“If in Christ, Priesthood and victimhood are inseparable, should this not be so in ‘other-Christ’s’? Why have we considered ourselves only as offerers and not as offered, as preachers and not as sin-bearers, as social workers and not as redeemers? The priest is called to be a sin-bearer, as Christ was. This does not mean that he must wear hair shirts. Penance does not require hair shirts today; our neighbors are hair shirts. Victimhood means that we feel the guilt and sin of the world as if it were our own, and by constant union with Christ, seek to reconcile all mankind to Him. Love means identification with others – not only with the sheepfold, but also those who are not in it. If sin were finished, the Priest need only be a Priest; but if Calvary is continuing then the glorified Christ can still ask: why do you persecute me?”

– Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Those Mysterious Priests)

Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest. Madonna and Child between Saint Francis and Saint Bernardine of Siena Benozzo Gozzoli

Click image for information about Saint Bernardine of Siena

Collect:
O God, who gave the Priest Saint Bernardine of Siena
a great love for the holy Name of Jesus,
grant, through his merits and prayers,
that we may ever be set aflame
with the spirit of your love.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:57-62
As they were going along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head.” To another He said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”.

– See more at: http://www.wf-f.org/StBernardine.html#sthash.oTu0oqxY.dpuf

FROM THE LETTERS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD, LUISA PICCARRETA

Letter #106 – So, dear Father, let us pray.  Let us do this Will so Holy and let us live in It.  May It be our breath and heartbeat.  If we do so, we will be carried in the Divine Arms; It will lower Itself to breathe in our breathing, to beat in our heartbeat, to move in our motion.  Then, in the ardor of our love, we will say to Him:  “I love You for all, and for love of You, I give You the heartbeat, the breath and the motion of all.”

Letter # 122 – Therefore, let us pray and let us never allow the Divine Will to escape us – both in small and in great things, both in spiritual and in natural things – because everything is of God, and it is just that we recognize the Divine Will as prime act in everything (…)

Letter #131 – How happy we will be, thinking that in every little act of ours – even in the breath, in the motion, in the steps – we will form as many Jesuses, as many Divine Lives, for as many acts as we do!  Oh, how Jesus longs for this, reaching the point of counting the minutes, the breaths, to form His life in the acts of the creature and say:  “The creature loves Me with my own Love; she adore Me, she prays to Me with My own prayers…”  In this way we will populate the Sun, the earth, the sea, with many Divine Lives.  Then will our lives live hidden in God, and we will do what the Lord wants and does.  Therefore, let us pray, in order to obtain such a great good.

Letter #133 – Poor Jesus, how much He suffers!  And how He sighs and cries because the creatures do not pray Him, do not press Him to concede them the gift of living in the Will of God.  And if He finds one, He takes her in His arms, He makes feasts, He feels like a victorious King who, although He had to suffer for six thousand years receiving wounds and defeats, has now finally made His first conquest.  And He enjoys her triumphantly, calling all of Heaven to celebrate His first victory.  And while He makes feast, He places His Sanctity, His Love, His Light, His graces, at the creature’s disposal, and gives her the right to her Celestial Fatherland…

Letter # 87 – Now, I let you know that I receive Holy Communion every day, and Holy Mass once a week, while, before, even when I went out of the convent, It was celebrated every day.  

Letter #125 – …You will certainly not neglect to make Holy Masses be celebrated for her soul.

Letter #51 – It takes trust and love with blessed Jesus; the braver we are, the more He loves us.  Your fear of receiving Communion comes from the enemy; he would be pleased if we formed more firewood for hell, otherwise he would not have told you this, nor caused so many fears within you.  On the contrary, I tell you that when you abstain because of fear, you form firewood for Purgatory, and the Communions you do not receive on earth, you will receive them with fire in Purgatory, because Jesus burns with love in the Most Holy Sacrament and wants to come into our hearts in order to pour His flames out; while if we abstain, He burns more, becoming fidgety and delirious, and with Justice He will make us burn more in Purgatory.  Therefore, think only of loving Jesus, of how to make Him happier, and love will destroy all the wood and, as celestial dew, will cover you and purify you from everything.

Letter #23 – I send you Jesus to keep you company.  Keep your gaze fixed in Him to imitate Him, your heart to love Him, your hands to hug Him, your lips to repeat always:  Fiat, Fiat!

Letter # 102 – Therefore, courage and trust.  With courage we will challenge everyone, and with trust we will live safely in the Heart and in the Arms of our sweet Jesus; our Queen Mama will take us on Her knees and will keep us hidden under Her Blue Mantle.  I leave you in the Divine Volition to make yourself a saint.  I recommend to you:  let us not change in the different circumstances of life; many times they serve to make us copy and imitate our dear Jesus.

DIVINE MARTYRDOM – BECOMING A SAINT

 Here is one of the most wonderful and terrifying sentences I have ever read, from William Law’s Serious Call, “If you will look into your own heart in utter honesty, you must admit that there is one and only one reason why you are not even now a saint. You do not wholly want to be.”

That insight is terrifying because it is an indictment, but it is wonderful and hopeful because it is also an offer, an open door. Each of us can become a saint. We really can. We really can. I say it three times, because I think we do not really believe that deep down. For if we did, how could we endure being anything less?

What holds us back? Fear of paying the price. What is the price? The answer is simple. T. S. Eliot gave it when he defined Christianity as “a condition of complete simplicity…costing not less than everything.” The price is everything—100 percent. Martyrdom, if required, and probably a worse martyrdom than the quick noose or stake, the martyrdom of dying daily, dying every minute for the rest of your life. Dying to all your desires and plans—including your plans about how to become a saint. (Peter Kreeft, Culture War)

FROM THE LETTERS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD, LUISA PICCARRETA

 Letter #10 – “My daughter, forget about everything, and remember only that your Jesus wants love in order to give you love.  If you love Me, you will form chains of love, and binding Me with them, you will hold Me tightly in your arms, and I will be your defense, your help, your company, your life.”  So, make Jesus content, and do not lose simplicity; do not lose time.  Each thought of yourself is a gap of love that you form; you deny Jesus an act of love, and keep Jesus sighing for your little love.  Think about it, and be attentive.

 Letter #99 – More so, since every time we do an act in the Divine Will, the human will goes through a martyrdom – not of blood, but of will, which never dies.  And the Lord is so pleased that He places on it the seal of a divine martyrdom.  So we can say to God:  “I am your continuous martyr.  I die not just once, but so many times for as many times I don’t do my will…”  Enough for now; let us move to something else.

Letter #100 – You are right in what you say to me, and I add:  what we should care about is to live dissolved in the Holy Will.  In each one of our acts, also natural, done in the Divine Will, in the most tiny things, even in one breath, we can form a martyrdom, not human, but divine – more noble, more holy than the martyrdom of shedding our blood, to offer to Jesus His infinite Love, His Sanctity which has no beginning and no end.

Letter #105 – and I wish you a greater martyrdom, more noble and divine, more heroic and more accepted by God – that is, the martyrdom of the Divine Will.  This martyrdom surpasses all other martyrdoms; even more, as many times as you do the Will of God instead of doing yours, so many times will you be able to say:  “I am martyr for You; the martyrdom I offer You is not of blood or of flesh, but with my will united to Yours, I offer You a divine martyrdom.”  Goodness of God!  If only our acts enter the Divine Volition, everything is changed into divine in us, and what is human has no longer life.

Here is my wish.  I could not send you a more beautiful one; more so, since the opportunities are not lacking.  In all circumstances, even painful, you will have a refuge in which to take shelter.  Jesus is waiting for you open arms to receive you and to help you to form in you the noble martyrdom of the Divine Will.

Letter #12 – Therefore, what I recommend to you is to correspond to such a great good.  Be attentive to listening to sweet Jesus, Who speaks in your heart.  He wants to make of you a saint, but wants your will in His hands in order to make of it a prodigy of sanctity.

 Letter #13 – What I recommend to you is to look at the Divine Will in all things, both the favorable and the adverse – painful, sorrowful ones – and in the contrasts of life which no one lacks; rather, blessed Jesus allows them in order to form the little rocks on which to raise the building of sanctity within us, since without Cross we would lack the primary element to becoming saints… Saying,  “I don’t mean to become a saint”  means that you rely too much on yourself; you look at yourself instead of abandoning yourself in the arms of Jesus.  Lean on Him, and you will see that all things – pains, crosses, miseries, weaknesses, the very defects, and illness – will lose their look and will all turn into messengers and bearers of sanctity.  Sweet Jesus gave you everything to make of you a saint:  call to religion, crosses, nourishment… And if you sin and are not holy, do you want to know the cause?  Lack of union with Jesus.  Union with Jesus floors all sins, love kills all passions, and abandonment in Him and trust are the nourishment in order to grow in sanctity.  Here is the means to sin no more:  to be united with Jesus, love Him, and always do His Will.

Don’t think about the past, this harms you a great deal; rather, even today, begin your life with Jesus and you will find out for yourself  how all things change for you; you will feel like another man, born again in all that is holy.

Lastly, I tell you that if Jesus made me write as many as two times (which I do for almost no one), it is because He loves you and wants you a saint.  Therefore I beg you to do the deeds.  I leave you in the Divine Volition, clasped within the arms of Jesus.

Letter #15 – Now let’s come to us.  You say you have many crosses.  Good sign, my daughter.  Crosses are divine jealousies and little coins that our Lord gives us.  His jealousy is the great love He has in making of us saints; He takes everyone away from us and He Himself, God, Maker and Martyr, with little crosses and with His own hands, works our souls and makes of them His images.  What love for us, as we can say, through little and large crosses,  “I am similar to my dear Jesus”!

But do you want to know why you feel the weight of your miseries?  Because many times you do not try to be together with Jesus and to convince yourself that He is already with you, and you do not unite the pains of Jesus with yours.  Before the pains of Jesus, yours lose hardness, empty themselves of their weight, become small, and almost smile, because they love to adorn our souls with the same ornaments as those with which we see Jesus being adorned.  What pleasure, what joy, to be able to say:  “You have suffered for me, and I for You”!  Together with Jesus, pains change their look, miseries disappear; and from pains, miseries and weaknesses the most beautiful conquests, celestial riches and the strength of God arise, and the very Angels and Saints envy our lot.

Therefore, my daughter, here is the secret to becoming a saint:  be together with Jesus, never deny Him anything, and in everything you do, even in necessary things of life – in the pains you suffer, in the prayers you say, in the work, in the food, in the sleep, say to Him from the heart:  “Jesus, I want to do always your Will.”  In this way, you will always keep the Fiat on your lips, in your mind, and in your heart.

Letter #17 – 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,

most affectionately yours,

 the little daughter of the Divine Will

Corato, January 5, 1935

Letter #31 – When there is prayer, the hour of the Lord will come and He will give us more than we ask for.  Our part must be to remain always in our place, to always do the Divine Will, because this is the greatest of miracles, and Our Lord will provide and take care of everything; more than that we ourselves would not do.  If we always do the Divine Will, our names will be written in Heaven and our salvation, our sanctity, will be secured.  Jesus will be all ours; and what will He not give to us?  Everything.  Therefore, think about making yourself a saint, and the rest will come by itself.

Letter #52 –   If you want to be a saint, search only for Jesus and take from Jesus all that He disposes – privations, lack of help, even spiritual… My daughter, until you strip yourself of everything, even of holy tastes, Jesus, the kidnapper of hearts, will not give you His divine tastes, and therefore you will be always shaken and beaten, now by one wave, now by another one…

I conclude, enclosing you in the wound of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus, so that He may bless you, console you, and hold you tightly in His arms.  Pray for me…

The little daughter of the Divine Will

Letter #60 – As far as the future, don’t worry about it either, because it is not ours, but belongs to God.  We must obey and make ourselves saints, not for our interest, but for the glory of God.  So, banish every doubt, since doubt, fear and agitation do not come from God, but from the devil; rather, think of loving and doing the Will of God, because with doubts we displease the Lord much more than if we sinned.

Letter #61- everything is in denying nothing to the Divine Will.  To deny something to It, not letting oneself be dominated by It, means to break the sanctity, to tear it to shreds, in such a way that we ourselves will not be able to make head or tail of anything, in order to really become saints.

Letter #63 – Oh, how the Divine Will wants you a saint!  But It wants you to call It continuously, in order to make the day of peace arise in your soul, and make all the miseries which prevent true sanctity, magically disappear from your heart.  The Divine Fiat awaits you, to say to you:  “Give me life in your acts and I will make you a saint.  And everything will turn into happiness.”

Letter #72 – We must be convinced that not the great things make us saints, but the little ones, which we have in our power and which serve as the nourishment of sanctity.

Letter #80 – If you want to be a saint, live always with Jesus.  He takes on the commitment to make of you His faithful copy, to the extent of being able to say:  “Jesus has made of me another Jesus.”  These are His aims.  My daughter, make Him content.

Letter #82- If you want to be a saint, live always with Jesus.  He takes on the commitment to make of you His faithful copy, to the extent of being able to say:  “Jesus has made of me another Jesus.”  These are His aims.  My daughter, make Him content.

Letter #108 – It is Jesus that wants His daughter similar to Himself; aren’t you happy?  So, do not care about anything else but to live abandoned in His Arms.  With this you will feel a new strength, and you will no longer feel alone; sufferings will turn for you into sanctity and into celestial joys.  Dear Jesus will give you His pains as courting, strength and company.

FORTITUDE, THE GIFT TO OVERCOME DIFFICULT MOMENTS

FROM THE LETTERS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD LUISA PICCARRETA

Letter # 80

“…what I recommend is that you never lose peace, and that do not think of your miseries and weaknesses.  The more you think about them, the more you will feel them, and you will really make Jesus cry.  On the other hand, by not thinking of them, dear Jesus will cover them with His Love, and the Light of His Will will change them into fortitude and divine riches.  Oh, how I wish you would occupy yourself with nothing but living from the Divine Will, to let sweet Jesus live always together with you.  Never lose sight of Him, my daughter; never leave Him alone in your heart.  May everything you do serve to court and love Jesus.  He looks at everything you do, whether they are things directed to love Him and keep Him company within your heart.  Oh, how embittered He remains when your external acts do not echo in your interior, bringing Him your kisses, your love, your longed for company… If you want to be a saint, live always with Jesus.  He takes on the commitment to make of you His faithful copy, to the extent of being able to say:  “Jesus has made of me another Jesus.”  These are His aims.  My daughter, make Him content.

“WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CRUCIFIX, YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH JESUS LOVED YOU.  WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SACRED HOST YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH JESUS LOVES YOU NOW.”

-MOTHER TERESA

Every day, Jesus humbles Himself just as He did when He came from His Heavenly Throne into the Virgin’s Womb; everyday He comes to us and lets us see Him in abjection, when He descends from the Bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.

-St. Francis of Assisi 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

Good Shepherd Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter in the Catholic liturgical calendar; that is, the Sunday three weeks after Easter Sunday. The name derives from the gospel readings on this day which are taken from the 10th chapter of John. In this reading Christ is described as the Good Shepherd who, by dying on the Cross, lays down his life for his sheep. In the Traditional (pre-1970) Latin Liturgy (see Tridentine Mass), this Mass is said on the Second Sunday after Easter, i.e., the Sunday after “Low Week” (the week beginning with Quasimodo or “Low” Sunday).

In recent times the feast day has also become known as Vocations Sunday, a day on which prayers should be said for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

(Wikipedia)

HAPPY AND BLESSED MOTHER’S DAY

TO OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY

LITTLE MAMA LUISA, AND TO ALL MOTHERS

CLICK IMAGE FOR A BEAUTIFUL ACCOUNT OF “MARY, MOTHERHOOD AND THE HOME” BY ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN

THE VIRGIN MARY IN THE KINGDOM OF THE DIVINE WILL

 Maternal Appeal of the Queen of Heaven

Dearest child, I feel the irresistible need to come down from Heaven to make you my maternal visits. If you assure Me of your filial love and faithfulness, I will remain always with you in your soul, to be your teacher, model, example and most tender Mother.

I come to invite you to enter into the Kingdom of your Mama – 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 and your happiness also on earth. 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 compassionate and powerful hand which will raise you again. If you feel afflicted, you will find comfort; if cold, the surest way 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 all her every maternal care will take on the commitment to making you happy. I, Celestial Empress, will take care of all your needs, provided that you agree to live united with Me.

If you knew my yearnings, my ardent sighs, and also the tears I shed for my children…! If you knew how I burn with desire that you listen to my lessons, all of Heaven, and learn to live of Divine Will…!

In this book you will see wonders; you will find a Mama who loves you so much as to sacrifice her own beloved Son for you, in order to allow you to live of that very life from which She lived on earth.

O please! Do not give Me this sorrow – do not reject Me. Accept this gift of Heaven I am bringing you; welcome my visit and my lessons. Know that I will go all over the world; I will go to each individual, to all families, to religious communities, to every nation, to all peoples, and if needed, I will go about for entire centuries until, as Queen, I have formed my people, and as Mother, my children, who would know the Divine Will and let It reign everywhere. Here is the purpose of this book explained to you. Those who will welcome it with love will be the first fortunate children to belong to the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat, and with gold characters I will write their names in my maternal Heart.

Do you see, my child? That same infinite love of God, which wanted to use Me in the Redemption to make the Eternal Word descend upon earth, is now calling Me into the field once again, entrusting to Me the difficult task, the sublime mandate to form the children of the Kingdom of His Divine Will on earth. Therefore, with maternal care I put myself to work, preparing for you the way which will lead you to this happy Kingdom. For this purpose I will give you sublime and celestial lessons and, finally, I will teach you special and new prayers, through which you will bind the heavens, the sun, the Creation, my very life and that of my Son, and all the acts of the saints, so that in your name they may beseech the adorable Kingdom of the Divine Will. These prayers are the most powerful because they bind the divine work itself. Through them God will feel disarmed and conquered by the creature. Confident of this help, you will hasten the coming of His most happy Kingdom, and with Me you will obtain that the Divine Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, according to the desire of the Divine Master.

Courage, my child; make Me content, and I will bless you.

Prayer to the Celestial Queen for each day of the month of May

Immaculate Queen, my Celestial Mother, I come onto your maternal knees to abandon myself in your arms as your dear child, and to ask of You, with the most ardent sighs – in this month consecrated to You – the greatest of graces: that You admit me to live in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.

Holy Mama, You who are the Queen of this Kingdom, admit me to live in It as your child, that It may no longer be deserted, but populated by your children. Therefore, Sovereign Queen, I entrust myself to You, that You may lead my steps into the Kingdom of the Divine Will; and clinging to your maternal hand, You will lead all of my being to live perennial life in the Divine Will. You will be my Mama, and to You, my Mama, do I give my will, that You may exchange it with the Divine Will, and so I may be sure I will not go out of Its Kingdom. Therefore I beg You to illumine me in order to make me comprehend what ‘Will of God’ means.

 Hail Mary…

Little Sacrifice of the Month:

Each morning, midday and night – three times a day – let us go onto the knees of our Celestial Mama, and say to Her: “My Mama, I love You; and You – love me, and give a sip of Divine Will to my soul. Give me your blessing, that I may do all of my actions under your maternal gaze.

DAY 3 – My child, listen to Me; it is the heart of a mother that speaks to you, and as I see that you want to listen to Me, My Heart rejoices and feels the sure hope that My child will take possession of the Kingdom of the Divine Will, which I possess within My maternal Heart to give to My children. Therefore, be attentive in listening to Me, and write all My words within your heart, that you may always meditate on them, and mold your life according to My teachings.

DAY 4 – My child, if you knew how much I love to hold you tightly in my arms, leaning on my maternal Heart, to let you hear the celestial secrets of the Divine Fiat…! And if you sigh so much to listen to Me, those are my sighs that echo in your heart; it is your Mama that wants her child, and wants to entrust Her secrets to her, and to narrate to her the story of that which the Divine Will operated in Me.

Child of my Heart, pay attention to Me: it is my Heart of Mother that wants to pour itself out with her child.

I want you to imitate your Mama, I ask you, as a Mother, never to deny anything to your God, even though they might be sacrifices that would last all your life.

DAY 5 – You know that I am your Mother, and a Mama wants to see her child happy; but how can you be happy if you do not decide to live without the human will, as your Mama lived? If you do so, I will give you everything; I will place myself at your disposal, and I will be all for my child, provided that I receive the good, the contentment, the happiness, of having a child who lives all of Divine Will.

DAY 6 – I loved you so much that I acted as your Mother before God; my prayers and my sighs were for you, and in the delirium of a Mother, I said: “Oh, how I wish to see my child possessor of everything, just as I am!”

DAY 8 – Without knowing then that I was going to be the Mother of the Divine Word, I felt a double maternity in Me: maternity toward God, to defend His just rights; and maternity toward the creatures, to bring them to safety. I felt I was the 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 rule of Divine Justice. Oh, how many tears I shed! I wanted to make my tears descend into each heart, in order to let everyone feel my maternity, all of love. I cried for you and for all, my child. Therefore, listen to Me; have pity on my crying. Take my tears in order to dampen your passions, and to make your will lose life. O please! accept my mandate – that you do always the Will of your Creator.

DAY 10 – I wanted to act as Queen and Mother, enclosing everyone in my Heart, to bring everyone to safety, and to give them the great gift of the Divine Kingdom. In my Heart I had a place for everyone, because for one who possesses the Divine Will there are no constraints – only infinite expanses. I looked also at you, my child – no one escaped Me. And since on that day everyone celebrated my birth, it was also feast for Me.

DAY 11 – I wanted to act as Queen and Mother, enclosing everyone in my Heart, to bring everyone to safety, and to give them the great gift of the Divine Kingdom. In my Heart I had a place for everyone, because for one who possesses the Divine Will there are no constraints – only infinite expanses. I looked also at you, my child – no one escaped Me. And since on that day everyone celebrated my birth, it was also feast for Me.

DAY 15 – My dearest child, how sweet is your whispering to my ears – hearing you say that you want to be enclosed in the living temple of the Divine Will, and that you want no other company but that of your Jesus and mine. Ah, dear child, you make the joys of a true Mother arise in my maternal Heart! If you let Me do it, I am certain that my child will be happy, and my joys will be hers; and to have a happy child is the greatest happiness and glory of a maternal heart.

DAY 17 – Cheer up, my child – have courage and trust in your Mama, and an iron resolution never to give life to your will. Oh, how I would love to hear from your lips: “My Mama, my will is finished, and the Divine Fiat has total empire within me.” These are the weapons which make it die continuously, and which conquer the Heart of your Mama to use all the loving arts of Mother, so that Her child may live in the Kingdom of Her Mama.

DAY 20 – My child, you must know that from the moment I was conceived, I loved you as Mother, I felt you within my Heart, I burned with love for you, but I did not understand why. The Divine Fiat would make me do things, but would keep the secret hidden from Me. But as He incarnated Himself, He revealed the secret to Me, and I understood the fecundity of my maternity – I was to be not only Mother of Jesus, but Mother of all; and this maternity was to be formed on the stake of suffering and of love. My child, how much I have loved you, and I do love you!

DAY 22 – And I, in order to fulfill the Supreme Volition, deprived Myself of my innocent joys, beginning, with works and sacrifices, the office of Mother – of giving Jesus to all.

DAY 23

Therefore, in addition to the right of Mother which I had over all, I acquired the right of Mother and Queen of all Sorrows.

DAY 28 – Now, listen to Me, my child; I want to speak to you as a Mother who loves her child very much.

DAY 31 – I want to make my testament to you, leaving you as dowry that same Will which your Mama possesses, and which filled Me with so much grace, to the point of making of Me the Mother of the Word, Lady and Queen of the Heart of Jesus, and Mother and Queen of all.

Meditation 1 – As I became Mother of Jesus and your Mother, my seas of love doubled, and unable to contain them all, I felt the need to pour them out, and to be the first bearer of Jesus to creatures, even at the cost of great sacrifices.

Meditation 4 – My dearest child, my Heart of Mother rejoiced at the faithfulness, the correspondence and the 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. 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 painful 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 suffering, a disillusion, an unexpected fortune, are as many stars which shed light in the minds of creatures. Caressing them, they want to make them find the Celestial Infant, who fidgets with love, shivers with cold, and seeks a refuge in their hearts to be 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 restrained and hindered. While I am the Mother of Jesus, I am prevented from being the Mother of all, because they are not around Me, and do not look for Jesus. So the stars hide, and they remain in the Jerusalems of the world, without Jesus. What sorrow, my child, what sorrow! It takes correspondence, fidelity and 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 they entered Jerusalem, the holy Magi Kings 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 Mother’s love, and the dear Baby looked at them with great love and majesty, letting His Divinity shine through His little Humanity. Bowing down, they knelt at His feet, adoring and contemplating that celestial beauty; they recognized Him as true God. They remained enraptured, ecstatic – enjoying Him; so much so, that the Celestial Baby had to withdraw His Divinity into His Humanity, otherwise they would have remained there, unable 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 faith and adoration, the myrrh of their whole beings and of any sacrifice He might have wanted of them, they added the offering of external gifts, symbols 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 did they kiss Him and press Him to their breasts! They felt paradise in advance within them. Through 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 ruling over all with the weapons of His love, of His pains and of His tears, 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, of His ardent love; I recommended that they make Him known to all, and assuming the first place of Mother and Queen of all Apostles, I blessed them, I had them blessed by the dear Baby, and, happy and in tears, they left again for their regions. But I did not leave them; I accompanied them with maternal affection, and to repay them, I let them feel Jesus in their hearts. How happy they were! You must know that only when I see that my Son has dominion, possession, and forms His perennial dwelling in the hearts of those who search for Him and love Him – then do I feel a true Mother.

Now a little word to you, my child: if you want Me to act as your true Mother, let me place Jesus in your heart. You will make Him happy with your love; you will feed Him with the food of His Will, because He takes no other food; You will clothe Him with the sanctity of your works. And I will come into your heart, I will raise my dear Son again together with you, and will perform the office of Mother for you and for Him; in this way I will feel the pure joys of my maternal fecundity. You must know that anything which does not begin from Jesus, who is inside the heart – be they even the most beautiful works on the outside – cannot please Me, because they are empty of the life of my dear Son.

Meditation 6 – My dearest child, my Heart is swollen with love, and I felt the need to tell you the reason why, together with my Son, I wanted to be present at this wedding of Cana. Do you think it was because of a simple ceremony? No, child; there are profound mysteries. Pay attention to Me, and I will tell you new things: how my love of mother was displayed in an incredible manner, and how the love of my Son gave true signs of paternity and royalty for the creatures.

Now listen to Me. My Son had come back from the desert, and was preparing Himself for His public life; but first He wanted to be present at this wedding, and therefore He allowed Himself to be invited. We went there, not to celebrate, but to work great things for the human generations. My Son took the place of Father and King in the families, and I took the place of Mother and Queen. With Our presence We renewed the sanctity, the beauty, the order of the marriage formed by God in the Garden of Eden – that of Adam and Eve – married by the Supreme Being in order to populate the earth, and to multiply and increase the future generations. Marriage is the substance from which arises the life of the generations; it can be called the trunk from which the earth is populated. The priests, the religious, are the branches; but if it were not for the trunk, not even the branches would have life. Therefore, through sin, by withdrawing from the Divine Will, Adam and Eve caused the family to lose its sanctity, beauty and order. And I, your Mama, the new innocent Eve, together with my Son, went to reorder that which God did in Eden; I constituted Myself Queen of families, and impetrated the grace that the Divine Fiat might reign in them, that I might have families which would belong to Me, holding the place of Queen in their midst.

But this is not all, my child. Our love was burning, and We wanted to make known to them how much We loved them, and to give them the most sublime of lessons. And here is how: at the height of the lunch, wine lacked, and my Heart of mother felt consumed with love, wanting to give help. Knowing that my Son can do anything, with supplicating accents, but certain that He would listen to me, I say to Him: “My Son, the spouses have no more wine.” And He answers Me: “My hour to do miracles has not yet come.” And knowing that He certainly would not deny what His Mama asked of Him, I say to those who are serving the table: “Do what my Son tells you, and you will have what you want; even more, you will receive in addition, and in superabundance.”

My child, in these few words I gave a lesson, the most useful, necessary and sublime for the creature. I spoke with the heart of a mother and I said: “My children, do you want to be holy? Do the Will of my Son. Do not move from what He tells you, and you will have His likeness, His sanctity in your power. Do you want all evils to cease? Do whatever my Son tells you. Do you want any grace, even difficult? Do whatever He tells you and wants. Do you also want the necessary things of natural life? Do whatever my Son tells you. Because in His words, in everything He tells you and wants, He encloses such power that, as He speaks, His word contains what you ask for, and makes the graces you desire arise within your souls. How many see themselves as full of passions, weak, afflicted, unfortunate and miserable; yet, they pray and pray, but because they do not do what my Son asks, they obtain nothing; Heaven seems to be closed for them. This is a sorrow for your Mama, because I see that while they pray, they move away from the source in which all goods reside – the Will of my Son.

Now, those who were serving did precisely what my Son said to them – that is: “Fill the jars with water and bring them to the table.” My dear Jesus blessed that water and it turned into delicious wine. Oh, a thousand times blessed, the one who does what He says and wants! With this, my Son gave Me the greatest honor, He constituted Me Queen of miracles; this is why He wanted my union and my prayer in doing His first miracle. He loved Me too much – so much that He wanted to give Me first place as Queen in miracles also. And with facts, not with words, He said: “If you want graces and miracles, come to my Mother; I will never deny anything She wants.”

In addition to this, my child, with my presence at this wedding, I looked at the future centuries. I saw the Kingdom of the Divine Will upon earth; I looked at families, and I pleaded for them to symbolize the love of the Sacrosanct Trinity, so that Its Kingdom might be in full force. And with my rights of Mother and Queen, I took to heart Its regime, and possessing the source of it, I placed at the creatures’ disposal all of the graces, the helps and the sanctity needed to live in a Kingdom so holy. So I keep repeating: “Do whatever my Son tells you.”

My child, listen to Me: look for nothing else, if you want to have everything in your power, and give Me the contentment of being able to make of you my true child, and child of the Divine Will. Then will I take on the commitment of forming the marriage between you and the Fiat; and acting as your true Mother, I will bind the marriage by giving you the very life of my Son as dowry, and my maternity and all my virtues as gift.

FROM THE LETTERS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD LUISA PICCARRETA

LETTER #17 – “My life will start today; I am born again together with my Queen Mama, with Jesus, and with the Divine Will.”

LETTER #28 – But to the ladies who ask for graces I say that the most powerful means to obtain them is to do the Divine Will, to put their wills into the hands of the Queen so that She may exchange them with the Divine, and also to give Her the first place as Queen and Mother of their families.  Oh, how the Heavenly Lady will feel enraptured!  As the first miracle, She will give them Her own Son as gift; She will enclose Him in their hearts that they may live together, and She Herself will stay to take care of Her dear Son.  And to us, her children, She will give peace and put order between Creator and creature.  Once She has done this, the rest will come by itself, always provided that it is for the good of their souls…

LETTER # 35 – Dearest brother in Jesus Christ,

I was immensely pleased by your request for the book of the Queen of Heaven, thinking that the Celestial Mama comes also to the prison to visit you and to be your Mother, Teacher, consoler; and also to give you her sweet company in order to teach you how to live from the Divine Will, and form, in prison too, the Kingdom of the Divine Volition.

Therefore, my brother, courage, trust, for you have a Celestial Mama who loves you very much, who will never leave you, and if you listen to Her, will make a sanctuary of the prison.  And if human weakness took you to prison, the Sovereign Queen comes with the strength of the Divine Will to take you to Heaven and render your days less sad; even more, She will turn pains, privations, loneliness, into ransoms and eternal conquests; She will make you feel the peace that, even in the world, cannot be enjoyed.  The Divine Will will transform you, and you will feel the new life that the Celestial Lady brings you.

Know that I am your sister in prison.  For more than fifty years the Supreme Fiat has kept me imprisoned in a bed.  Yet, I am glad – I am happy; but what makes me happy?  The Divine Will, Which I try to do always.  You too can be happy, if you do the Divine Will.  Oh, how It will change your bitterness!  You will feel a true divine strength that will ease your painful state.  Never neglect the Rosary to the Celestial Mother, and if you can, be a missionary in the prison, by making known that the Queen of Heaven wants to visit all the prisoners to give them the gift of the Divine Will.  And if you need some more copies and you cannot pay, I am willing to send them for free.

I leave you under the mantle of the Celestial Mother, listening to Her lessons of Heaven – and with a thousand regards, I say,

 your most affectionate sister,

the little daughter of the Divine Will

LETTER #75 – When the book  “The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will” was published in Italy, this good Mother took the first step to let us comprehend how much She loves us; so much so, as to take us onto her lap, to give us this gift of which She is the bearer.  But the machinations of the enemies of her little book hindered her step, and She was sent back into the heavenly regions.  From there, with invincible patience, She is waiting for a change of times, of people and of conditions, in order to continue her way, and give us that which is now despised.

LETTER #112 – …continue to call many children around the Father and the Celestial Mother.

ABANDON OURSELVES IN GOD, IN HIS DIVINE WILL

“Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His Grace to mold them accordingly.”

– St. Ignatius of Loyola

EXCERPTS FROM THE LETTERS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD, LUISA PICCARRETA

Letter #18. Send everything – pains, bitterness, strains – into the Divine Will; tell Him from the heart that you want nothing but His Will, and look at all things as bearers of a Will so holy, and you will see that the Fiat will defend you.  Don’t get discouraged, do not fear, do not lose peace, abandon yourself more than ever in the arms of the Divine Will, and be tranquil, waiting in full confidence for the helps and means which are necessary to you.

Letter #21. In every good act we do, every time we abandon ourselves in His arms, and every time we cry out from the depths of our heart:  “Lord, I want to do your Will”, the dear Little One repeats His birth.

Letter #23. I read your sorrowful letter and from the heart I feel compassion for you.  However, pluck up courage, do not abandon yourself to yourself; rather, abandon yourself in God and in the arms of our Queen Mama.   In your state of sorrow, they await you in their arms as their favorite one, because you are a daughter of sorrow; but they want you more peaceful, and less concerned about your state, because apprehension worsens the trouble, and makes one see it darker, and maybe worse than it really is.  And then, my daughter, I must tell you the truth, if you resign yourself, your state is the greatest state of sanctity; it is the jealousy of God that takes creatures away from you; it is because of the great love He has for you that, jealous, wanting to be loved and loving you very much, He takes everyone away from you.  Therefore, thank the Lord for He has placed His divine eyes upon you to make of you a saint.

Letter #42.  Courage, trust and abandonment in the arms of our adorable Jesus, in your pains.  I believe that they are nothing but raw material in His hands, in order to repeat His Life in you; and if you knew with how much love He is inside and outside of you, in order to shape you to Himself…!  Jesus feels the need to make of the creatures the repeaters of His Life, and He does so on the stake of suffering and love.  Sufferings are firewood, and love ignites it, while Jesus gives us the shape He wants, fully similar to Himself.  And woe to the world, if these stakes were not there!

Therefore, my daughter, let Jesus Do – let Him, the Celestial Doctor, Do.  And as He operates, your life will alternate, now with suffering, and now with sweet rest, which Jesus Himself will give to you.  Do not listen to so many stories of doctors, with many opinions, each one contrary to the other.  It is fair not to believe in any of them.  Stay with your peace, and until you find doctors who are in agreement with their opinions, don’t do anything.  Jesus, Who has helped you until now, will continue to help you.  Besides, He holds suffering in His hands; whenever He wants, He makes us feel it, and when He does not want, He gives the opium of His Will, and puts it to sleep.  Therefore, think about making yourself a saint.  In every pain, give Jesus a kiss, hug Him very tightly, and force Him to let the Kingdom of the Fiat come upon earth. (…)

Letter #57.  Place the Fiat before and after each one of your acts.  Everything you want, abandon it completely in the Divine Volition; do not worry, and It will take on the commitment of all your things.

Letter #86. …if we are not in the Divine Will, we are without a place, without a home, without means to live and to become saints.  If Jesus does not find His Will in us, He does not find the adaptable material to make us saints, nor can He make of us His faithful copy.  Therefore, my wish is that our will may rise again in His; in this way, you will give work to Jesus.  Oh, how happy He will be, and you too will feel His peace, confidence, love, and full abandonment in His arms.  You will feel safe, like a baby in the arms of her mama.  How happy you will be, and how happy will be dear Jesus!

Letter #90.  …I send you my wishes; but do you know which ones?  That you may no longer recognize yourself in yourself, but in Jesus.  Oh, how He will love you!  He will carry you in His arms, and give you a place in His little Heart.  Be attentive, and live all abandoned in Jesus.  Regards from my heart,

Letter #93.  In fact, by doing His Will in all our acts, both spiritual and natural, His image is formed and circulates like a coin throughout the Heavens.  However, this is what I recommend to you:  never lose heart; never be disturbed; try to live abandoned in the arms of Jesus, and He will be your Mama, your Father and your custodian.  You will feel Him living and palpitating within your soul, forming the life of your life.

Let us thank the Lord for all He has disposed upon us.  But I beg you to never go out of His Will.  In this way, the Lord will give you His own Love to love Him, His own Sanctity to make yourself a saint, His own Peace in the storms of life.  Together with Him, you will feel strong – of a divine strength – in the pains you suffer.  In this way you will fear nothing.

Pray for me, as I do it for you from the heart.  With my regards, and leaving you in the arms of the Divine Fiat, I say,

Yours,

Luisa Piccarreta

Letter #108.  My good daughter in the Divine Volition,

I recommend that you do not lose peace, and that you live so abandoned in the Divine Will as to feel It as your own life.  If you do so, this Will so holy will take you upon Its maternal knees, more than a mother; It will hold you tightly to Its Divine Heart; It will raise you as Its beloved daughter.  So, in all your pains, you will feel your Mama near you, assisting you, guiding you and changing your little pains into a Sun and into little coins for Heaven.  In each pain, dear Jesus will give you a kiss, a hug, and will adorn your soul with most refulgent gems.  Therefore, courage, my daughter; never lose heart; never get discouraged.  It is Jesus that wants His daughter similar to Himself; aren’t you happy?  So, do not care about anything else but to live abandoned in His arms.  With this you will feel a new strength, and you will no longer feel alone; sufferings will turn for you into sanctity and into celestial joys.  Dear Jesus will give you His pains as courting, strength and company.

I leave you in the Divine Volition to make yourself a great saint; and sending you my regards from the heart, I say,

Most affectionately yours,

The little daughter of the Divine Will.

Corato, December 15, 1941

Letter #129.  Abandon yourself to the Divine Will.  Let Its Divine Life rise again in all your sufferings.