1/8 Feast of the Epiphany of The Lord

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(Click the following link for Home Blessing on Epiphany)
BLESSING OF A HOME AT EPIPHANY

Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child, signifying the extension of salvation to the Gentiles.
Traditionally celebrated on January 6th, In some dioceses it is celebrated this Sunday, January 8, 2017

What a beautiful time to pray the Rosary!

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

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

Now, My daughter, another Surprise: a new star shines under the vault of the heavens, and with its light, it goes in search of adorers, to lead them to recognize and adore Baby Jesus. Three individuals, each distant from the other, are struck by it, and invested by Supreme Light, they follow the star, which leads them to the grotto of Bethlehem, to the feet of Baby Jesus. What was not the astonishment of these Magi Kings, in recognizing in that Divine Infant the King of Heaven and earth—He who had come to Love and Save all? In fact, in the act in which the Magi were adoring Him, enraptured by that Celestial Beauty, the Newborn Baby made His Divinity Shine forth from His Little Humanity, and the grotto changed into Paradise; so much so, that they were no longer able to detach themselves from the feet of the Divine Infant—not until He again withdrew the Light of the Divinity within His Humanity. And I, exercising the Office of Mother, spoke at length of the Descent of the Word, and fortified them in Faith, Hope and Charity, symbolized by their gifts offered to Jesus; and, full of Joy, they withdrew into their regions, to be the first propagators.

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

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

… Now, My blessed daughter, the Divinity, which can deny nothing to the one who Loves It, makes a New Star, more beautiful and luminous, arise under the azure heavens; and with its light, it goes in search of adorers, to say to the whole world, with its mute twinkling: “He who has come to Save you is Born. Come to adore Him and to know Him as your Savior.”

But—human ingratitude!—among many, only three individuals paid attention, and heedless of the sacrifices, put themselves on the way to follow the Star. And just as a star guided their persons along the journey, so did My Prayers, My Love, My Yearnings, My Graces—for I wanted to make known the Celestial Baby, the Awaited One from all centuries—descend into their hearts like many Stars, illumine their minds, guide their interiors, in such a way that, without yet knowing Him, they felt that they loved Him whom they were looking for, and they hastened their steps in order to reach and see Him whom they so much loved.

My dearest daughter (Luisa), My Heart of Mother (the Blessed Mother) rejoiced at the faithfulness, correspondence and sacrifice of these Magi Kings, to come to know and adore My Son (Jesus). But I cannot hide from you a secret Sorrow of mine: among many, only three. And in the history of the centuries, how many times is this Sorrow of mine and this human ingratitude not repeated! My Son (Jesus) and I (the Blessed Mother) do nothing but make Stars arise, one more Beautiful than the other, to call some to know their Creator, some to sanctity, some to rise again from sin, some to the heroism of a sacrifice. But do you want to know what these Stars are? A sorrowful encounter is a Star; a truth that one comes to know is a Star; a love unrequited by other creatures is a Star; a setback, a pain, a disillusion, an unexpected fortune, are as many Stars that shed light in the minds of creatures. And caressing them, they want to make them find the Celestial Infant, who fidgets with Love, and shivering with cold, wants a refuge in their hearts to make Himself known and loved. But, alas, I who hold Him in My arms, wait in vain for the Stars to bring Me creatures, in order to place Him in their hearts, and My Maternity is constrained, hindered. And while I am the Mother of Jesus, I am prevented from being the Mother of all, because they are not around Me, they do not look for Jesus; the Stars hide, and they remain in the Jerusalems of the world, without Jesus. What Sorrow, my daughter, what Sorrow! It takes correspondence, faithfulness, sacrifice, to follow the Stars; and if the Sun of the Divine Will rises in the soul—how much attention does it not take. Otherwise, one remains in the darkness of the human will.

Now, my daughter (Luisa), as the holy Magi Kings entered Jerusalem, they lost the Star, but in spite of this they did not stop looking for Jesus. However, as they (the Magi Kings) went outside the city, the Star reappeared and led them, festive, into the grotto of Bethlehem. I (the Blessed Mother) received them (the Magi Kings) with Love of Mother, and the Dear Baby looked at them with Great Love and Majesty, letting His Divinity shine forth from His Little Humanity. And so, bowing down, they knelt at His feet, adoring and contemplating that Celestial Beauty; they recognized Him as True God, and remained enraptured, ecstatic, while enjoying Him; so much so, that the Celestial Baby had to withdraw His Divinity into His Humanity, otherwise they would have remained there, without being able to move from His Divine Feet.

Then, as they (the Magi Kings) came round from their rapture, in which they offered the gold of their souls, the incense of their belief and adoration, the myrrh of their whole being and of any sacrifice He might want of them, they added the external offering and gifts, symbol of their interior acts: gold, incense and myrrh. But My Love of Mother was not yet content; I wanted to place the Sweet Baby in their arms, and—O! With how much love they kissed Him and pressed Him to their breasts. They felt Paradise in advance within them. With this, My Son bound all the gentile nations to the knowledge of the True God, and placed the Goods of Redemption, the return to Faith of all peoples, in common for all. He constituted Himself King of the rulers; and with the weapons of His Love, of His Pains and of His Tears, Ruling over everything, He called the Kingdom of His Will upon earth. And I, your Mama, wanted to be the first Apostle. I instructed them, I told them the story of My Son—His Ardent Love; I recommended that they make Him known to all, and taking the first place of Mother and Queen of all the Apostles, I blessed them, I had them Blessed by the dear Baby, and, happy and in tears, they departed again for their regions. I did not leave them; I accompanied them with Maternal Affection, and to repay them, I let them feel Jesus in their hearts. How Happy they were! You must know that only when I see that My Son has the Dominion, the Possession, and forms His Perennial Dwelling in the hearts that search for Him and love Him—then do I feel a True Mother.

Now a little word to you, My daughter: if you want Me to act as your True Mother, let Me place Jesus in your heart. You will make Him Happy with your love; you will nourish Him with the Food of His Will, because He takes no other food; You will clothe Him with the sanctity of your works. And I will come into your heart, I will raise My Dear Son again together with you, and will perform the Office of Mother for you and for Him; in this way I will feel the Pure Joys of My Maternal Fecundity. You must know that anything which does not begin from Jesus, who is inside the heart — be they even the most beautiful external works—can never please Me (the Blessed Mother), because they are empty of the Life of My dear Son.

The soul to her Celestial Mother:

Holy Mama, how I must thank You for wanting to place the Celestial Baby into my heart—how happy I am. O please! I pray You to hide me under Your mantle, that I may see nothing but the Baby who is inside my heart; and forming of all my being one single act of Love of Divine Will, I may make Him grow so much, to the point of filling myself completely with Jesus, and nothing may be left of me but the veil that hides Him.

Little Sacrifice:

Today, to honor Me (the Blessed Mother), you will come three times to kiss the Celestial Little One (Jesus), giving Him the gold of your will, the incense of your adorations, the myrrh of your pains; and you will pray Me (the Blessed Mother) to enclose Him (Jesus) in your heart.

Ejaculatory Prayer:

Celestial Mama, enclose me within the wall of the Divine Will, that I may nourish my dear Jesus.


“She – the Blessed Virgin Mary – gave the Fiat, the total Yes. She is in communion with the Divine Will.”

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help
from Veil of Veronica website

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the house of David. The Virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.” And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God for with God, nothing is impossible.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.  Luke 1:26-38

Throughout the past several years I have developed a deep devotion to Mary.  She gave the Fiat, the total Yes.  She is in communion with the Divine Will.  I believe this is what the Holy Trinity wants from all of us.  I have stated before that when I invited her into my life, my relationship with Christ became much deeper.  Communion with his Will.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  This is not just some empty prayer we pray.  Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta had this revealed to her.

I pray this prayer everyday.  “Make my will one with yours Lord.”  Imagine the whole earth praying this, to make your will one with Love Himself!  My Spiritual Director once told me the difference between the Saints in heaven and those of us on earth is that when God asks the Saints in heaven to do something they do it immediately, fully and joyfully, but this is not so with us.  I thought about how often God has asked me to do something only to have me fight with Him to find a way out of it, or to only do part of what He asked, and feeling so anxious about doing it.  But when you are in a relationship with God, you can only fight so much before a whale swallows you and spits you up on a shore.

And so as we enter into the Holy time of the Christmas Season, and the start of a New Year, I have vowed to do my best to make my Fiat immediate, full and joyful.  I look to Our Lady of Perpetual Help – to, well, HELP me because I have failed so miserably in the past.  She is the example.  I  know that God is asking for absolute trust and abandonment.  And as I look back on the times when I have said yes, I can see how the blessings have abounded.  It’s as if I can see an intricate tapestry of connections woven with the Divine Hand.  He constantly tells me all things are connected and when I look back, I can see that they are.  I can also see how, even in suffering, there was beauty, and that He works all things for the good of those who love him.  So as I look forward, I cannot help but say, “Mother Mary, grab my hand as I step into the unknown with you, knowing we are guided by the Divine Hand, and I have nothing to fear.”

May you all have a very Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

1/1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

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What a beautiful time to pray the Rosary!

Joyful Mysteries
Luminous Mysteries
Sorrowful Mysteries
Glorious Mysteries 

Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace

Book of Heaven
The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose
for which He was Created by God
Volume 17 – May 4, 1925 

(Continuation of the previous chapter: which is May 1, 1925)  The mission of the Divine Will reproduces on earth the image of the Most Holy Trinity.

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

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

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

And He, again: “What if I told you that you did not write everything? Rather, you have left out the most essential thing. So, continue to write, and add: ‘The mission of My Will will conceal the Most Holy Trinity upon earth. Just as in Heaven there are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, inseparable but distinct among themselves, Who form all the beatitude of Heaven, in the same way, on earth there will be three persons who, because of their missions, will be distinct and inseparable among themselves: the Virgin, with Her Maternity which conceals the Paternity of the Celestial Father and encloses His power in order to fulfill Her mission of Mother of the Eternal Word and Co-Redemptrix of mankind; My Humanity, for the mission of Redeemer, which was enclosed in the Divinity of the Word, without ever separating from the Father and from the Holy Spirit, in order to manifest My Celestial Wisdom, adding the bond of becoming inseparable from My Mama; and you (Luisa), for the mission of My Will, as the Holy Spirit will display His Love in you (Luisa), manifesting to you (Luisa) His secrets, the prodigies of My Will, the goods It contains, in order to make happy those who will give themselves to knowing how much good this Supreme Will contains, to love It and to let It reign in their midst, offering their souls to let It dwell within their hearts, that It may be able to form Its Life in them. And the bond of inseparability will be added, between you (Luisa), the Mother and the Eternal Word.

These three missions are distinct and inseparable. The first two have prepared the graces, the light, the work, and everything, with unheard-of pains, for the third mission of My Will, in order to be all fused in It without leaving their office, so as to find rest, because My Will alone is Celestial rest. These two missions will be repeated, because their exuberance of grace, of light, of knowledge, is so great that all human generations can be filled with them; even more, they will not be able to contain all the good which they contain. These two missions are symbolized by the Sun, since, in creating it, I filled it with so much light and heat, that all human generations can enjoy it in superabundance. Nor did I take into account that, since in the beginning of creation there were only Adam and Eve on earth, I could have placed in the Sun enough light as to be sufficient only for the two of them, making it then grow, in proportion to the growth of the human generations. No, no – I made the Sun full of light, just as it is now, and will be. For the decorum and the honor of Our Power, Wisdom and Love, Our works are always made with the fullness of all the good which they contain; nor are they subject to increase or decrease.

So I did with the Sun: I centralized in it all the light which it was to serve, up to the last man. But how much good does the Sun not do to the earth? What glory does it not give to its Creator, with its mute light? I can say that, for the immense good it does to the earth, with its mute language, the Sun glorifies Me and makes Me known more than all other things together; and this, because it is full in its light, and stable in its course. When I looked at the Sun which, with so much light, only Adam and Eve could enjoy, I also looked at all the living; and in seeing that that light was to serve all, My Paternal Goodness exulted with joy, and I remained glorified in My works.

So I (Jesus) did with My dear Mama (the Blessed Mother): I filled Her with so much grace, that She can give graces to all without ever exhausting even one of them. So I (Jesus) did with My Humanity: there is no good which It does not possess – and the very Divinity, to be able to give It to whomever wants It. So I (Jesus) did with you (Luisa): I enclosed in you My Will, and with It I enclosed Myself. I enclosed in you Its knowledges, Its secrets, Its light. I filled your soul up to the brim; so much so, that what you write is nothing other than the outpouring of what you contain of My Will. And even though it now serves you alone, and a few glimmers of light serve some other souls, I am content, because being light, it will make its way by itself, more than a second Sun, in order to illuminate the human generations and to bring about the fulfillment of Our works: that Our Will be known and loved, and that It reign as Life within the creatures. This was the purpose of Creation – this was its beginning, this will be its means, and end.

Therefore, be attentive, because this is about rescuing that Eternal Will which, with so much love, wants to dwell in the creatures. But It wants to be known, It does not want to be like a stranger; rather, It wants to give out Its goods and become life of each one, but It wants Its rights whole – Its place of honor. It wants the human will to be banished – the only enemy for It, and for man.

The mission of My Will was the purpose of the creation of man. My Divinity did not depart from Heaven, from Its Throne; My Will, instead, not only departed, but descended into all created things and formed Its Life in them. However, while all things recognized Me, and I dwell in them with majesty and decorum, man alone drove Me away. But I want to conquer him and win him; and this is why My mission is not finished. So I called you, entrusting to you My own mission, that you may place the one who drove Me away on the lap of My Will, and everything may return to Me, in My Will.

Therefore, do not be surprised at the great and marvelous things I may tell you for the sake of this mission, or at the many graces I may give you; because this is not about making a saint, but about saving the generations. This is about rescuing a Divine Will, for which everything must return to the beginning, to the origin from which everything came, so that the purpose of My Will may have its complete fulfillment.’”

12/29 Origin of the “Twelve Days of Christmas”

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christmas

—Fr. Hal Stockert, Fishnet

You’re all familiar with the Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” I think. To most it’s a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.

It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law – private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as one of the “catechism songs” to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith – a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head – or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment I’m not aware was ever practiced anywhere else.

Hanging, drawing and quartering involved hanging a person by the neck until they had almost, but not quite, suffocated to death; then the party was taken down from the gallows, and disembowelled while still alive; and while the entrails were still lying on the street, where the executioners stomped all over them, the victim was tied to four large farm horses, and literally torn into five parts – one to each limb and the remaining torso.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith.

The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person.

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so…”

The other symbols mean the following:

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch”, which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

 

12/16 From today, the prayers and readings of the Church take on a different nature.

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In the first half of Advent we count forwards:  first week, second week, and so on, paying attention to Avent Sunday, the day when Advent started.

Now the second half of Advent has begun, and it is Christmas Day that matters.  Today is the eighth day before Christmas, tomorrow is the seventh day, and so on.  The prayers of the Church follow this countdown, and the final readings from Isaiah build up to their climax.

Preparation for Holy Christmas
The Nine Excesses of Love in the Incarnation of the Word
Luisa Piccarreta, the Little Daughter of the Divine Will

Meditation                          Theme                              Day
I        Excess of Love           Trinitarian Love                December 16
II       Excess of Love           Constrained Love            December 17
III      Excess of Love           Devouring Love               December 18
IV      Excess of Love          Operative Love                December 19
V       Excess of Love          Lonely Love                     December 20
VI      Excess of Love          Imprisoned Love              December 21
VII     Excess of Love          Unrequited Love              December 22
VIII    Excess of Love          Supplicating Love            December 23
IX      Excess of Love          Agonizing Love                December 24

Holy Christmas – The Birth of Jesus                        December 25

***

Book of Heaven
12/17/03 – Vol. 6

The adoration that the Most Holy Virgin did when She encountered Jesus carrying the Cross.  The true spirit of adoration.

Continuing in my usual state, for a few instants a saw blessed Jesus with the Cross on His shoulders, in the act of encountering His Most Holy Mother; and I said to Him:  ‘Lord, what did your Mother do in this most sorrowful encounter?’

And He:  “My daughter, She did nothing but a most profound and simple act of adoration.  And since the simpler the act, the more easily it unites with God, Most Simple Spirit, in this act She infused Herself in Me and continued what I Myself was doing in my interior.  This was immensely pleasing to Me, more than if She had done any other greater thing.  In fact, the true spirit of adoration consists in this:  the creature dissolves herself and finds herself in the divine sphere; she adores all that God does, and she unites with Him.  Do you think that when the mouth adores but the mind is somewhere else, it is true adoration?  That is, the mind adores but the will is far away from Me?  Or, one power adores Me, and the others are all disordered?  No, I want everything for Myself, and everything I have given her, in Me.  This is the greatest act of cult, of adoration, that the creature can do for Me.”