2/16 The Cross and Penance

The focus of this Season is the Cross and penance as we meditate on Christ’s Passion and await the triumph of Easter. We fast, abstain, mortify the flesh, give alms, and think more of charitable works.

One way to make this Lent a most special spiritual journey is by the meditation on the book “The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion” by by Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, Little Daughter of the Divine Will.

 

Shroud of Turin

Meditations for the Stations of the Cross
from the 
“The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion”

 

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

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

Sometimes, then, He (Jesus) would bring me (Luisa) into churches, and even there my good Jesus was offended. Oh! how awfully those works reached His Heart – holy works, yes, but done roughly; those prayers empty of interior spirit, that piety, false, apparent, which seemed to give more insult than honor to Jesus. Ah! yes, that holy, pure, upright Heart could not receive those works, done so badly. Oh! how many times He lamented, saying: “Daughter, see how many offenses I receive, even from those people who are said to be devout – even in the holiest places. In receiving the very Sacraments, instead of coming out purified, they come out dirtier.”

Ah! yes, how much pain it was for Jesus to see people receiving Communion sacrilegiously, priests celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in mortal sin, out of habit, and some – it is a horror to say it – even out of self-interest. Oh! how many times my Jesus made me see these scenes so sorrowful. How many times, while the priest was celebrating the Sacrosanct Mystery, Jesus is forced to go into his hands, because He is called by the priestly authority. One could see those hands dripping with rot, blood, or smeared with mud. Oh! how pitiful then, was the state of Jesus, so holy, so pure, in those hands which were horrifying to the mere sight. It seemed He wanted to escape from between those hands, but He was forced to stay until the species of bread and wine would be consumed.

Sometimes, while remaining there with the priest, He would come hurriedly to me, all lamenting, and before I could say it, He Himself would say to me: “Daughter, let Me pour it into you, for I cannot take anymore. Have pity on My state, which is too sorrowful – have patience, let us suffer together.” And while saying this, He would pour from His mouth into mine. But who can tell what He poured? It seemed to be a bitter poison, a fetid rot, mixed with a food so hard, disgusting and nauseating, that sometimes it would not go down. Who can tell, then, the sufferings that this pouring of Jesus produced? If He Himself had not sustained me, I certainly would have died; yet, He would pour in me but the smallest part – what would it be for Jesus, who contained tons upon tons of it? Oh! how awful is sin! Ah! Lord, let everyone know it, so that all may flee from this monster so horrible. But while I would see these scenes so sorrowful, other times, He would also make me see scenes so consoling and beautiful as to be enrapturing; and this was to see good and holy priests celebrating the Sacrosanct Mysteries. Oh God! how high, great, sublime is their ministry. How beautiful it was to see the priest celebrating Mass, and Jesus transformed into him. It seemed that it was not the priest, but Jesus Himself that celebrated the Divine Sacrifice, and sometimes He would make the priest disappear completely, and Jesus alone would celebrate Mass – and I would listen to Him. Oh! how touching it was to see Jesus recite those prayers, do all those ceremonies and movements that the priest does. Who can tell how consoling it was for me to see these Masses together with Jesus? How many graces I received, how much light, how many things I comprehended! But since these are past things, I don’t remember them too clearly, so I keep silent.

But as I am saying this, Jesus has moved in my interior and has called me – He doesn’t want me to do so. Ah! Lord, how much patience it takes with You. Well then, I will content You. Oh! sweet Love, I will say a few little things, but give me your grace to be able to manifest them, because, by myself, I would not dare to utter one word about mysteries so profound and sublime.

Now, while seeing Jesus or the priest celebrating the Divine Sacrifice, Jesus would make me understand that in the Mass there is all the depth of our sacrosanct religion. Ah! yes, the Mass tells us everything and speaks to us about everything. The Mass reminds us of our redemption; It speaks to us, step by step, about the pains that Jesus suffered for us; It also manifests to us His immense love, for He was not content with dying on the Cross, but He wanted to continue His state of victim in the Most Holy Eucharist. The Mass also tells us that our bodies, decayed, reduced to ashes by death, will rise again on the day of the judgment, together with Christ, to immortal and glorious life. Jesus made me comprehend that the most consoling thing for a Christian, and the highest and most sublime mysteries of our holy religion are: Jesus in the Sacrament and the resurrection of our bodies to glory. These are profound mysteries, which we will comprehend only beyond the stars; but Jesus in the Sacrament makes us almost touch them with our own hands, in different ways. First, His Resurrection; second, His state of annihilation under those species, though it is certain that Jesus is there present, alive and real. Then, once those species are consumed, His real presence no longer exists. And as the species are consecrated again, He comes again to assume His sacramental state. So, Jesus in the Sacrament reminds us of the resurrection of our bodies to glory: just as Jesus, when His sacramental state ceases resides in the womb of God, His Father, the same for us – when our lives cease, our souls go and make their dwelling in Heaven, in the womb of God, while are bodies are consumed. So, one can say that they will no longer exist; but then, with a prodigy of the omnipotence of God, our bodies will acquire new life, and uniting with the soul, will go together to enjoy the eternal beatitude. Can there be anything more consoling for a human heart than the fact that not only the soul, but also the body will be beatified in the eternal contentments? It seems to me that on that day it will happen as when the sky is starry and the sun comes out. What happens? With its immense light, the sun absorbs the stars and makes them disappear; yet the stars exist. The sun is God, and all of the blessed souls are the stars; with His immense light, God will absorb us all within Himself, in such a way that we will exist in God and will swim in the immense sea of God. Oh! how many things Jesus in the Sacrament tells us; but who can tell them all? I would really be too long. If the Lord allows it, I will reserve saying something else on other occasions.

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

***

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.’”

2/2 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

 

Presentation of Our Lord

On February 2, 1996 photocopies of the Thirty-Six Volumes of the Writings
of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta were made.
The Archbishop of Trani, Monsignor Cassati, had permission from
the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith to make the photocopies.

***

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

The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will
Day Twenty-three

My dear daughter, do not move from My side; follow Me everywhere. Forty days from the Birth of Little King Jesus are about to sound when the Divine Fiat calls us (the Holy Family) to the Temple in order to fulfill the law of the Presentation of My Son (Jesus). So we went to the Temple. It was the first time that we went out together with My Sweet Baby. A vein of Sorrow opened in My Heart: I was going to offer Him as Victim for the Salvation of all. We (the Holy Family) entered the Temple, and first we Adored the Divine Majesty; then we called the priest, and having placed Him in his arms, I made the Offering of the Celestial Baby to the Eternal Father—Offering Him (Jesus) in Sacrifice for the Salvation of all. The priest was Simeon, and as I placed Him in his arms, he recognized that He was the Divine Word and exulted with immense joy; and after the offering, assuming the attitude of prophet, he prophesied all My Sorrows. O! How the Supreme Fiat sounded over My Maternal Heart—thoroughly, with vibrating sound, the Mournful Tragedy of all the Pains of My Baby Son. But what pierced Me the most were the words that the holy prophet spoke to Me: “This Dear Baby will be the Salvation and the ruin of many, and will be the Target of contradictions.”

If the Divine Will had not sustained Me, I would have died instantly of pure Pain. But It gave Me Life, and used it to form in Me the Kingdom of Sorrows, within the Kingdom of Its very Will. So, in addition to the Right of Mother that I had over all, I acquired the Right of Mother and Queen of all Sorrows. Ah! Yes, with My Sorrows I acquired the Little Coin to pay the debts of My children, and also of the ungrateful children.

Now, My daughter, you must know that in the Light of the Divine Will I already knew all the Sorrows I was to suffer—and even more than that which the holy prophet told Me. But in that Act, so Solemn, of Offering My Son, in hearing it being repeated to Me, I felt so pierced that My Heart bled, and deep gashes opened in My Soul.

Now, listen to your Mama: in your pains, in the sorrowful encounters which are not lacking for you, never lose heart; but with Heroic Love let the Divine Will take Its Royal Place in your pains, that It may convert them for you into Little Coins of Infinite Value, with which you will be able to pay the debts of your brothers, to ransom them from the slavery of the human will, so as to make them enter again, as free children, into the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat.

The soul:

Holy Mama, in Your Pierced Heart do I place all my pains; and You know how they pierce my heart. O please! Be my Mama, and pour into my heart the Balm of Your Sorrows, that I may share in Your same Destiny of using my pains as little coins in order to conquer the Kingdom of the Divine Will.

Little Sacrifice:

Today, to honor Me, you will come into My arms, that I may pour in you the First Blood that the Celestial Baby shed in order to heal the wounds that your human will did to you; and you will recite three acts of love in order to mitigate the Spasm of the Wound of Baby Jesus.

Ejaculatory Prayer:

My Mama, pour Your Sorrow into my soul, and convert all my pains into Will of God.

***

The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will
Meditation 3

The soul to her Celestial Mother:

Holy Mama, here I am close to You, to accompany You to the Temple, where You go to make the Greatest of sacrifices—that is, to place the Life of the Celestial Infant at the mercy of each creature, that they may use it to reach safety and to be sanctified. But, ah! What Sorrow—many will use it to offend Him, and even to become lost. O please! My Mama, place Little Jesus in my heart, and I promise You, and I swear, to love Him always, and to keep Him as the Life of my poor heart.

Lesson of the Queen of Heaven:

Dearest daughter, how happy I am to have you close to Me. My Maternal Heart feels the need to pour out My Love and to confide to you My Secrets. Be attentive to My Lessons, and listen to Me. You must know that for forty days now, we have been in this grotto of Bethlehem, the first home of My Son down here; but, how many Wonders in this grotto! The Celestial Infant, in an Ardor of Love, descended from Heaven to earth; He was Conceived, and was Born, and felt the need to pour out this Love; so, each Tear, Wail, and Moan, was an Outpouring of Love that He made. Each Tear, Wail and Moan, was an Outpouring of Love. Even His feeling numb with cold, His tiny little lips, livid and shivering—were all Outpourings of Love that He made; and He looked for His Mama in whom to deposit this Love, which He could no longer contain; and I was Prey to His Love. So, I felt Myself being Wounded continuously, and I felt My Dear Little One Palpitating, Breathing, Moving within My Maternal Heart. I felt Him Crying, Moaning and Wailing, and I remained inundated by the Flames of His Love. The circumcision had already opened deep gashes in Me, into which He poured so much Love that I felt Queen and Mother of Love. I felt Enraptured in seeing that in each Pain, Tear and Motion that My Sweet Jesus made, He looked for and called upon His Mama, as Dear Refuge of His Acts and of His Life. Who can tell you, My daughter, what passed between Me and the Celestial Baby during these forty days? The repetition of His Acts together with Me, His Tears, His Pains, His Love, were as though Transfused together, and whatever He did, I did.

Now, after the completion of the forty days, the Dear Baby, drowned more than ever in His Love, wanted to Obey the law and present Himself to the Temple to offer Himself for the Salvation of each one. It was the Divine Will that called us to the Great Sacrifice, and we promptly Obeyed. My daughter, this Divine Fiat, when It finds promptness in doing what It wants, places at the creature’s disposal Its Divine Strength, Its Sanctity, Its Creative Power to Multiply that act, that sacrifice, for all and for each one. In that sacrifice It places the Little Coin of Infinite Value, with which one can pay and satisfy for all.

It was the first time that your Mama and Saint Joseph went out together with the Little Child Jesus. All Creation recognized Its Creator, and felt honored at having Him in their midst; and assuming the attitude of Feast, they accompanied us along the way. As we arrived at the Temple, we prostrated ourselves and Adored the Supreme Majesty; and then we placed Him in the arms of the priest, who was Simeon, who made of Him an Offering to the Eternal Father—offering Him for the Salvation of all. And while he offered Him, inspired by God, he recognized the Divine Word, and exulting with Immense Joy, he adored and thanked the dear Baby. After the offering, he assumed the attitude of prophet, and predicted all My

Sorrows. O! How the Supreme Fiat, painfully, made My Maternal Heart feel, with vibrating sound, the Mournful Tragedy of all the Pains which My Divine Son was to suffer. Each word was a sharp sword that Pierced Me. But what Pierced My Heart the most was to hear that this Celestial Infant would be not only the Salvation, but also the ruin of many, and the Target of contradictions. What Pain! What Sorrow! If the Divine Will had not sustained Me, I would have died instantly of Pure Pain. But It gave Me Life, to begin to form in Me the Kingdom of Sorrows within the Kingdom of Its very Divine Will. So, with the Right of Mother that I (Blessed Mother) had over all, I acquired also the Right of Mother and Queen of all Sorrows. O! Yes, with My Sorrows, I acquired the Little Coin with which to pay the debts of My children, and also those of the ungrateful children.

Now, My daughter, you must know that through the Light of the Divine Will that Reigned in Me, I already knew all the Sorrows I was to suffer—and even more than those which the holy prophet told me. Rather, I can say that he prophesied to Me the sorrows which were to come to Me from the outside, but he said not a word about My Interior Pains which would Pierce Me more, and the Interior Pains between Me and My Son. But in spite of this, in that Act, so Solemn, of the Offering of My Son, in hearing them being repeated to Me, I felt so Pierced that My Heart Bled, and New Veins of Sorrow and deep gashes opened in My Soul.

Now, listen to your Mama: in your pains, in the sorrowful encounters which are not lacking for you either, when you know that the Divine Will wants some sacrifice of you—be ready, do not lose heart, but rather, repeat quickly the Dear and Sweet Fiat—that is: “Whatever You (God) want, I (the soul) want.” And with Heroic Love, let the Divine Will take Its Royal Place in your pains, that It may convert them for you into the Little Coin of Infinite Value, with which you will be able to pay your debts, and also those of your brothers, to ransom them from the slavery of the human will, so as to make them enter, as free children, into the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat. In fact, you must know that the Divine Will is so pleased by the sacrifice wanted by It from the creature, that It gives her Its Divine Rights, and constitutes her queen of the Sacrifice and of the Good that will arise in the midst of creatures.

The soul to her Celestial Mother:

Holy Mama, in Your Pierced Heart I place all my pains; and You know how much they afflict me. O please! Be my Mama, and pour the Balm of Your Sorrows into my heart, that I may share Your same Destiny of using my pains as the cortege of Jesus, to keep Him defended and sheltered from all offenses, and as the sure means to conquer the Kingdom of the Divine Will, and make It come to Reign upon earth. 

Little Sacrifice:

Today, to honor Me, you will come into My arms, that I may offer you, together with My Son, to the Celestial Father, in order to obtain the Kingdom of the Divine Will. 

Ejaculatory Prayer:

Holy Mama, pour Your Sorrow into my soul, and convert all my Pains into Will of God.

2/08 This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent

 


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; February 21, 1900

Purity is obtained through mortification, and mortification renders the soul worthy of sympathy.

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

This morning my lovable Jesus began to make His usual delays.  May He be always blessed, for He always starts from the beginning!  Indeed it takes the patience of a saint to bear Him; and one would have to deal with Jesus to see how much patience it takes!  One who has not experienced it, cannot believe it, and it is almost impossible not to have a few huffs with Him.Then, after being patient in waiting and waiting for Him, finally He came and told me:  “My daughter (Luisa), the gift of purity is not a natural gift, but an attained grace; and it is obtained by rendering oneself worthy of sympathy.  The soul becomes so through mortifications and through sufferings.  Oh, how worthy of sympathy becomes the mortified and suffering soul!  Oh, how striking she is!  And I (God) feel such sympathy as to go mad for her, and whatever she (the mortified and suffering soul) wants, I (God) give to her.  When you (Luisa) are deprived of Me (Our Lord God, Jesus Christ), suffer My privation for love of Me (Jesus), which is the most painful suffering for you, and I (Jesus) will feel more sympathy than before, and will grant you (Luisa) new gifts.”

***

Meditations for the Stations of the Cross
from the 
“The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion”

***

By Meditating the Hours of Passion You Acquire All Virtues
And
You Receive the Grace Of Persevering In the Continuous Flight In the Divine Will

From The Writings Of Luisa Piccarreta
“The Little Daughter Of The Divine Will”

 

In the passage below, Jesus says that patience is the key that opens the door in order to receive all of the virtues.

 

Volume 4 – January 31, 1901

Jesus explains the greatness of the virtue of patience.

As I was in my usual state, my sweet Jesus was not coming. Then, after much waiting, I saw Him for just a little, and He told me: “My daughter, patience is superior to purity, because without patience the soul easily unbridles, and it is difficult for her to remain pure; and when a virtue needs another virtue in order to have life, the second one is called superior to the first. Even more, it can be said that patience is custody of purity; not only this, but it is staircase to ascend to the mountain of fortitude, in such a way that if one went up without the staircase of patience, he would immediately fall from the highest point to the lowest. In addition to this, patience is seed of perseverance, and this seed produces branches called firmness. Oh, how firm and stable in the good she has started is the patient soul! She pays no attention either to rain, or to frost, or to ice, or to fire, but all her attention is on bringing to completion the good she has started. In fact, there is no greater foolishness than that of one who today does some good because he likes it, and tomorrow he neglects it because he finds no more pleasure in it. What would one say of an eye which at one hour possesses sight, and at another is blind? Or of a tongue which now speaks, and now is mute? Ah! yes, my daughter, patience alone is the secret key to open the treasure of virtues; without the secret of this key, the other virtues do not come out to give life to the soul and to ennoble her.”

Jesus says in the passage below that when you meditate on “The Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion” you receive the virtue of patience.  Therefore by meditating on the Hours of the Passion, you come to acquire all of the virtues.

Jesus also states in the above passage from Volume 4 that patience is seed of perseverance. Therefore, by meditating on the Hours of the Passion you receive the virtue of patience which in turn gives you perseverance in maintaining a continuous flight in the Divine Will.

 

VOL. 11 – February 2, 1917

The world has become unbalanced because it has lost the thought of the Passion.

As I was in my usual state, I found myself outside of myself, and I found my always lovable Jesus, dripping Blood all over, with a horrible crown of thorns, looking at me with difficulty through the thorns. He told me: “My daughter, the world has become unbalanced because it has lost the thought of my Passion. In darkness, it has not found the light of my Passion which would illuminate it by making known to it my love and how much souls cost Me, in such a way that it could turn to loving the One who has truly loved it; and the light of my Passion, guiding it, would put it on its guard against all dangers. In weakness, it has not found the strength of my Passion which would sustain it. In impatience, it has not found the mirror of my patience which would infuse in it calm and resignation, in such a way that, in the face of my patience, feeling ashamed, it would make it its duty to dominate itself. In pains, it has not found the comfort of the pains of a God which, sustaining its pains, would infuse in it love of suffering. In sin, it has not found my sanctity which, placing itself in front of it, would infuse in it hate of sin. Ah, man has made an abuse of everything, because he has moved away from the One who could help him! This is why the world has lost balance. It behaved like a child who no longer wanted to recognize his mother; or like a disciple who, denying his master, no longer wanted to listen to his teachings, or learn his lessons. What will happen to this child and to this disciple? They will be the sorrow of themselves, and the terror and sorrow of society. Such has man become – terror and sorrow; but a sorrow without pity. Ah, man is getting worse and worse, and I cry over him with tears of blood!”

Fiat!!!