1/31 – Feast Day of St. John Bosco, Priest

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John Bosco was an Italian priest, who from childhood onward had vivid and mystical dreams which helped him in directing his life and which described in great detail conditions and events that would occur in the future. He persistently astounded those around him with the accuracy and precision of the prophecies he made that came to pass during his lifetime. He was also a miracle worker, healing thousands, and he was the founder of the Salesian Order. He and his followers helped tens of thousands of street children in Italy and in the Western Hemisphere develop job skills and a moral and spiritual life. He died in 1888.

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Book of Heaven
The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose
for which He was Created by God
Volume 3; November 1, 1899

Purification of the Church.  Her support:  the victim souls. 

The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will:

As I was in my usual state, I found myself outside of myself, inside a church, in which there was a priest celebrating the Divine Sacrifice, and while doing this, he was crying bitterly and said:  “The pillar of My (God’s) Church has no place to lean!”

In the act in which He was saying this, I (Luisa) saw a pillar; its top touched the heavens, and at the bottom of this pillar there were priests, bishops, cardinals and all other dignities, sustaining this pillar.  But to my surprise, I went about looking and I saw that of these people, some were very weak, some half rotten, some infirm, some full of mud.  So very scarce was the number of those who were in a condition to sustain it.  So, this poor pillar kept swaying, unable to remain still, so many were the quakes it received from the bottom.  At the top of this pillar there was the Holy Father who, with gold chains and with rays emanating from his whole person, did as much as he could to sustain it, and to chain and illuminate the people who dwelled at the bottom, although some of them would flee so as to be more comfortable in becoming rotten and covered with mud; and not only this, but he did as much as he could to bind and to illuminate the whole world.

While I was seeing this, that priest who was celebrating Mass (I am not sure whether he was a priest or Our Lord; it seems to me it was Him, but I cannot tell with certainty) called me close to Himself and told me:  “My daughter (Luisa), see in what a heartrending state My (God’s) Church is.  The very ones who were supposed to sustain Her withdraw, and with their works they knock Her down, they beat Her, and reach the point of denigrating Her.  The only remedy is that I (God)  so much blood to be shed as to form a bath to wash away that rotten mud and to heal their deep wounds, so that, healed, strengthened and embellished in that blood, they may become instruments capable of keeping Her stable and firm.” 

Then He (Jesus) added:  “I (God) have called you (Luisa) to tell you (Luisa):  ‘Do you (Luisa) want to be victim, and therefore be like a prop to sustain this pillar in these times so incorrigible?’”

At first I felt a shiver run through me for fear that I might not have the strength, but then immediately I offered myself and I pronounced the Fiat.  At that moment, I found myself surrounded by many Saints, Angels and purging souls, who tormented me with scourges and other instruments.  At first I felt a certain fear, but then, the more I suffered, the more I wanted to suffer, and I enjoyed the suffering like a most sweet nectar; more so, since a thought touched me:  ‘Who knows whether those pains might be the means to consume my life, so that I might take wing in the last flight toward my highest and only Good?’  But to my highest sorrow, after suffering bitter pains, I saw that those pains would not consume my life.  Oh God, what pain! – that this fragile flesh prevents me from uniting myself to my Eternal Good!

After this, I (Luisa) saw the bloody slaughter that was made of the people who were at the bottom of the pillar.  What a horrible catastrophe!  So very scarce was the number of those who would not be victims; they reached such daringness as to try to kill the Holy Father.  But then, it seemed to me that that blood which was shed and those bloody tormented victims were the means to render those who remained strong, so as to sustain the pillar without letting it sway any more.  Oh, what happy days!  After this, days of triumphs and of peace would arise; the face of the earth seemed to be renewed, and the pillar would acquire its original prestige and splendor.  Oh, happy days! – I (Luisa) hail you from afar, days which will give great glory to my Church, and great honor to the God who is Her Head!

1/25 Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul

Conversion of St. Paul

St. Paul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin and a zealous Pharisee.  St. Paul did not belong to the original group of the twelve apostles, but through his apostolic labors, his dedication, his superhuman sacrifices, and his sufferings in the service of Christ, he received the title, along with Peter, of the First Apostle.  He is the only one of the Apostles who was highly educated and was by birth a Roman citizen.  While Paul was on his way to Damascus, Christ Himself converted him in a miraculous manner and called him to be an Apostle.  After his conversion, from being a persecutor of Christians he became, in heart and soul, a zealous and courageous apostle of Christ.

“Paul was a wolf,” says St. Chrysostom, “But he became a lamb.  He was a thorn, but he became a fruitful vine.  From an enemy, he became a friend; from a weed, he became wholesome bread… The blasphemer b became a theologian; the persecutor, a herald of good news; the tormentor—a leader; the traitor—a fellow-champion.”

In his apostolic work, St. Paul distinguished himself as a man of uncompromising character, remarkable strength of will and fervent spirit.  For many years, he fearlessly preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ day and night.  His unlimited love for Christ knew no obstacles, recognized no difficulties, and placed no limit to sacrifice.  His love impelled him to undertake great missionary journeys and to establish new Churches; he was always ready to suffer and die for Christ.

The apostle of the Gentiles was not only an excellent preacher and a good organizer, but also an eminent theologian and writer.  From him we have fourteen letters addressed to various Chruches or persons in which he clearly expounds the teaching of Christ.  St. Paul gave up his life for Christ.  According to tradition, he died by the sword in Rome on June 29, 65 or 67 A.D.

S_St Paul baslicaBasilica of St. Paul outside the walls of Rome

Acts of Apostles 9:4
And falling on the ground, he (Saul, later named Paul) heard a voice saying to him:
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?

Acts of Apostles 9:8
And Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing.
But they leading him by the hands, brought him to Damascus.

Acts of Apostles 9:11
And the Lord said to him (Ananias): Arise, and go into the street that is called Strait,
and seek in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prayeth.

Acts Of Apostles 9:17
And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house. And laying his hands upon him,
he said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, He that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest; that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Book of Heaven
The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose
for which He was Created by God

Volume 8; December 16, 1908

The privation of Jesus is the greatest of all pains.

The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will:

Going through most bitter days, I was lamenting to Our Lord, saying: “How cruelly You have left me! You told me that You had chosen me as your little daughter, that You would keep me always in your arms – and now? You have thrown me to the ground, and instead of a little daughter, I see that You have changed me into a little martyr; but even though little, my martyrdom is just as cruel and harsh, bitter and intense.”

While I was saying this, He moved in my interior and told me: “My daughter, you are mistaken – my Will is not to make you a little martyr, but a great martyr. If I give you the strength to bear my privation with patience and resignation – which is the most painful and most bitter thing that can be found, and there is no other pain that equals it or resembles it either in Heaven or on earth – is this not heroism of patience and the ultimate degree of love, compared to which, all other loves remain behind, are almost nullified, and there is nothing that can compare to it or stand before it? Is this not, then, great martyrdom? You say that you are a little martyr because you feel you do not suffer so much. It is not that you do not suffer, but it is the martyrdom of my privation that absorbs your other pains, making them even disappear. In fact, in thinking that you are without Me, you neither bother about nor pay attention to your other sufferings; and by not paying attention to them, you reach the point of not feeling their weight, therefore you say you do not suffer.

And then, I (Jesus) have not thrown you (Luisa) to the ground; rather, I (Jesus) keep you (Luisa) more than ever clasped in My arms. Even more, I (Jesus) tell you (Luisa) that if to Paul I (Jesus) gave My efficacious grace at the beginning of his conversion, to you (Luisa) I (Jesus) give it almost continually – and this is the sign of it: that you continue in your interior everything that you used to do when I was with you almost continually – doing what now you seem to do by yourself. Your feeling all immersed in Me and bound to Me, always thinking of Me even though you do not see Me – this is not your own thing, nor an ordinary grace, but special and efficacious grace. And if I give you much, it is a sign that I love you much, and I want to be loved much by you.”

1/5 The Tree of Life, rooted in the Heart of Jesus.

Book of Heaven
11/5/02 – Vol. 4

Mulberry Tree at  Torre Disperata
Luisa used to hide in its trunk when she was little in order to pray, unnoticed

      Nicola Piccarreta, Luisa’s father, was a worker on a farm that belonged to the Mastrorilli family. Luisa spent many years of her childhood and adolescence on that farm located at the middle of Via delle Murge in a neighborhood called Torre Disperata, 27 kilometers from Corato.
     In front of the old house on that farm, this impressive, centuries-old mulberry tree still stands, with the great hollow in its trunk where Luisa used to hide when she was little in order to pray, far from prying eyes.   

Book of Heaven
11/5/02 – Vol. 4

This morning my adorable Jesus made Himself seen in my interior, and He seemed to have a tree planted in His Heart, and so rooted into It, that its roots arose from the center of His Heart. In sum, it seemed to be born together with It, with the same nature. I was amazed at seeing its beauty, strikingness and height, which seemed to touch the heavens; and its branches extended out to the farthest ends of the world. Now, on seeing me so amazed, blessed Jesus told me: “My daughter, this Tree was conceived together with Me, in the center of my Heart, and from that moment I felt in my inmost Heart all the good and the evil that man would do with this Tree of Redemption, called Tree of Life’. In fact, all those souls who remain united to this Tree will receive the life of grace in time, and when the Tree has raised them well, It will administer to them the life of glory in eternity. Yet, what is not my sorrow? Even though they cannot root out the Tree, nor can they touch the trunk, many try to cut some branches so that souls may not receive life, and to take away from Me all the glory and the pleasure that this Tree of Life would have produced for Me.” While saying this, He disappeared.

Luisa with the Tree of Life

11/10 Effects of meditating continuously on the Passion.

Book of Heaven
11/9/06 – Vol. 7

Finding myself in my usual state, I was thinking about the Passion of Our Lord; and while I was doing this, He came and told me: “My daughter, one who meditates continuously on my Passion and feels sorrow for it and compassion for Me, pleases Me so much that I feel as though comforted for all that I suffered in the course of my Passion; and by always meditating on it, the soul arrives at preparing a continuous food. In this food there are many different spices and flavors, which form different effects. So, if in the course of my Passion they gave Me ropes and chains to tie Me, the soul releases Me and gives Me freedom. They despised Me, spat on Me, and dishonored Me; she appreciates Me, cleans Me of that spittle, and honors Me. They stripped Me and scourged Me; she heals Me and clothes Me. They crowned Me with thorns, mocking Me as king, embittered my mouth with bile, and crucified Me; while the soul, meditating on all my pains, crowns Me with glory and honors Me as her king, fills my mouth with sweetness, giving Me the most delicious food, which is the memory of my own works; and unnailing Me from the Cross, she makes Me rise again in her heart. And every time she does so, I give her a new life of grace as recompense. She is my food, and I become her continuous food. So, the thing that pleases Me the most is meditating continuously on my Passion.”

11/7 How all the Truths written about the Divine Will will form the Day for those who will Live in It.

Book of Heaven
11/7/37 – Vol. 35

I felt my poor mind as though crowded by so many Truths that Jesus made me write about the Divine Will; and I was thinking to myself:  “Who knows when these Truths on the Divine Fiat will come to Light, and what Good they will produce?” 

My sweet Jesus, surprising me with His little visit, all Goodness and Tenderness told me:  “My daughter, I too feel the Love-need of making you see the Order that these Truths will have and the Good they will produce.

“These Truths on My Divine Will will form the Day of My Fiat in the midst of the creatures.  According to their knowledge, this day will be rising.  So, as they begin to know the first Truths that I have Manifested to you, a Most Splendid Dawn will arise—provided that they will have good will and the disposition to make their own life of these Truths.  However, these Truths will also have the virtue of disposing the creatures, and of giving the Light to many blind who don’t know My Will or love It.

“Then, once the Dawn is risen, they will feel invested by a Celestial Peace, and more strengthened in the Good.  They, themselves, will yearn to know more Truths, which will form the beginning of the Day of My Divine Will.  This beginning of the Day will increase the Light and the Love; all things will turn into Good for the creatures; passions will lose the power to make them fall into sin.  One can say that they will feel the first Order of the Divine Good, which will facilitate their actions for them.  They will feel a Strength with which they can do everything, since its Primary Virtue is exactly this:  to inject in the soul a Transformation of her nature in Good.  So, feeling the Great Good of the beginning of the Day, they will long for the Day to advance.  They will then know more Truths that will form the Full Day.

“In this Full Day they will vividly feel the Life of My Will within themselves—Its Joy and Happiness, Its Operative and Creative Virtue within them.  They will feel the possession of My very Life, becoming the bearers of My Divine Will.  The Full Day will provoke in them so much yearning to know more Truths that, once known, they will form the Full Afternoon.  In this, the creature will no longer feel alone:  between her and My Will there will be no more separation.  What My Will will do, she will do as well—Operating together.  All will be her own by right—Heaven, earth, and God Himself.

“Do you see then, how noble, Divine and precious will be the scope of these Truths that I made you write on My Divine Will in order to form the Day of the creature?  For some they will form the Dawn; for some the beginning of the Day; for some others the Full Day and, lastly, the Full Afternoon.  These Truths will form, according to their knowledge, the different categories of the souls who will Live in My Will.  One Knowledge more, or one less, will make them rise or stay in the different categories. Knowledge will be the hand to boost them up to the higher categories—it will be the very Life of the Fullness of My Will within them.  Therefore, I can say that with these Truths I formed the Day for whoever wants to Live in My Divine Will—a Day of Heaven, greater than Creation itself; not of sun or stars, because each Truth has the Virtue of Creating Our Life in the creature.  O, how this surpasses the whole of Creation!  Our Love surpassed everything in Manifesting so many Truths on My Divine Will.  Our Glory, on the part of the creatures, will be Full, because they will possess Our Life to Glorify Us and to Love Us.

“As far as the emerging of these Truths goes, just as I had the Power and the Love to assist the one to whom I had to Manifest Them, in the same way I will have Power and Love to Invest the creatures, and Transform them into these very Truths.  And feeling Their Life, they will also feel a great need to give to the Light what They feel within Themselves.  Therefore, don’t get worried.  I, who can do all, will do all and take care of all.” . . .

11/6 The good that the Hours of the Passion produce for Jesus and for the soul who does them.

 

Jesus’ voice led the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta to detachment from herself and from everyone. At about eighteen, from the balcony of her house in Via Nazario Sauro, she had a vision of Jesus suffering under the weight of the Cross, who raised his eyes to her saying: O soul, help Me! From that moment an insatiable longing to suffer for Jesus and for the salvation of souls was enkindled in Luisa.  

 Balcony of Luisa’s home at Via Nazario Sauro
now named Via Luisa Piccarreta
The Pious Association Luisa Piccarreta
is now located in Luisa’s former home on Via Luisa Piccarreta

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Book of Heaven
11/6/14 – Vol. 11

The good that the Hours of the Passion produce for Jesus and for the soul who does them.

As I continued the usual Hours of the Passion, my adorable Jesus told me: “My daughter, the world is in continuous act of renewing my Passion; and since my Immensity envelopes everything, inside and outside the creatures, I am forced to receive from their contact nails, thorns, scourges, scorns, spits and all the rest which I suffered in the Passion – and still more. Now, at the contact with souls who do these Hours of my Passion I feel the nails being removed, the thorns shattered, the wounds soothed, the spits taken away. I feel compensated by good for the evil that others do to Me. Feeling that their contact does not do harm to Me, but good, I lean more and more on them.”

Furthermore, returning to speak about these Hours of the Passion, blessed Jesus said: “My daughter, know that by doing these Hours the soul takes my thoughts and makes them her own; she takes my reparations, my prayers, desires, affections, and even my most intimate fibers and makes them her own. So, rising up between Heaven and earth, she does my same office, and as co-redemptrix, she says to Me: ‘Ecce ego, mitte me [Here I am, send me]. I want to repair for all, answer to You for all, and plead good for all.’”

1/2 – Eve of the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord

FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child, signifying the extension of salvation to the Gentiles.  Epiphany is traditionally celebrated on January 6th. 

V3 – 1.6.00 –This morning I received Communion, and as I found myself together with Jesus, the Queen Mama also was there, and – oh! marvel – I looked at the Mother and I could see Her Heart Transmuted into Baby Jesus; I looked at the Son and I could see the Mother in the Heart of the Baby. In the meantime, I remembered that today is the Epiphany, and on the example of the Holy Magi, I was to offer something to Baby Jesus, but I saw myself as having nothing to give Him. So, in seeing my misery, the thought came to me of offering my body as Myrrh, with all the sufferings of the twelve years in which I had been in bed, ready to suffer and to remain there as long as He Pleased; as Gold, the pain I feel when He deprives me of His Presence, which is the most painful and sorrowful thing for me; as Incense, my poor prayers, United to those of the Queen Mama, so that they might be more Acceptable to Baby Jesus. So I made the offering, with all the confidence that the Baby would Accept everything.