Transcription
[music] So here we are together again for this new session of the school of formation and in-depth study. Study of the gift of the divine will in its doctrine and spirituality on one hand and the biography of Louisa Picareta on the other.
[music] This evening, Don Marco, you will be discussing the mystical marriage. So, it's a very important and beautiful topic as well. But before we begin with tonight's topic, Don Marco, we have a question for you that has come from one of our listeners and I'll read it to you. Here it is.
Dear Don Marco, in your last talk you spoke very well about Louisa's obedience and about how we too should strive to practice this virtue. Could you give us some examples of obedience in everyday life? For instance, in cases where one does not have a [music] spiritual father who gives obedience as Louisa did. Thank you all very much for your service and thank you for the question.
So please Don Marco, the floor is yours and then as always, we'll begin with prayer. Thank you.
So to answer this question about obedience, which would really deserve an entire meeting, an entire evening, just for this. However, as we mentioned in the biography, especially in the first meeting when we talked about Louisa's childhood and adolescence, we emphasize the fact that Louisa from a very young age was accustomed to living out this virtue of obedience both within her family. She was very obedient in her family. You can see that obedience was a a value that was very present in Louisa's family. But later, obedience became for Louisa, we can say, the path that allowed her to come into ever deeper contact with God, into communion with God, and eventually to reach life in the divine will.
Also, in some profound passages written by Louisa Picareta, there are clear and unequivocal statements that emphasize how complete obedience is indeed the primary and most essential road to truly living and abiding in the divine will. So it is truly a virtue that we should all actively cultivate within ourselves. For example, when there is no spiritual guide, but we first of all, we have an obedience towards the church. So what the church asks of us, the magisterium, our bishops, the Pope, our obedience is already a sign that tells us we are setting out on the path toward full communion with the Lord.
After all, all the great saints have obedience was the path to their holiness. Even if that obedience touched on aspects with which they might not have agreed, they did not agree with this. I always use this example. The great reformers of the church, think of St. Francis, St. Dominic lived in times when the very ideas they brought forth were also being promoted by other groups. The major difference between these saints and the other groups, which later became heretical movements, was precisely their obedience to the church. If someone wants to reform the church, they must do so from within by remaining inside the church. It's too easy to accuse or fight against mistaken ideas that are circulating. But if you stay outside, that's not the way. You need to stay inside. And obedience, even if it costs me, even if I have to endure some mortification, but this is useful because it strengthens us. And then it's the Lord who takes care of acting.
The figure, for example, of St. Francis, in my opinion, is emblematic of how he, the very first thing he did, he wanted to reform the church at a very dangerous time in the life of the church. We are in the period of the clash between the papacy and the empire. The bishop counts, in short, the church had lost this attachment to the gospel. St. Francis's proposal was to reform, and he succeeded in reforming the church, but by remaining within the church. Or in the 1500s, the mistake Luther made was to break away from the church. When one separates from the church and does not live in obedience, these are paths that lead us far from the Lord.
Then Jesus to Louisa instructed her very well about obedience. There are some beautiful passages in the second volume about obedience and also some very strong trials that Jesus, he puts these things before Louisa and clashes with her because we also have to remember that Louisa was not someone who could be easily convinced. Even Jesus had to struggle with Louisa, but in the end, Louisa always surrendered herself. She says, "I have resigned myself to the will of God." Which means to abandon oneself completely to the Lord, even if what the Lord was asking of her cost her a great deal. Perhaps the most emblematic case is when her spiritual father clearly told Louisa that when Jesus came to her, she had to send him away. And she says, "But how? Without the Lord, I can't live. Once he comes, why should I send him away?" Out of obedience. She and Jesus, who wanted to test her in a way that was even a bit amusing, in a way. Jesus would appear to her even more often, and she would say to him, "Excuse me. If you know that my spiritual father wants me not to speak with you, why do you keep coming? I always have to send you away. I have to make you leave."
Obedience is also a tool that little by little taught Louisa to think and immerse herself more and more in God's will so that she could eventually live it out fully. So I think that's how we can answer, and I hope I've been thorough in my response.
Well then, as always, let's begin with prayer. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, let us do everything together. Let us merge with each other in will, in desires, and in love, so that I may fuse myself into the desires, the will, and the love of all creatures until all are renewed in Your will. And then I merge all my little particles into Yours, so that I may fuse myself into all the particles of all creatures to give You, on behalf of everyone, that love, that glory, and that satisfaction which everyone denies You. And I ask You, Jesus, to seal this act of mine with Your blessing for me and for everyone. My life, Jesus, I merge myself completely into Your most holy humanity and divinity, part by part, because Your humanity has the divine will as its center of life, and whoever lives in it will never die. They live in this center, spreading light everywhere and to everyone. Therefore, my Jesus, I merge my mind into Your mind, my memory into Your memory, my will into the divine will. I merge my gaze into Your gaze, my sense of smell into Yours, Jesus. My voice into Your voice, my touch into Yours. I merge my hands and my works into Your hands and Your works. My heartbeat and breath into Your heartbeat and breath, and the circulation of my blood into the circulation of Your blood. Oh my beloved Jesus, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Mary, Mother and Queen of the Divine Will, pray for us. And of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Well, dearest ones, as Daniela said, the topic of this part of Louisa's biography is an important one. Perhaps we could say it is the central topic of Louisa's entire spiritual and mystical experience, which is that of her mystical marriage. It is one of the most important experiences in Louisa's whole life. To say that in Louisa's life, there are moments, important moments that have marked her entire journey and have led her ever further to a deepening of her relationship [music] with Jesus and of life in the divine will.
For example, the first great event that characterized Louisa's life, it was the day of her first communion. When that moment, that encounter [music] with Jesus in the Eucharist, she was only 9 years old, was experienced by Louisa in such a beautiful, profound, and moving way that, in fact, it was from that point that the first manifestations [music] of Jesus in her life began. She hears the voice of Jesus. She speaks with Jesus. Then there is this significant moment of the mystical marriage, which we will carefully observe how Jesus lovingly leads her to the sacred marriage and what he will have her profoundly experience within it. This narrative unfolds across three significant marriages, each playing a crucial role, and is intricately linked to three pivotal events that we will thoroughly examine and explore in greater detail later on.
We are now in the 12th volume where Jesus [music] lovingly asks Louisa for her fiat in order to truly begin living the gift [music] of the divine will. And that too will become a very important moment, a turning point in Louisa's life, and especially in her writings, because from that moment on, even what Louisa writes, it takes on a different meaning, and Louisa's style also becomes different, deeper, and she will begin to speak about this life in the divine will. And then there is the moment of her death on March 4th, 1947, where you can see the fulfillment of her entire journey. It is very beautiful to read the testament that Louisa gave to her last spiritual father, Don Benedetto Calvi, where she sees this long road surrounded by all these sons, which are all the acts she performed in the divine will. And that is the moment when she sees the fulfillment of her entire journey, of her whole life here on earth, and of everything the Lord has done for her. He made her live it as a path of maturing in her faith, but above all in her relationship with the Lord Jesus.
So the mystical marriage is an important, crucial stage in Louisa's experience. But before we go further into the discussion about the marriages that Louisa experienced, we should also say a word in general about the mystical marriage because the experience of mystical marriage is not something that only Louisa experienced. It is something that many saints have lived through. For example, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. In short, the great saints, the great mystics have lived this experience of mystical marriage.
In the Christian life, as is always my custom, I have diligently prepared some comprehensive slides for our discussion. This way, we can effectively follow the theory better. All right, here it is. Let me show you here. What is mystical marriage? Let's start by answering this question. We can say that in the Christian life, mystical marriage or spiritual marriage is defined as the highest degree of union with God that can be reached on earth. It is called spiritual marriage by analogy with earthly marriage. Just as in ordinary marriage there is the union of two people, husband and wife, and as in this marriage the two become one flesh, as the book of Genesis says, so in spiritual marriage the soul and God become one. And in everything, there must be this desire to do all that is pleasing to God.
It is such an incredibly lofty and profound point that one could truly say you absolutely have to die to your very self in order to fully reach this elevated state of living completely in the other. To achieve this, it is necessary to be purified and freed from every attachment to oneself and even to others. And we've seen this, haven't we? In the first part of Louisa's spiritual experience, Jesus asks Louisa to detach herself from everything, to detach from things, to detach from people. Jesus will even ask her to detach from holy things, from sacred things, that is, to be completely free from every kind of attachment in order to dedicate herself totally and solely.
To put it in the words of St. John of the Cross, the great mystic of the 16th century, he says that one reaches spiritual marriage only after passing through the dark night of the senses, that most terrible and most purifying night of the spirit. As also happened in Louisa's experience, Louisa experiences total abandonment by God, by Jesus, who for three years leaves her at the mercy of the devil. She's tormented for three consecutive years, and Jesus disappears. Jesus does not show himself. And that is the moment of the highest purification in her life. Then, in fact, at the end, she will say, "For me, at the end of this trial, a new life began." She will then express this new life in her role as a soul, a victim, as we saw last time, and this will also lead her to the experience of mystical marriage.
What do the great mystics say about marriage? St. John of the Cross, a revered spiritual master, profoundly states that the sacred spiritual marriage, this deep and intimate union between the human soul and the divine Son of God, is truly and incomparably greater than the initial spiritual betrothal, which is merely a preparatory stage. Why? It is a total transformation into the beloved. In it, continues St. John, each part gives itself to the other in total possession, with a certain consummation of the union of love, in which the soul is made one divine and participatory. How much is this possible in this life? Here, St. John uses these precise words: "consummation of the union of love." And we can note that especially in the first 11 volumes, this aspect of union, of uniformity, of conformity, and of consummation. These are precisely the four stages that Louisa will go through in order to then live in the life in the divine will. The act of fusion, her complete merging into Jesus. It's as if there is a progressive approach that ultimately leads to this consummation, to this fusion. One is consumed in the other, and Jesus makes the mystics experience this in the mystical marriage.
And again, always St. John of the Cross, in the Spiritual Canticle, he says, "Just as in the consummation of natural marriage, as sacred scripture says, they are two in one flesh, so also in the consummation of the spiritual marriage between God and the soul, they are two natures in one single spirit and love." As St. Paul says, referring to the same analogy, "Whoever unites himself to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." (First letter to the Corinthians). It happens, continues St. John, "as when the light of a star or a candle joins with that of the sun. It is the sun's light, not the others, that shines, absorbing all the other lights into itself." And this means that the uniqueness, the peculiarity of the soul is not lost. That the soul does not simply disappear to make room for God, right? But it immerses itself totally in God, unites with God, merges with God. And thus they live the same life.
St. Teresa of Avila, another truly great and profound mystic, speaks eloquently of the spiritual marriage in the seventh chapter of her renowned work, The Interior Castle. This significant and deeply insightful work, she meticulously wrote, where she vividly imagines the various stages, the different and distinct steps of the mystical life as the many rooms of a grand and intricate castle that from the very outside gently [music] leads us from one room to another, progressively deeper into spiritual understanding. These are the various distinct and [music] progressively deeper degrees of spiritual experience. Each representing a unique [music] stage of understanding and connection, ultimately leading up to the central, most sacred, and profoundly hidden room, which symbolizes the ultimate and most intimate [music] spiritual sanctuary, which transforms [music] the Christian into another Jesus. And where does this happen? In this seventh room, which is the bridal [music] chamber, where this profound union between Jesus and the soul takes place. And it is at this point that one can say, using the words of St. Paul in the letter to the Galatians, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ [music] who lives in me." And one can say this because, in fact, in both heart and behavior, one becomes one with the Lord.
So this is it, in brief. What is the mystical marriage? Now let's [music] see what the effects of the mystical marriage are. No one has described the mystical effects better than St. Teresa of Avila, that the mystical marriage produces in the soul. The first is self-forgetfulness, and as St. Teresa [music] says, it is as if the soul no longer existed, so absorbed is it in the pursuit of the [music] love of God. In short, the soul no longer desires [music] anything for itself, but only wants to promote God, the glory of God. And for this, she, the soul, would even be willing to sacrifice her own life. So, one forgets oneself because all attention is for the bridegroom, for Jesus.
Another effect: a great desire for suffering. But be careful. This needs to be understood in the right way. These mystics who seek and desire suffering are not masochists. The soul wants God's will to be done in her, accepting it. Whatever God wants is best for her, and therefore, even suffering. The desire to be united with Jesus is so great that knowing this, that Jesus suffers, they share in Jesus' suffering, but not because they love suffering, but because they love Jesus and want to love him in everything, even in suffering.
Third effect: joy in persecution. The soul experiences a great inner joy and is much more at peace, having no aversion toward those who treat it badly or wish to do so. But the soul develops a special love for these people. And if it saw these souls who have wronged it in some affliction, it would be deeply saddened and would do everything possible to help them. Why? Because in the mystical marriage, precisely, one lives totally in the heart of God. And God lives in the heart of the soul. So the feelings, what one feels for others, are what God feels. And so God will never feel hatred toward anyone. He will love even those who persecute him, just as Jesus did on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And the martyrs are precisely the most explicit manifestation of this joy and persecution. If we read the acts of the martyrs, we see that when the martyrs undergo persecution, even though they suffer, they praise God, they sing, they give praise to the Lord. Not because they are crazy, but because by now their experience of union with the Lord is so strong that it leads them to live even in persecution. The joy of being with the Lord.
Then another effect is the desire to serve God. Unlike when the soul suffers, the strong desire to die is great. Why is that? Because the soul always wants to be with the Lord. And this is also present in Louisa's experience. One experiences a great desire to serve God and to help everyone, any soul, as much as possible, to bring them closer to the Lord. And the last effect is detachment from all created things. The soul no longer desires the consolations of this world because it realizes that the Lord dwells within it. And so one experiences detachment from everything, a desire to be alone or engaged in something useful, a constant recollection, but always remaining in God, in order to live out a tender love for Him.
And Louisa presents this very well in the first volume, right? In the very first passage, that of February 28, 1899, when she speaks about faith, Louisa will say that faith leads you to detach yourself from everything, from material goods. Why? Not because those goods are negative or dangerous. No. She says, "It's as if I had received a billion, while all the goods of this world are just a penny. Now, what would I prefer? What do I want? The billion or a penny? I prefer the billion." So Louisa detaches herself from everything in this world, not because it's something bad, but because it has little value compared to the great gift she has received from the Lord. This is the way of thinking of someone who lives in this world. Detachment from everything. Because at this very point, I've truly had everything. The rest simply does not interest me because now I know I found my true treasure. I found my truly precious pearl.
So this, in essence, is generally what mystical marriage is. But we also need to clearly state this: in Louisa, mystical marriage has a different meaning compared to the mystical marriages of other saints. Why? Because for other saints, mystical marriage is a point of arrival. That is their whole life. Think of St. Catherine, St. Teresa, St. Thérèse, St. Elizabeth, St. Fina. In short, all these great saints who experienced this, lived it as the end of their journey, as the goal, as the destination of their path. So the mystical marriage is the fulfillment of their entire spiritual experience. It is the point of arrival.
In Louisa's experience, marriage is not a destination, but rather the mystical marriage is the starting point of Louisa's experience. Because everything that the Lord will have Louisa live, that is the life of the divine will, comes forth from this union with the Lord, from this marriage, from this bond that unites Jesus and Louisa. So, in fact, when Louisa enters into the divine will, what does she do? The first thing Louisa does is to fuse herself into the divine will. That is to unite herself. [music] Because everything she will experience, she lives starting from this fusion, from this union with Him. So this is a very important thing. For others, marriage is the end point, but for Louisa, it becomes the starting point.
And so [music] let's get to Louisa and see how Jesus begins to prepare Louisa for this mystical marriage. These are some passages we take from the first volume [music] where these three marriages are recounted. After having outlined in broad terms what mystical espousal is, then above all the effects on the soul that is united to [music] God. So now let's enter into the experience lived by Louisa [music] and recounted in the first volume of her writings.
Jesus continues that preparation we have described, which is already [music] described in the previous paragraphs, that is, detachment from everyone, everything that surrounds her. Therefore, exterior purification, interior purification, which we all experience [music] in the first volume, purification of the memory, meditation on the passion, the struggle against demons, and finally [music] beginning to live the office of the state of victim. These are all preparatory [music] moments leading up to this marriage. Indeed, Jesus brings her, and the immediate preparation for this marriage [music] begins with some strategies that are very similar. And it's also [music] very beautiful to read them to the typical dynamics of two people in love, of two fiancés.
If before Jesus [music] would show himself rarely, and Louisa would complain about this, now Jesus appears even [music] three or four times a day. And indeed, Jesus behaved like someone in love who cannot be without his beloved. And so we see, you see, "I love you so much," Jesus says to Louisa, "that I cannot be without you. If I don't come, I almost feel restless, thinking that you are suffering for me, that you are alone. That's why I have come to see if you need anything. I want to please you in everything. I feel so drawn to you that I can't help but do what you want. And if until now I have taken away your outward life and revealed myself to you, now I want to draw your soul to me so that wherever I go, you can come with me. And in this way, you will be able to enjoy me more and cling to me more intimately, something you have not done in the past." It is truly Jesus who is in love with Louisa's life. And so, like someone in love, he goes there to pursue her constantly because he wants to be with her.
But what fascinates Louisa the most in this courtship by Jesus is the splendor and beauty of His humanity. Still in the first volume, Louisa dedicates some words of description of the humanity of Jesus, which is very beautiful. How does she see Jesus? How does Louisa see Jesus? She sees him as an 18-year-old, handsome, with his face shining, with all his wisdom, his peace, and those visions. His very own passions, they don't disturb her. They no longer disturb her. And it is only in this state that one can not only perceive but also enjoy the beauty of the humanity of Jesus. In short, Jesus and Louisa fall in love, not with the divinity of Jesus, but with His humanity. This is very important. The first step to being able to have an experience of God is through the humanity of Jesus. To look at the humanity of Jesus. Because only through the humanity of Jesus can one reach His divine being and live the divine life. If we do not go through His humanity, we cannot know anything, because the humanity of Jesus is life. It is humanity fulfilled. It is humanity according to the will of God, according to God's plan, according to the plan of creation. Jesus was able to live all of this.
In fact, she says, "Oh my, everything is beautiful. Jesus, if in just a few moments when You reveal Yourself in this life, You communicate so much peace that one can endure even greater sufferings, martyrdoms, the most humiliating pains with the most perfect tranquility. It seems to me a mixture of peace and pain. But what will it be like in paradise?" And then she begins to describe the humanity of Jesus. "How beautiful are Your most pure eyes, sparkling with light. It is not like the light of the sun, which if we try to look at it, harms our sight. No. While You are light, one can gaze perfectly well and look into the depths of Your pupils, which are a deep sky blue. Oh, how many things You tell me. And the beauty of Your eyes is so great that just one glance is enough to make me lose myself and run through roads, over mountains, across the earth and the sky. A single look is enough to transform me into You and to feel something descend into me, something divine."
These words are very beautiful, which say, "If at first we heard how much Jesus loved Louisa, here we see how much Louisa loved Jesus and how beautiful it was for her." And so Louisa goes on describing His face, His complexion, His cheeks, His nose, His voice. And she says, "The voice of my Jesus is most powerful. It is active. And already in the very act in which He speaks, He accomplishes what He says." Ah yes, His voice is beautiful. But His beautiful grace is shown even more in the act of speaking. As you can see, those teeth so bright and so well aligned. And since His breath is of love, it ignites, strikes, and consumes the heart. Yeah, this is the way in which Jesus and Louisa prepare themselves for this first mystical marriage. And it is precisely to these days of preparation that the first time Jesus makes Louisa experience life refers, the soul leaving the body, an experience that would often repeat itself in Louisa's life. It is the desire of the bridegroom to always be with his bride. If before it was Jesus who would go to Louisa, now it is she who must go to Jesus. Then this is ecstasy. For Louisa, these become a true and proper school of life.
In fact, the so-called famous rounds that Louisa makes in creation and in redemption make her understand how much Jesus, on the one hand, is so offended by dishonesty, by blasphemies, by the lack of charity. But on the other hand, Jesus shows Louisa with many lights the good souls who are ready to welcome God. During the celebration of Mass, Louisa understands the foundational value of the entire faith. According to Louisa, the Mass says everything and speaks of everything because it recalls the redemption, the sufferings that Jesus endured. And in communion, it becomes the moment when the soul unites with the Lord, enters into communion with the Lord.
And so we come to the celebration of the first mystical marriage, which took place on October 21st, 1888. It is the feast, in the old calendar, of the Purity of the Virgin Mary. This sacred marriage on earth between Louisa and Jesus is celebrated [music] or rather, it is more accurate to say, between Louisa and the blessed humanity [music] of Jesus Christ, with the presence of the Most Holy Mary and St. Catherine of Siena [music] as witnesses. In fact, Louisa was a Dominican tertiary, and so the presence of St. Catherine is important, fundamental. And it is Louisa herself who recounts this marriage of October 21st, 1888. She writes, "Still in the first volume, on the morning of that day, Jesus appeared to me again, all kind, gentle, and majestic, together with His Most Holy Mother and with St. Catherine. First, a hymn was sung by the angels. St. Catherine assisted me. The Mother took my hand and [music] Jesus placed the ring on my finger. Then we embraced, and He kissed me, and the Mother did the same. Afterwards, there [music] was a conversation all about love. Jesus told me about the great love He had [music] for me, and I told Him about the love I had for Him as well. See this exchange of love. The Most Holy Virgin made me understand the great grace I had received [music] and the way I should respond to Jesus's love. And my Spouse, Jesus, gave me new rules to live more perfectly. But since a lot of time has passed, I don't remember them very well, [music] so I will leave them out. And so it ended for that day. But who can describe the delicate acts of love that [music] Jesus performed in my soul? They were so many and so great that it's impossible to describe them. But I will try to tell what little I remember."
Indeed, it is truly moving to think that the Madonna is a witness to this event. It is true that she is the mediatrix of all graces, but it is also true that Louisa has a special devotion to the Madonna. The rosary is her faithful companion during the day. And while the presence of St. Catherine is explained precisely by the fact that Louisa is a Dominican tertiary. And this, as we mentioned before, as an effect from this mystical marriage, here too, Louisa feels a strong desire to suffer for Jesus, for the redemption of humanity, together with the love with which the Lord Jesus surrounds her.
Now, Louisa is among this great multitude of lovers and lives this great mystery of union with the Lord in peace, in serenity, in service to others. And those who see her in her state of rigidity might think she is sleeping, but in reality, they do not know that her heart in that immobility is a beating heart. A heart that loves, a heart that beats in union with that of Jesus, who continues to save the world, and her together with Jesus. Louisa continues her account, but now we cannot read it. She takes in everything and brings back all the beauty, contemplating the glory of the angels and saints in heaven. Jesus often took her with Him to paradise, and Louisa would listen to the songs of the blessed, for example, the choirs of angels, the ranks of saints, all immersed in the sea of divinity, absorbed and completely identified with it. Jesus lets her experience paradise during this mystical marriage, and it was so great. The immensity, the greatness, the holiness of God are such that all one can do is reflect oneself in those lights. And so the soul in heaven increasingly resembles God, with only this difference: God is that great Son, and the soul is a small son. In that heavenly homeland, Luigia and Jesus walked together, and Jesus presented her to the saints as His new bride. And all the blessed joined together to share in the joy of their marriage. And it is Jesus who says to the saints, "Look down. Do you see this soul? She is a triumph of my love. My love has overcome everything in her. Here is your place, and no one can take it away from you."
But there is also something negative in this sense. Louisa, precisely because she experiences this heavenly, mystical, divine joy, nevertheless feels the burden of having to continue living here on earth after having seen all of paradise and experienced the enchantment of the blessed. And so, as we were saying earlier, Louisa nurtures this desire to die, not because she despises life, but because she wants her life to reach this fulfillment which she was able to savor during this journey she took with Jesus in paradise. But obedience puts a break on it. In fact, she could only die if her confessor gave her disobedience. Whereas before she had been strictly commanded not to desire death, we know that Louisa would live until 1947, reaching the age of 82.
When, so we move on to the preparation for the second mystical marriage. In this second mystical marriage, there is a preparation. The spiritual marriage, as we have seen, is a mystical phenomenon that involves those to whom the Lord wishes to grant it during their lifetime. However, it seems that for Louisa, this phenomenon has different nuances. In fact, for other mystics, the mystical marriage is usually a unique event. Instead, here, in this marriage, there is something like a second marriage, or I would say, a more complete way of living this union with the Lord. Jesus married Louisa, but He did so with human signs: the ring, the veil, according to what she could understand at that moment. Now, this union with Jesus needs to take a leap in quality. I will jump ahead a bit. Now, these nuptials must take place not on earth, as in the first marriage, but in heaven and within the bosom of the Trinity. And so Jesus must prepare her through the gift of new understandings. And interestingly, precisely about the three theological virtues. If now Louisa is called to live this further experience of union with the Lord, no longer just with the humanity of Jesus, but with the divinity, with the Most Holy Trinity, she must include an understanding of what the theological virtues of God are.
And so here is where Jesus begins to speak about faith. "Powerful is God. What power can stand before You and not be undone? Immense holiness of God. What any other holiness, no matter how sublime, would dare to appear before You." Then He goes on to speak about hope, but starting from faith. And Jesus continues, "These are catechisms that Jesus gives to Louisa to prepare her for this. He says that in order to obtain, one must believe. Just as for the body, without the sight of the eyes, everything is darkness, everything [music] is confusion. So much so that if it tried to walk, it would fall now in one place, now in another, and would end up falling completely. In the same way, the soul [music] without faith does nothing but go from one downfall to another. But faith serves as sight for the soul. It is like a light that guides it to eternal life."
Now, what nourishes this light [music] of faith from hope? And what is the substance of this light of faith? This nourishment of hope, charity, that is the third virtue. All three of these virtues are intertwined so that one cannot exist without the others. [music] In fact, what good does it do a person to believe in the immense riches of faith if he does not hope for them for himself? Will he just look at them? Yes, but with an indifferent eye, because he knows they [music] are not his. But hope gives wings to the light of faith. And by hoping in the merits of Jesus, he sees them as his own and comes to love them. Hope gives the soul a garment of strength, almost like iron, so that all enemies with [music] their arrows cannot wound it. Not only that, but they cannot even cause the slightest disturbance. Everything within it is calm. Everything is at peace. So while the other virtues all serve to adorn [music] the soul, they can make us waver and become inconsistent, but Jesus says that hope makes the soul steadfast [music] and nothing can harm it. In tribulation and in poverty, it can do everything, endure everything, suffer everything because it hopes in Jesus, which forms the object of all of man's hopes.
And so we come to charity. Jesus continues, "After hope, after faith and hope, charity comes in, and this unites them together, all the rest, the other two, in such a way as to form one, even though they are three. Behold, my bride, veiled within the three theological virtues, the trinity of the divine persons. If faith makes one believe, and hope makes one hope, charity makes one love. If faith is light and serves as sight for the soul, and hope is the nourishment of faith that supplies the soul courage, peace, perseverance, and everything else. Charity is the substance of this light and this nourishment. It is like that ointment so sweet and fragrant, which, penetrating everywhere, soothes and softens the pains of life." How true these words are. Charity makes suffering sweet and even leads one to desire it. The soul that possesses charity spreads its fragrance everywhere. Its works, all done out of love, give off a most pleasing scent. And what is this scent? It is the scent of God Himself. The highest virtues make the soul solitary and almost rustic with other creatures. Charity, on the other hand, being substance, it unites. It brings hearts together. But where? In God. Charity, being such a fragrant scent, spreads everywhere and to everyone. Charity makes one suffer the torments with even more relentless joy. And it comes to the point of not knowing how to be without suffering. And when it finds itself deprived of suffering, it says to its Spouse, Jesus, "Sustain me with the fruits which are suffering, because I languish with love. And where else can I show You my love if not by suffering for You?" Charity burns, consumes all other things, and even possesses the same virtues, converting everything into itself. In short, it is like a queen who wants to reign everywhere and yield to no one. You see, these are words that can only be lived in God. Humanly speaking, this writing, these words of Jesus speaking about charity, are the words of madmen. No one lives like this. But when you live and know divine love, you understand, above all, by looking at what Jesus lived in His own life, because Jesus lived out His love for humanity in this way.
And so we come to the second mystical marriage, which takes place on September 7th, 1890. You see, in this state, while her soul experiences a more intense love, Jesus transports her out of herself and brings her to paradise, where, in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity and the entire heavenly court, He renews the marriage. She is given a ring, another ring. Now, the ring has three stones, precious ones: one white, one red, and one green. I don't know why these colors, but it has nothing to do with the Italian flag. And it is handed to the Father, who blesses it, while the Holy Spirit takes her right hand, and [music] Jesus places the ring on her ring finger. And then she receives a kiss from all three divine persons. Here is the effect of this life. The effect in her ordinary life of this second mystical marriage in heaven. [music] Louisa is able to observe just a few days later, because as we will read now, a few days after [music] receiving communion, Louisa loses consciousness and sees before her the Most [music] Holy Trinity, the very same vision she saw in heaven. And immediately she prostrates herself in adoration, [music] confesses her nothingness, and does not she does not dare to utter a word. And then they speak to her, "Do not be afraid, and take courage. We have truly come to confirm you as our very own and indeed to take full possession of your precious heart." This profound sentiment brings vividly to mind the sacred Gospel of John, specifically chapter 14, where it beautifully states, "We will come and make our permanent dwelling with him."
And so, further on in this passage from volume 12, dated December 5th, 1921, there as well, Jesus confirms this and makes her understand that now her life is a life [music] in close union of life with the Trinity. And He [music] says to her, "Your family is the Trinity. Don't you remember in the early years in bed, when I led you to heaven and before the [music] Most Holy Trinity, we made our union, and it endowed you with such gifts that you yourself have not even known them still. And as I speak to you about My will, about the effects and value I give you, these are revelations of the gifts with which you were endowed from that time." So this experience of union with the Most Holy Trinity is something Louisa will carry with her throughout her life.
And so we arrive at the third mystical marriage, that of the cross, which takes place precisely on September 14th, 1894, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. From childhood, Louisa is invited by Jesus to imitate His life and His passion. Everything is aimed at this union, at this marriage in which the two will become one. Jesus, even for this third marriage, prepares her, explaining that virtues without the grafting of the cross have no strength, and that sufferings, humiliations, disgrace, slanders, pains, poverty, illnesses, and the cross, especially since they have been borne by Him, have all been divinized. And receiving them is not a punishment, but it is a gift. It is a great honor because they are the insignia of the Son of God, says Jesus.
And so Louisa recounts this third mystical marriage. "One morning, my most beloved Jesus appeared before me in the form of the crucified and told me that He wanted to crucify me with Him. And as He said this, I saw that from His most holy wounds, rays of light were also coming forth. And within these rays were the nails coming toward me. And in that moment, I don't know why, while I so greatly desired for Him to crucify me to the point that I felt myself consumed, I was suddenly seized by a great fear that made me tremble from head to toe. I felt such an annihilation of myself. I saw myself as so unworthy of receiving this grace that I did not even dare to say, 'Lord, crucify me with You.' It seemed that Jesus Himself was suspended, waiting for my will. But who can describe what was happening in the depths of my soul? I desired it ardently, but at the same time, I saw myself as unworthy. My nature was frightened and trembled. And while I was in this state, my beloved Jesus, mentally, He urged me to accept. Then with all my heart, with every fiber of my being, I said to Him, 'Oh my most holy, my truly crucified Spouse, for me, I earnestly beg You to graciously grant me the profound grace to be completely crucified and at the very same time not to let any external visible sign of this appear. Yes, please give me the intense pain. Give me the sacred wounds, but let it be hidden between You and me.'"
In fact, Louisa receives the profound gift of the stigmata in this significant third mystical marriage, but she receives them invisibly, just as the revered St. Catherine of Siena did in her own spiritual journey. The profound experience of crucifixion will inevitably happen again. And each and every time when it does, [music] she speaks of the crucifixion of her own crucifixion. They are new teachings that Louisa learns from Jesus regarding [music] the cross. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] [music] [music]