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FEAST OF THE BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

FEAST OF THE BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Saint_John_the_Baptist_ForerunnerCLICK IMAGE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

FROM THE VIRGIN MARY IN THE KINGDOM OF THE DIVINE WILL

After many days of travel, finally I (Mary) arrived in Judea, and I hastened to the house of Elisabeth. She came toward Me in feast. At the greeting I gave her, marvelous phenomena occurred. My little Jesus exulted in my womb, and fixing little John in the womb of his mother with the rays of His Divinity, He sanctified him, gave him the use of reason, and made known to him that He was the Son of God. And John leaped so vigorously with love and with joy that Elisabeth was shaken. Touched by the light of the Divinity of my Son, she too recognized that I had become the Mother of God; and in the emphasis of her love, trembling with gratitude, she exclaimed: “Whence comes to me so much honor, that the Mother of my Lord would come to me?”

I did not deny the highest mystery; rather, I humbly confirmed it. Praising God with the song of the Magnificat – sublime canticle, through which the Church continuously honors Me – I announced that the Lord had done great things in Me, His servant, and that because of this, all peoples would call Me blessed.

My child, I felt devoured with the desire to pour out the flames of love that consumed Me, and to reveal my secret to Elisabeth, who also longed for the Messiah to come upon earth. A secret is a need of the heart which is revealed, irresistibly, to persons who are capable of understanding each other.

Who can ever tell you how much good my visit brought to Elisabeth, to John, and to their whole household? Everyone was sanctified, filled with gladness, felt unusual joys, and comprehended things unheard-of. John, in particular, received all the graces which were necessary for him, to prepare himself to be the Precursor of my Son.

Dearest child, the Divine Will does great and unheard-of things wherever It reigns. If I worked many prodigies, it was because It had Its royal place in Me. If you let the Divine Will reign in your soul, you too will become the bearer of Jesus to the creatures – you too will feel the irresistible need to give Him to all!

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/08/29/feast-of-the-beheading-of-st-john-the-baptist/

Uniting Yourself to the Will of God: St. Maximilian Kolbe

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/08/25/uniting-yourself-to-the-will-of-god-st-maximilian-kolbe/

FEAST DAY OF THE QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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The Blessed Virgin Mary, from Whom Christ took the Flesh

FROM THE BOOK OF HEAVEN

1/30/27 – Vol. 20

“My daughter, there is an immense difference between one who must form a Good, a Kingdom, and one who must receive it in order to enjoy it.  I came upon earth to expiate, to redeem, to save man; and to do this I had to receive the pains of the creatures, and take them upon Myself as if they were Mine.  My Divine Mama, who was to be Co-Redemptrix, was not to be dissimilar from Me; rather, the five drops of blood which She gave Me from Her Most Pure Heart in order to Form My little Humanity, came from Her crucified Heart.  

MYSTERIUM FIDEI

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI
ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST

SEPTEMBER 3, 1965

 

A Final Prayer

75. May the most Blessed Virgin Mary, from whom Christ the Lord took the flesh that “is contained, offered, received” (81) in this Sacrament under the appearances of bread and wine, and may all the saints of God and especially those who were more inflamed with ardent devotion toward the Divine Eucharist, intercede with the Father of mercies so that this common belief in the Eucharist and devotion to it may give rise among all Christians to a perfect unity of communion that will continue to flourish.

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/08/18/the-blessed-virgin-mary-from-whom-christ-took-the-flesh/

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY INTO HEAVEN

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY INTO HEAVEN

“My daughter, the True Name of this Feast should be Feast of the Divine Will…” – Jesus to the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta

August 15 feast of the AssumptionFROM THE BOOK OF HEAVEN

V18 – 8.15.25 – After this, I began to think about the feast of my Celestial Mama Assumed into Heaven; and my sweet Jesus, with a tender and moving tone, added:  “My daughter, the true name of this Feast should be Feast of the Divine Will.  It was the human will that closed Heaven, broke the bonds with its Creator, made miseries and sorrow enter the field, and put an end to the feast that the creature was to enjoy in Heaven.  Now, this creature, Queen of all, by doing the Will of the Eternal One always and in everything – even more, it can be said that Her life was Divine Will alone – opened the Heavens, bound Herself to the Eternal One, and restored in Heaven the feasts with the creature.  Every act She did in the Supreme Will was a feast that She started in Heaven, it was suns that She formed to adorn this feast, it was melodies that She sent to delight the Celestial Jerusalem.  So, the true cause of this feast is the Eternal Will operating and fulfilled in my Celestial Mama.  It operated such prodigies in Her as to astonish Heaven and earth, chain the Eternal One with indissoluble bonds of love, and capture the Word even into Her womb.  The very Angels, enraptured, repeated among themselves:  ‘From where comes so much glory, so much honor, such greatness and prodigies never before seen, in this excelling Creature?  Yet, it is from the exile that She is coming.’  Astonished, they recognized the Will of their Creator as Life operating in Her; and, trembling, they said:  ‘Holy, Holy, Holy – honor and glory to the Will of Our Sovereign Lord.  And glory, and trice Holy – She who let this Supreme Will operate.’

So, it is my Will that, more than anything, was and is celebrated on the day of the Assumption into Heaven of my Most Holy Mother.  It was my Will alone that made Her ascend so high as to distinguish Her among all.  Everything else would have been as nothing, had She not possessed the prodigy of my Will.  It was my Will that gave Her Divine Fecundity and made Her the Mother of the Word.  It was my Will that made Her see and embrace all creatures together, becoming the Mother of all, and loving all with a love of Divine Maternity.  And making Her the Queen of all, It made Her rule and dominate.  On that day, my Will received the first honors, the glory and the abundant fruit of Its work in Creation, and It began Its feast, which It never interrupts, for the glorification of Its operating in my beloved Mother.  And even though Heaven was opened by Me, and many Saints were already in possession of the Celestial Fatherland when the Celestial Queen was assumed into Heaven, however, She Herself was the primary cause, having fulfilled the Supreme Will in everything, and therefore we waited for She who had honored It so much and contained the true prodigy of the Most Holy Will, to make the first feast for the Supreme Volition.  Oh! how the whole of Heaven magnified, blessed and praised the Eternal Will, upon seeing this sublime Queen enter the Empyreum, in the midst of the Celestial Court, all circumfused by the Eternal Sun of the Supreme Volition!  They saw Her all studded with the power of the Supreme Fiat; there had been not even a heartbeat in Her which did not have this Fiat impressed on it.  And, astonished, they looked at Her and said to Her:  ‘Ascend, ascend higher.  It is right that She who so much honored the Supreme Fiat, and through whom we find ourselves in the Celestial Fatherland, have the highest throne and be our Queen.’  And the greatest honor that my Mama received, was to see the Divine Will glorified.”

V24 – 8.15.28After this, I was thinking about and accompanying the Sovereign Queen when She was assumed into Heaven; and my sweet Jesus, moving in my interior, as though singing the praises of His Celestial Mother, told me: “My daughter, the glory of the Mama of Heaven is insuperable. No one else in the Celestial Regions possesses seas of graces, of light, seas of beauty and of sanctity, seas of power, of science and of love; and what is more, She possesses these seas within the endless Sea of Her Creator.

“The other inhabitants of the Blessed Fatherland possess, at most, some, little rivulets, some, little drops, some, little fountains. She is the only one, because She alone lived life in the Divine Fiat. Never did the human volition take place in Her—Her life was all of Divine Will; and by virtue of It, She centralized all creatures within Herself, conceiving them in Her maternal Heart, and bilocating Her Son Jesus as many times, to give Him to each creature whom She had conceived within Her virginal Heart. This is why Her Maternity is extended to all, and all can boast and say: ‘The Mother of Jesus is my Mother, and this Mother so sweet, lovable, loving, gives Her Beloved Son to each one of us as pledge of Her maternal love.’ Only My Will could give Her this virtue of conceiving all creatures as Her children, and of multiplying Her Jesus so many times for as many children as She had.

“Now, in Heaven, the height of the Sovereign Mother, possessing Her seas, does nothing but raise highest waves of light, of sanctity, of love, etc., unloading them over the throne of the Supreme Being who, so as not to be surpassed by Her love, having His own Sea, more extensive and more deep, forms His own waves, higher, from beneath the seas of the Virgin Queen, and pours them upon Her. And She prepares more waves, and God yet more, in such a way that the whole of Heaven remains flooded by these waves of light, of beauties, of love and the like—so much so, that all take part in them and enjoy. And in seeing that they, that is, the Blessed, cannot form these waves because they do not possess seas, they comprehend that if their Mother and Queen possesses all this, it is because She formed Her life and sanctity in the Divine Will.

“So, in the Virgin, the Saints know what Sanctity of Divine Will in the creature means, and therefore they long for more creatures to bring these seas into the Celestial Fatherland, so as to see more waves being formed, enchanting and of greater enjoyment for them. The earth does not yet know the sanctity in My Will, and this is why I so much yearn to make It known; but It is well known to Heaven because there is Sovereign Queen who, by merely seeing Her, makes Herself revealer of the Sanctity of My Fiat. So, by virtue of It, She was portent of graces on earth for Herself and for the whole human family, and She is portent of glory in the Celestial Fatherland, nor can any other creature be said to be similar to Her.”

V28 – 8.15.30 – I was thinking about my Celestial Mama in the act when She was assumed into Heaven, and was offering my little acts done in the Divine Fiat to give Her my homages, my praises for Her honor and glory.

But while I was doing this, my sweet Jesus told me: “My daughter, the glory, the greatness, the power of My Celestial Mama in Our Fatherland is insuperable. And do you know why? Her life on earth was lived inside Our Divine Sun; She never went out from within the abode of Her Creator; She knew nothing else but Our Will alone, She loved nothing else but Our interests, She asked for nothing else but Our Glory. It can be said that She formed the Sun of Her life within the Sun of Her Creator.

“So, whoever wants to find Her in the Celestial Dwelling, must come into Our Sun, where the Sovereign Queen, having formed Her Sun, spreads Her maternal rays for the good of all, and blazes with such beauty as to enrapture the whole of Heaven, all feeling twice as happy for having a Mother so holy, and a Queen so glorious and powerful. The Virgin is the first daughter, and the only one, who possesses Her Creator; and She is the only one to have lived life in the Sun of the Supreme Being. And since She drew Her life from this Eternal Sun, it is no wonder that, having lived of light, She formed Her most refulgent Sun that gladdens the whole Celestial Court.

“This is precisely what it means to live in My Divine Will: to live of light and to form one’s life within Our own Sun. This was the purpose of Creation—to have the creatures created by Us, Our beloved children, within Our own abode; to nourish them with Our own foods, to clothe them with royal garments, and to let them enjoy Our own goods. What terrestrial father and mother think of putting out of their home the birth of their womb, their dear children, and of not giving their inheritance to their own children? No one, I believe; on the contrary, how many sacrifices do they not make in order to render their children rich and happy? If a terrestrial father and a mother reach this, much more so does the Celestial Father. He wanted and loved His children to remain in His home, so as to keep them around Himself, to delight with them and keep them as the crown of His creative hands. But man, ungrateful, abandoned Our home, refused Our goods, and contented himself with going wandering, living in the darkness of his human will.”

V36 – 8.15.38 While my mind was swimming in the Sea of the Divine Will, I stopped at the Act in which my Mother and Queen was Assumed into Heaven.   How many Wonders, how many Enrapturing Surprises of Love. And my sweet Jesus, as if He felt the need to speak about His Celestial Mother, all festive told me: “My blessed daughter, today is the Feast of Assumption. This is the Most Beautiful, the Most Sublime, the Greatest Feast, in which We remain Glorified, Loved and Honored the most! Heaven and earth are Invested with an Unusual Joy, never before felt. The Angels and the Saints feel as if Invested with New Joys and New Happiness, and they all praise with New Songs the Sovereign Queen who, in her Empire, Rules over all, giving Joy to all!

“Today is the Feast of feasts—the Unique One, the New One, which was never repeated again. Today, the Day of the Assumption, celebrated for the first time the Divine Will Operating in the Sovereign Queen and Lady; the Marvels are Enchanting in each of Her smallest Acts, even in Her breathing, in Her motion. Many of Our Divine Lives can be seen flowing in Her Act as many Kings that, more than bright suns, inundate—surround and embellish Her—making Her so Beautiful as to form the Enchantment of the Celestial Regions. Do you think it’s nothing that each one of Her breaths, motions, works and Pains were filled with many of Our Divine Lives? This is exactly the Great Prodigy of My Will Operating in the creature: to form a Divine Life for each time It could enter the motion and the acts of the creature. Then, since My Fiat possesses the Virtue of Bilocation and Repetition—doing again and again without ceasing everything She does—so the Great Lady feels these Divine Lives multiplied within herself, that do nothing other than further extend Her Seas of Love, Beauty, Power and Infinite Wisdom! You must know that the Divine Lives She possesses are so Great and so many that, upon entering Heaven, they crowded the whole Celestial Region and, being impossible to contain them, they filled the whole Creation as well. Therefore, there is no place where Her Seas of Love and Power do not flow, along with the many of Our Lives of which She is Possessor and Queen.

“We can say that She Dominates Us and that We Dominate Her. By clothing Herself with Our Immensity, Power and Love, she populated all Our Attributes with Her Acts and with the many of Our Divine Lives that She had Conquered! Therefore, from every place and everywhere, We feel Ourselves being Loved and Glorified—inside and outside of Ourselves, from within all created things, in the most remote hiding places—by this Celestial Creature and by those same Divine Lives that Our Fiat formed in Her. O! Power of Our Will, only You can do such Prodigies to make Us Loved and Glorified as We deserve and want—to the extent of Creating many of Our Lives in the one who lets You Dominate. This is why She can give Her God to all, because She possesses Him. Even more, when She sees a creature disposed to receive Our Will, without losing one of Our Divine Lives, She has the Virtue of Reproducing, from within these Divine Lives that She possesses, yet another of Our Divine Lives to give to whomever she wants.

“This Virgin Queen is a continuous Prodigy. What She did on earth, She continues in Heaven; because, when the Divine Will Operates, both in the creature and in Ourselves, her acts never end, and, while remaining in It, they can be given to all. Does the sun, perhaps, cease to give its light to the human generation because it has given too much of it? Not at all. Even if it has given much, it is always rich in its light, and does not lose a single drop of it. Therefore, the Glory of this Queen is Insuperable because She possesses Our Operating Will, that has the Virtue of forming in the creature Eternal and Infinite Acts. She Loves Us always and Unceasingly with Our Lives that She possesses. She Loves Us with Our own Love. She Loves us everywhere. Her Love fills Heaven and earth and runs to pour Itself inside Our Divine Womb. And We Love Her so much that We cannot Live without Loving Her. While, in Loving Us, She Loves all, making everyone Love Us. How could We resist and not give her anything She wants? It is Our own Will that asks for what She wants, tying Us with Its Eternal Bonds so that We can refuse her nothing. This is why the Feast of the Assumption is the Most Beautiful one: it is the Feast of My Will Operating in this Great Lady, making Her so rich and Beautiful that the Heavens cannot contain Her. Even the Angels remain speechless, and don’t know how to describe what My Will does in the creature.”

After this, while my mind remained stupefied in thinking about the Great Prodigies that the Divine Fiat Worked and continues to Work in the Celestial Queen, my beloved Jesus added: “My daughter, Her Beauty is Unreachable. It enchants, it charms, it Conquers. Her Love is such that She offers Herself to all, Loving all—leaving behind her Seas of Love. She can be called Queen of Love, Winner of Love, because She Loved much, and through Love She won her God. You must know that, by doing his will, man broke the bonds with his Creator and with all created things. By the Power of Our Fiat, that She possessed, this Heavenly Queen tied her Creator to the creatures; tied all beings together—united them—put them back in Order and with Her Love, gave New Life to the human generations. Her Love was so Great as to cover and hide, inside Its Seas, weaknesses, evils, sins—the creatures themselves. O! If this Holy Virgin did not possess so much Love, it would be difficult for Us to look at the earth. Only Her Love makes Us look at It, but We want to give Our Will to Reign in the middle of the creatures because She wants it so. She wants to give to her children what She possesses, and by Love She will Win Us and Her children.”

Fiat!!!

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/08/15/feast-of-the-assumption-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-into-heaven/

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST

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Make Yourself a Saint

Make Yourself a Saint

“God’s invitation to become saints is for all, not just a few. Sanctity therefore must be accessible to all. In what does it consist? In a lot of activity? No. In doing extraordinary things? No, this could not be for everybody and at all times. Therefore, sanctity consists in doing good, and in doing this good in whatever condition and place God has placed us. Nothing more, nothing outside of this.”

– Blessed Louis Tezza (1841 – 1923)

LUISA PRAYING

FROM THE LETTERS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD, LUISA PICCARRETA

Letter #2  To Sister Giovannina.

Fiat

To my dear Sister M. Giovannina, in memory of her vows, always with Jesus.

The mind toward Heaven, the gaze to the Cross, the heart loving Him, the arms always in the act of hugging Him, the steps calling Him, the words saying always “Fiat”.  In each thing never escape from acquiring a degree of sanctity.  Make yourself a saint; Jesus wants it, make Him content.

The little daughter of the Divine Will

Corato, May 14, 1932

Letter #17 – Patience, trust, courage, is the bread of the strong, the heroism of martyrs.  Therefore, courage!  Those who think of the past lose the present.  The Lord has disposed everything:  crosses, illness, state of marriage; in a word – everything.  The Lord had to prepare the material in order to make of you a saint; and He has prepared enough of it.  So, all you have to say and do is this:  “The Heart of Jesus wants me a saint:  I must become a saint!”  Have we understood each other?

Now I assure you of my prayers for your children; then the Lord will console you even more.  I leave you in the Divine Volition to become a saint.  Never get disturbed in anything; rather, give all to Jesus, so that He may change it into flames of love.  Pray for me.  With a thousand regards, I say,

Letter #23So, I recommend to you:  make yourself a saint.  If Jesus gives you the means, the raw materials of sanctity, which are crosses, abandonments, humiliations – all raw materials to make us holy – take advantage of it, do not reject such a great good…

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/08/05/make-yourself-a-saint/

GOD THE FATHER AND THE DIVINE WILL

GOD THE FATHER AND THE DIVINE WILL

300px-Cima_da_Conegliano,_God_the_Father“Our Father…..Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven”

It is ironic that over the last two thousand years Christians have faithfully prayed this prayer given to us by Jesus, but the majority still do not know or love God the Father as He desires.

To pray “without the sentiment of love in [our] hearts weakens the prayer, making it less worthy”. (1) And therefore less effective.

In fact for most Christians “the Father is not known; one does not pray to Him, one does not think of Him……Many Christians turn away from the Father because they see Him as a fearful judge. They prefer to turn to the humanity of Christ and many ask Jesus to protect them from the wrath of the Father!” (2) “This paralyzing fear of God is one of the great human tragedies.” (3)

God the Father was glorified when He created the universe. The first to withdraw from the Divine Will was Satan. He then succeeded in getting Adam and Eve to doubt the goodness of God their Father: “That’s not true; you will not die. God said that, because he knows that when you eat it you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad”. (Genesis 3:4)

From the moment of doing his own will instead of the Divine Will, Adam immediately lost intimacy with God as his Father, instead becoming fearful and frightened of Him. “That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. But the Lord God called out to the man ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ God asked. ‘Did you eat the fruit that I told you not to eat?’ ” (Genesis 3:8-11)

In comparison Our Lady, who always remained in the Divine Will, revealed to Luisa Piccarreta: “I did nothing else than bring Myself upon the knees of my Celestial Father. I was tiny, not yet born; but the Divine Volition, whose Life I possessed gave Me free access to my Creator. For Me all the doors and the ways were fully open; nor was I frightened nor fearful of Him. The human will above all causes fright, fear, distrust and distances the poor creature from Him who loves it so much and who wants to be surrounded by his children. Thus, if the creature is frightened and fearful and does not know how to be as a child with its father to its Creator, it is a sign that the Divine Will does not reign in her and, thus, the creature experiences the tortures, the martyrdom of the human will.” (4)

“[The] whole mission [of Jesus] on earth is to make the Father known to men and so he ends his preaching on the kingdom saying ‘I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love which thou has loved me may be in them, and I in thee ‘ (Jn 17:26).” (5)

Thus Jesus tells Luisa: “My daughter, on earth I did nothing but give Myself into the mercy of the Will of the Father. Thus if I thought, I thought in the mind of the Father. If I spoke, I spoke in the mouth and with the tongue of the Father. If I worked, I worked in the hands of the Father. Even my breath breathed in Him……I was the carrier of the Father, for completely enclosed in His Will, I did nothing by Myself. My only thought was the Will of the Father.” (6)

Even as a small infant, Jesus was focused on the Father “Look at Me here, when, in My infantile state of two or three years, I withdrew from My Mamma; and down on My knees with My arms open in the form of a cross, I prayed to the Heavenly Father that He would have pity on mankind; and in My open arms I embraced all generations. My position was agonizing; so little, down on My knees with My little arms open to cry and pray.” (7)

The institution of the Eucharist was the fulfillment of Christ’s work on earth: ” ‘Holy Father, You sent Me upon the earth one day from Heaven to incarnate Myself in the womb of My Mother in order to save Our children…..Permit Me to incarnate Myself in each Host to continue their salvation and to be the Life of each of My children.’ The Father is moved at the tender and affectionate voice of the Son. He descends from Heaven. Now He is upon the altar united with the Holy Spirit to concur with the Son. Jesus pronounces the words of the Consecration with a resounding and moving voice; and, without leaving Himself, He creates Himself in that bread and wine.” (8)

As the Body of Christ, the Church continues His work on earth through the celebration of Holy Mass. Unfortunately, most Catholics participate at the Eucharist without fully comprehending that, “in the liturgy, Jesus is consistently directing us to the Father.” (9 ) The climax of every Mass occurs when, through the priest, we offer the Son back to the Father in the Doxology – “Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is Yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever.” Our acclamation of “AMEN!” is an act of Divine Will par excellence.

Now at this time in history, God the Father, Himself, has expressed His desire to reclaim His rights as Father of His children. “This is the time of grace, foreseen and awaited for all eternity!…..I am telling you all this now so that you realize that through this Work of Love, I have come to give you powerful help to free you from the tyrannical slavery which imprisons your souls and prevents you from tasting true freedom from which true happiness is derived…..Raise yourselves to this true dignity of children of God and learn to respect your greatness and I shall be more than every your most loveable and merciful FATHER.” (10)

The Father will be truly glorified when the Divine Will is done on earth as it in Heaven. “These are the times of the great return…..These are the times of the great mercy. The Father thrills with ardor and wills to pour out upon this poor humanity the torrents of his infinite love. The Father wants to mold with his hands a new creation where his divine imprint will be more visible, welcomed and received and his fatherhood exalted and glorified by all. The breath of this new creation will be the breathing of the love of the Father who will be glorified by all….And Jesus will reign………Jesus, who has taught you the prayer to invoke the coming of the reign of God upon earth, will at last see fulfilled this prayer of his, because He will restore his reign.” (11)

It is widely recognized that Saint John Paul was “the spark [from Poland] that will prepare the world” for the return of Jesus. (12)

He believed that the Great Jubilee Year 2000 would be a turning point – a “crossing of the threshold” for the Church and a sign of hope for the Third Millennium. By proclaiming the Year of God the Father in 1999, he sought to encourage Christians to understand that “Christian life is like a great pilgrimage to the house of the Father”.(13) The solemn opening of “The Holy Door” at the beginning of the Great Jubilee represented the words of Jesus: “I am the door” (Jn 10:7). This was in order to make it clear that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus. “The Jubilee, centered on the person of Christ, thus becomes a great act of praise to the Father”.(14) And the special Jubilee indulgence throughout the Jubilee Year was an important element disclosing the fullness of the Father’s mercy.

Saint Pope John Paul also understood that intimately connected with the coming of God’s Kingdom was Christ’s petition to the Father “that they may all be one.” “This is the great task which the Catholic Church must accomplish.”(15) As such it was central to the Jubilee. “‘Ecumenical’ prayer discloses this fundamental dimension of brotherhood in Christ, who died to gather together the children of God who were scattered, so that in becoming ‘sons and daughters in the Son’ (Eph 1:5) we might show forth more fully the mysterious reality of God’s fatherhood.” (16)

Saint Pope John Paul II was deeply aware that the divisions existing between Christians are contrary to Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper and that this has a world-wide effect . “In a certain sense the future of the world is at stake. The future of the Kingdom of God in the world is at stake.”(17)

The Divine Will of the Father is the Unity of all His children. “The Father’s great plan is for the gathering of the human race into one family united in love……..Everything must be subjected to the supreme power of the Father, so that He may penetrate and definitively transform humanity and the universe. That is the ultimate destiny of the world, the triumph of the Father’s love.”…(18)

In a singular way God the Father chose Mother Eugenia Ravasio for the mission to work and pray for this unity. One day she opened the Gospel randomly at John Chapter 17 – the Priestly Prayer of Jesus. ” ‘I read it more carefully than at other times and when I came to the part, ‘Holy FATHER, may we all become ONE’, I stopped. It seemed that everything was contained in those words: why Jesus became man and the purpose of His coming. Impulsively, I found myself responding: “Yes FATHER.” It was now clear what the FATHER wanted from me.” She then offered her life together with Jesus for this great ideal: “that all children in Jesus may be united with the FATHER, and that with Jesus, they may be the Glory of the FATHER.”(19)

In a sign that that Unity is central to the reign of the Divine Will on Earth, the Diocese of Trani was chosen as the birthplace of Luisa. It was here in 1054 that the first great schism took place in Christianity – between the Roman and Orthodox Churches with mutual excommunications. “God destined the site of the schism to become the birthplace of Luisa and the Divine Will that will unite the traditions of eastern and western Church in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.”( 20)

“The life and writings of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta exemplify these elements [of Eastern Christian spirituality], enrich the spiritual traditions of East and West, and illuminate the path to unity.” (21)

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, “the young man being embraced by the Father is no longer just one repentant sinner, but the whole of humanity returning to God. The broken body of the prodigal becomes the broken body of humanity……it becomes the summary of the history of our salvation.” (22)

The feast in the parable of the prodigal son can be seen as an analogy of the great rejoicing of the Father with the prophetic fulfillment of the “Our Father” in the Era of the Divine Will. This is prefigured by a feast specifically desired by God the Father in our times – The Feast of God our Father. He revealed to Mother Eugenia: “I desire to be known, loved and honored through a special devotion….I desire only this: that one day may be consecrated to honoring Me in a particular way, under the title of Father of all mankind….the first Sunday in August [or the 7th of August].” (23)

The father in the parable desires the feast and is impatient for it to take place. His exuberant joy is obvious: “The word ‘Quick’ with which the father exhorts his servants to bring his son the robe, ring, and sandals, expresses much more than a human impatience. It reveals the divine eagerness to inaugurate the new Kingdom that has been prepared from the beginning of time.” (24)

Likewise the Father rejoices when a soul who lives in the Divine Will unites with Him in His works. Luisa writes: “To live in the Divine Volition means to live inseparably, to do nothing by oneself, because, before the Divine Volition, the soul feels incapable of anything….Thus, she does all that the Father does. If the Father thinks, she makes hers the thoughts of the Father and does not have any other thoughts than those of the Father…….She does not live outside but inside of the Father so that she is the reflection and perfect likeness of the Father.” (25)

In this manner “[she] finds the little epoch of innocent Adam and she together with him, gives Me his innocent embraces, his chaste kisses, his love as child, and I oh, how happy I feel that I see My Paternity recognized, loved and honored, oh, how beautiful it is to see Myself Father and as such to feel Myself loved by My children, and I reciprocate (with) My kisses, My paternal embraces and I give them as right of (her) property, the infinite joy of My Paternity. What won’t I give to My children after I have been loved and recognized as Father.” (26)

Jesus declared to his disciples: “My food is to do the Will of Him who sent me and to complete His Work”. (John 4:34) And God the Father declares: “In truth My children, the Church, this society which I entrusted My Son to establish, will complete His Work by honoring the One who is its Author: your FATHER and Creator” [through the institution of a feast].(27)

“Feasts are a living catechesis and today there is an urgent need for a living catechesis on the Father…”(28) Souls who truly know God as their Father are more likely to ask Him earnestly for His Kingdom to come “as it is in Heaven”, rather than fear a loss of freedom through Its establishment on earth.

In turn the philosophical lie of Deism would be overthrown – a 17th century attack on God as Father which sought to turn Him into a cold, distant creator. It is a mindset that remains today: “The majority of the unfaithful, the impious and those of various separatist groups, remain in their wickedness and unbelief because they believe that I am asking the impossible of them; they think they have to submit to My commands like slaves to a tyrannical master who remains enveloped in his power and pride which keeps him distant from his subjects, forcing them to pay him respect and devotion. No, no, My children!” (29)

The Reign of the Divine Will on earth will be the end of the great rebellion – the rebellion of Adam and all his descendants.

” ‘Then the end will come, when He’ll deliver the kingdom to his God and Father (1 Cor 15:24) …..the Church must deepen her awareness of having come forth from the Father and of advancing toward Him. The liturgical feast of God the Father would express this awareness with greater clarity…..The liturgical cycle enables Christians to relive the unfolding of the mystery of salvation in its various stages and in its most important events. The Father is at the origin and at the conclusion of the mystery. The entire work of sanctification results from his paternal love and tends to produce, as its ultimate fruit, the return of humankind to him. His paternal role which is absolutely primordial and decisive, deserves to be recognized and venerated by a special feast.”(30)

Summary:

The Reign of the Divine Will on earth will continue to build within individual souls but will be complete only when the Father is universally known, loved and honored by all His children – perhaps through a special Feast.

The Unity of Christians will be central to the Reign of the Divine Will. “Christians would undoubtedly give great joy to the heart of the risen Lord if they managed to realize this project ‘ecumenically’; that is if all the churches agreed to celebrate together a Feast for the Father on the same day.”(31)

“Would such a feast not….draw souls towards a simple spirituality and a filial life with the Father through the confidence and abandonment to the Divine Will?” (32)

This total abandonment to the Father is absolutely necessary to live in the Divine Volition: “your full abandonment in the arms of our Celestial Father, no longer feeling your own life – is the image of the living in my Will.”(33 )

Footnotes:

1. Words of Jesus to Maureen Sweeney-Kyle Sept. 18, 1999.
2. Mother Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio, ‘Life for the Glory of the Father – The Message of God our Father given to Mother Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio’ , translated from Italian text: La Vita per la Gloria del Padre by Catherine Loft (Anzio: Missionarie “Unitas in Christo ad Patrem”; Distributor: Divine Mercy Publications Australia), p 72 – Bishop Alexander Caillot’s testimony of support.
3. Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming (London: Darton, Longman and Todd 1992) p.121
4.Luisa Piccarreta,’The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.’ Book of Heaven: The Call to the Creature to Return to the Order, to the Place, and to the Purpose for Which It was Created by God.’ English edition endorsed by Archbishop Carata (Jacksonville: The Center for the Divine Will 1996) p. 34,35 – Day Eight
5. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. CAP, Life in the Lordship of Christ: A Spiritual Commentary on the Letter to the Romans, trans. Frances Lonergan Villa (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1992) p. 97
6. Luisa Piccarreta ‘Book of Heaven: The Call to the Creature to Return to the Order, to the Place, and to the Purpose for Which It was Created by God.’ English edition endorsed by Archbishop Carata (Jacksonville: The Center for the Divine Will 1996) Vol. 12. August 14, 1917
7. (ibid) Vol 19 June 6, 1926
8. Luisa Piccarreta The Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Jacksonville: The Center for the Divine Will 1996) 8pm
9. Statement by Father Peter Dwyer: “In the Holy Mass, Jesus is consistently directing us to the Father. The Opening Prayer (the Collect) always begins with an invocation that is addressed to the Father and we are directed in the penitential Rite to ‘ask the Father’s forgiveness [for our sins], for he is full of gentleness and compassion.’ Every Preface of the Mass, no matter what season of the year, begins by addressing the Father – ‘Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, etc’, and then acknowledges that thanks is given through Jesus.”
10. Ravasio, ‘Life for the Glory of the Father’ p, 119
11. Don Stefano Gobbi ,’To the Priests, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons’ (Milan: Centro Internationale del M.S.S., 1997 – 11th Oceania Edition) p. 559 July 3rd, 1987
12. Faustina Kowalska, ‘Divine Mercy in My Soul – the Diary of the Servant of God Sister M. Faustina Kowalska’ (Stockbridge: Marian Press 1987) p. 612; Diary Entry 1732
13. John Paul II,’The Third Millennium’ (Australian Edition – Homebush: St. Paul’s 1994)n.49; p.73
14. (ibid) p.74
15. John Paul II, ‘That They May All Be One’ (Australian Edition – Homebush: St. Paul’s 1995)n.61;
p.72
16. (ibid) n.25; p.33
17. John Paul II, ‘Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (London: Random House 1994) p.151
18. Galot, Abba Father, We Long To See Your Face: Theological Insights into the First Person of the Trinity, trans. M. Angeline Bouchard (New York: Society of St. Paul, 1992) p. 225,226
19. Ravasio ,’ Life for the Glory of the Father’ p 39,40
20. The Pious Universal Union for the Children of the Divine Will – Newsletter No. 108 May 1st, 2011
21. Hugh Owen,Thy Kingdom Come – The Life and Mission of Luisa Piccarreta (Caryville:The Luisa Piccarreta Center for the Divine Will, 2007) Appendix i
22 Nouwen,The Return of the Prodigal Son’ p. 58
23. Ravasio, ‘ Life for the Glory of the Father’ p.97
24. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son’ p. 112
25. Piccarreta, Book of Heaven’ Vol. 12. August 14, 1917
26. (ibid) Vol. 33 February 10, 1934
27. Ravasio, ‘Life for the Glory of the Father’ p.109
28. Cantalamessa, ‘Life in the Lordship of Christ’ p.116
29. Ravasio,’Life for the Glory of the Father’ p.115
30. Galot, ‘Abba Father we long to see Your Face’ p.225,226
31. Cantalamessa, ‘Life in the Lordship of Christ’ p.116
32. Ravasio, ‘Life for the Glory of the Father ‘ p. 74 Bishop Alexander Caillot’s testimony
33. Piccarreta’ Book of Heaven’ Vol. 19 April 16, 1926

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/08/02/god-the-father-and-the-divine-will/

The Portiuncula Indulgence

 The Portiuncula Indulgence

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/08/2-august-until-midnight-portiuncula-plenary-or-partial-indulgence/

Plenary indulgence goes from noon on August 1 until midnight August 2.  Two Masses during the All Night Vigil will cover each day! 

 On a hot July evening in the year 1216 Saint Francis of Assisi at prayer devoured by his love for God and a thirst to save souls was visited upon by Our Blessed Savior and Our Blessed Mother. Our Lord spoke to him “Francis you are very zealous for the good souls. Ask me what you want for their salvation.” Francis answered that he wanted an indulgence to all those who enter this church,(The Portiuncula)  who are truly contrite and have confessed their sins. Our Lord consented to Francis’ wish, but only after he received approval from Pope Honorius III. The pope granted this petition, and this indulgence has been extended to all parish churches throughout the world from noon August 1 until midnight on August 2.

The conditions to obtain the Plenary Indulgence of the Forgiveness of Assisi (for oneself or for a departed soul) are as follows:

* Sacramental confession (during eight days before or after the dates below)

* Participation in the Mass and Eucharist.

* Recitation of the Apostles’ Creed, Our Father and a prayer for the pope’s intention.

The Portiuncula Indulgence is a grace not to be missed, not only for yourself but for the many souls suffering in purgatory.

The dates are from noon on August 1 until midnight on August 2, the feast of Our Lady of the Angels.

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/07/31/the-portiuncula-indulgence/

FEAST DAY OF SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANN PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

FEAST DAY OF SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANN

PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

St. Joachim and Anne FROM THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY IN THE KINGDOM OF THE DIVINE WILL

Day 13

Now, my child, listen to Me. I had just turned three years old when my parents let Me know that they wanted to consecrate Me to the Lord in the temple. My heart rejoiced in hearing this – about consecrating Myself and spending my years in the house of God. But beneath my joy there was a sorrow: the privation of the dearest persons one can have on earth – my dear parents. I was little, I needed their paternal cares; I was depriving Myself of the presence of two great saints. Moreover, I saw that as the day approached on which they were to deprive themselves of Me, who rendered their lives full of joy and of happiness, they felt such bitterness as to feel they were dying. But though suffering, they were disposed to make the heroic act of taking Me to the Lord.

My parents loved Me in the order of God, and considered Me a great gift, given to them by the Lord. This gave them the strength to make the painful sacrifice. Therefore, my child, if you want to have an invincible strength to suffer the hardest pains, let all of your things be in the order of God, and hold them as precious gifts given to you by God.

 Day 15

Now listen to Me, my child; I arrived at the Temple only to live of Divine Will. My holy parents delivered Me to the superiors of the temple, consecrating Me to the Lord; and while they were doing so, I was dressed up in a festal manner, and hymns and prophecies were sung, which regarded the future Messiah. Oh, how my Heart rejoiced!

Afterwards, with courage, I said good-bye to my dear and holy parents; I kissed their right hands, and I thanked them for the care they took of my childhood, and for having consecrated Me to the Lord with so much love and sacrifice. My peaceful presence, without crying and courageous, infused so much courage in them, that they had the strength to leave Me and to depart from Me. The Divine Will ruled over Me and extended Its Kingdom in all of these acts of mine. Oh, power of the Fiat –You alone could give Me the heroism to separate myself from those who loved Me so much, even though I was so little and I saw that they felt their hearts break in separating themselves from Me!

 

Permanent link to this article: https://bookofheaven.org/2014/07/26/feast-day-of-saints-joachim-and-ann-parents-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/