats.  I can say that I did not have a life of my own, but the Life of the Eternal Will, which enclosed in Me all creatures, and which wanted Me to answer for everything.  My crucifixion could never have been complete and so extended as to embrace all, if the Eternal Volition had not been the Actor.

“I want that in you also the crucifixion be complete and extended to all.  This is the reason for the continuous call into my Will, for the spurs to bring the whole human family before the Supreme Majesty, and to emit, in the name of all, the acts which they do not do.  The oblivion of yourself, the lack of self-reflections, are nothing other than the nails that my Will puts.  My Will does not know how to do incomplete and small things; and forming a circle around the soul, It wants her within Itself; and extending her within the whole sphere of Its Eternal Volition, It places on her the seal of Its completion.  My Will empties the interior of the creature of all that is human, and places in it all that is divine; and in order to be more sure, It keeps sealing all of her interior with as many nails for as many human acts as can have life in the creature, substituting them with as many divine acts.  In this way, It forms in her the true crucifixion – and not for a time, but for her entire life.”

Vol. 12, May 15, 1920



Jesus states that true crucifixion is not the physical manifestation that we are accustomed to seeing of our Lord crucified on the cross but encompasses one's entire life.

...true crucifixion does not consist of being crucified in your hands and feet, but in all the particles of your soul and body. Therefore, I keep you more crucified now than before. How long did the exterior crucifixion of my hands and feet last? Only three hours. But the crucifixion of all the particles of my Being, and the crucifixion of my will in the Will of the Father lasted for my whole Life.

Vol. 10, Nov. 18, 1911

So there is to be a Divine exchange.  Where our human wills brought about the crucifixion of the Divine so the Divine wants to be the cross to the human will in a permanent bond.  But there is a great difference between the two.  The human will brings about a cross of suffering while the Divine cross brings about light, beauty and happiness.




The human will cross of the divine; and the divine cross of the human.  How in the Divine Volition things change themselves, dissimilarities don't exist.  How Jesus makes up for all that which can be missing to one who lives in his Volition.

            I feel the life of the divine Fiat in my soul, which wants to be my motion, my breath and heartbeat; he wants such union with the human will, that in nothing must one be opposed to that which he wants to do, otherwise he laments, is displeased and feels put on (the) cross by the human volition.  And my beloved, repeating his brief little visit with me said to me:

 

            “My blessed daughter, how much my Will suffers in the creature!  It is enough to say to you, each time that one does ones will it puts mine on (the) cross.  So that the cross of my Will is the human volition; but not with three nails, as I was crucified upon the cross, but with so many nails for how many times one is opposed to mine, how many times he is not recognized; and while he wants to do good, he becomes rejected with the nails of ingratitude.  How excruciating is this crucifixion of my Will in the creature; how many times he feels the nails put forth to his breath, heartbeat and motion, because not being known that he is life of the breath, heartbeat and motion, the human breath, motion and heartbeat, serve as nails that impede him from developing in them the good that (is) needed.  Oh, how he feels (on the) cross in the human volition!  He with his divine motion wants to make sprout the day in the human motion, and the creature puts the divine motion (on the) cross and with her motion she makes sprout the night and she puts (on the) cross the light; how my light sorrows in seeing itself repressed, crucified, put in the state of inability by the human volition!

            “With his breath he wants to make his breathed in order to give her the life of his sanctity, of his fortitude; and the creature, by not receiving it, puts forth the nails of sin, of her passions and weaknesses; my poor Will, in what (a) state of sorrow and of continuous crucifixion he finds himself in the human volition!  She does none other than to put (on the) cross our love and all the goods that we want to give her are filled by her nails.

            “Only one who lives in mine doesn’t put (on the) cross my Will; rather, I can say that I form her cross, but her cross is well different.  With mine my Volition knows how to put forth nails of light, of sanctity, of love, in order to make her strong with our own divine fortitude, which doesn’t give sorrows, rather, he renders her happy, beautiful with an enchanting beauty, and they are carriers of great conquests, and one who has tried it so much is the happiness that she feels, that she prays us, begs us that we hold her always (on the) cross with our divine nails.

            “From here she can not escaped; if two wills, human and divine, are not united, hers will form our cross and ours hers; rather, so much is our love and jealousy that we don’t leave her free not even a breath without our nail of light and of love, in order to always have her with us, in order to be able to say:  ‘That which we do she does, and she wants that which we want.’

            “Rather, you must know that as the creature enters into our Volition, all is transformed, the darknesses are changed into light, weakness into fortitude, poverty into riches, passions into virtue; such mutation happens that one is not recognized anymore from that of before; her state is no more of the most vile slave, but of noble queen, our divine being loves her so much that it races into her acts in order to do that which she does; and since our motion is continuous, we move and we love her, we move and we embrace her; our motion moves itself and kisses her, makes her more beautiful, sanctifies her more; in every motion we give her of ours; and in the emphasis of our love, we speak to her of our supreme being, we make ourselves known who we are and how much we love her.  Such identification passes between her and us, being one our Will with hers, that we feel her in our divine motion, and hers doing that which is ours, she loves us with our love, she gives our inaccessible light to us, in order to glorify our sanctity, in order to extol us and say to us:  ‘Holy, holy, three times holy you are; you enclose everything, you are everything.’

            “How beautiful it is to see the human littleness in our Volition, that holds in her power our divine being in order to re-give it to us, in order to love us and to glorify us as we want and we justly merit; in our Volition the parts make themselves equal, the dissimilarities disappear, our unity unites everything and everyone and makes it one single act of everyone, in order to make itself act of everyone.”

 

            In hearing this I understood the sanctity, the beauty, the greatness, of living in the Divine Volition, and I thought to myself:  It seems difficult to me living in him; how ever can the creature arrive to so much?  Human weakness, the circumstances of life, many times too painful, the unexpected meetings, the so many difficulties that one doesn’t even know what to do, divert the poor creature from a living so holy and that wants (from) us a highest attention?  And my sweet Jesus resuming his speech, with an inexpressible tenderness as to feel my heart burst, added:

            “My little daughter of my Volition, so much is my interest, my continuous yearning that I want that the creature live in my Volition, that when we have taken the accord, I and she, with firm decision that she must live in my Fiat, being my Will, I am the first to make the sacrifice.  In order to obtain the intent that she can live in him, I put myself at her disposition, I give her all the graces, light, love, knowledge of my own Will, in a way that she herself must feel the need of living in him; when I want a thing, and she with promptness accepts to do that which I want, it is I that think to everything; and when (she doesn’t do it) from weakness, from circumstance, not from will, from carelessness, I arrive to supply for and do that which she owed, and I cede to her that which I have done as if she might have done it.  My daughter, the living in my Volition is life that I must form it is not virtue, and life has need of motion and continuous acts; if this were not so it would not be life anymore, it could be at the most work that doesn’t have need of continuous acts but not life.  Hence when for involuntary indisposition, for weakness (she doesn’t do it), I don’t break the life, I continue it, and perhaps in those same indispositions there is yet that my Will permits those weaknesses; hence the will of the creature already races in mine.

            “And then (above) everything I look at the accord taken together, the firm decision made, of which there has been no other decision (to the) contrary, and in view of this follows the pledge of supplying for her in that which she lacks.  Rather, I double the graces, surround her anew with love, with new stratagems of love in order to have her be more attentive, I arouse in her heart an extreme need of living in my Will this need serves her as she feels the weaknesses thus she throws herself into the arms of my Will and prays him to hold her so very tight, so that she might be able to always live together with him.”

Fiat!!!

Vol. 36, Sept. 5, 1938

 

So the union of the cross is an eternal bond for which Jesus, with just having our firm decision, will supply for all that we might be lacking.  He even states that the bond of the cross is even longer lasting than the Sacrament of Communion.  When the species of communion are consumed the sacramental union ceases but the union established by the cross is forever.

 

Later, after I received Communion, having renewed in me the pains of the crucifixion, He added:  “My daughter, how precious is the cross!  See now:  in giving Itself to the soul, the Sacrament of my Body unites her with Me, It transforms her, to the point that she becomes one with Me.  But as the species are consumed, the union, truly established, ceases.  Not with the cross.  The cross takes God and unites Him with the soul forever, and It places Itself more surely as a seal.  Therefore, the cross seals God in the soul, in such a way that there is never separation between God and the crucified soul.”

Vol. 3, April 21, 1900

 

 

 

No wonder in the Hours of the Passions Jesus so ardently longs for the cross.  It not only secures the salvation of his beloved creatures but binds them to him in a permanent nuptial bond with him. 

 

 

 

 

They have you find the cross already prepared, which you are seeking with great longing.  You look at it with love and go straight to it, to embrace it.  But first you kiss it; and as a shiver of joy surges through your most holy humanity, you look at it with the utmost contentment, measuring its length and width.  You now establish the portion in it for each creature.  You endow them with sufficient cross in order to bind them to the divinity with a nuptial bond and make them heirs of the kingdom of heaven.  Then, unable to contain the love with which you love them, you kiss the cross again, and say to it:

 

                "Adorable cross, I embrace you at last!  You were the longing of my heart, the martyrdom of my love.  You, O cross, lingered until now, while my steps were always directed toward you.  Holy cross, you were the goal of my desires, the purpose of my existence here below.  In you I concentrate my whole being; in you I place all my children.  You will be their life and their light, their defense, their guard and their strength.  You will come to their assistance in everything and will bring them to me glorious, in heaven.  O cross, seat of wisdom, you alone will teach true holiness; you alone will form heroes, athletes, martyrs and saints.  Beautiful cross, you are my throne; and having to depart from the earth myself, you will remain in my place.  I give all souls to you as your dowry.  Keep them for me, save them for me; I entrust them to you."

 

The Hours of the Passion, Jesus takes up the Cross and Sets out for Calvary

Day of Palms

^{Palm Sunday, is called in the Volumes the Day of Palms.  This year the reading came from Luke.}

 

 

 

 

²⁸ And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When he drew near to Beth′phage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If any one asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it. ³⁶ And as he rode along, they spread their garments on the road. ³⁷ As he was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” ³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Luke 19, 28-40

One of the things that I've always wondered about in this reading is Jesus' responce of how the stones would cry out if everyone else were silent.  In the Volumes I've found a couple of places where it seems to speak about this part which I've never heard anyone ever discuss before.

“My daughter, you must know that as long as my Humanity remained on earth, and as long as the Sovereign Queen also was there, there was no solitude nor sepulchral silence in the Creation, because by virtue of the light of the Divine Will, wherever this Will was It spread as light, and diffusing in everything, It multiplied in all created things, and everywhere my act was repeated – because one was the Will. This is so true, that the Creation gave sensible signs both at my birth, and even more so at my death, to the point that the sun became dark, the stones split, the earth trembled, as if all were crying for their Creator, for their King. They cried for the One who had kept them in feast, who had broken their solitude and sepulchral silence; and, all feeling the bitterness of such a hard privation, they gave signs of sorrow and crying, and returned once again to the mourning of their solitude and silence. In fact, as I departed from the earth, the One who, in the light of my Will, emitted the voice which, forming the echo, rendered the Creation speaking and operating, was no longer there. It happened as to those metal instruments which, with artfulness, enclose the voice of one who speaks or sings: the instrument speaks, sings, cries, laughs, but this happens by virtue of the echo of the voice that has spoken; however, if the intelligence that produces that singing is taken away, the instrument remains mute. More so, since I did not come upon earth for the Creation, but I came for man, and therefore everything I did – pains, prayers, moans, sighs… –I left for the good of souls as more than a new Creation. In fact, since everything I did was done by virtue of my creative power, everything is in the act of saving man.

Vol. 19, July 29, 1926


So it is his Will actively living in his humanity as well as in Mary that speaks through the Creation as through an instrument.  He states this again to Luisa that even if he were to remain silent his Will would speak to her through the Creation.

“My daughter, My Will never exhausts Itself If I do not speak to you about It, all of creation will speak to you.  Even the stones will change into voices to speak to you; the heavens, the sun, the sea, all creation has much to say about My Eternal Volition, because being full of Its Life, all things have a great deal to say about the Life of My Will, which they possess.  So you must pay attention, because if you look at or touch something, you will hear new lessons about My Will.”

Vol. 21, May 4, 1927

“My daughter, see how all the acts I did in redeeming man, and even the miracles I performed during my public life, had no other purpose but to call back the Kingdom of the Supreme Fiat into the midst of creatures; ....And even when, triumphant, I entered into Jerusalem, in the midst of the triumph of the crowds, surrounded with honor and glory, it was the triumph of my Will that I established in the midst of the peoples.

Vol. 20, Oct. 26, 1926



But it is not only the triumph of his Will but a place of sufferings as well on this Day of Palms.

Suffering is reigning.

...Then, as I was very much in suffering, He came back a little later and told me: “Today is the Day of the Palms in which I was proclaimed King. All must aspire to a kingdom, but in order to acquire the eternal kingdom it is necessary for the creature to acquire the regime of herself through the dominion of her passions. The only means is suffering, because suffering is reigning; that is, through patience, man puts himself in his place, becoming king of himself and of the eternal kingdom.”

Vol. 6, April 16, 1905

After staying for some time, He transported me outside of myself, and I saw that the Church was celebrating the Day of the Palms; and Jesus, breaking the silence, told me:  “How much volubility, how much inconstancy!  Just as today they cried out ‘Hosanna!’, proclaiming Me as their King, on another day they cried out ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’  My daughter, the thing that displeases Me the most is inconstancy and volubility, because this is the sign that the truth has not taken possession of these souls.  Even in things of religion, it may be that they find their satisfaction, their own convenience and interest, or that they just find themselves in that party; but tomorrow these things may be missing, or they may find themselves involved in other parties - and here is how they deviate from religion, and with no regret they give themselves to other sects.  Indeed, when the true light of Truth enters a soul and takes possession of a heart, she is not subject to inconstancy.  On the contrary, she sacrifices everything for love of It and to let herself be mastered by It alone; and with unconquered heart she despises everything else which does not belong to the Truth.”  And while saying this, He cried over the condition of the present generation, worse than in those times, subject to inconstancy according to wherever the winds blow.
Vol. 4, March 31, 1901

It is a lesson in not paying attention to that which is human, one day they praise and another condem.

 

Then, after this, I began to do the adoration to my Crucified Good; but before my mind passed a long line of soldiers, all armed up, which never ended. I would have wanted to think about my Crucified Jesus, rather than see soldiers, but, against my will, I was forced to see these soldiers, equipped for anything. So I prayed my sweet Jesus to take that sight away from me, that I might be free to be with Him; and Jesus, all afflicted, told me: “My daughter, the more it seems that the world is apparently in peace, and they sing the praises of peace, the more they hide wars, revolutions and tragic scenes for poor humanity, under that ephemeral and masked peace. And the more it seems that they favor my Church, and sing hymns of victories and triumphs, and practices of union between State and Church, the closer the brawl is which they are preparing against Her. The same was for Me. Up until they acclaimed Me as King and received Me in triumph, I was able to live in the midst of the peoples; but after my triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, they no longer let Me live; and after a few days they shouted at Me: ‘Crucify Him!’; and all taking arms against Me, they made Me die. When things do not start from a foundation of truth, they have no strength to reign for a long time, because, since truth is missing, love is missing, and the life that sustains it is missing. Therefore, what they were hiding easily comes out, and they turn peace into war, and favors into revenges. Oh! how many unexpected things they are preparing.”

Vol. 18, Jan. 24, 1926

 

If you were like me and couldn't quite get up at 3:30am to watch the inaugural mass of Pope Francis, here is his homily from that mass.

 

 

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130319_omelia-inizio-pontificato_en.html

 

 

 

HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS

Saint Peter's Square
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Solemnity of Saint Joseph

[Video]Photo Gallery

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.

I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.

In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).

How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.

How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!

The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.

Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!

Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!

Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!

In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.

To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!

I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen.

© Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Chastisments and Triumph of the Church

So, back to speaking of the church and what she will undergo.  Jesus speaks of those who pretend to be his children but in fact they will be his most fierce enemies as well as of the Church.  He especially refers to false priests and and how few true ones there will be to administer the sacraments.

 

Chastisements. The children of the Church will be Her fiercest enemies.

The thought of the scourges, and of the fact that I might foment them by going out of that state by myself, pierced my heart. The confessor continued not to be well. I prayed and cried, and I could not make up my mind. Blessed Jesus would come like a flash and then run away, leaving me free. Finally, moved to compassion, He came, and compassionating and caressing all of me, told me:

“My daughter, your constancy conquers Me. Love and prayer bind Me and almost wage battle against Me. Therefore I have come to be with you for a little while, for I could resist no more. Poor daughter, do not cry - here I am, all for you. Patience, courage - don’t lose heart. If you knew how much I suffer… but the ingratitude of creatures forces Me to do this - their enormous sins, their incredulity, almost wanting to challenge Me. And this is the least - if I told you about the religious side... how many sacrileges! How many rebellions! How many pretend to be my children, while they are my fiercest enemies! These false sons are usurpers, self-interested and incredulous; their hearts are bilges of vice. These very sons will be the first to wage war against the Church - they will try to kill their own Mother! Oh! how many of them are already about to come out into the field. Now there is war among governments and countries; soon they will make war against the Church, and Her greatest enemies will be Her own children. My Heart is lacerated with sorrow. But in spite of all this, I will let this storm pass by, and the face of the earth and the churches be washed by the blood of the same ones who have smeared them and contaminated them. You too, unite yourself to my sorrow - pray and be patient in watching this storm pass by.”

But who can say my torment? I felt I was more dead than alive. May Jesus be always blessed, and may His Holy Will be always done.

Vol. 11, March 7, 1915

“Ah! my daughter, there will be contentions among them; death will claim many lives, and also priests. Oh! how many masks dressed as priests. I want to remove them before the persecution against my Church and revolutions arise; who knows - they might convert at the moment of death. Otherwise, if I leave them there, during the persecution these masks will remove the mask, will unite with the sectarians, and will be the fiercest enemies of the Church; and their salvation will be more difficult.”

And I, all afflicted, said: ‘Ah! my Jesus, what pain, to hear You speak of these blessed chastisements. And the peoples -what shall they do without priests? They are already few enough; You want to take away more – and who will administer the Sacraments? Who will teach your laws?’

And Jesus: “My daughter, do not afflict yourself too much; the scarce number is nothing. I will give to one the grace and the strength that I give to ten - to twenty; and one will be worth ten, or twenty. I can make up for everything. And besides, the many priests who are not good are the poison of the peoples; instead of good, they do evil, and I do nothing other than remove the first elements that poison the peoples.”

Vol. 12, Jan. 8, 1919

In the first reading he talked about those who pretend to be his children.  There is one point where I found where he describes the characteristics of what a true child of God is.  It certainly gives pause for self evaluation.

The characteristics of the children of God: love for the cross, love for the glory of God, and love for the glory of the Church.

Continuing in my poor state of privation and of unspeakable bitterness – at the most, He makes Himself seen in silence – this morning He told me: “My daughter, the characteristics of my children are: love for the cross, love for the glory of God, and love for the glory of the Church - to the point of laying down their lives. One who does not have these characteristics, in vain calls himself my son; one who dares to say it, is a liar and a traitor who betrays God and himself. Take a look into yourself, to see whether you have them.” And He disappeared.

Vol. 6, Feb. 8, 1905

 

 

Jesus gives Luisa a vision of an image of the Church.

 

An image of the Church.   

As I told the confessor about my concerns that my state may not be Will of God, and that, at least as a test, I wanted to try to make an effort to go out of it and see whether I could manage or not, without raising his usual difficulties, the confessor said: “All right, tomorrow you will try.” So I was left as if I had been freed of an enormous weight. Now, after he celebrated Holy Mass and I received Communion, I saw my adorable Jesus in my interior for just a little, His gaze fixed on me, His hands joined, in the act of asking for pity and help. At that moment I found myself outside of myself, inside a room in which there was a lady, majestic and venerable, but gravely infirm. She was inside a bed with a headboard so high as to almost touch the vault, and I was forced to stay over this headboard, in the arms of a priest, in order to keep it still and to look at the poor ill one. While in this position, I saw a few religious surrounding and offering their cares to the patient, and saying among themselves with intense bitterness: “She is ill, she is ill - it would take nothing more than a little shake.” And I was taking care of keeping the headboard of the bed still, for fear that, if the bed moved, she might die.

But seeing that things were dragging on, and almost getting annoyed by that idleness, I said to the one who was holding me: ‘For pity’s sake, let me get down; I am doing nothing good, nor am I helping anyone – why stay here, so useless? If I get down, at least I can serve her, help her.’ And he: “Did you not hear that even a little shake could make her get worse and cause most sad things to happen to her? If you get down, since there is no one to keep the bed still, she may even die.” And I: ‘But how can it be possible that, by just doing this, this good can come to her? I don’t believe it - for pity’s sake, let me get down.’ So, after I repeated these words several times, he put me down on the floor, and by myself, with no one holding me, I drew near the ill one, and to my surprise and sorrow I saw that the bed was moving. At those movements, her face went blue, she trembled and emitted a death rattle. Those few religious were crying and saying: “There is no more time, she is in the extreme moments now.” Then some enemies entered – soldiers and captains – to beat the ill one; but, dying as she was, that lady got up with intrepidness and majesty to be wounded and beaten. On seeing this, I trembled like a reed, and I said to myself: ‘I have been the cause of this, I myself have given the push for so much evil to happen.’ And I understood that that lady represented the Church, infirm in Her members, with many other meanings which it seems useless to me to explain, because they can be comprehended by reading what I have written.

Vol. 5, Oct. 24, 1903

 

 

It seems to me in today's world we draw ever nearer this image between the sex scandals, the conflict between the Vatican and the religious and the differing desires among the secular.  The Church is truly in a precarious position.  Lusia later on goes on to further explain the vision by obedience to her confessor.

 

To obey the confessor, I continue to tell the other meanings I understood on the 24^th of this month. So, the lady represented the Church, who is infirm, not in Herself, but in Her members; but even though She is laid low and insulted by enemies, and rendered infirm in Her very members, She never loses Her majesty and venerability. As for the bed She was in, I understood that while the Church seems oppressed, infirm, opposed, She yet rests with a perpetual and eternal rest, and with peace and safety in the paternal bosom of God, like a child on the lap of her mother. I understood that the headboard of the bed that touched the vault was the divine protection that always assists the Church, and that everything She contains has all come from Heaven: Sacraments, doctrine and other things – everything is celestial, holy and pure, in such a way that between Heaven and the Church there is continuous communication, never interrupted. As for the few religious who offered care and assistance to the lady, I understood that few are those who defend the Church with all of themselves - considering the evils She receives as though given to themselves. The room in which She resided, made of stone, represented the solidity, the firmness, and even the hardness of the Church in surrendering to no one the rights that belong to Her. The dying lady who, with intrepidness and courage, allows herself to be beaten by the enemies, represented the Church which, while She seems to be dying, rises again more intrepid– but how? Through sufferings and shedding of blood – the true spirit of the Church, always ready for mortification, as Jesus Christ was.

Vol. 5, Oct. 25, 1903

 

 

He also speaks of the triumph of the cross and the Church after the chastisements.

 

By shunning the cross one remains in the dark.

This morning my adorable Jesus came all glorious, with His wounds more refulgent than suns, and with a cross in His hand. In the meantime I also saw a wheel with four sections of it leaning out, while it seemed that another section shunned the light and remained in the dark. In this darkening the people remained as though abandoned by God, and bloody wars would happen against the Church and against themselves. Ah, it seemed that the things said by blessed Jesus in the past are approaching at a fast pace! Now, on seeing all this, moved to compassion, Our Lord drew near the dark part, and He cast the cross He had in His hand upon it, saying with sonorous voice: “Glory to the cross!” And it seemed that that cross would call back the light, and the peoples, stirring themselves, would implore help and aid. Jesus repeated: “All the glory and triumph will be of the cross, otherwise the remedies will make the very evils worse. Therefore, the cross, the cross!” Who can say how afflicted I was left, and concerned for what might happen?

Vol. 4, Sept. 15, 1901

 

 

... in one flash I saw the whole Church, the wars which the religious must go through and which they must receive from others, and wars among societies. There seemed to be a general uproar. It also seemed that the Holy Father would make use of very few religious people, both for bringing the state of the Church, the priests and others to good order, and for the society in this state of turmoils. Now, while I was seeing this, blessed Jesus told me: “Do you think that the triumph of the Church is far?” And I: ‘Yes indeed – who can put order in so many things that are messed up?’ And He: “On the contrary, I tell you that it is near. It takes a clash, but a strong one, and therefore I will permit everything together, among religious and secular, so as to shorten the time. And in the midst of this clash, all of big chaos, there will be a good and orderly clash, but in such a state of mortification, that men will see themselves as lost. However, I will give them so much grace and light that they may recognize what is evil and embrace the truth, making you suffer also for this purpose. If with all this they do not listen to Me, then I will take you to Heaven, and things will happen even more gravely, and will drag on a little longer before the longed-for triumph.”

Vol. 6, Aug. 15, 1904

It seems to me that that people have not listened and that things are now dragging on, but the triumph will still come.  It is foretold by Jesus and will come as he states at most it will only be delayed for a bit.  And what will bring about this triumph?  He clearly states this as well.  It is these very Volumes on the Divine Will which will renew the Church and bring about her triumph. 

 

Do you see how necessary it is to make them understand that complete abandonment is needed in order to live in my Will? And you say it was not necessary to write about it. I feel compassion for you, because you do not see what I see, and therefore you take it lightly. But in my all-seeingness, I see that these writings will be for my Church like a new sun which will rise in Her midst; and drawn by its blazing light, creatures will apply themselves in order to be transformed into this light and become spiritualized and divinized, in such a way that, as the Church will be renewed, they will transform the face of the earth. The doctrine on my Will is the purest, the most beautiful, not subject to any shadow of the material or of interest, both in the supernatural and in the natural order. Therefore, like sun, it will be the most penetrating, the most fecund, and the most welcomed and appreciated. And being light, of its own it will make itself understood and will make its way. It will not be subject to doubts or suspicions of error; and if some word is not understood, it will be because of too much light which, eclipsing the human intellect, will not allow them to comprehend the whole fullness of the truth. However, they will find not a word which is not truth. At the most, they will not be able to comprehend it fully. Therefore, in view of the good which I see, I push you to neglect nothing in writing. One saying, one effect, one simile about my Will can be like beneficial dew upon souls, just as dew is beneficial on the plants after a day of burning sun, or like a pouring rain after long months of drought. You cannot understand all the good, the light, the strength contained in each word; but your Jesus knows it, and knows the ones whom it must serve and the good it must do.” Now, as He was saying this, He showed me a table in the middle of the Church, and all the writings about the Divine Will placed upon it. Many venerable people surrounded that table and became transformed into light and divinized; and as they walked, they communicated that light to whomever they encountered. Then Jesus added: “You will see this great good from Heaven, when the Church will receive this celestial food, which will strengthen Her and make Her rise again in Her full triumph.”

Vol. 16, Feb. 10, 1924

 

She states that she saw many venerable people being transformed into light and divinized by these very Volumes.  This is not limited to priests or religious.  All are welcome to reach for the heights that these Volumes can bring a soul.  And what good can that soul than effect?!  The very triumph of the Church.