FEAST OF OUR LADY OF RANSOM

SEPTEMBER 24

Today, in many parts of the world, the Catholic Church commemorates the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, also known as Our Lady of Mercy or Nuestra Señora de la Merced.

The Blessed Virgin appeared in 1218 in separate visions to St. Peter Nolasco, St. Raymund of Penafort, and James, king of Aragon, asking them to found a religious order dedicated to freeing Christian captives from the barbarous Saracens or Moors, who at that time held a great part of Spain. On August 10, 1218, King James established the royal, military and religious Order of our Lady of Ransom (first known as the Order of St. Eulalia, now known as the Mercedarian Order), with the members granted the privilege of wearing his own arms on their breast. Most of the members were knights, and while the clerics recited the divine office in the commanderies, they guarded the coasts and delivered prisoners. This pious work spread everywhere and produced heroes of charity who collected alms for the ransom of Christians, and often gave themselves up in exchange for Christian prisoners.

Patronage: Barcelona, Spain; people named Clemency, Mercedes, Mercedez, Merced or Mercy.

Prayer for the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom

“O God, who by means of the most glorious Mother of Thy Son was pleased to give new children to Thy Church for the deliverance of Christ’s faithful from the power of the heathen; grant, we beseech Thee, that we who love and honor her as the foundress of so great a work may, by her merits and intercession, be ourselves delivered from all sin and from the bondage of the evil one. Through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen.

ST. PADRE PIO

The bleeding hand of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was raised thousands of times to bless the faithful at the end of Holy Mass

LUISA PICCARRETA
A collection of memories of the Servant of God

BERNARDINO GIUSEPPE BUCCI, O.F.M.

Blessed Padre Pio, Luisa Piccarreta and Rosaria Bucci

Luisa Piccarreta and Blessed Padre Pio of Pietrelcina knew one another for some time without ever having met, for Luisa was always confined to the bed where she sat, while Padre Pio was enclosed in the friary of the Capuchin Fathers of San Giovanni Rotondo.⁵

One question naturally arises, how did they come to know one another?

This is difficult to discover, yet one thing is certain, that the two did know and esteem one another.

My aunt recounts how Luisa would speak with respect and veneration of the blessed father, describing him as a “true man of God“, who still had great suffering to face for the good of souls.

In about 1930, a well-known figure arrived at Luisa’s house, sent personally by Padre Pio. He was Federico Abresch, a convert of Padre Pio. Federico spoke at length with Luisa. What they said we are not given to know; but one thing is certain. Federico Abresch became an apostle of the Divine Will and regularly visited Luisa, with whom he always had long conversations.

When his little son received his first communion from Padre Pio’s hands, he was also immediately taken to see Luisa who, according to the story, foretold that he would become a priest.

The small boy of that time is now a priest and works at the Congregation for Bishops in Rome; he is known by the name of Mgr. Pio Abresch.

When Luisa was condemned by the Holy Office and her works put on the Index, Padre Pio sent her this message though Federico Abresch: “Dear Luisa, saints serve for the good of souls, but their suffering knows no bounds“. At that time Padre Pio was also in very great difficulties.

Blessed Padre Pio sent many people to Luisa Piccarreta and would say to the people of Corato who went to San Giovanni Rotondo: “What have you come here for? You have Luisa, go to her“.

Padre Pio recommended to certain of his faithful (including Federico Abresch) that they open a spirituality center at San Giovanni Rotondo, inspired by the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta.

Miss Adriana Pallotti (a spiritual daughter of Padre Pio) is currently an heir to Padre Pio’s wishes. She has opened a House of the Divine Will at San Giovanni Rotondo, keeping alive the torch lit by Padre Pio with Federico Abresch. Miss Adriana Pallotti says that it was Blessed Padre Pio who encouraged her to spread Luisa Piccarreta’s spirituality in San Giovanni Rotondo and to help disseminate the Divine Will throughout the world, as Padre Pio desired.

Aunt Rosaria went regularly to San Giovanni Rotondo, especially after Luisa’s death. Padre Pio knew her very well, and when Luisa was still alive he would ask Aunt Rosaria when he saw her: “Rosa’, how is Luisa?“.

Aunt Rosaria would answer him: “She is well!“.

After Luisa’s death, Aunt Rosaria increased her visits to San Giovanni Rotondo, in order to receive enlightenment and advice from Padre Pio.

…Luisa said to my aunt: “You will be my witness” and one day Padre Pio told her point-blank in his Benevento dialect: “Rosa’, va nanz, va nanz ca Luisa iè gran e u munn sarà chin di Luisa” (Rosaria, go ahead, go ahead for Luisa is great and the world will be full of Luisa). My aunt often recounted this episode, but things were not going well: everything indicated that Luisa would soon be forgotten.

After the venerated Padre Pio’s death, my aunt said one day: “Padre Pio prophesied that Luisa would be known throughout the world“. And she repeated the phrase Padre Pio had said in his dialect.

I answered that there would be no easy solution to the case of Luisa Piccarreta Indeed nothing further was said of it in Corato either, and Padre Pio’s words could have been considered merely a comforting remark. But Aunt Rosaria retorted: “No! During my confession Padre Pio told me that Luisa is not a human factor, she is a work of God and he himself will make her emerge. The world will be astounded at her greatness; not many years will pass before this happens. The new millennium will see Luisa’s light“.

Excerpts from the Letters of the Servant of God Luisa Piccareta

Letter #74 – To Mrs. Caterina Valentino, from S. Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia:

…I commend myself to your prayers.  Tell Padre Pio to pray very much for us, as the storm shows no sign of ceasing; we are always under lightening and thunders, which seem to want to burn us up.  Fiat!  Let us remain always in the Divine Will.  With heartfelt obsequies I say,

the little daughter of the Divine Will.

Corato, April 27, 1939

Letter #89 – To Frederico Abresch:

Dearest son in the Divine Volition, since you are near holy Padre Pio, talk to him about our things, that he may talk about them with the Lord; and if the Lord wants, let him tell you something.  Entrust me to his prayers, for I need them very much.  Kiss his hands for me.

Most affectionately yours,

the little daughter of the Divine Will.

Corato, August 5, 1940

Letter #132 – To Frederico Abresch:

Most esteemed son in the Divine Volitio,

I answer to your dear letter.  To hear that you speak of the Divine Will and that you want to know more about It is a great joy for me, knowing how content Jesus is to find a soul who wants to live of Divine Will.  This creature is His Triumph and His Victory.  And even if in the past He was wounded by this creature, He looks at these wounds, smiles and says:  “I have conquered her; she is My victory,” and He shows her around to all of Heaven to make feast.  And as fulfillment of His Victory, He centralizes all His Goods in her:  the Goods of Creation and of Redemption, and gives her the right over everything.  And the, wanting to know a Good means wanting to possess it; it is like the appetite for food.

I am sorry for Padre Pio, if he makes a dark face.  We do not speak of what the Church has prohibited, but of what the Church Herself does not yet know.  And the day will come when the Church will know and appreciate, with Triumph and Victory.  Nor can there be true Peace or true Triumph if the Divine Will is not known.  Our Lord will make the greatest miracles to make His Will reign upon earth.  Therefore, let us pray that the time will be shortened and that everything will be changed into Will of God.

I commend myself to your prayers.  Kiss the hands of Padre Pio for me.  And leaving you all in the Sea of the Divine Will, that you may all Live from Its Sanctity, Love and Light, to be able to embrace everything and everyone, and to do Good to all, with the Love of Its Fiat, I send my regards to all,

The little daughter of the Divine Will.

Corato, November 27, 1944

LET US PRAY WITH THE SERVANT OF GOD LUISA PICCARRETA 

A Novena to Our Lady of America for True Change and Hope for America

St. Paul said to pray “for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in Indiana to Sister Mildred in 1956 and identified herself as “Our Lady of America, The Immaculate Virgin.” She asked for purity and promised peace and protection if we responded to her requests.

On October 5, 1956, Sister Mildred felt a sudden urge to write a prayer to Our Lady of America as the Patroness of our land. Although she did not hear any words, the thoughts came into her mind with such profundity that she could not stop until the beautiful Prayer to Our Lady of America, Patroness of Our Land was finished.

After praying the petition below for each day, pray the following:

Sister Mildred’s Prayer to Our Lady of America

O Immaculate Mother, Queen of our Country, open our hearts, our homes, and our Land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of God’s light shining in and about you. Be our Leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior, Who loves us with infinite charity.

We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the world an abyss of evil, without God and without your loving maternal care.

We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most Pure Heart, O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God, may be firmly established in us.

We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother, for we believe in your great love for us, and we place in you our entire confidence. We promise to honor you by faith, love, and the purity of our lives according to your desire.

Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, your children of America, as your instruments in bringing peace among men and nations. Work your miracles of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us.

May your valiant Spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints, assist you and us in “renewing the face of the earth.” Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother, and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom, where your Son reigns forever as King. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be . . .

By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil!

Day One. Our Lady of America, you asked that the United States of America “be the country dedicated to my purity” and that your children in America “be the children of my Pure Heart.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Two. Our Lady of America, you said, “I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Three. Our Lady of America, you said, “What I ask, have asked, and will continue to ask is reformation of life. There must be sanctification from within. I will work my miracles of grace only in those who ask for them and empty their souls of the love and attachment to sin and all that is displeasing to my Son.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Four. Our Lady of America, you said, “My dear children, either you will do as I desire and reform your lives, or God Himself will need to cleanse you in the fires of untold punishment. You must be prepared to receive His great gift of peace.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Five. Our Lady of America, you said, “It is the wish of my Son that fathers and mothers strive to imitate me and my chaste spouse in our holy life at Nazareth. We practiced the simple virtues of family life, Jesus our Son being the center of all our love and activity. The Holy Trinity dwelt with us in a manner far surpassing anything that can ever be imagined. For ours was the earthly paradise where once again God walked among men.”. . . “The Divine Trinity will dwell in your midst only if you are faithful in practicing the virtues of our life at Nazareth. Then, you also, my children, you also will become another paradise. God will then walk among you and you will have peace.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Six. Our Lady of America, you asked your beloved sons, the priests, “to practice self-denial and penance in a special manner, because it is you who must lead my children in the way of peace. . . . Thus, by sanctification from within you, you will become a bright and burning light to the faithful, who look to you for help and guidance.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Seven. Our Lady of America, you asked that the youth of our nation be the leaders of a movement of renewal on the face of the earth. You asked that they be prepared by instilling into them, not only the knowledge of the Divine Indwelling, but a serious study of it, living it in such a way that the Divine Presence becomes, as it were an intimate and necessary part of their life and daily living. From this will flow a great love, a conflagration that will envelop the world in the flames of Divine Charity.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Eight. Our Lady of America, you said that those who wear your medal “with great faith and fervent devotion to you will receive the grace of intense purity of heart and the particular love of the Holy Virgin and her Divine Son.” You also said, ‘Sinners will receive the grace of repentance and the spiritual strength to live as true children of Mary. As in life, so in death, this blessed medal will be as a shield to protect them against the evil spirits, and St. Michael himself will be at their side to allay their fears at the final hour.”

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Day Nine. Our Lady of America, you asked that a statue be made in your image and placed, after being solemnly carried in procession, in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. You said that you wished to be honored there in a special way as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin. You promised that the placement of your statue in the Shrine would be a special safeguard for our country.

Please intercede for us that we may be granted this grace and morally good leaders who will act according to the revealed will of God and the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Read here how you may obtain the full story of Our Lady of America and her medal and all of the prayers with her including a novena to her and meditations on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary with her.

Read here how you may obtain the booklet, An Hour of Prayer for Purity, Peace and Protection with Our Lady of America.

Prayer for the Intercession of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta

 For the Consecration of Russia

In the Name of Jesus, under the Mantle of Our Lady of Fatima, we ask that you, Luisa Piccarreta, intercede before the Throne of God that the Holy Spirit inspire Pope Francis to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with all the Bishops of the world, on October 13^th (the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun) in the Vatican with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.  Amen.

Let us pray in the Divine Will with the Servant of God

Luisa Piccarreta

to get ready on October 13 for the Consecration of the

world

Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady has its roots in Sacred Scripture and in Christian piety, which always associates the Blessed Mother with her suffering Son. Today’s feast was introduced by the Servites in order to intensify devotion to Our Lady’s Sorrows. In 1817 Pius VII — suffering grievously in exile but finally liberated by Mary’s intercession — extended the feast to the universal Church.

Our Lady of Sorrows

This feast dates back to the 12th century. It was especially promoted by the Cistercians and the Servites, so much so that in the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. In 1482 the feast was added to the Missal under the title of “Our Lady of Compassion.” Pope Benedict XIII added it to the Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm Sunday. In 1913, Pope Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The title “Our Lady of Sorrows” focuses on Mary’s intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. “The Seven Dolors,” the title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary. The feast is like an octave for the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th.

—Excerpted from Our Lady of Sorrows by Fr. Paul Haffner (Inside the Vatican, September 2004)

This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus. In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance. May the numerous tears of the Mother of God be conducive to our salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to wash away the sins of the whole world.

As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung, the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are the seven sorrows of Mary:

1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
7. The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)

Symbols: heart pierced with a sword; heart pierced by seven swords; winged heart pierced with a sword; flowers: red rose, iris (meaning: “sword-lily”), cyclamen.

Patron: people named Dolores, Dolais, Deloris, Dolorita, Maria Dolorosa, Pia, and Pieta.

For more prayers for Our Lady of Sorrows

For Seven Sorrows of Mary with Scripture click here

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA, LESOTHO,
SWAZILAND AND MOZAMBIQUE

HOLY MASS IN THE PRO-CATHEDRAL OF ROMA (LESOTHO)

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross

Wednesday, 14 September 1988

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. Today it is my great joy to be together with you, the faithful of the Church in Lesotho, on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, celebrating the Eucharistic Liturgy which in the Cross of Christ has its beginning and source.

I give thanks to God for the privilege of being here in Roma where Father Joseph Gérard served Christ for many years. In the love of Jesus, I offer cordial greetings to my brother bishop and to the priests and religious of this beloved country, as well as to those from other lands. In a special way, I greet the parents and their children, the families of Lesotho who form the primary communities of society and of the Church. I welcome the catechists and teachers who perform such a vital role in the work of evangelization in this mountainous and rugged land, and I offer warm greetings to the various Lay Associations: to the members of the Legion of Mary, the Saint Cecilia Association, the Ladies of Saint Ann and the Men of the Sacred Heart.

I also extend a warm welcome to our brothers and sisters in Christ from other Churches and Ecclesial Communities and to all those of good will who have wished to join us today in prayer.

2. In the Gospel of this feast we are witnesses of an unusual conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. The conversation takes place at night because Nicodemus, a prominent Jew, went to talk with Christ under the cover of darkness. Christ leads this man, a teacher, to the very heart of the mystery revealed by God. It is the mystery of the Son of God who descended from heaven and, as the Son of Man, accomplished the messianic mission among the people of Israel.

This mission was directed towards “the lifting up” of Christ on the Cross. Jesus says to Nicodemus: “The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert” (Io. 3, 14).  Nicodemus knows the Scriptures well; he knows the inspired message of the Old Testament. He can recall the event that took place during the journey of the chosen people in the desert. At the command of Yahweh, “Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard” (Nu. 21, 9).

This bronze serpent would restore to health and save the lives of the Israelites who had been bitten by the serpents. They were serpents with a poisonous venom; after being bitten by them many Israelites died. But the serpent made of bronze and placed on a high standard would become a means of salvation: whoever looked at it would live.

3. Jesus continues: “The Son of Man must be lifted up… so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (Io. 3, 14-15).  The human family had received at the very beginning of earthly history a deadly bite from the “ancient serpent”.  He had injected a satanic venom – the venom of original sin – into the souls of the first man and woman. And from that time onward, man’s history on earth has been burdened by sin. A tendency towards sin has generated many evils in the lives of individual persons and the communities to which they belong, in families, in entire peoples and nations.

“The Son of Man must be lifted up”, says Jesus to Nicodemus. And he says this with a view to his crucifixion: The Son of Man must be lifted up on the Cross. Whoever believes in him, whoever sees in this Cross and in the Crucified One the Redeemer of the world, whoever looks with faith on the redemptive death of Jesus on the Cross, finds in him the power of eternal life. By this power, sin is overcome. People receive forgiveness of their sins at the price of the Sacrifice of Christ. They find again the life of God which had been lost by sin.

4. This is the meaning of the Cross of Christ. This is its power. “God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved” (Io. 3, 17).

The feast that we celebrate today speaks of a marvellous and ceaseless action of God in human history, in the history of every man, woman and child. The Cross of Christ on Golgotha has become for all time the centre of this saving work of God. Christ is the Saviour of the world, because in him and through him the love with which God so loved the world is continuously revealed: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son” (Ibid. 3, 16).

– The Father gave him so that this Son, who is one in substance with him, would become man by being conceived of the Virgin Mary.

– The Father gave him so that as the Son of Man he would proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of salvation.

– The Father gave him so that this Son, by responding with his own infinite love to the love of the Father, might offer himself on the Cross.

5. From a human point of view, Christ’s offering of himself on the Cross was a sign of contradiction, an unthinkable disgrace. It was, in fact, the most profound humiliation possible.

In today’s liturgy, the Apostle Paul speaks to us in words that capture the mystery of the Cross of Christ: “His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a Cross. But God raised him high” (Phil. 2, 6-9).

Through his self-emptying on Golgotha, in the disgrace of the Cross and the crucifixion (at least in the human way of understanding these events) Christ receives the highest exaltation. In God’s eyes, the Cross is the greatest triumph. The way of human judgement is very different from God’s. God’s judgement far surpasses ours. What seems to us to be failure is, in God’s eyes, the victory of sacrificial love.

It is precisely this Cross of human disgrace that bears within itself the source of the exaltation of Christ in God.

“God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Ibid. 2, 9-11).

To the eyes of the Apostles this was revealed through the Resurrection of Christ. At that moment they understood that Christ is the Lord, that he has been given all power in heaven and on earth. At that moment their eyes and their hearts were opened, so that the lips of Thomas could profess: “My Lord and My God”! (Io. 20, 28). And once they had come to believe, through the power of the Spirit of Truth, they were ready to go forth into the whole world to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Cfr. Matth. 28, 19).

6. Yes, it is through the Cross that Christ is exalted. Today’s feast of the Church speaks to us of this mystery. At the same time, it speaks of Christ who by means of the Cross lifts up humanity, lifts up all humanity and indeed all creation. “For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved” (Io. 3, 17).

Being “saved” means that every man and woman can be healed of the sin that poisoned the human family and all history. Jesus says to his Apostles after his Resurrection: “Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven”.  And as he says it he shows them the wounds of his crucifixion, to let them know that it is precisely in the Cross that the power to forgive sins is hidden, the power to heal consciences and human hearts.

Generation after generation passes. And in the midst of this passing, the Cross of Christ remains. Through the Cross, God continuously proclaims to the world the infinite love which no created evil is able to overcome. Yes, the Cross remains, so that in it the world, indeed every human person, may find the way of salvation. For it is by this Cross that the world is saved!

Pope John Paul II’s complete homily may be found here

BOOK OF HEAVEN

From the Writings of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

VOLUME 1

One morning – it was the day of the Exaltation of the Cross – my sweet Jesus transported me to the holy sites; and first, He told me many things about the virtue of the cross. I don’t remember all, but just a few things: “My beloved, do you want to be beautiful? The cross will give you the most beautiful features that can possibly be found, both in Heaven and on earth; so much so, as to enamor God, who contains all beauties within Himself.”

Jesus continued: “Do you want to be filled with immense riches – not for a short time, but for all eternity? Well then, the cross will administer to you all kinds of riches – from the tiniest cents, which are the little crosses, up to the greatest amounts, which are the heavier crosses. Yet, men are so greedy to earn a temporal penny, which they soon will have to leave, but do not give a thought to earning one eternal cent. And when I, having compassion for them, in seeing their carelessness for all that regards eternity, kindly offer them the opportunity – instead of cherishing it, they get angry and offend Me. What human madness – it seems that they understand it upside down. My beloved, in the cross are all the triumphs, all the victories, and the greatest gains. You must have no aim other than the cross, and it will be enough for you, in everything. Today I want to make you content; that cross which until now has not been enough to lay you on and crucify you completely, is the cross that you have carried up to now. But since I have to crucify you completely, you need new crosses which I will let descend upon you. So, the cross you have had until now, I will bring to Heaven, to show it to the whole celestial court as pledge of your love, and I will make another one descend from Heaven – a larger one, to be able to satisfy the ardent desires I have upon you.”

Volume 15 – 2/16/23 – “My daughter, how many things will my Will make known of what my Humanity operated in this Divine Will!  In order to operate the perfect and complete Redemption, my Humanity had to do It in the sphere of Eternity.  Here is the necessity of an Eternal Will.  If my human will did not have an Eternal Will with itself, all my acts would be limited and finite acts; but with It, they are endless and infinite.  Therefore, my pains, my Cross, had to be endless and infinite, and the Divine Will made my Humanity find all these pains and crosses; so much so, that It laid Me over the whole human family, from the first to the last man, and I absorbed all kinds of pains within Myself, and each creature formed my Cross.  So, my Cross was as long as all centuries are and will be, and as wide as the human generations.  It was not just the little cross of Calvary on which the Jews crucified Me; that one was nothing but a simile of the long Cross on which the Supreme Will kept Me crucified.  So, each creature formed the length and the width of the Cross, and as they formed it, they remained grafted in that same Cross; and the Divine Will, laying Me over It and crucifying Me, made the Cross not only my own, but of all those who formed that Cross.  This is why I needed the sphere of Eternity to keep this Cross – the terrestrial space would not be enough to contain It.

Oh! how much will creatures love Me, when they come to know what my Humanity did in the Divine Will, and what It made Me suffer for love of them.  My Cross was not of wood – no; It was made of souls.  It was them that I felt palpitating in the Cross on which the Divine Will laid Me – and It let none of them escape Me, It gave a place to each one, and in order to give a place to all, It stretched Me in such a harrowing way, and with pains so atrocious, that I could call the pains of my Passion little, and reliefs.  Therefore, hasten, so that my Will may make known all that this Eternal Volition operated in my Humanity.  This knowledge will win so much love, that creatures will bend to let It reign in their midst.”