With the strength of the Holy Spirit, Philip and the other disciples accomplished in the villages of Palestine what Jesus had done: They preached the Good News and worked miraculous signs. It was the Lord who acted through them. As Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God, so the disciples proclaimed the Risen Jesus, professing that he is the Christ, the Son of God, baptizing in his name and driving out every illness of body and spirit.

“There was much joy in that city”. Reading this passage, one thinks spontaneously of the healing power of the Gospel, which throughout the centuries has “watered” so many populations, like a beneficent river. Several great men and women saints brought hope and peace to entire cities — we think of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and of so many missionaries, whose names are known by God, who have given their lives to bring the proclamation of Christ and make profound joy flower among men. While the powers of this world sought to conquer new territories for political and economic interests, Christ’s messengers went everywhere with the aim of bringing Christ to men and men to Christ, knowing that he alone can give true freedom and eternal life.

Today too the Church’s vocation is evangelization: whether it be to populations which have not yet been “irrigated” by the living water of the Gospel, or to those that, though having ancient Christian roots, are in need of new nourishment to bear new fruit and rediscover the beauty and joy of the faith.

Jesus too is happy when we talk about Him! That was explained to Luisa by Him in a passage of February 14, 1922. Jesus said to her that all His joy, His feast, was when He saw her write. He saw being inscribed in those written words, His glory, His life, the knowledge of Him that multiplied more and more. The light of the Divinity, the power of the Divine Will, the outpouring of His love – He saw them written on paper, and in each word He felt the fragrance of all His perfumes.

Then He saw those written words run, run into the midst of the peoples, to bring new knowledges, His outpouring love, the secrets of His Will. And as Luisa wrote new things of what regarded God and His Will, He kept inventing new favors in order to repay her, and He disposed Himself to tell her new truths so as to give her new favors.

Jesus has always loved more and reserved greater graces for those who have written about Him, because they are the continuation of His evangelical life – the spokesmen of His word; and what they did not say in the Gospel, Jesus intended to say to those who would write about Him. He did not finish preaching,  He must preach always, for as long as the generations will exist.
Now we have the simple and profound words of Pope Francis: “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.” The Pope reminds us of the joy of the gospel and reminds us of the importance of the work of evangelization in our time, in all the situations of our life.
The apostle Peter in the second reading tells us: “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,.”

The joy of the gospel is not a set of ideas, but it is the experience of our life with Jesus, in Jesus, for Jesus. ” keep My commandments “: it is how we must love Jesus.

“I will pray the Father and He will give you the Holy Spirit defender and consoler. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you”.

In ‘Evangelii Gaudium,’ the Pope says: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day….. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which impels us onwards!”.

don Marco

Brothers and sisters, Fiat!

Today, the readings open (Acts 6: 1-7) with an episode of early Christians: their number grew so much that the apostles were no longer able to deal with everything, so they chose seven collaborators (future deacons) to whom they entrusted the practice of charity, but reserved for themselves preaching and prayer. After two thousand years, the first few faithful have become millions, and therefore  the division of labour in the Church has developed very much; But that first act indicates the way: the Church doesn’t belong to bishops and priests, but to all baptized, and everyone has the right-duty to feel it as his own spiritual family, in which to work in different forms, according to his own ability, but in agreement, for the common good.

In the Gospel (John 14: 1-12) we are struck by two expressions of Jesus. The first one, which already introduces us to the upcoming feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven,  is a promising consolation: ” I’m going away to prepare a place for you.”

Here is a fascinating prospect, a clear indication of a goal for all those who are uncertain about the meaning of their own days, for men who are disappointed with mortifying experiences, for men to whom the boundaries of this life are narrow. As a traveler who gets lost along that road and no longer knows how to orient himself. So he is tempted to sit at the first bar, but if someone tells him the way he recovers his enthusiasm; like those who “loiter” in their slippers  and don’t not decide to move because they don’t know a place that deserves the effort of the journey, but immediately they prepare for if someone propose to them an adequate one: The same is for all those who have lost  their way and  are lazy, it’s  a great stimulus Knowing to have a destination. And all those who have embarked on adventures to breaking point, when they realize they have been rash but they believe that they have no alternative, are relieved that they can always change. For me, like for everyone, there is a place already prepared, with my name written above, so we must not be afraid that someone who is quicker or more clever gets to steal it: either I occupy it,  otherwise it will be empty.

But, what is this place? Is it an inviting, pleasing place? Is it too tiring to reach it? Everyone’s questions are express or implied, and the second reading (1 Peter 2: 4-9) responds by recalling first of all our dignity: ” You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ” Jesus responds more simply but with words that are even more enthralling: ” I will take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too.”  To be always with Him: Is there a better prospect? And even if it also requires commitment, this is worth.

What commitment? In what direction? How can we reach that place prepared for us? Thomas asks the same questions to which Jesus responds with the second basic expression of today’s Gospel: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” To reach that place, to attain the only goal that can give meaning to our path year after year, day by day, Christ is the way: that is, we must adhere to Him, follow His footsteps, we must trust His travel information. Because He is The Only One who always gives the right directions; In the midst of the din of noises resound in and around us, among the many so-called masters who bombards us with teachings on television screens or printed paper, we must distinguish “His” voice, for Christ is not a truth, He is “the” truth. Faced with the immense efforts of science that can only give a few more days to this life, we must always remember that He is the only one capable of breaking down the barrier of the earthly conclusion; Christ is the true, total, and lasting life. And in His immeasurable goodness He wishes to share this life that He is with those who decide to welcome it,  by following His footsteps. ” I am going away to make ready a place for you,  so that where I am you may be too.”

On September 21, 1927 Jesus told Luisa that there is no proof which is more certain and sure, and which can do greater good both to her and to others, than having manifested to her so many truths. Truth is more than miracle; it brings permanent divine life within itself, and wherever it reaches and in whomever listens to it, it bilocates the truth together with its life, to give itself to whomever wants it. Therefore, God’s truths are perennial light, not subject to being extinguished, as well as life that never dies.

What good can a divine truth produce? It can form saints, it can convert souls, it can dispel darkness, and has the virtue of renewing the whole world. Therefore, God performs a greater miracle when He manifests one of His truths than when He gives further proofs that it is He who goes to the soul, or did other miraculous things, because these are the shadow of His power – passing light; and because it is passing, it does not bring the miraculous virtue to all, but is limited to the individual who has received the miracle, and many times not even the one who has received the miracle makes himself a saint.

On the other hand, the truth contains life and, as life, brings its virtue to whomever wants it. if in coming upon earth Jesus had not spoken so many truths in the Gospel, even if He had done miracles, the Redemption would have been hampered, without development, because they would have found nothing, neither teachings nor light of truth, in order to learn the remedies, to find the way that leads to Heaven. So it would be with us:  if Jesus had not spoken to us so many truths, especially on the Divine Will, which has been the greatest miracle God has done in these times. To make known the Divine Will in the world means to restore the order, the peace, the light, the lost happiness. All these truths will bring man onto the lap of his Creator, that they may exchange the first kiss of Creation, and man may be given back the image of the One who created him

If we knew the great good that all these truths Jesus has spoken to us will bring to creatures, our heart would split with joy. Nor can we fear that the infernal enemy might dare to manifest to us a single truth about the Divine Will. In fact, before Its light, he trembles and flees, and each truth on the Divine Will is one more hell for him; and because he wanted neither to love It nor to do It, It changed for him into torments that will have no end. Before the mere word ‘Will of God’, he feels himself burnt so much, that he flies into a rage, and he hates that Holy Will that torments him more than hell.

Therefore, we can be sure that Will of God and infernal enemy never get along, nor can they be together or close; Its light eclipses him and hurls him into the chasms of hell. Therefore, what Jesus recommend to us is that we let not even one truth or a simple word on the Divine Will be lost, because everything must serve to perform the chain of perennial miracles, so as to make known Its Kingdom and give back the lost happiness to creatures.

don Marco