How The Immaculate Heart is True Refuge

In Our Lady's of Fatima's message during her second Apparition she tells the children on June 13th, 1917:   “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.”  They saw at the time:  "Our Lady have a Heart in her hand, spreading out over the world that great light which is God."  Living Fatima

There has also been a lot of talk about refuges, and our Lady's role in them, in the present day seers and prophets.  They've been recorded well on Countdown to the Kingdom.  There is also a very good summary to be found there about physical vs spiritual refuges, Are There Physical Refuges?   I am exploring this topic from the revelations found in the writings of Luisa concerning the tremendous role that Our Lady is revealed to play in being our true refuge.  In order to be a true refuge Our Lady must have the means, the motivation and the command from God.

Jesus tells Luisa that in the conception of the Holy Virgin, God also conceived all creatures in her heart.  And bilocating she is conceived in each creature so that each might have a mother of their own.  So she, from the very beginning has had the love of a Mother toward everyone.  She raises each, nourishes each, sustains each, and she also goes so far as to love God for each, compensating God for all that is due him for each.  She is the one who harmonizes the love of all creatures and invests all creation with her love in order to make of it one love alone to present before God. The fullness of her dowry of acts is offered to each creature to make up for what ever they might be lacking for any who would place themselves under her protection and care.

"...The Prodigies are Unheard-of.  The Surprises that I will narrate to you will astonish everyone.  I feel the need of Love to make known what thing We have done with this Celestial Mother, and the Great Good that all the generations have received.  Therefore you must know that in the Act of Conceiving this Holy Virgin.  Our Divine Will that possesses everything, and with Its immensity embraces everything and possesses the All-Seeingness of all the possible and imaginable beings, and with Its Virtue all Its own, that when It Operates It always does Universal Work, as She was therefore Conceived, with It Creative Virtue It called all creatures to be conceived in the Heart of this Virgin.

But it was not enough for Our Love.  Giving into the most incredible Excesses, It made this Virgin Conceived in every creature so that each one would have a Mother to himself, all his.  They would feel Her Maternity in the depth of their souls.  Her Love that while She holds them, more than children, conceived in Her self, Bilocating Herself She Conceives Herself in every creature in order to place Herself at their disposition so as to raise them, guide them, free them from dangers, and with Her Maternal Power feed them the milk of Her Love and the food with which She nourishes Herself, that is, the Divine Fiat. Out Will, having Free Life in Her, Its Total Dominion, with Its Power, It called everything into this Celestial Creature in order to have the Joy of seeing everyone contained in Her, in order to hear Her say:  'They are already all in Me, My and Your children, therefore I Love You for everyone.'  Then She Bilocated Herself in everyone and in each one in order to make felt in every soul the Love of this Daughter of Ours, All Beautiful and All Love.

We can say:  'There is no creature in whom She does not take the pledge of Loving Us."  Our Fiat elevated Her so much, as to give everything to Her.  And even from the first instant of Her Life.  We constituted Her Queen of Our Fiat, Queen of Our Love.  And when She Loved Us, Her Maternity was felt in Her Love, and it harmonized with the Love of all creatures.  And O! how Beautiful it was that She formed of everything One Single Love.  How She Wounded Us, Felicitated Us, even to feeling Ourselves languish.

Her Love disarmed Us, it made us see all created things - sky, sun, earth, seas, and creatures - covered and hidden in Her Love.  O! how Beautiful it was to see Her, feel Her that She acted as Mother in every creature, and forming in them Her Sea of Love, She sent Her notes, Her arrows.  Her Loving darts to Her Creator.  And acting as True Mother She brought them to Us, even to before Our Throne, in the Sea of Her Love, in order to make Us look at them, so as to render Us Favorable.  And with the Strength of Our Divine Volition She imposed Herself over Us, She placed them in Our Arms, She made Us caress and Kiss them, and She made Us give Surprising Graces.  How many Sanctities were formed and impetrated by this Celestial Mother, and in order to be sure, Her Love remained to watch.

...

She Loved Us and rendered Her Maternity extendable to all creatures:  In every Act that She did, if She Loved, Prayed, Adored, if She Suffered, everything, even the breath, the heartbeat, the step, being Our Fiat, were Triumphs and Victories that Our Supreme Being made in the Acts of the Virgin.  The Celestial Lady Triumphed and Conquered in God, in every instant of Her Admirable and Prestigious Life.  They were Triumphs and Victories between God and the Virgin.  But this is nothing.  Acting as true Mother She called all her children, and She covered and hid all their acts in Hers, and She covered them with Her Triumphs and with Her Victories, giving all Her acts as Dowry, with all Her Victories and Triumphs.  And then, with a Tenderness and Love as to break hearts and feel Ourselves Conquered, She told Us:  'Adorable Majesty, look at them, they are all My children.  My Victories and Triumphs are of My children, they are My Conquests that I give to them.  And if the Mama has Conquered and Triumphed, the children have Conquered and Triumphed.'

And so many Triumphs and Victories She did in God, for however many acts all creatures would have done, such that all can say:  'I am provided with a Dowry by the Acts of My Queen Mama, and for Seal She has Invested them for me with Her Triumphs and Victories that She made with Her Creator.'  In fact, one who wants to make himself holy, finds the Dowry of his Celestial Mother and Her Triumphs and Victories in order to arrive at the greatest Sanctity.  The weak one finds the Strength of the Sanctity of his Mama and Her Triumphs in order to be strong.  The afflicted, the suffering one, finds the Gift of the sufferings of his Celestial Mother in order to obtain the Triumph, the Victory, of resignation.  The sinner finds the Victory and the Triumph of pardon.  In sum, everyone finds in this Sovereign Queen the Dowry, the support, the help for the state in which they find themselves.  And O! how Beautiful it is.  It is the most moving scene, enrapturing and enchanting to see this Celestial Mother in every creature, that She acts as Mama.  We feel that She Loves and prays in Her children.  This is the Greatest Prodigy among Heaven and earth, Greater Good We could not give to the creatures.

Now My daughter, I must tell you a Sorrow of the Celestial Mother:  to so much Love of Hers, the ingratitude of creatures.  This Dowry that with so many sacrifices, even to the heroism of the Sacrifice of the Life of Her Son-God with so many atrocious sufferings, some do not know it; some hardly take a small interest, and they live poor in sanctity.  And O! how She Suffers in seeing Her children poor.  To possess Immense riches of Love, of Grace of Sanctity - because they are not material riches, but the riches of this Celestial Mother are riches that She has placed Her Life in order to acquire for them -  and not to see them possessed by her children, and to hold them without the Purpose for which She had acquired them, is a continuous Sorrow.  And therefore She wants to make this Great Good known to everyone, because if it is not known, it cannot be possessed.  And since She acquired these Dowries in virtue of the Divine Fiat that Reigned in Her, that Loved Her so much that It let Her do what She wanted, and anywhere She would want to reach, for the Good of creatures, so it will be My Reigning Divine Volition that will make them aware of these Celestial Dowries, and will let them take possession.  Therefore pray that a Good so Great be known and wanted by creatures."

Vol. 34, December 20, 1936

Also in The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will, by Luisa Piccarreta there are numerous mentions of our Lady's role as Mother to all that call on her.  In her opening appeal she promises that as long as one lives united to her, that is in the Divine Will, she will be their strength and comfort.  She will aide and nourish and take care of all of their needs, taking on the commitment to make them happy.  She could not do this unless truly she has command of the fount of all grace.

I come to invite you to enter into the Kingdom of your Mama – that is, the Kingdom of the Divine Will; and I knock at the door of your heart, that you may open it to Me.  You know? With my own hands I bring you this book as gift; I offer it to you with maternal care, so that, in your turn, in reading it, you may learn to live of Heaven and no longer of earth. 

This book is of gold, my child.  It will form your spiritual fortune, your happiness, also terrestrial.  In it you will find the fount of all goods:  if you are weak, you will acquire strength; if you are tempted, you will achieve victory; if you have fallen into sin, you will find the pitying and powerful hand that will lift you up again.  If you feel afflicted, you will find comfort; if cold, the sure means to get warm; if hungry, you will enjoy the delicious food of the Divine Will.  With it you will lack nothing; you will no longer be alone, because your Mama will keep you sweet company, and with Her every maternal care She will take on the commitment of making you happy.  I, the Celestial Empress, will take care of all your needs, provided that you consent to live united with Me. 

THE VIRGIN MARY IN THE KINGDOM OF THE DIVINE WILL, Maternal Appeal of the Queen of Heaven 

Mary received the double Maternity of God and of creatures even before she was aware that she was to be the Mother of God.  This Maternity forms her desire to lay down her life for each and for all to bring about peace between God and all creatures, wanting to bring all creatures into safety.

Now, my dearest child, my little Heart felt consumed with love at the loving ways of the divine speaking; and with all my love I accepted Their mandate, saying to Them:  “Highest Majesty, I am here in your arms; dispose of Me in whatever way You want.  I will lay down even my life - and if I had as many lives for as many as are the creatures, I would put them at their disposal and Yours, to bring them, all safe, into your paternal arms.”  And without knowing then that I was to be the Mother of the Divine Word, I felt in Me the double Maternity:  Maternity toward God, to defend His just rights; Maternity toward creatures, to bring them to safety.  I felt Myself Mother of all.  The Divine Will which reigned in Me, and which knows not how to do isolated works, brought God and all creatures from all centuries into Me.  In my maternal Heart I felt my God offended, wanting to be satisfied, and I felt the creatures under the empire of Divine Justice.  Oh! how many tears I shed.  I wanted to make my tears descend into each heart, to let everyone feel my Maternity, all of love.  I cried for you and for all, my child.

THE VIRGIN MARY IN THE KINGDOM OF THE DIVINE WILL.  Day Eight.  The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will receives the Mandate from Her Creator to place in Safety the Destiny of Mankind.

And again here she confirms that she is to be the Peacemaker between God and man.  God has placed the destiny of mankind into her hands giving her the mandate to reconcile God and man.

Now, in the middle of our loving stratagems, I remembered the painful state of my human family upon earth, for I too was of their offspring - and how I grieved and prayed that the Eternal Word would descend and put a remedy to it.  And I would say this with such tenderness as to reach the point of changing smile and feast into crying.  The Most High was so moved by my tears, more so, since they were the tears of a little one; and pressing Me to the divine bosom, They dried my tears and said to Me:  “Daughter, do not cry, pluck up courage.  Into your hands We have placed the destiny of mankind; We gave You the mandate, and now, to console You more, We make of You the Peacemaker between Us and the human family.  So, to You it is given to reconcile us.  The power of Our Will that reigns in You compels Us to give the kiss of peace to poor humanity, decayed and unsafe.”

Who can tell you, my child, what my Heart felt at this divine condescension?  My love was so great that I felt faint and, in delirium, I was restless, looking for more love as relief for my love. 

Now a word to you, my child.  If you listen to Me by banishing your will and giving the royal place to the Divine Fiat, you too will be loved with striking love by your Creator; you will be His smile, you will put Him in feast, and will be bond of peace between the world and God.

 The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.  Day Nine, The Queen of heaven in the kingdom of the Divine Will.  Dawn that rises to put to flight the night of the human will.  Her glorious birth.

Faced with their failings from abandoning Jesus, the Apostles turn to Mary.  Mary specifically refers to her Heart as the ark of refuge and of salvation.  She confirms that the destiny of all her children has been given to her from God.

Blessed child of my maternal Heart, great was my joy and my triumph in the Resurrection of my Son; I felt reborn and risen again in Him.  All my sorrows changed into joy and into seas of graces, of light, of love, of forgiveness for creatures, and laid my Maternity over all my children, given to Me by Jesus, with the seal of my sorrows.

Now listen to Me, dear child:  you must know that after the death of my Son I withdrew in the cenacle, together with beloved John and Magdalene.  But my Heart was pierced because only John was near Me, and in my sorrow I said:  “And the other Apostles - where are they?”

But as they heard that Jesus had died, touched by special graces, all moved and weeping, one by one, the fugitives drew around Me, surrounding Me like a crown; and with tears and sighs, they asked for my forgiveness for they had so cravenly abandoned their Master, and had run away from Him.  I welcomed them maternally in the ark of refuge and salvation of my Heart; I assured all of them of the forgiveness of my Son, and I encouraged them not to fear.  I said to them that their destiny was in my hands, because He had given them all to Me as my children, and I recognized them as such.

The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.   Day Twenty-nine,  The Hour of the Triumph.  Apparitions of Jesus.  The Fugitives cling around the Virgin as the Ark of Salvation and of Forgiveness.  Jesus departs for Heaven.

And again in The Queen of Heaven, Mary states that she continues her magisterium, that is her role in interpreting and revealing the Word.  She refers to her children taking refuge in the safe boat of her arms and that it is she who "will make the Holy Spirit descend into your soul, that He may burn away from you all that is human; and by His refreshing breath, He may rule over you and confirm you in the Divine Will."  So that she has the authority to reveal the Word of God, the authority to place in safety those whom she will, and the authority to send the Holy Spirit to sanctify those whom she will.

 

My dearest child, you must know that I still continue my magisterium in the Church - there is nothing which does not descend from Me.  I can say that I pour my own self out for love of my children, and I nourish them with my maternal milk.  Now, during these times, I want to display a yet more special love by making known how my whole life was formed in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.  Therefore I call you onto my knees, into my maternal arms, so that, forming a boat for you, you may be sure to live in the sea of the Divine Will.  Greater grace I could not give you.  O please! I pray you, make your Mama content - come to live in this Kingdom so holy.  And when you see that your will would want to have some act of life, come and take refuge in the safe boat of my arms, saying to Me:  “My Mama, my will wants to betray me, and I deliver it to You, that you may put the Divine Will in its place.”

Oh, how happy I will be if I am able to say:  “My child is all mine, because she lives of Divine Will.”  And I will make the Holy Spirit descend into your soul, that He may burn away from you all that is human; and by His refreshing breath, He may rule over you and confirm you in the Divine Will. 

The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.  Day Thirty,  The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.  The Teacher of the Apostles, Central Place of the Nascent Church, and Boat of Refuge.  The Descent of the Holy Spirit.

 

Jesus tells Luisa that as Mary extended her maternity over all of Jesus' internal and external acts so she has been given the mandate to do the same with all creatures.  So she is the Mother of every single act of the creature in order to put all into safety.  Jesus states that this is one of the greatest graces that he has given mankind but to his sorrow many refuse it.

“Now, you must know that as my inseparable Mama extended her maternity inside and outside of my humanity, thus I constituted her and confirmed her Mother of every single thought of the creature, of every breath, of every heartbeat, of every word, and I made her maternity extend in the works, in the steps, in all their sufferings.  Her maternity races everywhere; in the perils of falling into sin, she races, covers them with her maternity, so that they don’t fall, and if they have fallen, she leaves her maternity as help and defense in order to have them rise again; her maternity races and extends itself over the souls that want to be good and holy as if she might find her Jesus in them, she does as Mother to their intelligence, she guides their words, covers and hides them in her maternal love in order to raise so many other Jesus’s.  Her maternity makes (a) display over the beds of the dying, and making use of the rights of authority of Mother from me she gives (to) them, she says to me with (an) accent so tender that I can not deny her:  ‘My Son, I am Mother, and they are my children, I must put them into safety, if you don’t concede this to me my maternity goes (swept) under/(is undermined) by it’; and while she says this, she covers them with her love, hides them in her maternity in order to put them into safety.

“My love was so much that I said to her:  ‘My mother, I want that you be the Mother of everyone, and that which you have done for me you will do to all creatures; let your maternity be extended in all their acts, in a way that all I will see is covered and hidden in your maternal love.’  My Mama accepted and remained confirmed that not only should she be Mother of everyone, but to invest every act of theirs with her maternal love.  This was one of greatest graces that I did to all the human generations, but how many sorrows doesn’t my Mama receive?  They arrive to not want to receive her maternity, to refuse to acknowledge her; and therefore all heaven prays(,) awaits with anxiety that the Divine Will be known and reigns; and then the great Queen, will do to the children of my Volition that which she did to her Jesus, her maternity will have life in her children.

“I will surrender my place to one who lives in my Volition in her maternal Heart.  She will raise them in me, will guide their steps, will hide them in her maternity and sanctity; one will see impressed in all their acts her maternal love and her sanctity; they will be her true children, that will resemble me in everything.  And oh, how she would love that everyone might know that one who wants to live in my Volition has a Queen and powerful Mother that will make up for that which they lack, she will raise them in her maternal womb, in all that which they will do she will be together with them in order to model their acts to hers, so much so that they will know that they are children raised, guarded, educated by the love of the maternity of my Mama!  And these will be (those) that will render her content(ment), her glory and her honor.”

Fiat!!!

Vol. 36, December 28, 1938

In the Volumes Jesus states that for the "deadly times to come" he has placed everyone into the hands of our Lady, giving her the command.  She will mark each as she wants so that even death won't have power over them.  So that Mary would be the one to control their destinies, not just spiritually but also physically.

You should know that I always love my children, my beloved creatures, I would eviscerate Myself in order not to see them stricken, so much so that in the deadly times to come, I have put them all in the hands of my Celestial Mama, to Her I have entrusted them, so that she holds them for Me under her secure mantle, I will give (to Her) all those that She will want, death itself won’t have power over those that will be in (the) custody of my Mama.”

 Now while he said this, my dear Jesus made me see with facts that the Sovereign Queen descended from Heaven with an indescribable Majesty, and a tenderness all Maternal, and turned in the midst of creatures, in all the nations and marked her dear children and those that should not be touched by the scourges, whomever my Celestial Mama touched, the scourges didn’t have power to touch the creatures.  Sweet Jesus gave the right to his Mama to put in safety whom She pleased.  How moving it was to see the Celestial Empress turn in all the parts of the world that she took between (her) Maternal hands, she assembled them to her breast, hid them under her mantle, so that not one evil might be able to harm those people that her Maternal goodness held in her custody, guarded and defended.  Oh!  If everyone might be able to see with how much love and tenderness the Celestial Queen did this office, they would cry from consolation and would love She who so very loves us.

 Vol. 33, June 6, 1935

Mary tells Luisa that her life, virtues and sorrows will be at the disposal of her children and that her motives are not just to put all creatures into safety and not just to act as a peacemaker between God and man, supplying for all that is lacking.  It is to bring about the Kingdom of the Divine Will and to have her children living in it.  Only then will she rest and have her triumph, only then will there be true peace between God and man, only then will mankind be truly safe.

“You must know that so much is my love and my ardent anxieties that I want that this kingdom exists upon the earth, that I descend from Heaven, turn through souls in order to see who remains more disposed to live of Divine Volition, I do for them (as a) spy, and when I see them disposed I enter in their hearts and I form my life in them, as preparation, honor and decorum of that Fiat that will take possession and will form his life in them.  Therefore I will be inseparable from them, I will put my Life, my love, my virtues, my sorrows, at their disposition, as (a) wall of insurmountable fortitude, so that they can find in their Mother that which is needed in order to live in this kingdom so holy.

“And then my feast will be complete, my love will rest in my children, my Maternity will find one who loves me as child, and I will give surprising graces and I will put all Heaven and earth in feast, I will do as (a) Queen lavishing unheard of graces.  Therefore my daughter, you will remain united with your Mama, so that you pray and yearn with me for the kingdom of the Divine Will.”

Vol. 34, February 10, 1937

Only one who lives in the Divine Will can partake in all the fullness of the prodigies of the Virgin Mary and in all her merits, love, nobility and sanctity.  The one who lives in the Divine Will becomes enclosed in the Maternal Heart of the Virgin Mary or as she said, in her refuge.  This refuge is the center of all of Our Lady's acts and all of these acts become the creature's defense for the one that lives in the Divine Will united to her, 

 

Jesus to Luisa, 

...you have seen the conception of the Sovereign Queen, and how you being in my Will, you have found yourself conceived in her Maternal Heart, you see the great difference for who lives in my Volition, the prodigies of the Immaculate Conception were unheard of.  My Will that animated this conception, which no one can escape from Him, called present all creatures, so that they might remain conceived in her virgin Heart, and might receive her maternity, her help, her defense, they might find the refuge, the support in this Celestial Mother.

“Now who lives in our Volition, finds herself in the act that conceives, she is the daughter that spontaneous of her will, searches her Mama, and takes her place, encloses herself in her Maternal Heart, in order to let the Celestial Queen do to her as Mama.  Now this one will take part in the riches of the Sovereign Queen, in her merits, in her love, she will feel in herself the nobility, the sanctity of Her, because she knows to whom it pertains, and God will make her participant of the infinite goods and the exuberant love that was in the conception of this Holy Creature.  And thus with all our works, as the creature searches them, she calls them in our Will in order to know them and love them, we call in act our works, we put her in the center of them, we make her feel and experience all our love, the power of our creative strength, and the littleness of the creature undergoes it, it fills her even to not being able to contain anymore.

Vol. 34, April 21, 1936

Mary never lost an instant from the moment of her conception to love God.  With enough love magnified to love God for everyone and to give love to everyone.  True happiness originates from the dose of love that God deposits in the soul.  And Mary possessed the sea of happiness, enough for all creatures.  

“Now my daughter, the Immaculate Queen from the first instant of her conception, given that she felt in herself the love for her Creator and our working Will more than her own life, she loved us so much that she didn’t lose an instant without loving us, and with loving us and re-loving us she magnified so much this dose of love, as to be able to love us for everyone, and to give love to everyone, and to love everyone always without ever ceasing; you should know that our love is so much, that with putting this dose of love in the creature we put the germ/seed of happiness inside of her, because true happiness must hold its royal place inside of the soul, happiness outside if it doesn’t reside within, it can not be called true happiness, rather it embitters the poor creature and is as an impetuous wind, that immediately disperses it, no sooner leaving the traces converted into thorns that embitter her, not so the happiness within put (there) by us, it is lasting and always grows; and then to love felicitates oneself and felicitates us, who doesn’t love can not ever be happy, who doesn’t love doesn’t have any purpose nor interest in completing work, nor feels the heroism of doing good to anyone, the sacrifice that gives the most beautiful tints to the love doesn’t exist for her.

“Whence the Most Holy Virgin possessed the sea of happiness, because she possessed so many lives of love for how many creatures exist, not only, but with never doing her will, but always mine, she formed so many lives of my Will in Her, in a way that she can give to each creature a life of love and a life of Divine Volition.  Behold therefore with right she is Queen of love and Queen of the Supreme Will.  Therefore the Sovereign Queen loves, longs to bring forth these lives in order to deposit them in creatures and form the kingdom of pure love and the kingdom of our Will, and thus she will arrive to the maximum point of loving her Creator, and to the maximum point of loving and of doing good to creatures.”

Vol, 34, March 1, 1936

The Divine Will wants His Kingdom to come, and His Queen, Mary, also continually prays for it.  Her prays are commands to God since she prays with his own Will.  Even more because she is the Queen of Heaven and the Divine Will reigns in her she already possesses the Kingdom and what she possesses she can give.  She will put forth all her seas of grace to obtain the Kingdom of the Divine Will so much so that it will be called "the Kingdom of the Celestial Empress... She will give unheard of graces, surprises never seen, miracles that will shake Heavens and earth, we will give Her the whole field free, because she will form for Us the Kingdom of our Will upon the earth."  With a champion such as Mary we can confide all our trust. 

Jesus to Luisa,

“My daughter, and yet it will come, you measure the human one, the sad times that involve the present generations and therefore it seems difficult to you, but the Supreme Being holds the Divine measures, which are so very long that that which to the human is impossible to Us it is easy.  We should not do other than (as) an impetuous wind which will be so very strong that they will make carried by the currents of the wind, that will purify the unhealthy air of the human will and of all the sad things of these times, it will make of it a heap and will disperse it as dust invested by an impetuous wind.  Our wind will be so very strong, impetuous and working that it will not prove easy to resist him, more so that his waves will be stuffed full of graces, of light, of love that will drown the human generations and they will feel themselves transformed.  How many times doesn’t a strong wind remove (an) entire city and transports men, trees, earth, water, to other places and perhaps also distant, without them being able to oppose it?  More so our Divine wind, wanted, decreed by Us with our creative strength.  And then there is the Queen of Heaven that prays continually with her empire that the Kingdom of the Divine Will comes upon the earth, and when ever have we denied Her anything?  Her prayers are impetuous winds for Us, that we can not resist her and the same strength that She possesses of our Will is for Us empire, command, She holds the whole right to impetrate it, because she possessed him in earth and possesses him in Heaven, hence as possessor she can give that which is hers, so much so that this Kingdom will be called the Kingdom of the Celestial Empress, she will do as Queen in the midst of her children in earth, she will put at their disposition her seas of graces, of sanctity, of power, she will put in flight all enemies, she will raise them in her womb, she will hide them in her light, covering them with her love, feeding them with her own hands, with the food of the Divine Will.  What won’t this Mother and Queen do in the midst of this her Kingdom, as her children and as her people?  She will give unheard of graces, surprises never seen, miracles that will shake Heavens and earth, we will give Her the whole field free, because she will form for Us the Kingdom of our Will upon the earth, she will be the guide, the true model, the Kingdom of the Sovereign Celestial Queen will be pure.  Therefore you also pray together with Her and in her time you will obtain the intent.”

Vol 33, July 14, 1935

So how is it that Mary can call herself true refuge?  Jesus tells Luisa that even from the moment of the conception of the Immaculate Virgin, God centralized everything in her, past and future.  She was nourished, embellished, confirmed and strengthened continually by the Word and held in the refuge of his Humanity.  So she, who is held in the refuge of Jesus, is the ordained to be the refuge for mankind.  

“I want to honor my Celestial Mother, I want to narrate the story of her Immaculate Conception, only I can speak of it because Author of a prodigy so great.  Now my daughter, the first act of this conception was one Fiat of ours pronounced with such solemnity and with such fullness of graces as to enclose everything and everyone, we centralized everything in this conception of the Virgin in our Divine Fiat, what doesn’t exist past and future, the incarnation of the Word held present, and made her conceived and incarnated in the same incarnation of me, future Redeemer, my Blood that was in act, as if I myself was scattering it, watered her, embellished her, confirmed her, strengthened her continually in a Divine way.

“But it was not enough to my love, all her acts, words and steps were first conceived in my acts, words and steps and then they had life.  My Humanity was the refuge, the hideaway, the incorporation of this Celestial Creature.  So that if she loved us, her love was incarnated and conceived in my love, and oh, how her love loved us, it enclosed everything and everyone, I can say that she loved as a God knows how to love, she had our same follies of love for us, and for all creatures and that loving one time, she loves, loves always, without ever ceasing, her prayer was conceived in my prayer and therefore it had an immense value, a power over our Supreme Being, and who could deny her anything?  Her sufferings, her sorrows, her martyrdoms, that were so many, first they were conceived in my Humanity and then she felt in herself the life of the sufferings and the excruciating martyrdoms, all animated by Divine strength.  Whence one can say she was conceived in me, from me went forth her life, all that which I did and suffered lined up around this Holy creature in order to court her and to pour myself continually over Her and to be able to say to her:  you are the Life of my Life, you are all beautiful, you are the first redeemed, my Divine Fiat has molded you, has breathed you forth and has made you conceived in my works, in my Humanity itself.

Vol. 34,  December 8, 1936

Mary has been given the mandate to be the peacemaker between God and mankind.  She has the been given the command as Queen of Heaven to bring about this Kingdom.  She has the motivation of Mother of all and the means to be a Mother to each.  Her every act was done in the fullness of love to God for all and for each and she can supply for each of her children all that they are lacking.  She has the destiny of all mankind in her hands as given to her by God.  She can provide both spiritually and physically for all our needs.  Truly Mary is the True Refuge of Mankind to those who will be united with her in the Divine Will of God.

I believed this post to be done but today God seemed to wish to put an addendum on to this post.  Today while in adoration I read:  

... the anxieties, the sighs, the avidity of my Fiat are incessant, he would move Heavens and earth, he would not spare anything, provided that the creature might live in harmony with Him and she might be possessor of his own goods.

“Beyond this, all that which we have done as much in the Creation as in the Redemption, is all in act to give itself to man, they hang over his head, but they are as suspended, without being able to give, because he doesn’t know them, and he doesn’t call them, and he doesn’t love them, in order to enclose them in his soul, in order to receive such a good.

“Now who possesses our Volition, our works, all my Life that I passed down here, it finds the refuge, the space, the room where to be able to continue my life, my works, and the soul acquires the practicing act and converts into nature his works and my life.  So that this creature is the refuge of our sanctity, of our love and the life of our Will.  And when our love not being able to contain it, wants to give in excesses, we find refuge in her and we give vent to our love, and we pour such charismas of graces, that the Heavens stupefied and trembling adore our working Divine Will in the creature.”

Vol. 34, January 10, 1937

Mary is given the mandate to be the refuge for all creatures as she is held in the refuge of Jesus.  But every soul living in the Divine Will is also called to be the refuge of God's sanctity, of his love and of the life of his Will.  And here we see yet again the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity and his perfect triune unity.

 11 ... so that they may be one as we are one.  ...  16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jn 17:11, 16-23

Rags of the Human Will

 

In a message given to Luz de Maria Jesus says that part of the strategy of evil is to cause man to fear to cast aside his rags.  I heard this interpreted as referring to the face masks which have been mandated and the distancing from one another for fear of spreading disease.  Truly this may be so but I also believe that there is another meaning to this message which has a deeper more profound level as is often the case with God.

This is the strategy of evil, expressed by those who represent the Antichrist, who is sending you the winds of his presence on Earth. He is spreading the fear of fraternal encounter during this time of walking towards the culmination of the fulfilment of the Mission that My Father entrusted to Me for the Redemption of the human race: fear so that My People would not leave behind the disgusting rags with which they are laden and which they flaunt. 

Luz de Maria – You Are So Close to the Events

In messages given to Luisa Piccarreta, Mary refers to the rags of one's human will as being the cause of fears and doubts.  Jesus confirms that fears and doubts can not come from the Divine Will but only from the human will referring to them as miserable rags.

Now, my child, listen to your Mama.  Oh! how my Heart grieves in seeing you weak, poor; nor do you have the true dominion of dominating yourself.  Fears, doubts, apprehensions, are the things that dominate you – all miserable rags of your human will.  But do you know why?  Because the life of the Divine Will, intact, is missing in you, which, putting to flight all the evils of the human will, may render you happy and fill you with all the goods It possesses. 

The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will, Day Three,  The Third Step of the Divine Will in the Queen of Heaven. 

 

I was feeling oppressed, and a thought wanted to disturb the serenity of my mind: ‘And if you found yourself at the point of death, and doubts and fears came to you about the way you conducted yourself during your life, to the point of making you doubt about your salvation – what would you do?’ But as I was thinking about this, my sweet Jesus gave me no time to reflect any further, or to answer my thought. Moving in my interior, He made Himself seen shaking His head; and as though saddened by my thought, He told me: “My daughter, what are you saying? To think about this is an affront to my Will. Neither fears, nor doubts, nor any danger at all, can enter into It. These are things which do not belong to It; rather, they are the miserable rags of the human will. My Will is like a placid sea that murmurs peace, happiness, safety, certainty; and the waves It releases from Its bosom are waves of joys and of contentments without end. Therefore, in seeing you think about this, I was shaken. My Will is not capable of fears, of doubts, of danger, and the soul who lives in It becomes estranged to the miserable rags of the human will. And besides, what could my Will fear? Who can ever raise doubts about Its operating, if before the Sanctity of my operating Will all tremble and are forced to lower their foreheads, adoring the operating of my Will? 

Vol. 17, June 29, 1925

Jesus states that anything that comes from the human will is tattered and can only bring dishonor to the soul and is an insult before the Divine Will.  God wants to endow the creature with all of his riches in his Divine Will but she must lay down all her rags and wash herself first.  This is the truth of "blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," Matt 5:3 for only by recognizing our poverty can we lay down our rags and be filled with God's kingdom.

I was all concerned, with the addition that I saw myself as so bad that only Jesus can know the miserable state of my soul.  And my sweet Jesus, all goodness, told me:

 “My daughter, why do you oppress yourself?  Do you know how one’s own things are in my Will?  They are like many miserable rags and tatters, which give more dishonor than honor to the soul, and remind her that she used to be a poor one, and possessed not even one garment that was whole.  When I want to call a soul into my Will, that she may establish her dwelling in It, I act like a great lord who would want to take one of the poorest women into his palace, so that, laying down her clothes as a poor one, she may be clothed according to his condition, living together with him, and sharing in all of his goods.  Now, this lord goes around all the streets of the city, and as he finds one of the poorest women, homeless, without a bed, covered only with filthy rags, he takes her and brings her to his palace as triumph of his charity.  However, he orders her to lay down her rags, to clean herself and to clothe herself with the most beautiful garments; and in order to keep no memory of her poverty, to burn her rags.  In fact, since he is extremely rich, he does not admit anything into his house which gives of poverty.  Now, if the poor one sadly misses her rags, and afflicts herself because she has brought nothing of her own, would she not offend the goodness, the magnanimity of that lord?

“So I am; and if that lord goes around one city, I go around the whole world, and maybe all generations; and wherever I find the littlest, the poorest one, I take her and place her in the eternal sphere of my Volition, saying to her:  ‘Work together with Me in my Will.  What is mine is yours.  If you have something of your own - lay it down, because in the sanctity and in the immense riches of my Will, it is nothing but miserable rags.

“Wanting to have one’s own merits is of servants, of slaves - not of sons and daughters.  What belongs to the father, belongs to his children.  Besides, what are all the merits that you could acquire compared to one single act of my Will?  All merits have their own little value, weight and measure, but who could ever measure one single act of my Will?  No one - no one.  And then, what are your merits compared to mine?  In my Will you will find them all, and I make of you the owner.  Aren’t you happy?

Vol. 13, January 20, 1922 

More than just being clothed in miserable rags, doing one's own will causes one to not only loose the likeness of God but the creature even acquires a diabolical likeness instead.

I comprehended with such clarity what an act of human will means, compared to an act of Divine Will, and how the soul, by doing her own will, loses the physiognomy of her Creator; and stripping herself of the beauty with which she was created, she clothes herself with miserable rags, she barely drags herself in good, she acquires the diabolical likeness, she feeds herself with dirty foods. My Jesus, give us all the grace never to do our own will, which is like calling all passions back to life.

Vol. 18, February 11, 1926 

It is like a king who abandons all his riches to live in squalor or what I believe is even worse living of the human will causes one to grow without the likeness of God instead reinforcing the reflections of themselves.

...one who lives of human will is always turned toward herself, and by her looking at herself, the human will keeps uncovering for her what is human, and places her in the reflections of what exists in the low world, in such a way that it can be said that she lives of earth and grows without the likeness of the One who created her. There is such difference between one and the other, that if creatures could see it, all would love and yearn to live in my Fiat, and they would abhor living of human will, and would hold it as the greatest misfortune, which makes them lose the purpose and the origin for which they were created. It would happen as to a king who lays down his crown, his royal garments, descends from his throne, and clothes himself with dirty rags, feeds himself with filthy foods and lives in a stable together with the beasts of his passions. Would the lot of this one not to be cried over? Such is the one who lets himself be dominated his human will.”

Vol. 27, February 6, 1930

And again Jesus states that first a creature must lay down her rags, be purified, sanctified, and embellished before admitting her into his Volition, to restore the Divine likeness in her in order to live with her and in her.

 

“Now, you must know that we love the creature a great deal, but in spite that we love her we don’t tolerate that she be together with us indecent, dirty, without beauty, nude, or else covered with miserable rags, it would not be worthy of our Supreme Majesty to have children that don’t resemble us and that in some way are dressed well, with the regal attire of our Fiat.  It would be like a king that holds his army and his subjects poorly dressed, covered with filth to make one disgust to look at them, some blind, some lame, some deformed; would it not be (a) dishonor to this king to be surrounded by an army of miserable ones to make one pity?  Would not one condemn the king who did not take care to form an army worthy of him, in a way that everyone should admire not only to look at the majesty of the king, but also the order, the beauty of the army, the flowering of the young people, the way how they are dressed?  Would it not be (an) honor of the king to be surrounded by ministers, by (an) army that one takes pleasure in looking at them?

“Now our invincible love, with infinite wisdom, wanting to deal with the creature face to face, has disposed to give my Will to her, so that with his light he embellishes them, with his love he dresses them, with his sanctity he sanctifies them.  You see, therefore, how necessary it is that our Will reign in the creature, because he alone holds (the) power of purifying her and embellishing her, in a way as to form our divine army; and we will feel honored in living with them, and in them; they will be our children who surround us dressed with our regal attire, embellished with our likeness.

“Therefore our Will first purifies, sanctifies, embellishes and then he admits them into our Volition to have life together with us.  More so that, as the creature enters into our Volition so much is our love, that our divine being rains on her his rain of love, and in seeing her so very loved by us everyone races around her: angels, saints, in order to love her.  The creation itself exults with joy in seeing our Will triumphant in that creature and rains love on her.  And oh, how beautiful it is to see, that everyone loves her!  And she feels so thankful in seeing herself loved by everyone, that she loves everyone.”

Vol 36, December 28, 1938

Jesus' true aim in the Redemption was always the rejoining from the split between the human will and the Divine and then repairing and healing the effects of the offenses themselves.  Jesus allowed himself to be stripped of his own garments and even of his skin to repair for original sin where man stripped himself of his royal garments to clothe himself in the miserable rags of his human will.  He lost the enchantment which allowed him to look at nothing but his God and turned his focus to himself.  Jesus poured out enough blood in this scourging in order to wash man, warm him and clothe him in the new garment of His own blood to dispose him to receive again the royal garment of the Divine Will.

And my lovable Jesus, coming out of my interior in the state He was in when He was scourged, told me: “My daughter, do you want to know why I was stripped when I was scourged? In each mystery of my Passion, first I occupied Myself with joining the split between the human will and the Divine, and then with the offenses which this split produced. When man, in Eden, broke the bonds of the union between the Supreme Will and his will, he stripped himself of the royal garments of my Will, and clothed himself with the miserable rags of his will – weak, inconstant, impotent to doing anything good. My Will was a sweet enchantment for him, which kept him absorbed within a most pure light, which made him know nothing but His God, from whom he had come, and who gave him nothing but innumerable happinesses. And he was so absorbed within the so much giving of his God to him, that he would give not a thought to himself. Oh! how happy man was, and how the Divinity delighted in giving him so many particles of His Being for as many as the creature can receive, in order to make him similar to Himself. So, as soon as he broke the union of Our Will with his, he lost the royal garment, he lost the enchantment, the light, the happiness. He looked at himself without the light of my Will, and in looking at himself without the enchantment which kept him absorbed, he came to know himself, he felt ashamed, he became afraid of God; so much so, that his very nature felt the sad effects of this: he felt the cold and his nakedness, and felt the vital need to cover himself. Just as Our Will kept him within the port of immense happinesses, so did his will put him in the port of miseries. Our Will was everything for man, and in It he found everything. It was right that, having come out of Us and living in Our Will as Our tender child, he would live of It; and this Will was to make up for everything he needed. Therefore, as he wanted to live of his own will, he became needy of everything, because the human will does not have the power to make up for all needs, nor does it contain the fount of good within itself. So, he was forced to procure for himself, with hardship, the necessary things of life. Do you see, then, what it means not to be united with my Will? Oh! if all knew It, they would have one yearning alone: that my Will come to reign upon earth. So, had Adam not withdrawn from the Divine Will, his nature also would have had no need of clothing; he would not have felt ashamed of his nakedness, nor would he have been subject to suffering cold, heat, hunger, weakness. But these natural things were almost nothing; rather, they were symbols of the great good which his soul had lost.

Therefore, my daughter, before being tied to the pillar to be scourged, I wanted to be stripped in order to suffer and repair for the nakedness of man when he stripped himself of the royal garment of my Will. I felt such confusion and pain within Me in seeing Myself stripped in the midst of enemies who were mocking Me, that I cried over the nakedness of man and I offered my nakedness to my Celestial Father, so that man might be clothed once again with the royal garment of my Will. And as ransom, so that this would not be denied to Me, I offered my blood, my flesh torn to shreds, and I let Myself be stripped not only of my garments, but also of my skin, to be able to pay the price and satisfy for the crime of this nakedness of man. I poured out so much blood in this mystery, that in no other did I pour so much – so much as to be enough to cover him with a second garment, a garment of blood, so as to cover him again, and then warm him and wash him, to dispose him to receive the royal garment of my Will.”

On hearing this, surprised, I said: ‘My beloved Jesus, how can it be possible that, because he withdrew from your Will, man felt the need to clothe himself, was ashamed, was afraid; but then, You always did the Will of the Celestial Father, You were One with Him, your Mama never knew Her own will - yet, the two of You had need of clothing and food, and You felt the cold and the heat?’ And Jesus added: “Yet, my daughter, it is precisely so. If man felt ashamed of his nakedness and was subject to many natural miseries, it was precisely because he lost the sweet enchantment of my Will; and even though it was his soul that did evil, not his body, the body, however, indirectly was as though accomplice with the wicked will of man, and so his nature remained as though profaned by the bad volition of man. Therefore both the soul and the body had to feel the pain of the evil committed. As for Me, indeed I always did the Supreme Will, but I did not come to find an innocent man, a man before sin; rather, I came to find a sinful man and with all his miseries. And so I had to associate Myself with men, taking upon Myself all of their evils, and subjecting Myself to all the necessities of life, as if I were one of them. However, in Me there was this prodigy: if I wanted, I would need nothing, either clothing, or food or anything else. But I did not want to make use of it out of love for man. I wanted to sacrifice Myself in everything, even in the most innocent things created by Me, in order to prove my ardent love to him. Even more, this served to impetrate from my Divine Father that out of regard for Me and for my will completely sacrificed to Him, He would give back to man the noble royal garment of Our Will.”

Vol. 16, January 14, 1924

In the message to Luz Jesus states that people are in fear of leaving behind the disgusting rags with which they are laden.  I believe that the deeper meaning of this is man's fear to leave behind the rags of his human will, the rags of his needing to be in control, the rags of his needing to understand and of his pride in needing to be seen and acknowledged for his efforts.

 fear so that My People would not leave behind the disgusting rags with which they are laden and which they flaunt. 

Luz de Maria – You Are So Close to the Events

In Eden we cast aside the royal garments of the Divine Will to live with the sad effects of the rags of the human will casting aside the likeness with our God as well.  Although I do believe that we must stand up against the schemes of the devil we must also accept all things as either coming from the active or permissive Will of God.  It seems to me that in losing the likeness of our Creator it is a just consequence/chastisement that we would now cover our our faces and lose our own likenesses behind ridiculous cloth masks.   All things can be used to repair the breech and we can use this too, joined to Jesus' Reparations especially in his strippings and the scourging to repair for the lose of the royal garments of the Divine Will and to restore the Kingdom of His Divine Will.

The Magi and gifts greater than Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

I, like many, have always been drawn to the story of the Magi, foreign wise men and their gifts of; Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
 
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshipping God on high.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.

Symbols of Jesus' Kingship, divinity, and the prophecy of his death, (symbol of his humanity too,) but they are symbols greater still than just this.

The Magi are prophesied in the old testament;

“I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob and a staff shall rise from Israel...” (Nm 24:17). Psalm 72 speaks of how the Gentiles will come to worship the Messiah: “The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts, the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay Him homage, all nations shall serve Him” (Ps 72:10-11). Isaiah also prophesied the gifts: “Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord” (Is 60:6)
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0191.html

The Magi are heroic in the course they set.  Wise men through the divine vision but in their times they were mocked by their own people.  But this dominion of themselves which allows them to disregard the base human and set their sights on the divine is what allowed them to be among the first adorers of Jesus and messengers of his Kingdom come. 

Then, after this, I was thinking about the Holy Magi, when they visited the little Baby Jesus in the grotto of Bethlehem; and my always lovable Jesus told me: “My daughter, see the order of my Divine Providence: for the great portent of my Incarnation, I chose and made use of a Virgin, humble and poor; and, as my custodian, who acted as father to Me, the virgin Saint Joseph, who was so poor that he needed to work in order to support our lives. See how, in the greatest works –and the mystery of the Incarnation could not be greater – We make use of people whose outward appearance attracts no one’s attention, because dignities, scepters, riches, are always fumes which blind the soul and prevent her from penetrating into the celestial mysteries in order to receive a great act of God, and God Himself. But in order to manifest to the peoples the coming of Myself, Word of the Father, upon earth, I wanted and made us of royal authority, of learned and erudite men, so that, by their authority, they might diffuse the knowledges of the God now born and, eventually, also impose themselves on the peoples. But, in spite of this, the star was seen by everyone, yet only three of them move, pay attention and follow it. This says that, among all, these alone possessed a certain dominion of themselves, such that, as it formed a little empty space within their interior, beyond the appearance of the star, they felt my call echoing in their interior. And heedless of sacrifices, of gossip, of mockeries – because they were leaving for an unknown place and they had to hear much talking – disregarding everything and dominating themselves, they followed the star that was united to my call which, more than speaking star, resounded in their interior, enlightened them, attracted them, and spoke many things about the One whom they were to visit; and, drunk with joy, they followed the star.

See then, how in order to give the great gift of the Incarnation, a Virgin was needed who would have no human will, who would be more of Heaven than of the earth, as well as a continuous miracle which would dispose Her to this great portent. So, We had no need of external things and of human appearances, which might draw the attention of the peoples. However, in spite of this, also to manifest Myself, I wanted men who would have dominion of themselves, which would form a little empty space within their interior, to let the echo of my call resound in it. But what was not their surprise in seeing the star stop, not above a royal palace, but above a vile hovel? They did not know what to think, and were persuaded that there was a mystery – not human, but Divine. When they animated themselves with faith, and entered the grotto and, kneeling, adored Me, as they bent their knees, I revealed Myself, and I let my Divinity shine forth from my little Humanity, and they recognized Me as the King of kings – the One who was coming to save them; and, promptly, they offered themselves to serve Me and to lay down their lives for love of Me. But my Will made Itself known, and sent them again into their region, to let them be, in the midst of those peoples, the criers of my coming upon earth. See then, how necessary are the dominion of oneself and the empty space in one’s heart, in order to let my call resound, and to be fit for knowing the truth and for manifesting it to others.”

Vol. 20, Jan. 6, 1927

 

These few had the humble disposition, "the little empty space" to be able to recognize the divine behind the signs, symbolized in the star and the heroic disposition in having dominion over themselves to persevere to the end.  How many stars and signs in our lives do we miss due to earthly distractions and the lack of perseverance.  Mary tells us that all the little set backs in life, the disappointments, disillusionments, or a discovered truth, a new joy.  They are all stars calling us to seek out God and this new discovery is as his infancy which then grows and matures with our correspondence to Him.

 

"Now, my blessed child, the Divinity, which can deny nothing to one who loves It, makes a new star, more beautiful and luminous, arise under the azure heavens; and with its light, it goes in search of adorers, to say to the whole world, with its mute twinkling: “The One who has come to save you is born. Come to adore Him and to know Him as your Savior.”

"But - human ingratitude! - among many, only three individuals paid attention, and heedless of the sacrifices, put themselves on the way to follow the star. And just as a star guided their persons along the journey, so did my prayers, my love, my yearnings, my graces– for I wanted to make known the Celestial Baby, the Awaited One from all centuries - descend into their hearts like many stars, illumine their minds, guide their interiors, in such a way that, without yet knowing Him, they felt that they loved the One whom they were looking for, and they hastened their steps in order to reach and see Him, whom they so much loved.
"My dearest child, my Heart of Mother rejoiced at the faithfulness, correspondence and sacrifice of these Magi Kings, to come to know and adore my Son. But I cannot hide from you a secret sorrow of mine: among many, only three. And in the history of the centuries, how many times is this sorrow of mine and this human ingratitude not repeated! My Son and I do nothing but make stars arise, one more beautiful than the other, to call some to know their Creator, some to sanctity, some to rise again from sin, some to the heroism of a sacrifice. But do you want to know what these stars are? A sorrowful encounter is a star; a truth that one comes to know is a star; a love unrequited by other creatures is a star; a setback, a pain, a disillusion, an unexpected fortune, are as many stars that shed light in the minds of creatures. And caressing them, they want to make them find the Celestial Infant, who fidgets with love, and shivering with cold, wants a refuge in their hearts to make Himself known and loved. But, alas, I who hold Him in my arms, wait in vain for the stars to bring Me creatures, in order to place Him in their hearts, and my Maternity is constrained, hindered. And while I am the Mother of Jesus, I am prevented from being the Mother of all, because they are not around Me, they do not look for Jesus; the stars hide, and they remain in the Jerusalems of the world, without Jesus. What sorrow, my child, what sorrow! It takes correspondence, faithfulness, sacrifice, to follow the stars; and if the Sun of the Divine Will rises in the soul – how much attention does it not take. Otherwise, one remains in the darkness of the human will.

"Now, my child, as the holy Magi Kings entered Jerusalem, they lost the star, but in spite of this they did not stop looking for Jesus. However, as they went outside the city, the star reappeared and led them, festive, into the grotto of Bethlehem. I received them with love of Mother, and the dear Baby looked at them with great love and majesty, letting His Divinity shine forth from His little Humanity. And so, bowing down, they knelt at His feet, adoring and contemplating that celestial beauty; they recognized Him as true God, and remained enraptured, ecstatic, while enjoying Him; so much so, that the Celestial Baby had to withdraw His Divinity into His Humanity, otherwise they would have remained there, without being able to move from His divine feet.
"Then, as they came round from their rapture, in which they offered the gold of their souls, the incense of their belief and adoration, the myrrh of their whole beings and of any sacrifice He might want of them, they added the external offering and gifts, symbol of their interior acts: gold, incense and myrrh. But my love of Mother was not yet content; I wanted to place the sweet Baby in their arms, and – oh! with how much love they kissed Him and pressed Him to their breasts. They felt paradise in advance within them. With this, my Son bound all the gentile nations to the knowledge of the true God, and placed the goods of Redemption, the return to faith of all peoples, in common for all. He constituted Himself King of the rulers; and with the weapons of His love, of His pains and of His tears, ruling over everything, He called the Kingdom of His Will upon earth. And I, your Mama, wanted to be the first Apostle. I instructed them, I told them the story of my Son - His ardent love; I recommended that they make Him known to all, and taking the first place of Mother and Queen of all the Apostles, I blessed them, I had them blessed by the dear Baby, and, happy and in tears, they departed again for their regions. I did not leave them; I accompanied them with maternal affection, and to repay them, I let them feel Jesus in their hearts."

The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will, Day 23

And how are we able to recognize these stars and follow them?  Jesus, in his response to Maria Valtorta in The Gospel as revealed to Me, explains that the secret lies in Faith, trust, humility and right intention:

"And now what shall I tell you, O souls who feel your faith is dying?  Those Wise Men from the East had nothing to assure them of the truth.  Nothing supernatural.  All they had was a astronomic calculation and their own considerations made perfect by a strictly honest life.  And yet they had faith.  Faith in everything:  in science, in their own conscience, in God's goodness.

Science made them believe in the sign of the new star, which could only be 'the one' expected by mankind for centuries:  the Messiah.  Because of their consciences they had faith in the voices of their consciences, which heard heavenly 'voices' saying to them:  'That is the star announcing the advent of the Messiah.'  Because of God's goodness they believed that God would not deceive them, and since their intention was good, He would help them in every way to reach their aim.

And they were successful.  Among so many people fond of studying signs, they were the only ones who understood that sign, because only their souls were anxious to know the words of God for an honest purpose, the main care of which was to praise and honor God immediately.

They did not seek any personal advantage.  On the contrary, they have to face hardships and meet expenses but they do not ask for any human reward.  They only ask God to remember them and save them for eternal life.

As they have no desire for any future human rewards, so they have no human worry, when they decide on their journey.  You would have had hundreds of problems:  'How will I be able to  make such a long journey in countries and among peoples speaking different languages?  Will they believe me or will they put me in prison as a spy?  What help will they give me to cross deserts, rivers and mountains?  And the heat?  And the winds of the highlands?  And the malarial fever along stagnant marshes?  And the floods and heavy rains?  And the different food?  And the different languages?  And... and... and...'  That is your way of thinking.  But they do not think like that.  With sincere, holy daring they say:  'You, O God, can read our hearts and You see the purpose we are aiming at.  We trust to Your hands.  Grant us the superhuman joy of adoring Your Second Person, Who has become Flesh to save the world.'"

The Gospel As Revealed to Me, by Maria Valtorta, Vol. 1, pgs. 213-214

The three Wise Men did not look for a reward other than adoring God in his Second Person, saving their souls and bringing his news back to their people.  But God who will never be outdone in generosity in return for the gift of their souls/gold, their belief and adoration/frankincense and the gift of their whole selves ready for any sacrifice/myrrh Jesus gives a three fold greater gift to the Magi which corresponds to their gifts.  In acknowledging his divinity through the gift of frankincense he communicates himself to them with beauty which detaches them from earthly things and binds them to the divine.  In acknowledging his humanity and portending his death through myrrh he communicates himself with love which detaches them from themselves to focus on him.  In acknowledging his kingship through the gift of gold he communicates himself to them with power which binds their hearts to him and obtains the gift of heroic bravery. 
 

As I was outside of myself, I seemed to see the moment when the holy Magi arrived at the grotto of Bethlehem.  As they arrived in the presence of the Baby, He pleased to let the rays of His Divinity shine externally, communicating Himself to the Magi in three ways - through love, through beauty and through power – in such a way that they remained enraptured and engrossed in the presence of Little Baby Jesus; so much so, that if the Lord had not withdrawn the rays of His Divinity internally again, they would have remained there forever, unable to move any more.  Then, as the Baby withdrew His Divinity, the holy Magi returned into themselves; they stirred themselves, stupefied, in seeing an excess of love so great, because through that light the Lord had let them understand the mystery of the Incarnation.  Then they stood up and offered their gifts to the Queen Mother, and She spoke at length with them, but I am unable to say everything She said.  I can only remember that She inculcated into them, strongly, not only their own salvation, but also taking to heart the salvation of their peoples, having no fear even to lay down their lives to obtain the intent.

After this, I withdrew inside myself and I found myself together with Jesus.  He wanted me to tell Him something, but I saw myself so bad and confused that I would not dare to tell Him anything.  Seeing that I was not saying anything, He Himself continued to speak about the holy Magi, telling me:  “By having communicated Myself to the Magi in three ways, I obtained three effects for them, because I never communicate Myself to souls uselessly; rather, they always receive some profit for themselves.  So, as I communicated Myself through love, they obtained detachment from themselves; through beauty, they obtained contempt for earthly things; and through power, their hearts remained all bound to Me, and they obtained the bravery to lay down their blood and lives for Me.”

Vol. 4,  Jan. 6, 1901

  

God will never be out done in generosity and what greater gift is there than to be bound threefold to your God, Lover and Savior.  So we are called to bind ourselves to God with the adoration of our sincere praise rising up as frankincense, the purified gold of our souls all intent on Him and the fragrant myrrh of our lives committed to His Will.  This binding can only and truly occur within the safety of Living in the Divine Will.  Ties that are secured by God Himself.

...do you know which gold I want now from souls?  Not material gold – no, but spiritual gold; that is, the gold of their will, the gold of their affections, of their desires, of their own tastes, the gold of the whole interior of man.  This is all the gold that the soul has, and I want it all for Myself.  Now, it is almost difficult for the soul to give this to Me without sacrificing and mortifying herself; and this is how myrrh, like electric wire, binds the interior of man, renders it more shining, and gives it the shades of multiple colors, giving all species of beauty to the soul.  But this is not all; it takes someone who maintains the colors and the freshness always alive, which, almost like fragrance and breeze, blow from within the soul.  It takes someone who offers and obtains greater gifts than the ones he gives; and it also takes someone who forces the One who receives and the One who gives to dwell in his own interior, keeping Him in continuous conversation and in continuous commerce with himself.  So, who does all this?  It is prayer, especially the spirit of interior prayer, which knows how to convert into gold, not only the internal works, but also the external works - and this is the incense.

Vol. 6, Jan. 6, 1904

Happy Epiphany.

Thanksgiving

I wanted to take this time on Thanksgiving to reflect on the effects of gratitude and the consequences of human ingratitude.  Throughout the volumes Jesus cries over human ingratitude and how horrendous it is to him.

"...Ingratitude was the sharpest thorn that pierced my heart, from my conception up to the last moment of my life.  Look at my little heart - it is wounded, and pours out blood.  What pain!  What torture I feel!  My daughter, do not be ungrateful to Me.  Ingratitude is the hardest pain for your Jesus; it is to close the door in my face, leaving Me numb with cold."

Vol. 1

 

Here he not only speaks about how it wounds him but also how it keeps him from giving.

 

"...The second mortal wound of my Heart is ingratitude. With ingratitude, the creature closes my Heart; even more, she herself turns the key with double locks; and my Heart swells because It wants to pour graces and love, and It cannot, because the creature has closed It, and has put on It the seal with her ingratitude. And I become delirious, I agonize, without hope that this wound may be healed, because ingratitude keeps embittering it more and more, giving Me mortal pain."

Vol. 12, January 27, 1919

 

Ingratitude keeps us from receiving the gifts Gods wants to make us, and worse it changes goods into chastisements.

 

"...since We are not known, We are forced by their ingratitude not to tell them even a word, and to keep repressed inside Our womb the goods which We had to give them. And seeing our poor children dissimilar from us, only because they don't know us, is a suffering for us. Even if We gave to them, it would happen as the Gospel says: don't give pearls to the pigs, because they don't know what they are, and they would cover them with mud and trample on them."

Vol. 36, July 6, 1938

 

"Poor man, who does not recognize us, either in the veils which hide us within him, or in the veils of each created thing; he just keeps running away from our life and from the scope for which he was created; so, many times, when we cannot tolerate his ingratitude, the very goods contained in our veils are turned into chastisement for him."

Vol. 36,  December 8, 1938

 

The effects of gratitude however are spoken of as acting as the key to all of God's treasures.

 

"...be grateful for the graces I am giving you, because gratitude is the key to be able to open as one pleases the treasures that God contains."

Vol. 4, September 4, 1901

 

"Let your memory be the bell that rings continuously within you, and reminds you of what I have done and suffered for you, and of how many graces I have given to your soul, so as to thank Me and be grateful to Me, since gratitude is the key that opens the divine treasures."
Vol. 5, June 6, 1903

 

So gratitude is the key to God's continued giving to us.  He further explains gratitude's role as a guardian.

 

"...knowledge is the sight to the soul, that makes the desire and the love arise and hence the gratitude toward me that I so very want to give, and with jealousy [souls] guard my treasure deposited in them and in the circumstances they make use of my Life for guide, of my works in order to confirm their works, of my sufferings for support of their sufferings and my tears in order to wash them if they are stained, and oh, how content I am that they make use of me and of my works in order to help themselves!"

Vol. 30, December 21, 1931

 

Without gratitude we do not appreciate and therefore guard that which is given to us.  We, as it says in the gospel, would be swine trampling pearls.  How important it is to pay attention to the gifts God gives us every day but especially on this Thanksgiving Day.  Lets be sure to give God the refreshment of our gratitude for ourselves, our country and all of humanity to appease his wounded heart.

 

 

Chastisement or Not?

  

I came upon this quote from a secular Psychiatrist's post concerning the current unrest in the USA:

"According to psychiatrist Joshua Morganstein, the country is now dealing with "three disasters superimposed on top of one another": the pandemic, the economic fallout and civil unrest. "Certainly, one way of responding, and a common way of responding, is anger," said Morganstein, who chairs the American Psychiatric Association's Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster."

Americans are living in a big 'anger incubator.' Experts have tips for regulating our rage.

What immediately struck me was the unholy "trinity" of disasters clearly pointed out by this Psychiatric, knowingly or unknowingly.  We, as Christians, and more so as Catholics, are called to renounce "the devil, the world, and the flesh."  Council of Trent

And here it is, even recognized by a Psychiatrist, an unholy triple disaster.  This current age is suffering from a pandemic, which effects the flesh, an economic fallout, which hits us in our worldly objectives, and civil unrest which is largely displayed in anger and unrest.  But anger and unrest from what.  Well as the above article states:   

"anger about police violence and the country's legacy of racism is still running high. At the same time, we're dealing with anger provoked by the coronavirus pandemic: anger at public officials because they've shut down parts of society, or anger because they aren't doing enough to curb the virus. Anger about being required to wear a mask, or anger toward people who refuse to wear a mask. Anger with anyone who doesn't see things the "right" way."Americans are living in a big 'anger incubator.' Experts have tips for regulating our rage.

Basically angry over things not going the way we think they should be going.  Anger about not being in control.  Anger about others not treating us the way we think they should treat us.  And all of that boils down into Pride, aka the devil's calling card.

So we are being hit by a triple whammy in the bread basket, so to speak of disasters which clearly are related to the devil, the world and the flesh.

Looks like a chastisement, smells like a chastisement, must be a chastisement.

The question is how are we going to respond as a nation, as individuals, and as the world.  Whether we return to God in conversion or become more deeply rooted in our ways will effect what comes next.  It is the correspondence with God that effects whether we receive his graces or not.

He added:  “See how many graces I was supposed to pour over the creatures, but since I find no correspondence, I am forced to hold them back within Myself; even more, they make Me change them into chastisement.  Be careful, you, o my daughter, to correspond to Me in the so many graces I am pouring into you, because correspondence is the open door to let Me enter into the heart and form my residence in it.  Correspondence is like that good welcome, that esteem, which is used with people when they come to visit us, in such a way that, drawn by that respect, by those affable manners used with them, they are forced to come again, and reach the point of not being able to detach themselves.  Everything is in corresponding to Me, and according to how souls correspond to Me and treat Me on earth, so will I behave with them in Heaven.  Making them find the doors open, I will invite the whole celestial court to welcome them, and I will place them on the most sublime throne; but it will be all the opposite for those who do not correspond to Me.”

Vol. 2, August 2, 1899

But how should we correspond?  Jesus tells us and Mary, again shows us the way with her example.

accompany Me with your sighs and with your sufferings, praying that the very chastisements may turn out for the conversion of the peoples.”

Vol. 2, October 21, 1899

Jesus:  “Even though I suffer, love pushes Me to send heavier scourges, and this, because in order to make man enter himself and recognize what his being is, there is no means more powerful than making him see himself undone.   It seems that the other means make him grow bolder; therefore, conform to my Justice.  I see well that the love you have for Me pushes you very much not to conform to Me, and you don’t have the heart to see Me suffer, but my Mother too loved Me more than all creatures - no one can equal Her; and yet, in order to save these souls She conformed to Justice and She resigned Herself to see Me suffer so much.  If my Mother did this, could you not do it yourself?”

Vol. 2, October 24, 1899