Book of Heaven
12/15/05 – Vol. 6

Continuing in my usual state, I (Luisa) was thinking about the Passion of blessed Jesus; and He, making himself seen crucified, shared with me a little bit of His pains, telling me:  “My daughter, I wanted to be crucified and lifted up on the Cross, so that, if they want Me, souls may find Me.  So, someone wants Me as Teacher for he feels the necessity to be instructed, and I lower Myself to teach him both the small things and the highest and most sublime, such as to make of him the most learned.  Another moans in abandonment, in oblivion; he would like to find a father, he comes to the foot of my Cross, and I make Myself Father, giving him a home in my wounds, my Blood as drink, my Flesh as food, and my very Kingdom as inheritance.  Another one is infirm, and he finds Me as Doctor who, not only heals him, but gives him the sure remedies in order not to fall again into infirmities.  Another one is oppressed by calumnies, by scorns, and at the foot of my Cross he finds his Defender, to the point of rendering calumnies and scorns back to him as divine honors; and so with all the rest.  So, whoever wants Me as Judge finds Me as Judge; whoever wants Me as Friend, as Spouse, as Advocate, as Priest… such do they find Me.  This is why I wanted to be nailed, hands and feet:  to oppose nothing of what they want – to make Myself as they want Me.  But woe to those who, seeing that I am unable to move even one finger, dare to offend Me.”

While He was saying this, I said:  “Lord, who are those that offend You the most?”

And He added:  “Those who make Me suffer the most are the religious who, living in my Humanity, torment and lacerate my flesh within my very Humanity; while one who lives outside of my Humanity lacerates Me from afar.”

The earliest information we have concerning the liturgical celebration in honor of the martyrs comes from the second century.  For the early Christians, the anniversary of the death of a martyr was a day of joy and festivity.  On that day, they would offer the Unbloody Sacrifice over his tomb, sing various hymns, read an account of his sufferings and death, and then hold an agape or banquet of love.

The earliest testimony relating to the celebration of the anniversary of the death of a martyr is found in the Acts of the Martyrdom of St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (+c.115).  There we read:  “After having spent a few days at his tomb singing hymns, the Christians agreed in the future to pay tribute to his life and sufferings, and thus while commemorating him they gave glory to the Lord Jesus.”

Noteworthy is the fact that the first Christians regarded the day of the death of a martyr as the day of his birth into eternal life.  This was the reason that, afterwards, when the Church Calendar was being formed, it did not give the day of earthly birth of the martyrs and saints, but gave the day of heavenly birth, that is, of birth into eternal life.  The only exceptions were the nativity of our Lord, that of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and St. John the Baptist.  Only at a much later date did the days of their birth begin to be celebrated.  The agapes which were held at the tombs of the martyrs were called birth-feasts, or birthday banquets.

Book of Heaven
5/3/00 – Vol. 3

The Feast of the Cross in Heaven.

This morning I found myself outside of myself, and I saw all of Heaven studded with crosses – some small, some large, some medium; some which were larger, emanated more splendor.  It was a most sweet enchantment to see so many crosses adorning the firmament, more refulgent than suns.  Then, it seemed that Heaven opened, and one could see and hear the feast that the Blessed were making for the cross.  Those who had suffered more were celebrated more on this day.  One could distinguish in a special way the martyrs and those who had suffered in a hidden way.  Oh, how esteemed were the cross and those who had suffered more, in that blessed dwelling!

As I was seeing this, a voice resounded throughout the whole of Heaven, saying:  “If the Lord did not send the crosses upon the earth, He would be like a father who has no love for his own children – who wants to see them poor and dishonored, instead of honored and rich.”

The rest that I saw during this feast I have no words to describe.  I can feel it within me, but I am unable to express it; so I remain silent.

The term “Martyr” is derived from the Greek word “martyr” which means “a witness”.  Truly, a martyr is a witness of heroic love of God, a witness of unbending faith and a holocaust.  The Second Vatican Council in the “Constitution on the Church” gives the following meaning of martyrdom: “Since Jesus, the Son of God, manifested His charity by laying down His life for us, so too no one has greater love than he who lays down his life for Christ and His brothers … By martyrdom, a disciple is transformed into an image of his Master by freely accepting death for the salvation of the world, as well as by his conformity to Christ in the shedding of his blood.  The Curuch then considers martyrdom as an exceptional gift and as the truest proof of love.” (§ 42)

We honor the Martyrs not only as heroes of the holy faith, but also as our intercessors before God.  Their innocent blood and wounds are a most powerful and appealing prayer, which the Lord cannot resist.

Book of Heaven
5/3/00 – Vol. 3

The Feast of the Cross in Heaven.

This morning I found myself outside of myself, and I saw all of Heaven studded with crosses – some small, some large, some medium; some which were larger, emanated more splendor.  It was a most sweet enchantment to see so many crosses adorning the firmament, more refulgent than suns.  Then, it seemed that Heaven opened, and one could see and hear the feast that the Blessed were making for the cross.  Those who had suffered more were celebrated more on this day.  One could distinguish in a special way the martyrs and those who had suffered in a hidden way.  Oh, how esteemed were the cross and those who had suffered more, in that blessed dwelling!

As I was seeing this, a voice resounded throughout the whole of Heaven, saying:  “If the Lord did not send the crosses upon the earth, He would be like a father who has no love for his own children – who wants to see them poor and dishonored, instead of honored and rich.”

The rest that I saw during this feast I have no words to describe.  I can feel it within me, but I am unable to express it; so I remain silent.

Book of Heaven
3/8/01 – Vol. 4

Continuing in my poor state, and with the silence of blessed Jesus, this morning, as I was oppressed more than ever, on coming, He told me: “My daughter, it was not my works, nor my preaching, nor the very power of my miracles that made Me recognized with clarity as the God I am, but when I was put on the Cross and lifted up on It as though on my own throne – then was I recognized as God. So, the Cross alone revealed Me to the world and to the whole of hell for Who I really was. All were shaken and recognized their Creator. Therefore, it is the Cross that reveals God to the soul, and makes known whether the soul is truly of God. It can be said that the Cross uncovers all the intimate parts of the soul and reveals to God and to men who she is.”

Then He added: “Upon two crosses do I consume souls – one is of pain, the other is of love. And just as in Heaven all nine choirs of Angels love Me, though each one has its distinct office – as for example, the special office of the Seraphim is love and their choir is positioned more in the front in order to receive the reverberations of my love; so much so, that my love and theirs, darting through each other, correspond continuously – in the same way, I give to souls on earth their distinct offices: some I render martyrs of pain, and some of love, as both of them are skillful masters in sacrificing souls and in rendering them worthy of my satisfactions.”

The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta

Volume 2; September 9, 1899

Now, while sitting in the shade of this tree, Jesus looked at me with tenderness, all paternal, and taken by a surge of love, such that it seemed He could not contain it within Himself, He embraced me tightly and began to say: “How beautiful you are! You are My simple dove, My beloved dwelling, My living temple, in which I AM pleased to delight united with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Your continuous languishing for Me relieves Me and refreshes Me from the continuous offenses that creatures give Me. Know that the Love I have for you is so Great that I AM forced to hide it in part, so that you may not become insane, but may live. In fact, if I showed it to you, you would not only become insane, but would not be able to continue to live; your weak nature would be consumed by the Flames of My Love.” While He was saying this, I felt all confused and annihilated, and I felt myself sinking into the abyss of my nothingness, because I saw myself all imperfect; especially, I noted my ingratitude and coldness at the so many graces that the Lord gives me. But I hope that everything will be for His Glory and Honor, hoping, with firm confidence, that in an effort of His Love He may want to conquer my hardness.

Volume 4; November 22, 1901

After going through most bitter days of tears, of privation and of silence, my poor heart can bear no more. The torment of being outside of my center, God, is so great, that I am continuously battered amid dense waves of a fierce storm in a state of strong violence, such that I suffer death at each moment, and, what’s more, I cannot die.

As I was in this position, He made Himself seen for a little while and told me: “My daughter, when a soul does the will of someone else in everything, it is said that she has trust in that person, therefore she lives from someone else’s volition, and not from her own. In the same way, when the soul does My Will in everything, I say that she has Faith. So, Divine Will and Faith are branches produced by the same trunk; and since Faith is simple, Faith and Divine Will produce a third branch, that of simplicity. And here is how the soul comes to reacquire the characteristics of a dove in everything. Don’t you want, then, to be My dove?”

Volume 12; May 23, 1918

This morning my sweet Jesus did not come, and I spent it amid sighs, anxieties and bitternesses, but all immersed in His Will. As the night came, I could not take any more, and I kept calling Him over and over again. My eyes could not close, I felt restless – I wanted Jesus at any cost. At that point He came, and said to me: “My dove, who can say to you the flights that you take in My Will, the space that you cover, the air that you swallow? No one, no one – not even you would be able to say it. I alone – I alone can say it; I, who measure the fibers; I, who number the flights of your thoughts, of your heartbeats; and as you fly, I see the hearts that you touch. But, do not stop – fly to more hearts, and knock, again and again; and fly over again, and on your wings bring My ‘I Love you’ to more hearts, to make Me Loved; and then, in one single flight, come to My Heart to take refreshment, to then start again more rapid flights. I amuse Myself with My dove, and I call the Angels and My little Mama to amuse themselves with Me. But, you know? I AM not telling you everything; the rest I will tell you in Heaven. O! how many surprising things I will tell you.”

Then He placed His Hand on my forehead and added: “I leave you the shadow of My Will, the Breath of My Volition. Sleep.” And I fell asleep.

Volume 16; October 30, 1923

Then, in the meantime, I felt I was losing consciousness, and I saw a dove, all afire, that was agonizing, and Someone near it Who, with His Burning Breath, was feeding the dove with His Flames in order to nourish it, preventing it from taking any other food, holding it tightly and so close to His Mouth, that it could do nothing other than breathe and swallow the Flames which came from Him. And the poor dove agonized and turned into those Flames with which it was Nourished. I was surprised in seeing this, and my sweet Jesus, moving in my interior, told me: “My daughter, why do you fear that I might leave you? In order to leave you, I should leave Myself, which I cannot do. As much Power as I have, I do not have the Power to detach from Myself. The same for the one who does My Will: since he becomes inseparable from Me, I lack the Power to detach from him; not only this, but I keep nourishing him with My own Flames. Have you not seen that dove, all afire? It was the image of your soul, and the One who was feeding it with His Burning Breath was I, who Delight so much in Nourishing the one who Lives in My Will with only the Flames unleashed by My Heart, through My Breath.

“Don’t you know that the one who Lives in My Will must be filtered through Its Most Pure Light? And to be filtered is more than to be put under a press, because even though the press smashes everything to pieces, it lets everything out – skin and seeds, which settle down at the bottom and leave always something cloudy. On the other hand, when something is filtered, especially then, if it is filtered through the thick Light of My Will, there is no danger that it might deposit something cloudy; rather, everything is Clear, similar to the Clearness of the Light through which it has been filtered. And this is a Great Honor for the soul who Lives in My Will – that whether she thinks, speaks, loves, etc., My Will takes on the commitment to filter whatever she does through Its Most Pure Light. And this is necessary, so that in everything she does, there may be no distinction from what We do, but all things may hold hands and share their Likeness.”

Now, as He was saying this, I found myself outside of myself, inside a Garden, and, tired, I sat down under a tree to rest. But the rays of the Sun darted through me in such a way that I felt I was burning. I wanted to go under some other tree, a thicker one, that would produce more shade, so as not to be hurt by the Sun; but a Voice (it seems to me that it was my beloved Jesus) prevented me from doing so, saying: “The one who Lives in My Will must be exposed to the Rays of the Burning and Eternal Sun, in order to Live of Light, see nothing but Light, and touch nothing but Light. This leads to the Deification of the soul. Only when the soul is all Deified in God – then can it be said that she Lives in My Will. Rather, come out from under this tree and stroll in this Celestial Eden of My Will, so that, scanning you thoroughly, the Sun may convert you into Light, and may give you the final brush stroke of the Deification in God.” I began to stroll, but as I was doing this, obedience called me back into myself.

Volume 19; June 20, 1926

Then after this, my sweet Jesus moved in my interior, and, all tenderness, told me: “My daughter, tell Me, what about your ideal, your purpose – what is it?” And I: “My Love, Jesus, my ideal is to fulfill Your Will, and all my purpose is to reach the point at which no thought, word, heartbeat and work of mine may ever go out of the Kingdom of Your Supreme Will; even more, in It may they be Conceived, Nourished, Raised and Form their Life, and if needed, also their Death, though I know that in Your Will no act dies, but once it is Born it Lives Eternally. So, it is the Kingdom of your Will in my poor soul that I long for, and this is all my ideal and my primary and ultimate purpose.” And Jesus, all Love and making Feast, added: “My daughter, so, My Ideal and yours are one, and therefore one is our Purpose. Brava, brava, the little daughter of My Will! And since your ideal and Mine are one, you too have sustained the battle of long years to conquer the Kingdom of My Will. You had to endure pains, privations, and have been even a prisoner in your little room, bound to your little bed, to Conquer that Kingdom so much Wanted and Longed For by Me and by you. It cost much to both of us, and now we are both Triumphant and Conquerors. So, you too are the little queen in the Kingdom of My Will, and even though little, you are always queen because you are the daughter of the Great King – of Our Celestial Father. Therefore, as Conqueror of a Kingdom so Great, take Possession of all Creation, of all Redemption and of all Heaven – everything is yours, because your Rights of Possession extend wherever My Will Reigns as Whole and Permanent. All are waiting for you to give you the Honors that befit your Victory.

“You too are the little baby who has so much cried and longed for her Jesus. But as soon as you have seen Me your tears have stopped, and flinging yourself onto My Lap, you have attached yourself to My Breast and, victorious, you have suckled My Will and My Love. As though in Triumph, you have taken rest in My very Arms, and I rocked you so that your sleep might be longer, and I might enjoy My newborn in My own Arms; and, Triumphant, I extended the Kingdom of My Will in you. Also, you are the tiny little dove that has made its Round and made its Round around Me, and while I spoke to you about My Will, Manifesting to you the Knowledges about It, Its Goods, Its Prodigies and even Its Sorrow, you beat your wings, and hurling yourself over the many Seeds I placed before you, you grabbed them with your beak and, Triumphant, you continued your flight around Me, waiting for more Seeds of My Will that I would place before you. And, again, grabbing them with your beak, you nourished yourself and, Victorious, continued your flight, Manifesting the Kingdom of My Will. So, My Prerogatives are yours, My Kingdom and yours are one; we have Suffered together – it is right that together we enjoy our Conquests.”

Presentation

(From The Hours of the Passion.  Click here for book)

This book (The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ) is a translation of the Italian book, L’Orologio della Passione di Nostro Signore Gesu Cristo, written by Luisa Piccarreta, “The Little Daughter of the Divine Will,” about the year 1914, in obedience to the ecclesiastical authority at that time, the now Saint Annibale Maria di Francia.  This presentation was taken largely from the preface of the fourth edition, which Saint Annibale Maria di Francia had written for the original Italian.

Luisa was seventeen years old (she relates these facts in the first of thirty-six volumes which she wrote by order of holy obedience).  On the last day of a Christmas Novena which Jesus Himself prompted her to do, He surprised her with an unusually vivid experience of the marvelous Mysteries of His Love.  And He told her He wanted to lavish New and Greater Graces on her, manifesting to her other, even more lofty Excesses of His Immense Love, and inviting her to continue giving Him uninterrupted company during the twenty-four hours of His Sorrowful Passion and death.

Much later, after Luisa had already been Living these Hours of the Passion intensely in her interior for more than thirty years, the now Saint Annibale di Francia, who was the ecclesiastic delegate on matters concerning Luisa’s writings and who had come to know about this practice of hers, gave her the obedience to write these Hours down.  This, then, is how the book, The Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ began.

It was then that Saint Annibale di Francia published it for the first time.  To this edition, there followed seven others:  five in Italian and two in German—always with the proper ecclesiastical permissions.  It was recently published in English and Spanish as well.

When Luisa had finished writing the Hours of the Passion, she wrote a letter which she gave to Saint Annibale together with the book, who included it in the book’s preface when he published it.  From this letter, we come to appreciate how pleased Jesus is, and how many benefits are lavished upon the soul, when it practices these Hours on a daily basis, as Bread without which one cannot live.  Here is the letter.

“I am finally sending you this hand-written copy of The Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  May it all be for His greater Glory.  I have also enclosed a few sheets on which I have described the Effects and the beautiful Promises which Jesus makes to all those who meditate these Hours of the Passion.

“I believe that if whoever meditates on them is a sinner he will convert; if he is imperfect he will become perfect; if he is holy he will become holier; if he is tempted he will find victory; if suffering he will find strength, medicine and comfort in these Hours; if weak and poor he will find a spiritual food and a mirror in which to look at himself continually, and so become beautiful and similar to Jesus, our Model.

“Jesus’ Joy is so immense when someone meditates on the Hours of the Passion, that He would like to see at least one copy of these meditations being used in every city and town.  Because then it would be as if Jesus were hearing His own Voice and His own Prayers which He raised to His Father during the twenty-four hours of His painful Passion.  And if this is done at least by a few souls in each town and city, He Himself promises that the Divine Justice will be appeased in part, and punishments will be lessened.

“Reverend Father:  You make an appeal to everyone.  Bring this little work to completion, which my Loving Jesus has had me do.

“I would also like to add that the purpose of these Hours of the Passion is not so much that of recounting the story of the Passion, since there already are many books which deal with this pious subject, and it would not be necessary to write another one.  Instead, its purpose is to make reparation:  to unite ourselves to Jesus in each of the different moments of His Passion, and with His own Divine Will, make a worthy reparation for each of the various offenses He receives, and compensate Him for everything that all creatures owe Him.

“From this there derive the different ways of making reparation in these Hours.  In some instances, the soul blesses Him, in others it sympathizes with Him, in others it praises Him, it comforts suffering Jesus, it compensates Him, it begs, prays and asks Him, and so on.

“So, I entrust to you the task of making known the purpose of these Hours to those who will read them.”

Therefore, in every city, town and nation, let us form so many cenacles, in which these twenty-four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord are meditated and lived.  Like so many living clocks, let them faithfully mark the hours of each day, to keep Jesus company with our love, our reparation and our gratitude, for He is not loved as He deserves.  Indeed, His own children offend Him and crucify Him again in their hearts, by closing the doors to Grace, to the Divine Will.

It happened that on one occasion, Saint Annibale di Francia went to Luisa’s house and recounted what had taken place on one of his visits with the Pope (being an intimate friend of Pope Saint Pius X, he was frequently received by him).  While with him, he wanted to introduce him to the book, The Hours of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which he had been spreading.  So, St. Annibale read a few pages of it to the Pope, specifically, from the Hour of the Crucifixion.  At a certain point, the Pope interrupted him, saying:

“Father, this book should be read while kneeling:  It is Jesus Christ who is speaking!”