From the Official Website of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

Jesus’ inner sadness is full of love.

Jesus addressed to the three disciples these words:  “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death”. It isn’t an expression by Jesus, it is a quote from the Psalm 43 in which we can find the drama of the human condition, and in this case, the condition of Jesus. This firm determination “unto death” calls to mind a situation lived by many of those sent by God in the Old Testament and which is expressed in their prayers.

For example Moses was dramatically aware of the trial he was undergoing while guiding the people through the desert and said to God: “I am not able to carry all this people alone, the burden is too heavy for me. If you will deal thus with me, rather kill me at once, kill me if I have found favour in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness” (cf. Num 11:14-15).

Elijah too found doing his duty to God and to his People difficult. “He himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers” (The first Book of Kings 19:4).

What Jesus said to the three disciples whom he wanted near him during his prayer at Gethsemane shows that He felt fear and anguish experiencing his loneliness in the face of his own death. Moreover Jesus’ fear and anguish included all the experiences of men in the face of their own death. He felt the weight of that moment represented by his sadness and anguish and was afraid of not being able to endure it. And He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him,”

Jesus addressed to the Father, He fell prostrate on the ground and prayed. His face on the ground expressed his obedience to the Will of the Father and before saying that He wanted to accomplish the will of his Father, He expressed his attitude with this gesture of the body. It is the full surrender to God. This gesture is repeated in the ordination of deacons, priests and bishops in order to express their willingness to accomplish the will of God in their own lives. It is an attitude that we must learn to live also in our personal prayer.

Pope Benedict continued his catechesis saying: “In prayer we too should be able to lay before God our labours, the suffering of certain situations, of certain days, the daily commitment to following him, to being Christian, and also the weight of the evil that we see within ourselves and around us, so that he may give us hope and make us feel his closeness and give us a little light on the path of life.”

Jesus teaches us this same attitude in the garden of Gethsemane, that is in the most difficult moment of his life when he was facing his death, He put his life in God’s hands so that He might lead it according to His Will. Jesus might even get angry with God, He might even wonder  the ‘why’ of  everything  that was going on, instead He surrendered completely to God, without hesitation. Even Jesus asked  Himself the questions that we ask ourselves, but He chose, at that time, to put his life in God’s hands.

How did Luisa describe, through what Jesus said to her, this moment of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden? The Hours of the Passion does not want to describe what Jesus experienced outwardly in the Passion, but what He experienced inwardly in dealing with the Passion: all his thoughts, his repairs that He wanted to offer for every human sin in every pain suffered during those hours. Describing the moment of prayer in the Garden of Olives,  Jesus lived the most difficult moment of the entire Passion, and explained the reason.

Love tormented Jesus more than the sufferings of His Passion. It was the Eternal Love, which, wanting primacy in everything, was making Him suffer, all at once and in the most intimate parts, what the executioners would make Him suffer little by little.

Love! Jesus suffered so much at that moment, because He loved! This was the suffering of the Son of God who loved infinitely guilty man who refused this love; a rejection that Jesus felt heavily on himself, it is as if it crushed him. But before this renewed rejection, represented by Judas’ betrayal, Jesus so loved man that He gave his life. The physical sufferings that He endured on the cross were nothing compared to the pain that He felt in his heart when He accepted God’s will, because the Father asked Jesus to love the man despite his refusal.

It was Love which prevailed in everything, over Him and within Him. Love was nail for Him, Love was scourge, Love was crown of thorns – Love was everything for Him. Love was his perennial passion, while that of men was in time.

Jesus invited Luisa to enter into his Heart to be dissolved in his love and to comprehend how much He loved her. It is the same invitation that Jesus makes to us. We have to enter into Jesus to understand how much He loves us, and how much He suffered for love, so that we too can learn to love God just as Jesus loved Him. Only then,  we can get out of this diffidence; only if we begin to love in this way, we can love God even in the most difficult moments, rather than rebel against Him.

In Luisa’s writings there are some passages on this subject that we discussed in the Hours of the Passion where Jesus, speaking of his agony in Gethsemane, highlighted that it was love that led Him to undergo his Passion.

On November 25, 1909 Jesus told Luisa that men did nothing but work the skin of his Humanity, while the eternal Love worked all of his interior. So, in his agony, the eternal Love, the immense Love, the incalculable Love, the hidden Love – not men – opened large wounds in Him, pierced Him with flaming nails, crowned Him with burning thorns, made Him drink boiling gall.

And his Humanity, unable to contain so many different martyrdoms at the same time, poured out large streams of Blood; It writhed, and reached the point of saying: ‘Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me; yet, not my will, but Yours be done’ – which It did not say in the rest of the Passion.

The real cause of the Passion of Jesus, was not the wickedness of men, but Love. Love like a nail nailed Jesus to the cross, and there Jesus loved each man with divine love, with total love. Only love could keep Jesus on the cross as the Redeemer. On the cross with Jesus there were also two other people, that were not gone up there for love, they swore, But Jesus on the cross made the highest act of love, He saved mankind. He prepared all this inwardly in his agony in the Garden of Olives.

It was love that supported Jesus in his Passion; and it is love that has to support us in our “Passions”, when our life is put seriously to the test. Each of us lives or lived many “Passions”. Sometimes it seems that our life has been very generous with us; sometimes these “Passions” beat, crushed, dehumanized us . And in these moments, we wonder, where is love? How much love do I put in this suffering? What came out of me? Love or anger, hatred, resentment, violence, rebellion? Jesus, in this hour of his Passion, showed me that when He experienced sadness and bitterness for this situation, He felt supported by love that led Him to reach the end of everything.

The second passage, that we consider, is dated January 22, 1913. In it Jesus spoke to Luisa of the three effects of His Passion.

His first Passion was of love, because the first step with which man, in sinning, gives himself to evil is the lack of love; so, since love is missing, He falls into sin. In order to be repaid through Him for the lack of love of the creatures, love made Jesus suffer more than anyone; It almost crushed Him, more than if He were under a press. It gave Him as many deaths for as many creatures receiving life.

The second step that occurs in sin is defrauding God of His glory. So, in order to be repaid for the glory taken away by the creatures, the Father made Him suffer the Passion of sin, such that each sin gave Him a special Passion. Although there was one Passion, He suffered for sin as many Passions as there would be sins committed until the end of the world. So, the glory of the Father was restored.

The third effect produced by sin is weakness in man. Therefore, Jesus wanted to suffer the Passion from the hands of the Jews – His third Passion – to restore in man his lost strength. So, with the Passion of love, love was restored and placed at the right level; with the Passion of sin, the glory of the Father was restored and placed at its level; with the Passion of the Jews, the strength of the creatures was placed at its level and restored. Jesus suffered all this in the Garden, and the pain was so much, so many the deaths – the atrocious spasms inflicted upon Him, that He really would have died if the Will of the Father for his death had arrived.

Each of us is called to meditate on the Passion of the Lord, to contemplate Love, because only Love is able to give meaning to all that we live, we do and we suffer. When we think about love we will always refer it to pleasant, positive, beautiful, charming situations: romantic love,  the love that characterizes the most beautiful situations that make us feel good about ourselves and with others. And even the media pester us with this idea of ​​love  that is sometimes very idealized and mushy. But this is only one side of love that makes it only superficially known to us. But there is also another love that we need to know, which is part of our life and sometimes, suffering and pain, don’t show it to us. It’s love that is able to suffer! And the Passion of Jesus shows us just that kind of love, or rather, this way of loving,  when we suffer, when we are sorrowful, betrayed and persecuted. The suffering of Jesus was driven by love and thanks to this love that His suffering, His Passion have become salvation for every man. When suffering is supported by despair leads man to destruction. It is not God who destroys man, but it is the man who has chosen to destroy himself. God shows us the way of salvation and directs us to live everything, even suffering and trial, in love, because only love is the way that can lead man to salvation.

[Translation by Antonella]

From the Officil Website for the Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta

Jesus’ prayer to the Father and the conformation of the human will to the divine will.

Let’s go back to our story to continue with our meditation on the agony of Jesus. We have to make a little note to this story and it’s a kind of counterpoint that compares the attitude of the disciples with that of Jesus. These attitudes are put by Mark in opposition among them, to show how the acts of Jesus become the model that every disciple must follow. For example: the disciples were seated whereas Jesus fell prostrate on the ground, the disciples slept whereas Jesus stayed awake and prayed, the disciples were weak at that time, whereas Jesus found the strength to keep going. Around these opposing attitudes Mark shows how the disciples slept in the weakness of the flesh, closed in their will, whereas Jesus fell prostrate on the ground and stayed awake, He prayed in the power of the spirit, He opened to God’s Will and accomplished it. The gospel shows this difference not to humiliate the disciples, but to give strength to the action of Jesus and to emphasize the great scope of the event of the Passion.

Jesus came to this Hour, to this decisive hour in the history of man, that of faith. The real struggle is the struggle of man with God. After sin man continues to struggle with God, because he does not recognize Him as a father, but as a being to be feared, He is an antagonist to the man. If we recall the history of the people of Israel in the Old Testament we find the background of the ongoing struggle between God and his people, between God and man.

The people accused God of being a severe judge, a God who punishes, a God awful, whereas Jesus reveals to us a completely different face of God, the true face of God. But to discover this true face of God that Jesus reveals to us, we need faith. And faith, in this passage, is described precisely through the behavior of Jesus.

Faith is the passage from my will to the will of God. When can I fulfill the will of God? When I have faith in Him. Jesus has shown us the way to live this faith not with words, but rather with our life, abandoning ourselves fully to the Father, putting our life in his hands, accomplishing his will.

When does my will become the will of God? Luisa would say, when there is a complete and profound unity between the human and the divine will.

The agony of Jesus marks the moment when the wall between man and God was removed; “Happy is the night of our salvation, in which the Lord of life is immersed in all our nights, bringing the light of his name” (F. Silvano Fausti).  In the agony of the Garden Jesus worked for the salvation of man, if each of us brings our nights in the night of Jesus, our sufferings in the suffering of Jesus, our questions in the question of Jesus, He will offer them to the Father and by accomplishing His will, everything will become salvation for us.

But let us continue with our reading of this passage of the Gospel of Mark and get to the verse 36: “And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee. Take away this cup from Me; nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt “.

In this prayer of Jesus we can identify three important steps: the first is represented by the first words of Jesus – Abba! Father! – It is a doubling of the term. Jesus called God twice, with two different names: Abba, that was a common term that young children would use to address their fathers with filial confidence and moreover it emphasizes the unconditional abandonment into the hands of their own father. And then Jesus reveals who this “Abba” is : it is God the Father, it is not God the judge, it is not God the punisher, it is not God the avenger, but God the Father, the one who loves.

A second step is characterized by the awareness of Jesus about the omnipotence of the Father: “All things are possible to you.” And this introduces a request, where there is the drama of the human will because of death and evil: “Take away this cup from me”. As Jesus felt this weight, this bitterness, He didn’t know if He could. He addressed to God who is omnipotent, so that He took away that cup away from Him.

And finally, the third step of the prayer of Jesus, is the decisive one: the human will adheres to God’s will. “Yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

The Pope, again in the catechesis of February 1, 2012, said: “In the unity of the divine person of the Son, the human will finds its complete fulfilment in the total abandonment of the I to the You of the Father, called Abba.

St Maximus the Confessor says that ever since the moment of the creation of man and woman, the human will has been oriented to the divine will and that it is precisely in the “yes”(fiat) to God that the human will is fully free and finds its fulfilment. Unfortunately, because of sin, this “yes” (fiat) to God is transformed into opposition:

Adam and Eve thought that the “no” to God was the crowning point of freedom, of being fully themselves. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus brings the human will back to the unreserved “yes”(fiat) to God; in him the natural will is fully integrated in the orientation that the Divine Person gives it. Jesus lives his life in accordance with the centre of his Person: his being the Son of God. His human will is drawn into the I of the Son who abandons himself totally to the Father. Thus Jesus tells us that it is only by conforming our own will to the divine one that human beings attain their true height, that they become “divine”; only by coming out of ourselves, only in the “yes” (fiat) to God, is Adam’s desire — and the desire of us all — to be completely free. It is what Jesus brings about at Gethsemane: in transferring the human will into the divine will the true man is born and we are redeemed. (Pope Benedict XVI).

The human will doesn’t stop being human, Jesus does not want the human dimension to be canceled, but He wants it to be submerged in the divine will (living “for” God “with” God and in “God”), so that it can be transformed or rather, conformed to Him. The human will no longer exist not because it was destroyed but because it was joined with the divine will becoming one, it was deified, realizing God’s plan to deify man.

On January 4, 1924 Luisa was thinking about the words of Jesus in the Garden and Jesus, moving in her interior, told her that it was not because of the chalice of His Passion that He said to the Father: ‘Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me’ it was the chalice of the human will which contained such bitterness and fullness of vices, that his human will, united to the Divine, felt such repugnance, terror and fright, as to cry out: ‘Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me.’ How ugly is the human will without the Divine Will which, almost as within a chalice, enclosed Itself in each creature!

The bitter cup that Jesus drank wasn’t the physical suffering, but the inner suffering because of the human will that does not enter into the divine will. Jesus knew that man’s sin lies in his inability to surrender to the will of God because of his distrust; and for Jesus this is a bitter cup, because at that moment he was experienced fully his humanity and saw that men were far from living the divine will. He saw that man could deify in his humanity but because of his distrust towards God  he didn’t it.

He added as many as three times: ‘Non mea voluntas, sed Tua fiat (Not my will, but Yours be done) because He felt upon Himself the wills of creatures united together, all of their evils, and in the name of all He cried out to the Father: ‘May the human will be done on earth no more – but the Divine. May the human will be banished, and may the Divine Will reign.’ So, even from that time – and he wanted to do this at the very beginning of his Passion, because the calling upon earth of the Fiat Voluntas Tua on earth as It is in Heaven was the thing that interested Him the most and the most important one – he Himself said in the name of all: ‘Non mea voluntas, sed Tua fiat.’

In a certain sense Jesus wanted to take the human will and this is why He called with Him Peter, James and John as witnesses, and when it seemed that the human will wanted to get away from the divine will, because it was affected by suffering and had as its perspective the death and thus more distance from God, Jesus did an act of obedience and above all an act of love towards God, putting everything into his hands. He explained to each of us that it is possible, also at that time, to live this dimension. This is the redemptive value of suffering. Suffering does not redeem man because it makes him atone for his sins, but because it is experienced in the love that purifies sins. It is not the physical pain that cleanses us, but the inner struggle that the physical suffering makes us live.

Again the Pope in his catechesis, tried to transfer these theological reflections into the daily experience of the believer, and said: “Dear brothers and sisters, every day in the prayer of the Our Father we ask the Lord: “thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). In other words we recognize that there is a will of God with us and for us, a will of God for our life that must become every day, increasingly, the reference of our willing and of our being; we recognize moreover that “heaven” is where God’s will is done and where the “earth” becomes “heaven”, a place where love, goodness, truth and divine beauty are present, only if, on earth, God’s will is done.

In Jesus’ prayer to the Father on that terrible and marvellous night in Gethsemane, the “earth” became “heaven”; the “earth” of his human will, shaken by fear and anguish, was taken up by his divine will in such a way that God’s will was done on earth.

And this is also important in our own prayers: we must learn to entrust ourselves more to divine Providence, to ask God for the strength to come out of ourselves to renew our “fiat” to him, to say to him “thy will be done”, so as to conform our will to his. It is a prayer we must pray every day because it is not always easy to entrust ourselves to God’s will, repeating the “yes” of Jesus, the “yes” of Mary.

The Gospel accounts of Gethsemane regretfully show that the three disciples, chosen by Jesus to be close to him, were unable to watch with him, sharing in his prayer, in his adherence to the Father and they were overcome by sleep” (Pope Benedict XVI).

In the gospel Jesus told his apostles: “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?” (verse. 41), but He did not said these words with bitterness, for their inability to stay awake, but for the inability to accept and face the dramatic moments of life. When man does not understand what is happening and this is too big for him here is that he takes refuge in sleep, to escape the events. Jesus said: “Are you still sleeping? ” because it was He, on behalf of all, who faced that drama and showed us how it is possible to live it in the right way,  so that we too, looking at Him, can live it in the same manner. The first one to imitate so deeply the behavior of Jesus was Luisa. It was her, his little newborn of his Will, his little daughter, who felt such repugnance and fright at her will that, trembling, she clung to Jesus and cried out with Him: ‘Father, if it be possible, let this chalice of my will pass from me.’ And, crying, she added with Him: ‘Non mea voluntas, sed Tua fiat’, because  at least one creature was needed in order to validate this contract with God.

We too, as Luisa and the three Apostles, are called to be witnesses of this “contract” because we too must learn to live it. Luisa lived it, the three apostles lived it after the resurrection when they re-read in the light of the resurrection of Jesus all his life and his Passion, and we too are called to take this path.

Perhaps the image of Jesus that the Gospel offers us is a bit different, but it is so true! The world is full of people who don’t accept the discourse that we are taking. People would like a different God and instead the beauty of it is that God manifested his face in this way: He shared our condition all the way, He shared our being before God and therefore our fear. The greatness of Christ is not in avoiding the human experience, but in living it. This is the face of God in Christianity, who says his greatness not distancing, but entering in the existence of man.

[Translation by Antonella]

Book of Heaven
Volume 4; March 31, 1901 

Inconstancy and volubility.

This morning, feeling all embittered, I (Luisa) saw myself still so bad, that I almost did not dare to go in search of my highest and only Good. But the Lord, looking not at my miseries, still deigned to come, telling me: “My daughter, is it Me that you want? Well then, I have come to cheer you – let us be together, but let us remain in silence.”

After staying for some time, He transported me outside of myself, and I (Luisa) saw that the Church was celebrating the Day of the Palms; and Jesus, breaking the silence, told me: “How much volubility, how much inconstancy! Just as today they cried out ‘Hosanna!’, proclaiming Me as their King, on another day they cried out ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ My daughter, the thing that displeases Me the most is inconstancy and volubility, because this is the sign that the truth has not taken possession of these souls. Even in things of religion, it may be that they find their satisfaction, their own convenience and interest, or that they just find themselves in that party; but tomorrow these things may be missing, or they may find themselves involved in other parties – and here is how they deviate from religion, and with no regret they give themselves to other sects. Indeed, when the true light of Truth enters a soul and takes possession of a heart, she is not subject to inconstancy. On the contrary, she sacrifices everything for love of It and to let herself be mastered by It alone; and with unconquered heart she despises everything else which does not belong to the Truth.” And while saying this, He cried over the condition of the present generation, worse than in those times, subject to inconstancy according to wherever the winds blow.

***

Volume 6; April 16, 1905

Suffering is reigning.

Continuing in my usual state, my lovable Jesus made Himself seen for a little, with a nail inside His Heart; and drawing near my heart He would touch it with that nail, and I (Luisa) would feel mortal pains.  Then He said to me:  “My daughter, it is the world that drives this nail deep inside my Heart, giving Me a continuous death.  So, by justice, just as they give Me continuous death, I will allow that they give death among themselves, killing one another like many dogs.”  And while saying this, He made me hear the screams of the rebel, to the point that I remained deafened for four or five days.  Then, as I was very much in suffering, He came back a little later and told me:  “Today is the Day of the Palms in which I was proclaimed King.  All must aspire to a kingdom, but in order to acquire the eternal kingdom it is necessary for the creature to acquire the regime of herself through the dominion of her passions.  The only means is suffering, because suffering is reigning; that is, through patience, man puts himself in his place, becoming king of himself and of the eternal kingdom.”

***

St. Joseph and the Child Jesus

The Church always honors St. Joseph with Mary and Jesus, especially during the Christmas solemnities.

This Saint “of the royal race of David” was a just man.  As by his marriage with the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph has certain rights over the blessed fruit of the virginal womb of his spouse, a moral affinity exists between him and Jesus.  He exercised over the Child-God a certain paternal authority, as that of a foster-father, therefore he deserves a special veneration.

“Christ and the Virgin were with him at his last hour and watched by him their faces gleaming with sweet serenity.”  St. Joseph went to heaven for ever to enjoy the beatific vision of the Word whose humanity he had so long and so closely contemplated on earth.  This Saint is therefore justly considered the patron of the dying and the model of contemplative souls.

St. Joseph and the Child Jesus

Book of Heaven; Volume 20 – January 6, 1920

… Then, after this, I (Luisa) was thinking about the Holy Magi, when they visited the little baby Jesus in the grotto of Bethlehem; and my always lovable Jesus told me:  “My daughter, see the order of my Divine Providence:  for the great portent of my Incarnation, I (Jesus) chose and used a Virgin, humble and poor; and the Virgin Saint Joseph as my custodian, who acted as a father to Me, and who was so poor that he needed to work in order to sustain our lives.” …

Book of Heaven; Volume 30 – March 20, 1932

… “And I Myself, when I came upon earth, during the thirty years of My hidden Life—it can be said that, in appearance, I did no good to anyone, nor did a single one know Me.  I was, yes, in their midst, but unobserved; all the Good unfolded between Me (Jesus) and the Celestial Father, My Celestial Mother and dear Saint Joseph, because they knew He who I was; everybody else—nothing.” …

Book of Heaven; Volume 32 – April 16, 1933

… “So if I (Jesus) worked with St. Joseph in order to procure the necessities of life, it was Love that ran.  They were Conquests and Triumphs that I made, because one Fiat was enough for Me to have everything at My Disposal.  And making use of My Hands for a little profit, the Heavens were amazed; the Angels remained enraptured and mute in seeing Me abase Myself to the humblest actions of life.” …

 Book of Heaven; Volume 21 – April 30, 1927

… “The same happened when My Mama and I were on earth, while We were preparing, between the two of Us, the Kingdom of Redemption—all the remedies that were needed so that all might find salvation.  No sacrifices were spared, nor works, nor life, nor prayers; and while We were intent on thinking about everyone—on giving Our Life for all, no one would think about Us; no one knew what We were doing.  My Celestial Mama was the depository of the Kingdom of Redemption, and therefore She took part in all the sacrifices, in all sorrows.  Only Saint Joseph knew what We (Blessed Mother and Jesus) were doing, but he did not share in all Our sorrows.  Oh! how Our Hearts ached in seeing that, while Mother and Son were consuming Themselves with pains and with love for all, in order to form all possible and imaginable remedies for all, so as to heal them and place them in safety, they not only did not think about Us, but offended Us, despised Us, and others plotted against My Life even from My birth.

“This I am repeating with you, My daughter, in order to form the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat.  The world takes from us, even though it does not know us.  Only My assisting Minister knows what we are doing, but he does not take part either in our sacrifices, or in our work.  We are alone.  Therefore, patience in this long work—the more we (Our Lord Jesus and Luisa) work, the more we will enjoy the fruits of this Celestial Kingdom.”

***

Sister  Mildred Neuzil

St. Joseph and the Law

In the famous heavenly apparitions to Sister Mildred Neuzil, St Joseph said to her: “…Mine was perfect obedience to the Divine Will and it was shown and made known to me by the Jewish law and religion. To be careless in this is most displeasing to God and will be severely punished in the next world…”. St Joseph lived perfectly according to the Torah and the Jewish customs which revealed God’s Divine Will for him. The New Testament calls Joseph a Tzadik which means that he lived out the torah and mitzvot in a manner that allowed him to gain merit for others. All Christians are called to live according to the Divine Will as revealed in the Torah. Gentiles and Jews live out this obedience to the Divine Will as expressed in the Law at the level appropriate to their calling.

Jews who are Christians or Catholics are still called to live out their vocation in obedience to the Jewish religious practices as did Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Those Catholic authorities who have hindered the Jews in the Church from living out their Jewish vocation and identity in the Church as individuals and as a collective community of Jews will have to answer for it in the next world. The Austrian mystic, Maria Simma who spoke with the holy souls in purgatory stated that Pope Paul IV spent over 400 years in purgatory because of his anti-Jewish policies such as placing the Jews in the Roman ghetto.

Those of us Catholic Jews who make excuses for our lack of living out our Jewish vocation will also have to answer for that. Many of us cling to the idea that Jews in the Church need only live as Gentile Catholics do because to observe the Torah Jewishly is too much of a bother or will make us look eccentric or we will be persecuted by our fellow Catholics. Many of us who were secular or reform were already disobedient to the Jewish law and religion, and we bring that with us into the Church. Of course only God knows who is making excuses and those who sincerely believe they are doing the right thing by living as a Gentile Catholic. Others of course due to their life situation may have to live out their vocation as a Jew in the church in a modified way at this stage of salvation history.

 The grace of the Messiah allows us to live not at the level of the letter of the Law but at the level of the spirit of law based on love. This does not mean that we are free to abandon the outward observances of the Law and mitzvot but that we through the grace and love of our Jewish Messiah access the spirit of the Law and observe it as the manifestation of God’s Divine Will just as St Joseph did. The Torah obedient life of the Holy Family in the House of Nazareth is a wonderful model of Torah observance for all Catholic Jews. After the resurrection and foundation of the Church Our Lady continued this Torah observant lifestyle in the Holy House of Ephesus- now focused on adoration of her Son in the Eucharist.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov proclaims Joseph as the Hidden Tzadik who is the Master of the House (Home)in Likutey Moharan 67. “And all this is an aspect of “The Concealment”, when the beauty and splendour of the whole world becomes concealed. However there is a Tzaddik who is beauty, splendour and grace of the entire world, and who is symbolised by Joseph, who was “beautiful in form and handsome” (Genesis 39:6), “a beautiful sight, the joy of the entire land” (Psalm 48:3). When the beauty and splendour of this genuine Tzaddik, who is symbolised by Joseph, is revealed in the world by becoming renowned and esteemed, then the eyes of mankind will be opened. And whoever is included in the genuine grace of this Tzaddik, the world’s grace and beauty, by following him and surrending his self to become part of this Tzaddik’s soul, will have his eyes opened, and he will be able to see.”

Rebbe Nachman concludes: “And with this we return to BeREShYT, the beginning, the RoeSh BaYiT, the head and master of the house of the world, namely, the genuine Tzaddik, who is beauty and glory of the world, represented by Joseph, alluded to in the verse, “Joseph is the ruler…he supplies food…” (Genesis 42:6), because he is the RoeSh BaYiT, the master of the house of the world. For he is the one who maintains the Temple and every Jewish house and home…And when the name of this Tzadik, who represents the head of the house, becomes esteemed, the eyes of the Jewish people are opened, as above. So this is the connection of “bereshit’ to “l’einei kol Yisrael”. Bereshit- this is the master of the house, the Tzaddik, who is the glory of the world, through whom are opened “einei kol Yisael”, the eyes of all the Jewish people.” The glories of St Joseph are reserved to the latter days according to St Isidore of Seville. These glories are connected with the living out of the Divine Will at the highest levels of sanctity which is the deepest penetration of Torah.

 Posted by Aharon on “A Catholic Jew Pontificates”

December 25, 1900

…Who can tell the beauty of the Little Baby who, at the moment of His birth, transfused, also externally, the rays of the Divinity? Who can tell the beauty of the Mother, who remained all absorbed in those Divine rays? And Saint Joseph? It seemed to me that he was not present at the act of the birth, but remained in another corner of the cave, all engrossed in that profound Mystery. And if he did not see with the eyes of the body, he saw very well with the eyes of the soul, because he remained enraptured in sublime ecstasy.

December 26, 1900

… As I continued to see the Holy Baby, I saw the Queen Mother on one side and Saint Joseph on the other, adoring the Divine Infant profoundly. Being all intent on Him, it seemed to me that the continuous presence of the Little Baby kept them engrossed in continuous ecstasy; and if they could work, it was a prodigy that the Lord operated in them; otherwise they would have remained motionless, unable to attend to their external duties. I too did my adoration, and then I found myself inside myself.

May 9, 1907

… Now, since I do not remember everything distinctly, I will tell of the past, all together and confusedly, starting from where I left when I was praying that He would take my mother to Paradise without her touching Purgatory. Then, on March 19, the day dedicated to Saint Joseph, in the morning, while I was in my usual state, my mother passed from this life into the sphere of eternity; and blessed Jesus, allowing me to see her as He was taking her, told me: “My daughter, the Creator takes his creature.”

December 25, 1918

… ‘My Love, there are certain times in which my life becomes bitter, especially because of the conditions in which You put me.’
And Jesus, knowing what I wanted to say to Him, added: “What do you fear? I will take care of everything; and when one directs you I give my grace to him; when another does, I give grace to the other. And then, it is not you whom they will assist, but Me; and I will be generous with them according to how they will appreciate my work, my sayings and my teachings.”
And I: ‘My Jesus, the Confessor appreciated very much what You said to me. He cared very much about it, and he worked very hard to make me write. What will You give to him?’
And Jesus: “I will give him Heaven as recompense, and I will consider his office as that of Saint Joseph and of my Mama, who, having assisted my Life on earth, had to go through hardships in order to nourish Me and assist Me. Now, since my Life is in you, I consider his assistance and sacrifices as though my Mama and Saint Joseph were doing them again for Me. Aren’t you happy?”
And I: ‘Thank You, O Jesus.”

December 25, 1920


… However, know that my Sacramental lot is even harder than my lot as an Infant. Though cold, the grotto was spacious, and had air to breathe; the Host too is cold, but so small that I almost lack air. In the grotto I had a manger with a little hay for bed; in my Sacramental Life, I don’t even have hay, and I have nothing but hard and ice cold metals for bed. In the grotto I had my dear Mama who took Me very often with her most pure hands, covered Me with ardent kisses in order to warm Me, soothed my crying, and nourished Me with her most sweet milk. In my Sacramental Life it is all the opposite: I do not have a Mama; if they take Me, I feel the touch of unworthy hands which smell like earth and muck. Oh! how I feel their stench – more than the manure I smelled in the grotto. Instead of covering Me with kisses, they touch Me with irreverent acts; instead of milk, they give Me the bile of sacrileges, of indifference, and of coldness. In the grotto, Saint Joseph never left Me without the light of a little lantern at night. Here in the Sacrament, how many times I remain in the dark also at night! Oh, how much more painful is my Sacramental lot! How many hidden tears, not seen by anyone. How many wails not listened to. If my lot as an Infant moved you to pity, much more should my Sacramental lot move you to pity.”

January 24, 1921

… “My daughter, calm yourself – I choose whomever I please. However, know that I begin all of my works between Myself and one creature; and then they are spread. In fact, who was the first spectator of the FIAT of my Creation? Adam, and then Eve. It surely wasn’t a multitude of people. Only after years and years did crowds and multitudes of people become spectators of It. In the second FIAT my Mama was the only spectator; not even Saint Joseph knew anything, and my Mama found herself more than in your condition: the greatness of the Creative Power of my work which She felt within Herself was such that, confused, She did not feel the strength to mention it to anyone. And if, then, Saint Joseph knew it, it was because I manifested it to him. So, this FIAT germinated like a seed within Her virginal womb; the ear of grain was formed in order to multiply It, and then It came to the light of day. But who were the spectators? Very few. In the room of Nazareth my dear Mama and Saint Joseph were the only spectators. Then, when my Most Holy Humanity grew up, I went out and I made Myself known – but not to all. Afterwards, It spread more, and It will still spread. So will the third FIAT be. It will germinate within you; the ear of grain will be formed; only the priest will have knowledge of It. Then, a few souls – and then, It will spread. It will spread, and will follow the same path as Creation and Redemption. The more crushed you feel, the more the ear of the third FIAT grows and is fecundated in you. Therefore, be attentive and faithful.”

June 15, 1926

…The same will be for my Will: knowledge will give life to the fruits of my Will. This is why I wanted to renew what I did in Redemption, choosing another virgin, remaining hidden with her for forty years and more, segregating her from everyone as if in a new Nazareth, to be free with her to tell the whole story, the prodigies and the goods contained in It, so as to be able to form the life of my Will in you. And just as I chose Saint Joseph to be together with Me and my Mama, as our cooperator, tutor and vigilant sentry for Me and for the Sovereign Queen, in the same way, I have placed near you the vigilant assistance of my ministers, as cooperators, tutors and depositories of the knowledges, goods and prodigies contained in my Will. And since my Will wants to establish Its Kingdom in the midst of peoples, through you I want to deposit this celestial doctrine in my ministers as my new apostles, so that first I may form with them the link of connection with my Will, and then they may transmit it into the midst of peoples. If it were not so, or were not to be so, I would not have insisted so much on having you write, nor would I have permitted the daily coming of the priest, but I would have left all my work between Me and you. Therefore, be attentive and leave Me free to do what I want in you.”
Now, who can say how confused I remained at this speaking of Jesus? I remained mute, and from the depth of my heart I repeated: ‘Fiat, Fiat, Fiat…’

“I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”

5/19/31 – Vol. 29

I (the Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta) was continuing my acts in the Divine Volition, and uniting myself to the acts that It did in Creation, in order to give It the homage, the love, the adoration for each thing created for love of creatures. My poor mind brought itself into Eden, in the act of the fall of man, as the infernal serpent, with his cunning and lie, induced Eve to withdraw from the Will of her Creator; and Eve, with her enticing manners, induced Adam to fall into the same sin.

Now, while I was thinking about this, my beloved Jesus told me: “My daughter, My Love was not extinguished because of the fall of man, but became more ignited; and even though My Justice justly punished him and condemned him, My Love, kissing My Justice, without delay promised the future Redeemer, and said to the deceitful serpent, with the empire of My Power: ‘You have made use of a woman to snatch man from My Divine Will, and I, by means of another woman, who will have in Her power the Power of My Fiat, will knock down your pride, and with Her immaculate foot, She will crush your head.’ These words burned the infernal serpent more than hell itself, and he stored so much rage in his heart, that he could no longer stay still—he would do nothing but go round and round the earth, to discover She who was to crush his head—not in order to let it be crushed, but so as to be able, with his infernal arts, with his diabolical tricks, to make fall She who was to defeat him, debilitate him, and bind him in the dark abysses. So, for four thousand years he kept always wandering; and when he would see women who were more virtuous and good, he would arm his battle, he would tempt them in every way, and only then would he leave them, when he would be assured, by means of some weakness or defects, that they were not She through whom he was to be defeated. And he would continue his wandering.

“Then came, indeed, the Celestial Creature who crushed his head, and the enemy felt such power in Her, that knocked him down, and he did not have the strength to go near Her. This consumed him with rage, and he employed all his infernal weapons to fight Her. But—no! He would try to go near Her, he would feel himself being worn down, his legs being broken, and would be forced to draw back; and from afar he would spy on Her admirable virtues, Her power and sanctity. And I, in order to confound him and make him doubtful, would let him see the Celestial Sovereign, Her human things, like taking food, crying, sleeping and other things; and he would persuade himself that it was not She, because, being so powerful and holy, She was not to be subject to the natural needs of life. But then he would go back to doubts, and wanted to return to assault—but in vain. My Will is Power that debilitates all evils and all the infernal powers; It is Light that makes Itself known by all, and wherever It reigns, It makes Its Power felt, that not even the very demons can get themselves to deny. Therefore, the Queen of Heaven was, and is, the terror of all hell.

“Now the infernal serpent feels over his head My immediate word spoken to him in Eden—My irrevocable condemnation that a woman would crush his head. Therefore he knows that, by his head being crushed, his kingdom on earth will be overturned, he will lose his prestige, and all the evil he did in Eden by means of a woman will be made up for by another woman. And even though the Queen of Heaven debilitated him, crushed his head, and I Myself bound him to the cross, therefore he is no longer free to do what he wants, however, those who by disgrace draw near him, he slaughters. More so, since he sees that the human will is not subdued by the Divine, and Its Kingdom is not formed yet; he (the invernal serpent) fears that another woman might get to finish burning his temples, so that the Divine Condemnation, over his head crushed by the foot of the Immaculate Queen, may have its fulfillment. In fact, he knows that, when I speak, My Word has the communicative virtue to other creatures. Therefore, as he was assured that She whom he feared was the Most Holy Virgin, and being unable to fight Her any more, he resumed his round. He is all eye and as though on the lookout to see whether another woman might have the task from God to make the Divine Will known in order to make It reign; and having seen you write so much about My Fiat, at the mere doubt that this might be it, he roused the whole of hell against you (Luisa). This is the cause of everything you have suffered, as he made use of wicked men, having them make up calumnies and things that do not exist…

From the Book of Heaven – Vol. 17; July 1, 1924 

“My daughter, let us pray together.

“There are certain sad times in which my Justice, unable to contain Itself because of the evils of creatures, would want to flood the earth with new scourges; and so prayer in My Divine Will is necessary, which, extending over all, places itself as defense of the creatures, and with its power, prevents My Justice from approaching the creature to strike her.”

How beautiful and touching it was to hear Jesus pray! And since I was accompanying Him in the sorrowful mystery of the Scourging, He made Himself seen pouring out Blood, and I heard Him say: 

 “My Father, I offer You this Blood of Mine. 

O please, let It cover all the intelligences of creatures, rendering vain all their evil thoughts, dimming the fire of their passions, and making holy intelligences rise again.

May this Blood cover their eyes and be a veil to their sight, so that the taste of evil pleasures may not enter them through their eyes, and they may not get dirty with the mud of the earth. 

May this Blood of Mine cover and fill their mouths, and render their lips dead to blasphemies, to imprecations, to all of their bad words. 

My Father, may this Blood of Mine cover their hands, and strike terror in man for so many evil actions. 

May this Blood circulate in Our Eternal Will in order to cover all, to defend all, and to be a defending weapon for the creature before the rights of Our Justice.”

Amen!