Author: DWLP

From The Official WebSite

The Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, Mons.Giovan Battista Pichierri Has Passed away Unexpectedly

 

Dear friends in the Divine Will, this morning, the Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, Mons.Giovan Battista Pichierri left unexpectedly for the Father’s house. The funeral will take place at 4:00 p.m  on July 28 at the Cathedral of Trani.

We are waiting to hear more news. Meanwhile we want to express on behalf of the members of the Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will in Corato and of the whole “Family of the Divine Will” in the world our thanks to God for all that He gave to us through the love and care of this Shepherd.

He has always accompanied, encouraged and supported us. May the Lord give him the reward of the “faithful servants”!

We are certain that Luisa will welcome Him in Heaven and lead Jesus to Jesus. Let us pray for him in the Divine Will.

Fiat Fiat Fiat

 

Il Presidente Michele Colonna e l’ Assistente Ecclesiastico d. Sergio Pellegrini

The Three Missions

VOLUME 17 – May 4, 1925
The Mission of the Divine Will shall veil the Most Holy Trinity upon earth, and shall make man return to his Origin.

After writing what is written above, I began to do the Adoration to my Crucified Jesus, Fusing all of myself in His Most Holy Will; and my beloved Jesus came out from within my interior, and placing His Most Holy Face close to mine, all Tenderness, told me: “My daughter, did you write everything on the Mission of My Will?”

And I: “Yes, yes, I wrote everything.”

And He, again: “And what if I told you that you have not written everything? Rather, you have left out the Most Essential Thing. So, continue writing, and add:  The Mission of My Will shall Veil the Most Holy Trinity upon earth. Just as in Heaven there are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Inseparable from One Another but Distinct among Themselves, Forming the Whole Beatitude of Heaven; in the same way, on earth there shall be three persons who, because of their Missions, shall be Distinct and Inseparable among themselves: the Virgin, with Her Maternity that Veils the Paternity of the Celestial Father and Encloses His Power in order to Fulfill Her Mission of Mother of the Eternal Word and Co-Redemptrix of mankind; My Humanity, for the Mission of Redeemer, that Enclosed the Divinity, and the Word, without ever separating from the Father and from the Holy Spirit, Manifested My Celestial Wisdom – adding the Bond of rendering Myself Inseparable from My Mama; and you (Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta), for the Mission of My Will, as the Holy Spirit shall make Display of His Love, Manifesting to you the Secrets, the Prodigies of My Will, the Goods It contains, to make Happy those who shall give themselves to Knowing how much Good this Supreme Will contains, to love It and to let It Reign in their midst, offering their souls to let It Dwell within their hearts, that It may be able to form Its Life in them – adding the Bond of Inseparability between you (Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta), the Mother and the Eternal Word.

“These Three Missions are Distinct and Inseparable. The first two have prepared the Graces, the Light, the Work, and with unheard-of pains, for the Third Mission of My Will, to then Fuse themselves all in It without leaving their Office, so as to find Rest, because My Will alone is Celestial Rest. These Missions shall not be repeated, because the Exuberance of Grace, of Light, of Knowledge is Such and So Great that all human generations can be Filled with them; even more, they shall not be able to contain all the Good that they contain. These Missions are symbolized by the sun; in fact, in creating it, I filled it with so much light and heat, that all human generations have superabundant light. Nor did I consider that, since at the beginning of Creation there were only Adam and Eve who would enjoy it, I could place the necessary light for them only, to then increase new light as the generations would grow. No, no – I made it full of light, just as it is now, and shall be. For the Decorum and the Honor of Our Power, Wisdom and Love, Our Works are always done with the Fullness of All the Good that they contain; nor are they subject to increasing or decreasing. So I did with the sun: I centralized in it all the light that was to serve up to the last man. But how many goods does the sun not do for the earth? What Glory, in its mute light, does it not give to its Creator? I can say that because of the immense goods it does to the earth, in its mute language the sun Glorifies Me and makes Me Known more than all other things together; and this, because it is full in its light, and stable in its course. When I looked at the sun that, with so much light, only Adam and Eve were enjoying, I also looked at all the living; and in seeing that that light was to serve all, My Paternal Goodness Exulted with Joy, and I remained Glorified in My Works. So I did with My Mama: I filled Her with So Much Grace, that She can give Graces to all without ever exhausting even one of them. So I did with My Humanity: there is no Good that It does not Possess; It enclosed Everything, and the very Divinity, to give It to whomever wants of It. So I did with you: I enclosed in you My Will, and, with It, I enclosed Myself. I enclosed in you Its Knowledges, Its Secrets, Its Light. I Filled your soul up to the brim; so much so, that what you write is nothing other than the Outpouring of what you contain of My Will. And even though it now serves you alone, and a few Glimmers of Light serve a few others, I am content because, being Light, More Than Second Sun, it shall make its way by itself, in order to Illuminate the human generations and to bring about the Fulfillment of Our Works: that Our Will be Known and Loved, and that It Reign as Life in the creatures. This was the Purpose of Creation – this, its Beginning, and this shall be the Means and the End.

“Therefore, Be Attentive, because this is about Placing in Safety that Eternal Will that, with so much Love, wants to Dwell in the creatures. But It wants to be Known, It does not want to be like a stranger, but wants to give Its Goods and become Life of each one. However, It wants Its Rights, Its Place of Honor; It wants the human will to be put aside – the only enemy for Itself and for man. The Mission of My Will was the Purpose of the Creation of man. My Divinity did not depart from Heaven – from Its Throne, while My Will not only departed, but descended into all created things and formed Its Life in them. But while all things Recognized Me, and I dwell in them with Majesty and Decorum, man alone drove Me away. But I want to Conquer him and Win him, and therefore My Mission is not ended. So I called you, Entrusting to you My own Mission, that you may place the one who drove Me away on the Lap of My Will, and everything may return to Me in My Will. Therefore, do not be surprised at the Many Great and Marvelous Things I may tell you for the sake of this Mission, or at the Many Graces I may give you; because this is not about making a Saint, or saving the generations. This is about placing a Divine Will in Safety, that all may Return to the Beginning, to the Origin from which all came, and that the Purpose of My Will may have Its Fulfillment.”

BLESSED FEAST DAY OF SANTA MARIA GRECA IN THE MOST HOLY DIVINE WILL – IN CORATO, IT

Celebrations for Santa Maria Greca, protector of Corato

Yesterday was celebrated the feast of Santa Maria Greca – proclaimed Principal Protector of Corato in 1956 by Pope Pius XII on the occasion of the 3rd centenary of the apparition, as it is stated in the plaque next to the church, but always dear to the people of Corato – organized by the  Archconfraternity of the same name led by Pasquale Nocca.

The sober and planned festivities participated in, besides the preparatory novena,  was particularly Monday night’s prayer vigil in memory of the victims of the rail accident of July 12, 2016, and yesterday’s three Eucharistic celebrations.

One of celebrations, that of 11 am, was presided over by Mons. Giannotti, a vicar general, and was followed by the traditional Supplication to Our Lady at 12 o’clock, when the harmonious sound of the bell, 361 years ago, resounded freeing Corato from the plague.

The Icon of the Protector – to be more precise the wooden board on which the image of the Black Madonna is imprinted with the Greek pastoral and preserved in the crypt of the same name – was taken in procession along the city street after the Eucharistic celebration in the sacred church.

The members of the Sacred Heart Association of Jesus, who opened the procession

The procession, begun by some members of the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, saw a distinguished participation of the faithful who did not just look at it from the edge of the sidewalks, but welcoming the invitation of Father Sergio Pellegrini, parish priest of St. Maria Greca, followed the icon praying Rosary and reflecting on some passages from the writings of Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta.  Also present were representatives of the many Catholic associations in the city and the political authorities.

Music played by Bitonto’s Bass Band also accompanied the return to the Church of the Icon of the Protector, greeted by the festive clapping of hands of her Children, aware of being sinners, as  the Hymn dedicated to her is repeated, but who as children invoke Her prayer of intercession and celestial protection.

The festivities this year also include a clarinet concert by the Quartet Melody, a chamber ensemble formed by four  clarinetists from Corato, who will be playing on Sunday, July 23 in the church of Santa Maria Greca in memory of the victims of the railway disaster.

Domenico Varesano, Vicenzo Di Puppo, Cataldo Taccardo and Vincenzo Catalano – who joined together in January 2016 with the aim of raising the city of Corato’s awarness of music culture – will perform the famous “Pavane for a dead infant” by Ravel Maurice, “Ammerland” By Jacob De Haan, “The Mission (Gabriel’s Oboe)” by Ennio Morricone, “7th Symphony 2nd Movement” by Ludwing van Beethoven, “Oblivion” by Astor Piazzolla, “River Flows in You” by Yiruma.

Meeting Sunday at 8 pm.

Feast Day of Santa Maria Greca, Protector of Corato – 7/18

Miraculous image of “Santa Maria Greca”  that appeared on July 18, 1656 in Corato, Italy.  Archbishop Mons. Addazi obtained permission from the Holy Office on May 11, 1962 to transfer the mortal remains of Luisa to the Church of Santa Maria Greca with the internment occurring on July 3, 1962.

In the night of 18th July 1830, 1st Appearance of the Virgin Mary, Catherine was woken up by a child ringed in a halo of light. She followed him into the church which was open and lit by countless candles. The child asked her to kneel next to the altar where the Virgin Mary was waiting for her with a message, a mixture of political and religious predictions. 

More Infomation

In this message, she namely predicted the July 1830 revolution in France, the bloody political events of 1870, the death of Archbishop Darboy in 1871 and the ensuing political chaos. The Virgin Mary also announced the formation of 2 religious communities abroad, one in the United States (founded by Elisabeth-Ann Seton) and one in Austria, founded by Léopoldine de Brandis.  

Letter of the Postulator Mons Paolo Rizzi to all groups of the Divine Will in the world

From the Official WebSite.

Mons. Paolo Rizzi, the new Postulator of the Cause of Canonisation of Luisa Piccarreta, worked promptly to give a decisive impetus to the Roman phase of the Cause and accelerate the canonical process that is now at a decisive stage.

The complexity of the Cause requires, for the progress of the same Cause, a great deal of work and a heavy economic  burden a costly burden. Therefore, Mons. Rizzi  decided to address the groups of the Divine Will and all the faithful, by writing a letter which is reproduced below. Through this letter he appeals to their generosity so that the Church can recognize the holiness of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta and elevate her, as soon as possible, to the honors of the altars.

 

-To the groups of the Divine Will of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

-To the faithful devotees of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

Following my appointment as the new Postulator, I was able to devote myself to the verification of both the path undertaken until now and of future projects. I appreciated the work properly carried out by the Actor of the Cause, namely, the Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will with headquarters in Corato, as well as the valid work of the diocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie that has adequately fulfilled the diocesan phase of the Cause. All this constitutes a solid base as a strong guarantee for a positive outcome. At the same time, I have noted some delays and uncertainties at other levels and in other areas, which I have been trying to remedy giving a decisive impetus to the Roman phase of the Cause. Significant steps have been taken in the last few weeks to accelerate the canonical process: preparations for working concretely on a fundamental technical tool to study procedural acts by the competent authorities of the Holy See, also setting out clear objectives with precise deadlines.

Therefore, the Cause is now at a decisive stage along the path. The subsequent steps will require considerable expenses: the preparation, typesetting, and printing of the probative dossiers that must be evaluated by theologians and historical experts and the fees for the latter, including the administrative fees of the Holy See, the various costs for conducting the Cause that the office of the Postulator must bear, and so forth. In fact, because of their complexity, the Causes for beatification and canonization require a great deal of work and involve numerous expenses. We need your help and financial support to cover the necessary  costs  for advancing  the Cause of Luisa Piccarreta.

The new norms that Pope Francis has issued, with the aim of making the administration of these ecclesial realities more transparent, establish that the Actor of a Cause must constitute an asset fund for the expenses of the same Cause. The fund, originating from offerings made by both physical and juridical persons is considered, due to its particular nature, as a “fund for a pious cause”. The promoters and administrators of the fund must rigorously respect the intention of those who make the offerings, keep regularly updated accounts and draw up annual financial reports, which must be submitted by the proper authorities for approval. The Association Luisa Piccarreta in Corato has moved in this direction with prudence and rigor; for all of you, devotees and admirers of Luisa, this should be an encouraging reason to make your contribution and add your own “brick” for the construction of the Church’s recognition of the sanctity of this great little woman.

Confident of the generosity of those who met Luisa, allowing their hearts to be “touched” by her bright spiritual message and who rely on her protection, I send my warm greetings to all.

            Rome, June 20, 2017

Mons. Paolo Rizzi

Postulator


The Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will, as the Actor of the Cause of Canonization, sustains what Mons. Paolo Rizzi expressed, highlighting that the positive outcome of the Cause lies first of all in the fulfillment of God’s plan for His Little Daughter of the Divine Will and is related to the charity and generosity of all those who love her.

Anyone who wishes can support the Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will and the Cause of Canonization by donating his  financial contribution through a bank transfer with the following coordinates or through the official website of the Association www.luisapiccarretaofficial.org

In order to rigorously respect the intention of those who make the offerings, the reason for donation should be specify.

BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS.

For the Association:

Banca dell’Alta Murgia Credito Cooperativo

Viale E. Fieramosca 181

70033 Corato BA

ASSOCIAZIONE LUISA PICCARRETA – PICCOLI FIGLI DELLA DIVINA  VOLONTA’

IBAN: IT03B0705641470000020100931

BIC: ICRAITRRTC0


For the Cause:

BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA

FILIALE DI CORATO

C.SO CAVOUR, 20

70033 CORATO BA

CAUSA DI BEATIFICAZIONE SERVA DI DIO LUISA PICCARRETA

IBAN: IT 29 Y 01030 41470 000005405717

BIC:   PASCITM1B88

FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO CHAPLIN

 

AN EXEMPLARY CHAPLIN – FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO

by Maureen Boyle

There have been countless brave Catholic chaplains serving the U.S. Armed Forces since the Revolutionary War.  One heroic example who is honored every year on the anniversary of his death is Father Vincent R. Capodanno, a Maryknoll priest who was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967, as he gave physical and spiritual assistance to the dying Marines of the 1st Marine Division.  Father Capodanno posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor and was officially proclaimed a Servant of God by the Catholic Church in 2006, formerly initiating his cause for sainthood.

The annual memorial Mass for Father Capodanno was celebrated September 6, 2011 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and attended by active-duty and retired members of the armed forces, civilians, and many Catholic military chaplains.

In his homily, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio pointed out that among the scores of Navy chaplains, only two have received the Medal of Honor:  Jesuit Father Joseph O’Callahan and Father Capodanno.

“They were men who never forgot the specificity of what they brought to others as Catholic priests, and yet still served all who sought their counsel comfort and ministry,” said Archbishop Broglio.  “It is that realization that permitted Father Capodanno to defy logic and remain under fire to minister to those entrusted to his pastoral care.  He knew that he brought them something no other chaplain could:  the healing presence of the risen Lord who entrusted his sacraments, his life, to the Church.”

The archbishop encouraged those in attendance at the Mass to look to Father Capodanno as an example and source of inspiration to all the faithful, especially the Catholic chaplains serving in the armed forces.

“Men and women like Father Capodanno, afire with the love of Christ, challenge us to live the Gospel and to teach all people to live as brothers and sisters.  The quest for peace still stirs our hearts,” he said.

Father Capodanno Biography

Third Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima – July 13th

OLoF

Fatima Command Prayer

Mr. Marto, father of Jacinta and Francisco, noticed that when the third apparition began, a small grayish cloud hovered over the holm oak, the sunlight diminished, and a cool breeze blew over the mountain range, despite it being the height of summer. He also heard something like flies inside an empty jug. The seers saw the customary glare, and then Our Lady over the holm oak.

Lucia: What does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I want you to come here on the thirteenth of next month and to continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, for she alone can be of any avail.

Lucia: I would like to ask you to tell us who you are and to perform a miracle so everyone will believe that Your Grace appears to us.

Our Lady: Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what I wish, and I will perform a miracle that everyone shall see so as to believe.

Lucia then made a number of requests for conversions, cures, and other graces. Our Lady recommended the constant recitation of the rosary; thus they would obtain those graces during the year.

Then she went on: “Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say many times, especially when you make a sacrifice, ‘O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.'”

 The first part—The vision of hell

Fatima 1Lucia writes, “Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.”

The second part—The warning of the chastisement and how to avoid it

The children then looked up at Our Lady, who said to them so kindly and so sadly:

“You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved, etc. …”

Communism—”The Errors of Russia”

Communism is an atheistic ideology that ultimately denies God’s natural order and natural law, which God inscribed on the hearts of men. Denying God, Communism attaches divinity status to the Party and to the State. As such, Communism transfers all personal responsibility to the Party and totalitarian state. Denying natural law, Communism rejects the basic rights to private property, and monogamous, indissoluble marriage two indispensable pillars of a free society. Dictatorship is not a chance fact in Communism, but the logical and necessary consequence of its ideology. For strategic reasons, Communism may take on different political forms, including apparently democratic ones, and hide behind varied labels. Already in the 1930’s, the Communist Party launched the so-called policy of the extended hand, in which it showed to the outside world a smiling, friendly face while, Stalin’s iron hand imposed a ferocious, despotic dictatorship in Russia.

Our Lady of America 60 YEARS AGO

ola

Newsletter 9.26.2016

60th Anniversary

Sixty years ago today the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Mary Ephrem and proclaimed these words:

“I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives.”

By these words she acknowledged our nation’s long and historical dedication to her as the Immaculate Conception, manifested by our nation’s consecration to her and our response to that Dogma which proclaims that she is without sin. With these words she invites all of us to imitate her as the perfect model of purity.

Just the day before (September 25, 1956) she had appeared to Sr. Mary Ephrem as Our Lady of Lourdes. You may recall the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes was Heavenly confirmation of the dogma of Mary’s immaculate nature proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854. When she appeared to Sr. Ephrem as Our Lady of Lourdes she said:

“I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son’s Heart and my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul… For it is mainly through these miracles of grace that the Holy Trinity is glorified among men and nations. Let America continue and grow in its love for me, and I in return, in union with the Heart of my Son, promise to work wonders in her. My child, I desire that this be known.”

As Our Lady of Lourdes she promises the graces necessary to follow her towards a life of purity. As Our Lady of America she teaches us to seek purity and live life in a state of sanctifying grace through openness to grace, prayer, works and the Sacraments.

Please pray that our bishops will soon fulfill her request and acknowledge her as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin. By their acts Our Lady promises an outpouring of graces for America and the world.

“By thy Holy and Immaculate Conception, oh Mary, deliver us from evil.

Your Cross

The Everlasting God has in His Wisdom foreseen from Eternity, the cross He now presents to you as a gift from His Innermost Heart.  This Cross He now sends you He has Considered with His All-Knowing Eyes, Understood with His Divine Mind, Tested with His Wise Justice, Warmed with Loving Arms and Weighed with His Own Hands to see that it not be one ounce too heavy for you.  He has Blessed it with His Holy Name, Anointed it with His Grace, Perfumed it with His Consolation, and taken one last Glance at you and your courage – has Sent it to you from Heaven, a Special Greeting from God to you, an Alms of the All Merciful Love of God.

~St. Frances de Sales~

Fiat!!!

From the Book of Heaven

V2 – May 16, 1899 – The virtue of the Cross. Stripping oneself of one’s own will.

Jesus continued for a few more days to manifest Himself in the same way – not wanting to detach Himself from me. It seemed that that little bit of sufferings He had poured into me attracted Him so much, that He could not be without me. This morning He poured a little bit more of bitterness from His mouth into mine, and then He told me: “The cross disposes the soul to patience. The cross opens Heaven, and unites Heaven and earth together – that is, God and the soul. The virtue of the cross is powerful, and when it enters into a soul, it has the virtue of removing the rust of all earthly things. Not only this, but it causes her boredom, bother and contempt for the things of the earth, giving her, instead, the flavor and the enjoyment of celestial things. However, few are those who recognize the virtue of the cross; therefore they despise it.”

 V3 – December 2, 1899 – Eloquent Praise of the Cross

“Today I take pleasure in spending time with you Luisa.  Tell Me something.”  And I:  ‘You know that all my contentment is in being with You, and in having You, I have everything.  So, in possessing You, it seems I have nothing else to desire, or to say.’  And Jesus:  “Let Me hear your voice that cheers My Hearing.  Let us converse together a little; I have spoken to you many times about the Cross; today, let Me hear you speak of the Cross.”

I felt all confused; I did not know what to say.  But as He sent me a ray of intellectual light, to make Him content I began to say:  ‘My Beloved, who can say to You what the Cross is?  Your Mouth alone can speak worthily of the sublimity of the Cross; but since You want me to speak, I will do it.

The Cross, suffered by You, freed me from the slavery of the devil, and espoused me to the Divinity with an indissoluble bond.  The Cross is fecund and gives birth to Grace in me.  The Cross is Light, It disillusions me of what is temporal, and reveals to me what is eternal.  The Cross is fire, and reduces to ashes all that is not of God, to the point of emptying my heart of the tiniest blade of grass that might be in it.  The Cross is coin of inestimable value, and if I have, O Holy Spouse, the fortune of possessing it, I will be enriched with eternal coins, to the point of becoming the richest in Paradise, because the currency that circulates in Heaven is the Cross suffered on earth.  The Cross, then, makes me know myself; not only this, but It gives me the knowledge of God.  The Cross grafts all virtues into me.  The Cross is the noble pulpit of the uncreated Wisdom, that teaches me the highest, the finest and most sublime doctrines.  So, only the Cross will reveal to me the most hidden mysteries, the most secret things, the most perfect perfection, hidden to the most erudite and learned of the world.  The Cross is like beneficent water that purifies me; not only this, but It administers to me the nourishment for the virtues, It makes them grow, and only then does It leave me, when It brings me back to Eternal Life.  The Cross is like celestial dew, which preserves and embellishes for me the beautiful lily of purity.  The Cross is the nourishment of Hope.  The Cross is the beacon of operating Faith.  The Cross is like hard wood, which preserves the fire of Charity, keeping it always lit.  The Cross is like dry wood, which dispels and puts to flight all the smokes of pride and of vainglory, producing the humble violet of humility in the soul.  The Cross is the most powerful weapon that offends the demons, and defends me from all of their claws.  Therefore, the soul who possesses the Cross is the envy and admiration of the very Angels and Saints, and the rage and indignation of the demons.  The Cross is my Paradise on earth, in such a way that if the Paradise of the Blessed up there, is of delights, the Paradise down here is of sufferings.  The Cross is the chain of most pure Gold that connects me to You, my Highest Good, and forms the most intimate union which can possibly be given, to the point of making my being disappear.  And It transforms me in You, my Beloved, to the point that I feel lost within You, and I live from your very Life.’

After I said this (I don’t know whether it is nonsense), my lovable Jesus was all delighted in listening to me, and taken by enthusiasm of love, kissed me all over, and said to me:  “Brava, brava, My beloved – you spoke well!  My Love is Fire, but not like the terrestrial fire which, wherever it penetrates, renders things sterile and reduces everything to ashes.  My fire is Fecund, and it renders sterile only that which is not Virtue.  To all the rest it gives Life, it makes Beautiful Flowers Bloom, it makes the most Delicious Fruits Mature, and forms the most delightful Celestial Garden.  The Cross is so Powerful, and I Communicated so much Grace to It, as to render It more effective than the very Sacraments; and this, because in receiving the Sacrament of My Body, the dispositions and free concourse of the soul are needed in order to receive My Graces, and many times these may be lacking; while the Cross has the Virtue of disposing the soul to Grace.”

Fiat!!!