Transcription
We begin with the prayer in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Most Holy Trinity, recognizing our nothingness, we want to offer you our entire life, our worries and sufferings, our whole being, body and soul, mind, and especially our will, so that we may unite ourselves to your eternal and divine will, source of all good things, and to give you the glory and joy of fulfilling the purpose of our life, to carry out all our actions in your divine will, and thus live in the divine will with all the angels and saints, especially with our sweet mother and with Louisa, to touch our foreheads to imprint the Holy Spirit upon them and infuse us with the light so that we may understand the truths and the good things found in these writings.
Let's continue from where we left off last time. There are always some very good and obviously very practical teachings from our Lord. And it even seems like they're especially relevant for the times we're living in, doesn't it? It's not that we planned it this way, but it just so happens that this is when he spoke about the mortification of our own will in all the mortifications we undertake. And now we'll continue a bit further on this point. The last sentence was to summarize it all in just a single word, so that I do not continue speaking for too long a time, even in the most minute and insignificant details of life. I tried to make my own personal will fade away and die, so that it would live only for him, in him, and through him forever.
Now comes the new part. He went so far as to permit even my own confessor to contradict me. For example, I felt a great and overwhelming desire to receive Holy Communion. Throughout the entire day and the long hours of the night, I did nothing but prepare myself. My eyes could not close in sleep because of the constant rhythmic beating of my heart. And I would say, "Lord, please hurry, for I truly cannot be without you. Make the hours go much faster. Let the sun rise very soon, for I feel as though I can no longer endure this weight." And my very heart is beginning to faint within me.
Here we see the preparation that Louisa undertook to receive Holy Communion, to receive Jesus himself in the Eucharist. From the day before, even the night before, she was already longing for it and making acts to prepare herself, acts among others of desire to receive him. He himself would frequently make such tender and deeply loving invitations to me that made my very heart feel as if it would surely break. He would say to me, "Look, I am here alone. Do not feel sorry or troubled that you cannot sleep. It is truly about keeping company with your God, your spouse, your absolute everything and your all who is constantly and continuously being offended by the world. Do not deny me this small comfort and I, in the midst of all your afflictions, will never ever leave you or abandon you in your time of need."
Here we see how Jesus was inviting her more and more to grow in love for him, as if he were making her fall more deeply in love with him. And you can see that Louisa was very much in love with Jesus. Her thoughts were continually directed toward him, her desires. So she kept growing in that love for God.
Now, what happens while she was in this state of mind? The next morning she would go to the confessor and, without knowing why, the first thing he would say to her was, "I don't want you to receive communion." To tell you the absolute honest truth, this experience was so incredibly bitter for me that there were many times when all I could really do was sit there and cry. We read this and feel it as something very intense. I would just like to invite you to take a moment to deeply reflect on exactly how we would all react if we found ourselves in this situation and what that truly means for us. Or consider exactly how many people in the world today would actually react if a priest denies you Holy Communion, as is often said nowadays. Because I see it a lot on social media among certain people, they don't see it as the will of God. Remember what Jesus had said to Louisa, that is, that he wanted her to mortify her will completely. And Jesus tells her, "I myself will contradict you in everything and sometimes also through other people." So, seeing that Jesus allowed this, that he wanted this, right? It seems that nowadays people do the opposite against ecclesiastical authority. They would say that priest lacks holiness. "Don't listen to him. You have the right to receive communion. Demand communion from him." They would say, "No, if he doesn't understand, go to another priest so you can receive Jesus." Anyway, it seems to me that this could be the reaction of, I don't know if of us, but of some people. And let's see what Louisa's reaction is. Let's watch and learn.
In these times of so much spiritual rebellion, so much spiritual pride of believing that union with God is found in the way we receive communion, in receiving communion at any cost, and in the way I want, right? Because your will is involved there. It's not about how you want it. It's about how God wants it, when God wants it. And everything according to God's will, as expressed by the authority of the Church. That is what allows you to unite with God.
"This was so bitter for me that all I could do was cry." In other words, it obviously hurt Louisa a lot, she says. But I didn't dare say anything to the confessor. Nothing at all, not to demand or complain or anything like that. Not even with humility. I didn't dare say anything to the confessor because that's how Jesus himself wanted her to act. Remember the lessons: "Remain like a little child in my arms, abandoned in me, humility, your own nothingness, and so on." Otherwise, in other words, if I had acted differently, he would scold me. However, I would go to Jesus and tell him about my sorrow that I did do. "Oh my beloved, for this the vigil we kept last night after so much waiting and longing, I was to be deprived of you. I know very well that I must obey. But tell me, can I be without you? Who will give me strength? Besides, how will I have the courage to leave this church without taking you with me? I don't know what to do, but you can fix everything."
So there it is. First, to do God's will and trust fully in God, and he will take care of everything without imposing our own will. And so, what happened then? And as I poured my heart out like that, I felt a fire come over me, a flame enter my heart, and I felt Jesus inside me. And immediately and right away, he would say to me, "Calm down. Calm down. I am already here in your heart. What are you afraid of now? Don't be troubled anymore. I myself want to dry your tears. You're right. You couldn't be without me, could you?"
So see how Jesus provides. He makes up for it when the ordinary means of grace that he has established are not available. It's like a spiritual communion. And just because it's spiritual doesn't mean it's not real. It is real. And Jesus truly came to Louisa's soul, not through the sacrament, but spiritually. So I think this is like a rule that we need to keep very clear in these times of so much rebellion, of so much believing that I can demand and say things there, it's inserting one's own will.
Now, then, regarding the priest, do you really think the confessor was so bad for denying Louisa communion? We can't judge him, but surely not. Surely he was enlightened by God, and surely it was for a reason. Not because of something Louisa had done, but because he wanted to discern something. Look, priests who are enlightened by God can also do these things to discern the spirit that moves the soul. So the importance lies in us remaining in our place. Our will always abandoned to the will of God and acting according to what God wants in everything. Even in the most spiritual matters that apparently separate you from God. They do not separate you if you do the will of God. And in some way, he managed to unite obedience in this with the love and desire Louisa had to receive Jesus. But Jesus only acts in this way when the soul is docile, faithful, and attentive. So this is extremely important in these times. And you know why I say this? I think you've heard some news out there. So it must be applied. Each person should reflect on it and apply it. As for me, I must be, and I must discern a little, what is happening in certain groups, in certain movements, in certain fraternities, and so on. What would God's will be, or what is it? Or rather, what is it? Because it's clear what God's will should be, right? And how God would provide when one fulfills his will.
Well, then, Louisa says, "I was left very overwhelmed within myself and told him that if I had been good, I wouldn't have arranged things this way." Louisa, still with humility, also used this as a way to be even more humble, never blaming the priest, not saying, "Not me," but rather, "Jesus allowed this for a reason. Jesus helped me." I would remain telling him that if I had been good, I wouldn't have arranged things this way. And I asked him not to leave me because I didn't want to be without him.
"Following these profound events, one day after receiving Holy Communion, I felt him deep within me radiating all love and I felt that he loved me so overwhelmingly much that I myself was utterly astonished and humbled since I saw myself as bad and so very lacking in my own ability to return such a divine love. And I said to myself, 'At least if I were good and could reciprocate your love, that is, that I could respond to him as much as Jesus wanted, I am afraid that you will leave me.'"
Louisa says that she has always had, even up to the point when she wrote this volume, she says, "This fear that he will leave me, I have always had and I still have it. And sometimes the sorrow I feel is so great that I think the pain of death would be less. And if he himself does not come to calm me, I do not know how to find peace." Well, and yet, well, Louisa is saying, "At least if I were truly good and could respond to you properly, I am deeply afraid that you will eventually leave me. And yet, you still want to draw yourself even closer to me than before."
So, despite the flaws we may have, the distractions and so on, let us never be discouraged. That is, as long as we have the will to keep responding to God, even if we don't do it perfectly. Look at how beautiful this is. Jesus presents himself to her even more full of love than before because he sees her efforts.
"And while I felt him like this within me, with an inner voice, he said to me, 'My beloved, the things of the past have been nothing more than a preparation. Now I want to move on to action. What are the things that were preparation?' Well, all the detachments from people, from things, from oneself, the willingness, well, humility, these are dispositions. Now, I want to move on to action and to prepare your heart to do what I desire of you. That is the imitation of my life. I want you to immerse yourself in the vast sea of my passion. And when you have truly understood the servitude of my sufferings, the love with which I endured them, who am I who suffered so much? And who are you, most wretched creature? Your heart will not resist the blows of the cross that I have prepared for you solely for your own good. Moreover, just by thinking that I, your Master, have suffered so much, your own sorrows will seem like mere shadows compared to mine. Suffering will become sweet to you and you will come to the point where you cannot be without suffering.'"
We will explain this right now. Louisa says, "My nature trembled just at the thought of suffering." See where Louisa started? Just like us, my nature trembled just at the thought of suffering. I asked him to give me the strength himself because without him, I would have used his very gifts to offend the Giver. So I gave myself completely to meditating on the Passion, and it did so much good for my soul that I believe all the good I have received has come from this source.
So after meditating on the Christmas Novena, let's say what Louisa remembers continuing with is the meditation on the works of the Passion, that is, the Passion of Jesus. Later on, she organized it by hours, but she was continuously meditating on the Passion of Our Lord. And the teaching here is that if we want to walk in the imitation of Jesus and be conformed to him and to come to live in the Divine Will, which is also our inner conformity with him, then the path is the cross. That is the evangelical path of the cross. There is absolutely no holiness, as Jesus himself explicitly tells the servant of God Louisa. There is no true holiness without the weight of the cross. And surely, in our human weakness, we will tremble with fear, just as Louisa said happened to her in her own life. But Jesus will always give us the necessary graces if we simply do our part.
Why is the cross necessary? Well, precisely because we come from original sin and we are disordered. We are inclined toward evil. We are very weak in the practice of virtues. In short, our human will is very strong and rules over us. So it is necessary to renounce all of that, and that requires pain. In other words, an effort, a going against those tendencies. So that is sacrifice, pain, the cross, whatever we want to call it.
On this journey, obviously, the soul progresses by degrees, as shall we say, the spiritual masters speak of these degrees on the path of the cross. And we will see this little by little as we move forward. In Volume One, we will see how Louisa advances along this path. Here we see first of all the natural rejection of this because our nature is inclined to seek pleasure. We want to enjoy pleasure in everything, even in the smallest things, to indulge ourselves, to be comfortable, right? Not to inconvenience myself, not to bother my body. My body, after all, that's why it feels so hard for us. But here comes the question: What will be our driving force? Love for Jesus. That's exactly what was said: "When you have truly understood first who I am and who you are, we so full of flaws, perhaps even with a past life of sins." Then, who was Jesus? He was holiness itself, and yet he suffered. Did he avoid the cross or say, "I don't want to, I don't want to walk this path"? No, he didn't. When you have truly understood as well, when you see how I suffered everything out of love, then we will learn to suffer out of love too. You see? So that is the driving force.
I'd like to make this a little clearer because these are paths of the spirit, of the soul, that we need to get to know. I'm going to read from a book called "Theology of Christian Perfection" by Father Antonio Royo Marín. He compiled the teachings of the great spiritual masters on all of this. So, as a compilation, look, he talks about the degrees of love for suffering. In other words, the degrees of love for God through suffering. Let's start with the first one. What are the main ones? I mean, it's not like it's first degree, then second, then third, and we have to go through them in that order. No, it's more like those degrees can be mixed, but just to have an idea, that's why it's presented this way.
First, not to omit any of our duties because of the pain or discomfort they cause us. None of our duties in this present age, in this, sorry, in this initial degree, it is absolutely necessary for everyone simply to preserve the state of grace. Consider someone who omits a serious duty. For example, these duties are not just the important responsibilities of a family member, or a husband, or a mother, or a father, or, well, if there are priests, the sacred duties of priests. But this also refers specifically to our fundamental duties as Christians. Remember that first and foremost, we are all beloved children of God, and we are faithful children of the Church. So, for example, it says here, to attend Holy Mass on a holy day, or to fast, or to abstain on the days designated by the Church, and to fail to do so for no other reason than the inconvenience or discomfort that fulfilling these duties would cause, is to commit a mortal sin and to separate oneself from God, losing his grace. In other words, see, these are basic things because sometimes people think that in the Divine Will, all of this changes. No, it doesn't change. This is how it is. This is the first level, and none of this should be omitted. But even when it comes to the smallest and most minor of our daily duties, whose omission would not necessarily compromise or sever our union with God, in other words, you would not lose the state of sanctifying grace, it is still nonetheless vitally and absolutely necessary to carry them out faithfully, despite our natural human reluctance or our internal lack of desire to do so. There are countless misguided souls who neglect the duties of their own state, such as being faithful to the details of their religious rule and constitutions, or the Christian upbringing of their children, or personal obligations, etc. And on the other hand, they go around asking their spiritual directors for permission to practice certain penances and mortifications of their own choosing. "I want to do this mortification," but you don't do what you are supposed to do. No, such people will never attain perfection. They are fundamentally mistaken in their path, seeking their own will, not God's. When we consider the fundamental essence of the matter, then the precise and complete fulfillment of every one of our obligations and the duties of our own state constitutes the very first and absolutely essential and vital stage of the spiritual process of our own crucifixion.
Second, we must learn to humbly accept with a spirit of quiet resignation the various crosses that God allows or sends our way. So then, the next degree is that whatever happens to you in this life, whether it be unexpected illnesses, the hardships of poverty, sudden setbacks, or any other kind of problem and pain, anything at all that happens to us, including the painful loss of beloved family members and all other trials, we must embrace it all. We must accept them without, obviously, complaining to God, without rebelling. But on the contrary, as it says here, with resignation. And Louisa also says that the first step toward the Divine Will is to resign oneself to His will. Also, fulfilling our duties and obligations even when they cause us discomfort already constitutes a very meritorious degree in the practice of love for the cross. But it is even more perfect to fully accept the crosses that God sends us directly or allows to come upon us, such as illnesses, persecutions, cold, heat, public humiliations, hard work, and so on. All those small adversities that make up the fabric of our daily lives. And this has great sanctifying value if we know how to accept it with love and resignation as coming from the hand of God. See how Louisa is in perfect harmony with all of this, as if it came directly from the hand of God. In reality, all these events are used by Divine Providence as agents and instruments of our sanctification. God often makes use of the people around us who, perhaps with the best intentions and good faith, or may be driven by less noble feelings, render us an incalculable service for our progress in perfection through the annoyances they cause us. St. John of the Cross points this out. I won't read so much now, but he says it in a few words anyway. It's more or less along the same lines, right? Well, that would be the second degree: to accept with resignation and love the crosses that God allows. If we want to unite our will with God's, first, at least that much, right? We're getting there. We're getting there. And not just with the crosses we're facing right now or the things that happened to us. But we can also do this for those things that have already happened where we didn't act well. We can say, "My God, forgive me that back then I complained to you or I said so many things or I just didn't want to accept it. Now I see that it was for my own good and that you allowed it, and I see it was your will." Well, now I want to accept those things, and also whatever may come in the future, because some things are still ahead of us, right? So accepting them with love beforehand, that has even more value. It means that you are already aligning your will with God's will ahead of time, and it will be easier.
The third level involves actively practicing the act of voluntary mortification. This is so that we can also understand the saints. This is like being further along on the path of the cross. The resigned acceptance of the crosses that God sends is already a very admirable degree of love for the cross. But it implies a certain passivity on the part of the soul that receives them. Even more perfect is to take the initiative and, despite the aversion that our nature feels to face pain, by voluntarily practicing Christian mortification in all its forms. Well, so here it says that, well, I'll read it all. There cannot be a fixed and universal rule for everyone. The degree and intensity of voluntary mortification will be determined in each case by the state and situation of the soul that is being sanctified. In other words, look, we can more or less be guided by what Jesus asks of Louisa, what we read last time. Small, very small things, even if they mortify you, it is your will. So it says there is no other path to reach holiness, to the summit and resurrection, than the one Jesus Christ marked out with his bloodstained footprints on the way to Calvary.
Fourth, it is better to choose enduring pain rather than seeking temporary pleasure. There is still something more perfect than the simple practice of voluntary mortifications. To become so passionate about pain that one desires and loves it, preferring it to pleasure, no matter how contrary this may be to our poor human nature. The saints have managed to reach these heights. There comes a moment when they feel an instinctive horror toward anything that could satisfy their tastes and comforts. They only feel at ease when they find themselves completely immersed in pain. When everything goes wrong for them and everyone persecutes and slanders them, they rejoice and give thanks to the Lord with all their heart. If, on the contrary, they succeed or are applauded, they begin to tremble as if God were allowing those things as punishment for their sins. In short, this is the direction in which St. John of the Cross goes. For example, he sums it up in these maxims: Always try to incline not toward what is easiest, but toward what is most difficult. Not toward what is most pleasant, but toward what is least palatable. Not toward what is most enjoyable, but toward what gives the least pleasure. Not toward what is restful, but toward what is most toilome. Not toward what is consoling, but toward what is disconsolate. In other words, this also applies to the spiritual life, so that one does not end up seeking oneself. Not toward what is more, but toward what is less. Not toward wanting something, but toward wanting nothing. And so on. Giving not the best of temporary things, but the worst, and desiring to enter into complete nakedness, emptiness, and poverty for Christ, leaving behind everything that exists in the world.
That is, Jesus truly led Louisa through all these stages. Then the last and greatest, highest degree is to offer oneself to God as a victim. Because here it is no longer just about mortifying myself for my own sake, for my own sanctification, for my own union with God, but for the salvation and good of others, for the conversion of others, for the whole Church, for humanity, and so on, in imitation of Jesus. This could be summed up in the Divine Will as it is a complete offering and readiness to suffer whatever God wants in His will, like Jesus, out of love for Him and for everyone. And then God will decide what He sends and what He allows. But you will live through everything He permits with this level of union with Jesus and participation in His redemption, just as Louisa did, and in living in the Divine Will. Because notice why the saints advanced along this path? Not only out of love for God and for their neighbor, but also because they had a clear understanding of death. Suffering comes to an end and will end. But having suffered well, and in our case, in the Divine Will, obtaining all the goods that are enclosed within the sufferings of Jesus, that will never end. It will last for all eternity. So we need to keep moving forward a little further in all of this, preparing ourselves for this path. But let's not be afraid, because along with Him, as Jesus had already told Louisa, many graces will come that He will give us as we walk this journey. And surely, many of you can already say, "I've sometimes heard people say, 'It used to be very hard for me to do such and such,' right? But well, I started with the Divine Authority and now, well, it's not even hard for me anymore. I didn't even notice when or how, but it's no longer difficult for me, and I'm even happy with this illness, this suffering, this situation, right?" So, as one says, you see, Jesus works with the soul. When the soul responds, gives itself, Jesus does it out of love for Him, in His will, and so you move forward on this path, even without realizing it so much. But that's what's important: to go deep down, deep down again. What is the central point? To shape our will according to the will of God, and our example is Jesus in His Passion. So this fits very well during this time of Lent, of course. We can always do it, but especially now that the Church invites us to pay more attention to this, we should do it. And we have that great gift of the Book of the Hours of the Passion, in which Louisa gathered everything she had done over the years and condensed it into that book because she did it little by little.
So she says, "I gave myself completely to meditating on the Passion, and it did so much good for my soul that I believe all the good I have received has come from this source. I witness the Passion of Jesus Christ as a vast and boundless sea of radiant light that, with its divine and holy presence, innumerable rays deeply wounded me entirely." Oh, sorry. I want to check the time because I can't see it. Thirty-seven. So, with its countless rays, it wounded me completely. That is, what were those rays? Radiant rays of enduring patience, of deep humility, of quiet obedience, and of so many other beautiful and noble virtues. So, as we meditate on the Passion of Jesus, we begin to discover how Jesus suffered, why He suffered, what prayers He made, how He loves souls, me as well, of course, but also others, how He obeyed, His humility. I saw myself completely surrounded by this light and I was left in awe, seeing myself so much like Him. Those rays that flooded me felt like reproaches, telling me, "A patient God, and you? A humble God submitting even to His own enemies, and you? A God who suffers so much out of love for you, and your sufferings for love of Him? Where are they?"
It's not just about prayer. You see, meditating on the Hours of the Passion isn't just a moment, a prayer accompanying Jesus, and that's it. No, it has to change us. It's a meditation, a confrontation with Him, a way to learn from Him. And that has to be reflected in our lives as well, because that's what it means to imitate the life of Jesus through His Passion.
On many other occasions, Jesus himself would describe in great detail to me the terrible sufferings and pain He endured, and I was so deeply moved that I could not help but weep very bitterly. One day, while I was working, I was reflecting on the most bitter sufferings that my good Jesus endured. My heart felt so overwhelmed by sorrow that I felt like I couldn't breathe as I worked. That's how I was feeling. And fearing that something might happen to me, I tried to distract myself by going out to the balcony to get some air and take my mind off things for a moment. So, I looked out onto the street. But what did I see? I saw the street full of people, and in the middle, my beloved Jesus with the cross on His shoulders. Some were pushing Him one way and others the other, all in a frenzy, His face streaming with blood. And He lifted His eyes toward me as if asking me for help. Who can truly describe the deep pain I felt or the lasting impression such a pitiful scene made on my very soul? I immediately went back into my room, not even knowing where I was. My heart felt torn apart by the pain and crying. I said, "My Jesus, if only I could help you and free you from those furious wolves. I wish at least I could suffer those pains in your place to bring relief to my sorrow. Ah, my beloved, give me the suffering because it is not right that you should suffer so much and I, a sinner, should be without suffering." From that moment onward, I remember that such a great desire to suffer was powerfully ignited deep within me, and it has not diminished or faded even now. I remember that after communion, I would ardently ask Him to grant me suffering.
So you see here, this forgiveness already reached another level. She no longer trembled so much about it. But when she truly saw and thought about the sufferings of Jesus, it affected her even more. And since Jesus does ask for help, for companionship, for comfort there, that's why she felt an even greater desire to suffer for Jesus, to accompany Him in His sufferings. We come back to the same point, don't we? To suffer just for the sake of suffering is not the point, but rather to suffer out of love for Jesus, to accompany Jesus. And in that, she received great graces in her soul. And then she understood that Jesus also suffered for others. And she too accompanied Jesus in suffering for others, helping Him in the conversion of others, in the sanctification of others, and so on. And this is important as well. I would like to mention it right now. Sometimes people are asking, praying for the conversion of a particular person or in general for people, and they say, "I don't see any changes. I don't see anything, and I've been praying for a long time already." It's not just about praying. It's not only praying. What did Jesus do? Did He only pray for us, or did He sacrifice Himself for us? We also need to make sacrifices for others in order to obtain more. Thanks to Louisa, because she obtained many graces. Among them, she obtained the protection of Corato. Later on, we will see how she prayed for everything. Yes, but also for her own, for her own place then. And she obtained it. And Jesus told her that out of love for her, He was going to protect Corato. A promise. How did she obtain it? Just by praying? No. She sacrificed everything, even herself. So, we must also offer ourselves with our sacrifices and with whatever God places before us out of love for others.
Well, He explains to me that sometimes, simply to satisfy my curiosity, because she had such a profound desire to endure suffering, Louisa seemed to take the sharp thorns from her own crown and deliberately pressed them deep into my heart. Other times, I felt as if she took my heart in her hands and squeezed it so tightly that the pain made me feel like I was losing consciousness. Especially when I realized that people, that is, her family, might notice something. And Jesus, who was ready to give me those sufferings, I would say to Him, "Lord, what are you doing? I ask you to let me suffer, but let it remain hidden from everyone." And for a while, He granted me this, but my sins made me unworthy of suffering in secret without anyone noticing.
Well, then we can certainly summarize today's very important topic, which was focused first on that specific episode of total obedience to the spiritual confessor, about how she saw through the confessor that Jesus wanted her to endure that deprivation of sacramental communion and how to behave before the authority of the Church. In such cases, there is a precious guide there. Well, then we see the matter of the love of Jesus, despite our small faults that we may still have, or falls, or whatever it may be. It doesn't matter if one wants to keep going. Jesus also continues to love us, and His love for us grows according to how we respond with our efforts, with our goodwill. And then focusing her on meditating on the Passion, on understanding the suffering Jesus and accompanying Him. Therefore, we also saw the degrees of love for suffering, or love for Jesus through suffering, that everything is gradual. But we must reach the point of total surrender to Jesus, together with Jesus, in Jesus, and with the same will as Jesus, even in the matter of suffering. And let us leave it to God to give us what He wants. To some, He will give something now. To others, later on.
Well, I remember, for example, that at one point I also had doubts about this. And I asked my dad, and I said to him, "Well, when someone offers themselves as a victim, do the sufferings start coming to you right away?" And he told me, "No, leave that to God. He will know." And so I would look at my dad, and well, I saw that he was, in general, very healthy and didn't have any illnesses, let's say. But even so, he did have other kinds of sufferings, right? For the kingdom of God. And well, his final illness came to him as well. So he knows how and when. And you could see that he had that willingness, because when it came to him, I mean, he was perfectly calm, as if he had always lived in the highest degree of total surrender. Honestly, it was something striking and a very beautiful testimony. So, what am I getting at with this? It doesn't mean that if you offer yourself as a victim, that same day you'll end up bedridden with suffering, or that God will give you the stigmata. No, that's not going to happen. Maybe someone will experience that. I don't know. But generally speaking, that's not the case. Normally, what happens is that God continues to send you the small crosses of your daily life. But now, you live them with your will united to His, and let's say, with His same intentions. In other words, as He lived them, with that Divine Will. Exactly.
Well, may Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Most Holy Mother Mary, and our dear Servant of God, Louisa, also help us to walk this sacred path of the cross and of true holiness out of pure love for Him, within the depths of His Divine Will. Jesus, we ask this of You. Most Holy Virgin, help us. Louisa, assist us. So be it.
Do you want to look at the questions and see if there's anything to answer? Let's see. I can't upload this one. Let's see. I said, "Very well, may we recognize." So, there, with Francisco's comment, then yes, of course, we have to change, you see, to see it as God's will and not judge the priest. And on the contrary, God allows it for a reason, and we should use it for good. Everything, everything serves us for good.
Well, Alejandro, can you explain to us how to respond with the will of God? I mean, has that already been explained, or do you want more?
Yes. No.
I think you've already explained it.
And if I stop receiving communion because I don't want to receive it from another woman or in the hand, is that rebellion, or can I refuse out of love for Jesus? Let's see. This is a good question. If I stop receiving communion because I don't want to receive it from another woman or in the hand, is that rebellion? Well, here we need to seek what is God's will as expressed by His Church. In fact, God has wanted or has allowed that. Well, rather, He has given the Church the authority to decide all those things about the liturgy. All of them. Jesus didn't do any of that. In fact, He didn't even establish the rite of the Mass. If you notice, Jesus didn't do anything regarding the rite of the Mass. He only performed the consecration at the Last Supper. That's it. And gave communion. It is the Church that has created the entire rite of the Holy Mass and all the liturgy of the sacraments. Why? Because it has the authority given by Jesus to do so. And it adapts it according to the needs, the times, the countries, the people, and everything, so that everyone can better receive the substance, which is the Eucharist, the life of Jesus present in the sacrament, and understand it more, participate better. It's just like the garment that wraps around the substance. So, over the centuries, of course, it has changed. Even though some say it hasn't changed since the Council of Trent, but before that, it did change, and there have always been various rites. The rite is not what's important. What is important is the substance. Clinging to the external and wanting to stay stuck in a certain era of the Church, that's not it, because the Church still has the power to change and adapt it to the times. It's not betraying the Eucharist, only the outward appearance. Why? Well, because it has to do, in a maternal way, with making it better understood each time it is adapted. Otherwise, it gets left behind. You see? So, it's the same with the ministers. If the Church decides, and it has decided, that women and those mentioned here can also be extraordinary ministers of communion, or that communion can be given in the hand, that's also a rite that the Church decides. Well, it's true that it says we can choose. If you have the possibility to choose, you can choose. But listen, it's the same thing. We need to control ourselves a little. If the Church allows it, it's not about the means by which it comes to you. It's the same Jesus who is here, whether in the hands of the priest or not. Jesus is there, and He is also present in the hands of the minister accepted by the Church. So, what's the problem? Receive Jesus. It doesn't matter from whose hands. That doesn't matter. And I can see, well, in my parish, they also use ministers. And in the area where I live, I can tell you that they are very well prepared. I'm surprised at how well prepared they are and the devotion with which they do it, the genuine care. So, there are people who don't agree. Well, even some priests don't agree. We know that. So, it's not about the minister. No, even if the priest were a sinner, not to mention a minister. If the priest were a sinner, what does that matter to you? In fact, all the more reason, Jesus is there, and you suffer too. Receive Him and accompany Jesus. Our focus should be on Jesus, not on everything else, which really doesn't matter that much. And pray for everyone, and let go of those very human things. Remember that our own will gets involved there. So, we need to remove those things and focus only on Jesus, on His will. Remember to apply this: Who is at the center? Jesus. Everything else should disappear. So, we need to start applying this to different situations. Now, regarding receiving communion in the hand, if you have the option to receive more often on the tongue, that's great. And if not, it's okay. If you absolutely have to receive communion in the hand, and there is no other option where you are, then receive it that way. If the Church has allowed it, it is not a sin. It is not sacrilege. Sacrilege is receiving it in a state of mortal sin, not you, not others. So, this used to be very common before, during the pandemic. The Church explained it, and many saints, even before the Council, before things were unified, well, people and many saints and holy women received communion in the hand. So, none of that matters. Whether the Blessed Virgin touched Jesus or did not touch Him, well, so that's not the issue. One can even do that in the Divine Will. My mother, I join my hands to yours, and I want to do it with all the love that you did, and to make reparation for all those who do not do it with love as you did. In Volume 30, it says that in every consecration, the Blessed Virgin places her hands before those of the priest so that she may touch Jesus with her maternal love in the Divine Will, because it is with the greatest love that she touched Jesus. So, we can unite ourselves to those acts. If you are not to receive communion in the hand, then we must enlighten everything with the Divine Will and not get attached to human things or impose our own will.
Now, what else? If my husband tells me he won't go to Mass on Sundays, sometimes I go alone and sometimes I don't, what is God's will? Should I obey my husband or go by myself? Well, in that case, you already know that it is God's will. Sunday Mass comes first. That is an obligation for everyone, and no human can say no. Now, you won't go to Mass. In that situation, you should go by yourself and bear witness that this is God's will. It's not about whether you go with your husband or not. It's about fulfilling your duty before God. And no one, and let me make this clear, no one can make you sin. No one is above God to make you do something, an act that is not God's will, that goes against God's will as expressed by His Church. No one. And keep this in mind and apply it not only to Mass but also within marriage. No one. Not even the husband or wife is above God's laws in marriage. No one can make you sin. You have the dignity of a son or daughter of God, and you must fulfill God's will. So, do you know how to set boundaries? Where to say yes and where to say no? So, the husband does not have the authority to forbid you from attending Sunday Mass. You see, he doesn't. Well, what else? That's everything, right? Or is there more?
Yes. Someone asked, "How can I participate in Mass?" But maybe that can be answered at another time or with a video we already have.
Oh, we already have a video. We can send it.
Yes.
To answer that question and help you all. Very well, dear brothers and sisters. So, let's begin to keep practicing this, especially now, focusing on the Passion of Jesus, which will produce many effects in our souls. Well, then, may God bless you all greatly. May He accompany you, and let us continue in the Divine Will.
Thank you. Thank you.