St. Stephen
Protomartyr for the Christian Faith

That St. Stephen was a Jew is unquestionable, himself owning that relation in his apology to the people. But whether he was of Hebrew extraction and descended of the stock of Abraham, or whether he was of foreign parents incorporated and brought into that nation by the gate of proselytism, is uncertain. The name Stephen, which signifies a crown, is evidently Greek; but the priest Lucian, in the history of the discovery of his relics, and Basil of Seleucia, inform us, that the name Cheliel, which in modern Hebrew signifies a crown, was engraved on his tomb at Caphragamala. It is generally allowed that he was one of the seventy-two disciples of our Lord; for immediately after the descent of the Holy Ghost, we find him perfectly instructed in the law of the gospel, endowed with extraordinary measures, both of the interior and exterior gifts of that divine Spirit which was but lately shed upon the church, and incomparably furnished with miraculous powers. The church of Christ then increased daily, and was illustrious for the spirit and practice of all virtues, but especially for charity. The faithful lived and loved one another as brethren, and were of one heart and one soul.

…our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior– COME! to save us, O Lord our God.

Volume 16 – 11/24/23

Now, in order to rejoin these two wills, One was needed Who would contain a Divine Will within Himself. Therefore, since I, Eternal Word, loved this man with an Eternal Love, We decreed among Our Divine Persons, that I was to take on human flesh in order to save him, and rejoin the two broken wills.

…and their desired One, the Cornerstone that makes both one– COME! and deliver man, whom You formed out of the dust of the earth.

3/9/31 – Vol. 29

…Therefore, when these seas of Our (Triune God’s) Divine Qualities were put out of Ourselves, We created man, enriching him with Our Qualities, for as much as he could contain, so that he too would have an act that could echo within Our Power, within Our Love, within Our Goodness, to be able to love Us with Our same Qualities. We wanted man, not a servant, but a son; not poor, but rich; not outside of Our goods, but inside of Our inheritance; and as the confirmation of this, We gave him Our very Will as life and as law. This is the reason why We love the creature so much—because she has from Our own, and not to love one’s things is outside of nature and against reason.”

Madonna del Parto,  Antonio Veneziano

***

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

Lesson of the Queen of Heaven, Mother of Jesus:

Dearest daughter, do not fear, trust your Mama; pour everything into My Heart, and I will take everything into account. I will be your Mama, I will change your pains into Light, and will use them to expand the boundaries of the Kingdom of the Divine Will in your soul.

Therefore, put everything aside for now, and listen to Me; I want to tell you what little King Jesus Operated in my Maternal Womb, and how your Mama did not lose even one Breath of Little Jesus.

Now, my daughter, the Little Humanity of Jesus kept growing, United Hypostatically with the Divinity. My Maternal Womb was so very narrow, dark—there was not a glimmer of light. And I could see Him in My Maternal Womb, immobile, enveloped in a deep night. But do you know what formed this darkness, so intense, for the Infant Jesus? The human will, in which man had voluntarily enveloped himself; and for as many sins as he committed, so many abysses of darkness he formed around and within himself, in such a way that it rendered him immobile to doing good. And My Dear Jesus, in order to put to flight the darkness of this night so deep, in which man had rendered himself the prisoner of his own tenebrous will, to the point of losing the motion of doing good, chose the Sweet Prison of His Mama and, voluntarily, exposed Himself to the immobility of nine months.

My daughter, if you knew how martyred was My Maternal Heart in seeing Little Jesus in My Little Womb, immobile, crying, sighing! His Ardent Heartbeat Palpitated so very Strongly; and fidgeting with Love, He made His Heartbeat heard in every heart, to ask them—for pity’s sake—for their souls, because for Love of them He had voluntarily exchanged Light for darkness so that all might obtain True Light in order to reach safety.

My dearest daughter, who can tell you what My Little Jesus suffered in My Womb? Unheard-of and Indescribable Pains. He was endowed with Full Reason—He was God and Man; and His Love was so Great that He put as though aside the Infinite Seas of Joys, of Happiness, of Light, and plunged His Tiny Humanity into the seas of darkness, of bitterness, of unhappiness, and of miseries, which creatures had prepared for Him. And Little Jesus took them all upon His shoulders, as if they were His own. My daughter, True Love never says “Enough.” It does not look at the pains, and by dint of pains it searches for the loved one; and when It lays down Its Life to give Life back to the beloved—then is It content.

My daughter, listen to your Mama; see what great evil it is to do your will: not only do you prepare the night for your Jesus and for yourself, but you form seas of bitterness, of unhappiness and of miseries, in which you remain so engulfed as to be unable to escape. Therefore, be attentive; make Me Happy by saying to Me: “I want to do always the Divine Will.”

            Now listen, My daughter: Little Jesus, in Spasms of Love, is in the Act of taking the step to come out to the light of the day. His Yearnings, His Ardent Sighs and Desires for He wants to embrace the creature, to make Himself seen, and to Look at her in order to Enrapture her to Himself, give Him no more respite. And just as one day He put Himself on the lookout at the Doors of Heaven in order to enclose Himself in My Womb, so is He now in the Act of putting Himself on the lookout at the doors of My Womb, which is more than Heaven. And the Sun of the Eternal Word Rises in the world and forms in it Its Full Midday. So, there will be night no longer for the poor creatures, nor dawn, nor daybreak—but always Sunshine, more than at the fullness of midday. . . .

The Helper in Childbirth

An explanation of this icon was found on the website of The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate a few years ago. Their current website is  https://figuadalupe.com/

“This icon of the Mother of God is called “The Helper in Childbirth“. The first prototypes of this icon appeared in Western Russia, in the early 19^th century. It was made for a very practical and urgent need – the difficulties in conceiving and giving birth.

A variation of the ancient and famous icon of Our Lady of the Sign, this icon differs by showing the Mother of God folding her hands in prayer over her heart, instead of holding them outstretched to the sides. Under the protective arch of her hands, we can see the newly conceived Christ Child, emanating from inside her womb in an almond shaped-halo of light. To show He is the “Logos“, or Word of God incarnate, He holds a small white scroll. She is filled and radiant with light from inside.”

To read more about this icon and the Franciscan Friars click

***

Volume 34; January 1, 1937

The feast that the Queen of Heaven prepared for Her Son Jesus at His birth.  How love is a magnet that transforms and embellishes.

I was thinking of the Incarnation of the Word and the excesses of love of the Divinity, that seemed like seas that, enveloping all creatures, wanted to make them feel how much they loved them, to be loved in return; and investing them inside and out, they murmured continuously, without ever ceasing: ‘Love, Love, Love…. Love do We give, and love do We want.’  And Our Celestial Mother, feeling wounded by the continuous cry of the Eternal One giving Love and wanting Love, appeared all attentive in requiting Her Dear Son, the Incarnate Word, by forming, Herself, a surprise of Love.  Now, at that moment, the Celestial Infant came out of the Maternal womb, and I – O! how I longed for Him; and He, throwing Himself into My arms, all festive, told me:  “My daughter, see – My Mama prepared for Me the Feast at My Birth – but do you know how?  She was aware of the Seas of Love that were coming down from Heaven in the descent of the Eternal Word; She heard the continuous cry of God, wanting to be Loved in return; and Our Yearnings, Our Ardent Sighs.  She had felt My moans inside Her womb; often She heard Me cry and sob.  Each of My moans was a Sea of Love that I sent to each heart, in order to be Loved back; and in seeing Myself unloved, I cried, unto bursting into sobs; but each tear and sob doubled My Seas of Love in order to win the creatures by dint of Love. But, no! they would convert these Seas into pains, while I made use of the pains in order to convert them into yet more Seas of Love, for as many pains as they gave Me.

Now, My Mama wanted to make Me smile upon My being Born, and prepare the Feast for Her Baby Son.  She knew that I cannot smile if I AM not Loved, nor can I take part in any feast if Love does not run in it.  Therefore, Loving Me as True Mother, and possessing by Virtue of My Fiat Seas of Love, Queen as She was of all Creation, She enveloped the heavens with Her love, and sealed each star with the ‘I Love You, O Son, for Myself and for all’.  She enwrapped the sun within Her Sea of love and impressed in each drop of light Her ‘I Love You, O Son’; and She called the sun to invest its Creator with its light, so that, being warmed, He might feel in each drop of light the ‘I Love You’ of His Mama.  She invested the wind with Her Love, and in each breath of it She impressed the ‘I Love You, O Son’; and then She called it, so that it may caress Him with its breeze and make Him feel in each blowing of its breath:  ‘I Love You, I Love You, O my Son’.  She enveloped all the air within Her Seas of Love, so that, in breathing, He might feel the Breath of Love of His Mother. She covered the whole of the sea with Her Sea of Love, and each dart of the fish.  And the sea murmured:  ‘I Love You, O My Son’; and the fish darted: ‘I Love You, I Love You’.  There was nothing She did not invest with Her Love; and with Her Empire of Queen She Commanded all to receive Her Love, to give back to Her Jesus the Love of His Mama. So, each bird – some trilled ‘Love’, some twittered, some warbled ‘Love’.  Even each atom of the earth was invested by Her Love.  The breath of the animals reached Me with the ‘I Love You’of My Mother; and the hay was invested by Her Love.  Therefore, there was not one thing that I saw or touched that I would not feel the Sweetness of Her Love.  With this She prepared for Me the Most Beautiful Feast upon My Birth – a Feast All of Love.  It was the requital of My Great Love that My Sweet Mother made Me find; and it was Her Love that calmed My crying, warmed Me while I was numb with cold in the manger. More so, since I found in Her Love the Love of all creatures, and for each of them She kissed Me, clasped Me to Her Heart, and Loved Me with Love of Mother on behalf of Her children; and I, feeling in each of them Her Maternal Love, was drawn to Love them as children of Hers and as dear brothers of Mine.

My daughter, what can the Love animated by an Omnipotent Fiat not do? It makes Itself magnet and draws us to each other in an irresistible way; It removes any dissimilarity; with Its warmth It transforms and confirms the creature into the Beloved; then It embellishes her in an incredible way, so much so, that heaven and earth feel drawn to love her.  Not to Love a creature that Loves Us is impossible for Us; the whole of Our Divine Power and Strength become powerless and weak before the winning force of one who Loves Us.  Therefore, you too – give Me the feast that My Mother gave Me upon My Birth; envelop Heaven and earth with your ‘I Love You, O Jesus’; let nothing escape you where your Love would not run – make Me Smile.  In fact, I was not Born only once, but I AM Reborn Always, and many times My Births are without smile and without feast, and only My Tears, Sobs and Wailings are left to Me, and an icy cold that makes Me shiver and all My Limbs numb.  Therefore, clasp Me to your heart in order to warm Me with your Love, and with the Light of My Will form for Me the garment to clothe Me, so that you too will make Feast for Me; and I will make it for you by giving you More Love and New Knowledge of My Will.”