CHAPTER 10 THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE DIVINE WILL
Jesus said: “My daughter, the Kingdom of the Divine Will shall arrive without fail... And besides, is it not the Queen of Heaven with her sweet reign who implores continually for this Kingdom to come to the earth?” (May 14th 1935)
There were curtains around Luisa’s bed, which could be closed as required, and one year during the month of May, the curtains were closed each day at 4 pm. At that time Our Lady would come to see Luisa, and sit at the end of her bed. She came in order to teach, and to relate her personal spiritual story. This account is published in the book The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will. Some extracts from the book now follow, and remember that Mary is teaching Luisa primarily - but her words are intended for everyone. This took place 100 years ago, so you will notice a difference in the style of speech compared with today.
Our Lady asked Luisa to come to her three times a day, and to say: “My Mother I love you. Love me too, and give me a taste of the Will of God for my soul. And give me your blessing, that I might do all my actions under your maternal gaze.”
79 DAY 1 “To hear my child call me because she wants my lessons on the Divine Will, is for me the happiest occasion and the purest joy. If you will listen to my lessons, I will consider myself fortunate to be your Mother. Oh how I long to have a child who wants to live entirely in the Divine Will ! Tell me my child, will you content me? Will you place your heart, your will, and all your being, into my maternal hands so that I may prepare you, dispose you, strengthen you, and empty you of everything, in such a way that you can be completely filled with the light of the Divine Will, and it can form in you its Divine Life? Then rest your head upon the heart of your heavenly Mother, be attentive and listen to me, so that my sublime lessons will make you decide to never do your own will - but always that of God.
My child, my maternal heart loves you so much, and wants to pour its love upon you. Know that you are here, written in my heart and I love you as my true child. Yet there is pain in my heart, because I do not see you as similar to your Mother. Do you know what makes us dissimilar? Alas it is your will that takes away from you the freshness of grace – the beauty that enchants your Creator, the strength that conquers and withstands all, the love which consumes everything. In sum, it is not that Will which animates your heavenly Mother. You must understand, that I knew my human will only to hold it sacrificed in homage to my Creator. My life was all of Divine Will. From the first instant of my conception I was formed, warmed, and placed in its Light, which with its power purified my human seed, so that I was conceived without Original stain. Therefore if my conception was without stain, and so glorious as to form the honour of the Divine Trinity, it was because the omnipotent Fiat flowed over my seed, and pure and holy I was conceived. Thus if the Divine Will had not like a tender mother flowed over my seed, to impede the effects of Original Sin, I would have encountered the sad lot of other people - of being conceived with Original Sin. Therefore the honour, the glory, the thanksgiving, for my having been conceived without Original Sin, is entirely due to the Divine Will.”
DAY 4 “God now wants to bestow surprising graces upon mankind, which in all the history of the world he did not grant to anyone. He wants to make known the wonders of the Divine Will, and what it can do in the person who permits himself to be governed by it. Therefore God wants to place as model in the sight of everyone - myself, who had the great honour of forming 80 Chapter 10 my life in the Divine Will. Now know my child, that scarcely having been conceived, I caused the Divinity to celebrate. Heaven and earth welcomed me, and they recognised me as their Queen. I was so identified with my Creator, that I felt myself to be owner of the divine kingdoms. Indeed I did not know what separation from my Creator was, because that same Divine Will which reigned in me, reigned in Them (the Divine Persons) and rendered us inseparable. And while all was smiles and happiness between me and Them, I saw that They could not trust me, if They did not have some proof from me.” .………………………
The Holy Trinity took great pleasure in Mary’s soul, since she was the first person since Adam and Eve, to be untouched by Original Sin. Nonetheless, Mary would have to undergo a test in order to prove her loyalty. And the ‘proof’, the test, was to give up her human will. ..………………………
DAY 5 “Child most dear to me, how I yearn to confide my secrets to you. These secrets will give me so much glory, and will glorify the Divine Will, which was the primary cause of my Immaculate Conception, my sanctity, sovereignty and maternity. I owe everything to the Divine Will, I know nothing else: all my sublime qualities for which the Church so honours me, are none other than the effects of the Divine Will which ruled, reigned and lived in me. This is why I yearn so much, that the One who produced in me so many qualities and admirable effects, as to astonish Heaven and earth - should be known.
Listen dear child: when the Supreme Being asked of me my human will, I understood the grave evil that the human will could do in a person, and how it puts everything into danger, even the most beautiful works of its Creator. A person with their human will, is all vacillating, weak, inconstant, disordered. And this is so, because God created mankind to be united in nature with his Divine Will, in such a way that it would be the strength, the prime mover, the support, the food, the life of the human will. Thus by failing to give life to the Divine Will in your own will, the gifts and the rights received from God in the act of Creation are rejected. Oh how well I understood the grave offence which is made to God, and the evils which pour down upon mankind! l had such 81 horror and fear of following my own will, and I feared with good reason - because Adam also was created innocent by God, yet by doing his own will, into how many evils did he and all the generations plunge? Therefore I your Mother, stricken by dread and even more by love towards my Creator, swore never to do my own will. So as to be more sure, and to better prove my sacrifice to the One who had given me so many seas of graces and privileges, I took this human will of mine and secured it to the Divine Throne, in a continuous homage of love and sacrifice, swearing to never use my own will even for one instant of my life, but always to rely on God’s Will.”
DAY 6 “My daughter, you must realise that the Divinity was satisfied by the test that it wanted from me. Yet everyone thinks that I did not have any test, and that it was sufficient for God to work the great miracle that he did in me, when I was conceived without Original Sin. Oh how they are deceived! God asked of me a test which he did not ask of anyone else, and this he did with justice and with great wisdom. The Eternal Word (Jesus) was to descend into me, so not only was it proper that he should find no stain of Original Sin in me, but also that he should not find a human will in operation. It would have been improper, for God to descend into a person in whom the human will ruled. This is why he wanted as proof from me, my will for my entire life, in order to secure the Kingdom of the Divine Will in my soul. Assured of this in me, God could do what he pleased with me, he could give me everything - and I can say that he denied me nothing.”
DAY 7 “Now my child, I saw you were surprised at hearing the story of my possession of the Kingdom of the Divine Will. But understand that you too are given this destiny. If you decide never to do your will, the Divine Will shall form its heaven in your soul. You will feel the divine inseparability, you will be given the scepter of command over yourself, and over your passions. You will no longer be a slave to yourself, because the human will alone puts the poor creature into slavery. It clips the wings of love towards Him who created it, taking away the strength, the support, and the confidence to fly into the arms of the Heavenly Father. In this way a person cannot know the secrets, nor the enormous love with which God loves them, and they live as a stranger in the house of the Divine Father. What a distance the human will puts between the Creator and the creature!..” 82 Chapter 10 WHAT IS THE WILL ?
The following answer is taken from Book of Glory by Thomas Fahy (no longer in print).
“The will is what most resembles the soul’s Creator. It is the motor of the soul and body. It is the life or vital principle which animates the soul and body. It gives life to the intellect and the memory. It also has within it the free, decision-making power, enabling it to freely choose to do or not do something. This is called ‘free will’. The human will, informed by the human intellect, not only animates man but governs and reigns in him. It is his little kingdom within himself. The will in mankind is not the thought, but it provokes the activity of the mind; it is not the eye, and yet it gives life to the gaze and searches into everything, observing all. It is not the word, yet it gives life to each word; it is not the hand, and yet it causes the action; it is not the step, but it assuredly causes the step; it is neither love nor desire, but it is the life of both love as well as desire.
In the beginning when Adam and Eve were created, it was the Divine Will which governed and reigned in them, and animated all their activity. Their human will stood aside, so to speak, letting the Divine Will reign freely in them. After failing the Test which God gave them, the Divine Will withdrew its Kingship in their souls. So the poor, weak, human will began its long pitiful reign among the human generations, even to this day, and one might say – especially to this day. But this sad situation is soon to end, for the Third Fiat is already dawning!”
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Fr. Pablo Martin in his booklet: I Bring you Tidings of Great Joy (out of print) pointed out that the Will of God and the human will -
“..were already represented in the two mysterious and symbolic plants of the terrestrial Paradise: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The blessed fruit of the first is life, the fruit of the second, of which man must not eat, is death.”
83
“ Look at Me.
Each drop of my blood, each of my pains and steps, and all the things I did, compete with one another because they want to give you my Divine Will. Even my death wants to give rebirth to the Life of my Will in you.
I have prepared everything for you in my Humanity, and I have prayed for and obtained graces, helps, light, and strength for you to receive a Gift so great.
On my part I have done everything, so now I am waiting for you to do your part. Who would be so ungrateful as to turn me away, and not welcome the Gift I am bringing to you.
Know that my Love is so much, that I will forget about your past life, your sins, all your evils, and I will bury them in the ocean of my Love to burn them all away. And then we will begin a new life together, all of my Will.”
(1925)
84 Chapter 10 CHAPTER 11 INCORPORATING OTHERS
In chapter 8, we saw how Jesus spent his hidden life in re-doing the actions of mankind. In the Divine Will he re-formed every action, so that there is a perfect version of everyone’s life that will exist for eternity (including the souls in Hell). This was necessary because: “Only acts that are perfect and complete, give honour and satisfaction to a perfect Being..” (October 29th 1914)
The invitation for us to live in the Divine Will, means that we learn to do the same things as Jesus. He is not a God of isolation: he created us to share with him. Jesus wants our company in all that he does. And this includes the life of the Holy Trinity, where we can share by being in the Divine Will.
In chapter 9 we saw the reason for repeatedly re-doing the actions of others – which is that the world has been full of sin. Our actions should have glorified God, not offended him, but now we can help re-form those actions, and give glory in doing so.
You may like to see Jesus’ message concerning the Gift of the Divine Will. The usual situation is that we desire the Gift, but have not attained it completely. We go in and out of the Divine Will, because we are still sinful. Jesus describes it as being on loan: “My child it is true that to live in my Will is a gift, and the possession of the greatest gift. But this gift that contains infinite value... is not given except to one who is properly disposed and will not waste it; who will esteem and love it more than their own life – ready to sacrifice their life in order to let this gift of my Will have supremacy over all, esteeming it more than life itself… Therefore, first I want to see that the soul truly wants to do my Will and never its own; that it is ready to sacrifice anything to do mine, and that in all it does, it asks me always – even on loan, the gift of my Will. When I see that it does everything with the loan of my Will, I give it to the soul as a gift, because by asking for it again and again, it has formed the empty space in its soul in which to place the Heavenly Gift…
85 Therefore the forerunner of the gift that I want to give to the soul, is the knowledge of it. The knowledge prepares the way… For however much knowledge enters into the soul, so much more is it stimulated to desire the gift...” (December 25th 1925)
(Some people - because they are trying to live in the Divine Will, think that their mental inspirations must come from God. But this is an area for caution, and it should be discerned.)
Now we’ll look again at the topic of doing our acts (actions) in the Divine Will. In chapter 6 we saw how we can do our own actual or current acts with Jesus, because he wants to do them.
And now we’ll examine further, the way to include or incorporate other people. And as always Jesus wants to help us: “.. in order to honour Myself, I see what the soul wants to do. To love? I go to it, and I love together with it. Does it want to pray? I pray together with it. The soul’s annihilation and love - which is mine - bind Me, and oblige Me to do together, what it wants to achieve. I give the soul the merits of my love, my prayers, and my reparations. With great satisfaction I feel my life repeated, and so I make the effects of my work descend for the good of all…” (June 14th 1917) Jesus explains: “Taking a human form, I gathered and received in myself all this Love that filled Heaven and earth. I reciprocated with the Divinity - equal Love for as much as had been given, and would be given to humanity. I became Love for each thought, for each look, for each word, heartbeat, movement and step of every person. Therefore my Humanity was fashioned - even to the smallest fibre, by my Heavenly Father’s hands of Eternal Love, to enable Me to enclose all the Love that the Divinity wanted to give mankind: so that I could return Love on behalf of everyone, and become the Love in each action of everyone. In this way, each of your thoughts is crowned with my incessant acts of Love. There is nothing within or outside you, which is not surrounded by my repeated acts of Love. …together with Me, constitute yourself in love over each action of humanity, to give me the return of love for everyone.”
(Date unclear ?1924 – more of the message is in chapter 7.) 86 Chapter 11 Did you see in the last message, how the receiving and giving of love is important to the Holy Trinity. Here now are some past messages from chapter 8; we will use them to make a response or formula, in order to re-form the actions of mankind:
1. “Without knowing it, the soul finds itself at the height of my actions and of my prayers; and by doing as I did when I was on earth, it places itself at my level. Even in my smallest actions I encompassed all mankind, past, present and future, so that I offered to the Heavenly Father completed, perfect acts on behalf of all people.” (December 16th 1917)
2. “In my movement, I contained everyone’s movement; in my thoughts, the thoughts of all. Consequently all were re-formed and sanctified by Me. Now you, working entirely with the intention and the attitude of receiving your work from Me, will come to embrace and contain all people in yourself.” (November 28th 1906)
3. “I presented in homage before the Majesty of the Father, the adoration, the glory, the love, the reparation for every created thought (of mankind)...” (January 5th 1921)
4. “Place yourself entirely within my Will; in my Will you will find God, and all mankind. Making all the actions of rd mankind your own...” (May 3 1916)
This is not as complicated as it sounds: Jesus through his daily actions, transformed our actions – by taking them into his Divine Being, purifying and re-forming them. Then he presented them before the Heavenly Father with adoration, glory, reparation and love, on our behalf. Everyone’s life is in the Divine Will, already perfected by Jesus, but he now wants our participation in this process. For us as beginners, it’s not realistic to transform every action. We need to make a formula to use when we can. Luisa explained how this is acceptable: “..to practice entering into the Divine Will with repeated formulas, and with repeated intentions in all acts - even minimal, in so far as one can, is acceptable to God. It is a setting-out toward the Divine transformation, whereby the person lives and operates in the Divine Will.” (March 23rd 1921)
87 Another point, is that Jesus wants to “return Love on behalf of everyone, and become the Love in each act of everyone.” Therefore we include this.
In the Divine Will we find all mankind – past, present, and future. Therefore when we operate in the Divine Will, mankind is within us. Do you see this – from the previous 4 messages?
Jesus invites, and gives us the honour of doing exactly what he does. Can you see that in the 4 messages?
So during the day’s activity, when we are consciously in the Divine Will, we can pray as follows: Lord as I sit, I find within myself all mankind and all acts of sitting (past, present, and future). I re-form each act in your Divine Will; and I offer adoration, glory, reparation, and Jesus’ Love - to our Heavenly Father.
If you remember - Jesus has divinised every good action that we do (October 3rd 1903); so we can include mankind in any of our different and many actions.
Lord as I write, I find within myself all mankind and all acts of writing (past, present, and future). I re-do each act in your holy Will; and I offer adoration, glory, reparation, and Jesus’ Love - to our Heavenly Father.
Do write down the formula, so that you can memorise it.
If you start off using the formula here and there, it will gradually grow on you. As you become more conscious of the Divine Will, and want to include more actions, the words will become natural. The formula gives you a realisation of what you are doing; once you have grasped it – you may want to develop the words in your own style (remembering the examples of Jesus).
Remember that it is only when we are in the Divine Will, that we can speak of people being within us.
Jesus said: “In my Will you will find yourself enclosed within Me, and within you all humanity.” (May 3rd 1916) And: “..when you enclose my Will in yourself, you enclose everything.” (June 14th 1924)
88 Chapter 11 And if you regularly say the words: Lord I’m sorry for my sins! Then a blockage of sin won’t spoil your life in the Divine Will -
Jesus: “My Heart is softened when it sees that a person, unable to give Me anything of their own that is worthy of Me, takes my actions as their own, imitates the way I did them – and gives them to please Me.” (September 8th 1916)
In a previous message (chapter 9) we heard how Jesus experienced the echo of our activities; here is what he said: “Thus peoples’ every thought would echo in my mind, every word in my voice, every beat in my Heart, every action in my hands, every step in my feet, and so on with all the rest. By this I gave Divine reparations to the Father.” (March 18th 1917)
As we become more sensitive to our role, and as we make more use of our quiet times, we will become more aware of this ‘echo’ of life, and the need to transform it. Our thoughts, our emotions, our hands, our actions, remind us of how everything, everywhere, needs to be offered in love. So as we go along, we are mindful that with Jesus we want to incorporate and give adoration, glory, reparation, and his love – in our washing (and everyone’s washing), our cleaning (and everyone’s cleaning), our feelings (and all feelings), our praying (and all praying), and all the smaller actions in between. And so we get a glimpse of what it might mean to live in the Divine Will.
Jesus told Luisa that her life should be a succession of prayerful acts. For a succession of acts, our formula would reduce to just simple thoughts and feelings.
The following is a general prayer formulated in chapter 8: Lord I place myself entirely in your Will – where I find all mankind from Adam to the last person. I pray before your Divine Majesty, making all the actions of mankind my own. I take the thoughts of all people enclosed in my thoughts. In my eyes I take the sight of everyone. In my words I take their words; in my hands I take their actions; in my feet I take their steps; in my affections and desires I take all those of my brothers and sisters. I place all these actions before your Divinity: the good acts to give you honour, and the evil acts to be redeemed with the Holiness, Power and Immensity of your Divine Will. 89 It is useful as a general prayer, but there is still a need to re-form the specific actions of the day.
This was what Jesus asked of us (chapter 8): “In my sight I took the eyes of all people. In my voice I included everyone’s words; in my movements their movements; in my hands their works; in my feet their steps; in my heart their affections and desires. Making all these things mine in the Divine Will, my Humanity satisfied the Father and rescued poor humanity... Now why can’t you do this also? Everything is possible in union with Me, for those who love Me. Pray in the Divine Will before the Divine Majesty, and take the thoughts of all people enclosed in your thoughts; in your eyes take the sight of everyone; in your words, in your movements, in your affections, in your desires, take all those of your brothers and sisters. Thus you will repair these actions, and gain for humanity - Light, Grace and Love.” (May 3rd 1916)
A prayer based on this might be: Lord as I write in your Divine Will, I re-form the acts of writing of all mankind (past, present, and future) and I offer adoration, glory, reparation, and Jesus’ Love - to our Heavenly Father.
The above would be an alternative formula, and optional.
Now we satisfy Jesus’ requests: “I will receive the glory of having people repeat the acts that – because only I have done them up to now – are suspended in my Will. These acts will be repeated by people of varied backgrounds…” (January 29th 1919)
All this is new, so you must give time to take it in. It won’t be achieved overnight. Naturally, you don’t have to do the inclusion of people now: if you were happy as you were – then develop at your own pace.
Meanwhile continue to invite Jesus and his holy Will into your life, as often as you can think of it: ‘It is Jesus who wants to cook, and I cook with him.’ ‘Lord, may your Divine Will guide my plans for today.’ ‘Lord Jesus, please think and pray in me.’ ‘Divine Will of God, mould my heart to your ways.’
90 Chapter 11 LUISA’S LETTER No. 36
Dearest in the Divine Will
I respond with a few words to your many questions. The living in the Divine Will is most simple. It does not require more than to call it into our actions - to give it the primary place. Since it is always waiting expectantly to be called, it rushes and makes its divine sun rise upon our act, purifying it with its light; filling it with its love; adorning it with its beauty. And pronouncing its Fiat over our act – it encloses itself within to form its Life. And oh! The marvels that it forms, the seas of love that it extends! It is sufficient to say that all of Heaven becomes ecstatic over it…
If you want to live in the Divine Will, no longer recognising your will in all things but only that of God, Jesus takes you at your word and does the deeds. And he will take more interest in having you live in his Will than you yourself. He will make himself vigilant guardian of his Life – which he has begun to live in you. He will give all his fatherly care to keep you from going out of a Will so holy. You should know that Our Lord adapts himself to our human capacity, and facilitates in a simple manner what he wishes of us. In this way he wants of us attention and steadfastness. Fickleness escapes from the steadiness of the Divine behaviour.
Thus I recommend to you: make yours a true family of living in the Divine Will, because it does not require either a change of state or of actions, but of will. In the Divine hands the soul loses its weakness, its miseries, all its evils, so we can be sure of living in the Divine Will.
And so, leaving you with the Fiat to make saints of you, I am yours most affectionately, the little daughter of the Divine Will.
91 CHAPTER 12 DEALING WITH SIN
Jesus said something to Luisa which is quite sobering, and worth thinking about: he pointed out that no activity of ours – good or bad, exists without his involvement. As it says in the Bible: “In him we live and move and have our being..” (Acts: 17:28) Here is what Jesus said: “I am continuously involved in all human action, be it a thought, a breath, or a brief movement. However, people never think of my feeling toward them, and they do not undertake their actions for Me. Rather they attribute to themselves what they do. Oh if they would think of my continuous concern for them, they would not use what is mine in detriment to my glory, and in detriment to their well being!
A person should do all for Me and offer it to Me, because everything that is done for Me I keep on record, to return to them in the next life.
On the other hand, all that is not done for Me cannot enter into Me, because it is not a work worthy of Me. Even though it has taken place with my accompaniment – due to my continuous involvement in all human actions – I feel nauseated and reject it.” (October 10th 1906)
As St. Paul said: “Do all for the honour of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31)
In the last chapter, we learned to offer glory and reparation for the actions of everyone from Adam to the last person. In doing this, we joined Jesus in his repairing of sin. This is because any of the actions could have been tainted by sin, for example: not all acts of walking are innocent.
In the next message, Jesus points out sinful actions and he explains his hopes for us: “I will receive the glory of having people repeat the acts that – because only I have done them up to now – are suspended in my Will. These actions will be repeated by people of varied backgrounds… They will no longer act on the human plane, but will penetrate into my Will, and their acts now all divine, will be multiplied for all people.
92 Chapter 12 Then I will receive on behalf of all mankind: divine glory for all the many times the Sacraments were received in a merely human manner, and for the other times they were received profanely. …and I will receive divine glory for the many good works in which I appear more dishonoured than honoured. I long so much for this time…” (January 29th 1919)
So Jesus wants us to re-do (re-form) the actions of people receiving the Sacraments badly; and people dishonouring him. So we will attempt a formula: Lord, entering your Divine Will I pray on behalf of all mankind. I want to take all the occasions when the Sacraments are received unworthily or profanely – past, present, and future. In your holy Will, I re-do each occasion for each Sacrament; and I offer reparation, glory, and adoration, united with the Love of Jesus, giving honour to our Heavenly Father. Amen.
Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I pray on behalf of all mankind, from Adam to the last person. Taking all the good works in which you appear more dishonoured than honoured, I want to re-form them in your holy Will. And I offer reparation, glory, and adoration, united with the Love of Jesus, giving honour to our Heavenly Father. Amen.
Notice again how it is Jesus’ love that we offer, which is due to the nature of the Holy Trinity: God is best loved with his own love. Jesus taught: “But seeing that you do not have sufficient love, you immerse yourself in my Love and take enough - for however much love everyone should give Me. Then...you love Me for everyone... I feel a yearning for being loved by you, not with a human love but with my own Love.” (December 25th 1918)
When we pray about the actions of people, we benefit by becoming more closely bound to the human family. And these prayers elevate the relationship of mankind to God. In time we become more sensitive in seeing human error, which needs prayer in the Divine Will. Here Jesus comments on sin: “My daughter, do you know what forms sin? It is an act of the human will opposed to the Divine Will. Imagine two friends who are in disagreement, even if in slight disagreement; it can be said that their friendship is not as perfect and loyal as it should be, even in small things.
93 How can they love and contradict each other at the same time? True love means living within another’s will, even at the cost of sacrifice. And if the disagreement is serious, then not only are they not friends, they are fierce enemies. Such is sin. To oppose the Divine Will, even in small things, is the same as becoming an enemy of God. It is always the creature that puts himself in disagreement with his Creator.” (October 18th 1903) Here Luisa and Jesus discuss sin: “ I continued to fuse myself in the Divine Will, feeling sorrow for each offence that would be done to my Jesus, from the first to the last person who will come on earth; and while I sorrowed I asked pardon. But while I did that I thought: ‘My Jesus, my Love, it is not enough for me to sorrow and to ask pardon. I want to annihilate whatever sins exist, in order to be sure that you will never, never be offended again.’
Jesus: ‘My daughter, I had a special sorrow for each sin, and above my sorrow I placed the pardon for that sin. Now this my sorrow, is suspended in my Will and waiting for the sinner – when he offends Me – to feel sorry for offending Me. Then my sorrow descends, to join together with his sorrow and give him pardon quickly. But how many offend Me and are not sorry? Then my sorrow and my pardon are suspended in my Will and remain isolated. Thank you my daughter, for coming into my Will and keeping my sorrow and pardon company. Continue to go around in my Will, and making my sorrow your own, cry for each offence: ‘Sorrow! Pardon!’ so that I will not be alone to sorrow and earnestly request pardon, but will have the company of the little daughter of my Will, who sorrows together with Me.’ ” (October 21st 1925)
Let’s form a prayer: Lord, entering your Divine Will I pray on behalf of all mankind. I’m sorry and I ask pardon for each sinful act committed against you, from Adam to the last person to be born. I pray for each soul, that they may realise their sin and feel true sorrow, and come to you for pardon. And I pray that your Will may reign on earth, so that all sin and offence will come to an end. Amen
When we notice a general sin and feel concerned by it, we could pray as follows:
94 Chapter 12 Lord, entering your Divine Will I pray on behalf of all mankind. I pray against the sin of lying, and its destructiveness. For every sin of lying, past, present, and future, I ask pardon and I pray for each soul to repent and feel true sorrow. Lord may I be more aware of how un-repented sin offends you, and more ready to express my sorrow for these acts. Amen
Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I pray on behalf of all mankind. I pray against the sin of theft, and its destructiveness. For every sin past, present, and future, I ask pardon and I pray for each person to feel true sorrow, and to come to you in repentance. May your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, Amen
With our prayers we help Jesus in his goal of saving souls: “My child, how sweet and pleasing to Me, are the prayers of souls intimate with Me! How I feel repeated my hidden life in Nazareth... completely neglected and alone such that I was hardly known. I rose between Heaven and earth, and I asked for souls. Moreover, not even my breath or a heartbeat escaped that did not ask for souls. And as I did this I was heard in Heaven, and attracted the Love of the Father to give Me souls.” (December 18th 1918)
Letting go of past sins: Jesus: “I do not want you to think about the past anymore. Know that when a soul has humbled itself, convinced that it has done wrong; when humble and contrite it has been washed in my Sacrament of Penance, and is ready to die before offending me again; it is an affront to my mercy for the soul to continue thinking about what it did. What’s more, my Love is held back as long as its mind keeps wallowing in the mud of the past. So, as long as the soul wants to remain engulfed in the filthy ideas of its past, I cannot make it take flight in my Love toward heaven.
Don’t you see that I do not remember what you did wrong any more, now that I have completely forgotten about it? Do you see in Me any resentment or anger toward you? ...Well then my child, why do you still want to go back to the past? How much better it would be, if we just thought about loving each other! So from now on, try to make me happy, and you will always be at peace.” (Volume 1, section 8)
95 SERIOUS SIN AMONG CHRISTIANS The following message from Jesus was given to the seer Carmela Carabelli of Milan. She was called by Jesus to be ‘another witness to my Divine Mercy’, and received messages from 1968-1978. They have been given the Imprimatur. August 4th 1968: “My child I wish to speak to you about two very grave sins...which so much afflict my Heart: slander and scandal. Both are like homicides. The first kills honour, the second innocence... I would like to have all my children understand the seriousness of slander, which is propagated so easily... Sometimes you think you can trust a friendly person, and they then take advantage when you confide your secrets, perhaps adding their own version... Not that they divulge them openly in public, but from mouth to ear, betraying your trust and secret. Bad news picked up and spread, always changes form and substance, like a drop of oil poured into water. I remind you my children, that he who diffuses evil becomes guilty of it. For this reason I told you that among Christians, one ought not even to mention evil... He who slanders rejoices in the evil, and spreads it with a satanic joy – under the appearance of suffering from it, or wanting to put an end to it. It is a sin that is committed with much ease and thoughtlessness, and of which you accuse yourselves in confession with little sincerity. That is why, most of the time it is not forgiven. It is a sin which is hard to forgive, since he who steals receives pardon only after restoring the theft. He who steals the good reputation of a neighbour, cannot be pardoned if he does not retrace the path covered by the slander, reinstating the honour taken from that person, that priest, that friend, or even that unknown person... I do not wish to frighten you with the thought of eternal chastisements, but I assure you that a terrible punishment will strike the tongue of slanderers in Purgatory... My children I would like that a holy fear of this sin make you more vigilant.. He who has knowledge of a wrong-doing or of an evil, may warn the interested person, but he must be certain that it is truly a wrong-doing... It is difficult for you to read the soul.” SCANDAL: “He who scandalises (gives bad example) besides ruining himself, brings ruin also to others... Watch over your words, your actions, your conduct... Destructive words and actions leave an impression in the mind and heart of another, and lead others to follow the example.” 96 Chapter 12 LUISA TEACHES IN A LETTER –
Dearest in the Divine Will,
To live in It, is not about changing actions, but only the will: instead of making our will flow in all that we do, we let flow the Will of God.
And do you want to know what happens in our act? His Love, His Goodness is so great, that as we form our act and let His Will flow in it, the Divine Life forms in our act, and this Life of God is repeated in our acts for as many acts as we do. Do you think it is trivial that, as long as I let His Will flow, He gives me the power to form the Divine Life for as many acts as I do? They might be even natural or tiny acts – but as long as His Will is there, the great prodigy is performed.
As far as weaknesses, miseries and the like, as long as our will is not there – don’t worry, since that is our ruin (worry). They can serve as a footstool on which the Divine Will forms its throne, in order to rule us and reign... Everything serves His glory and our good, in the divine hands of the Fiat. However, I recommend that you do not dwell on miseries and weaknesses. The more we think about them, the more we feel them…
Therefore, courage and trust – these are the weapons which conquer God. If we don’t take the first steps, we cannot take the second, the third, and so forth. If we do not enter the sea, we cannot get wet, or swim in it. Therefore the essential thing is really to begin, the rest will come by itself.
I commend myself to your prayers. Tell little Pio that in everything he does, he should say: ‘Jesus take my will, and give me yours’. Raise him holy, that he may be a true son of the Divine Will…
No. 47 The little daughter of the Divine Will
97 CHAPTER 13 HEAVEN IS CLOSE
In this chapter we will look at the relationship between Heaven and earth, brought about by the Divine Will. The point is, that we enter the same Divine Will as the souls in Heaven, therefore they are sensitive to us.
Luisa often uses the expression of ‘fusing’ herself in the Divine Will - as she does here: “Since the day was almost finished, I was thinking about what else remained for me to do. And in my interior I heard: ‘You need to do the most important thing: your last act of fusing yourself in the Divine Will.’ Then as I am accustomed, I fused all my poor being in the Supreme Will. And while I did this, it seemed that the Heavens were opened, and I went to meet all the Celestial Court, and all Heaven came to meet me. Then my dear Jesus said to me: ‘My daughter, fusing yourself in my Will is the most sublime, the greatest, most grand, and the most important act of your entire life. To fuse yourself in my Will is to enter into the ambience of Eternity, to embrace it, to kiss it, and to receive the deposit of the goods that the Eternal Will contains.
Furthermore, as the soul fuses itself in the Supreme Will, everyone comes to encounter it, and to communicate all that they have of blessings and glory. All the Angels and Saints and the Divinity itself communicate, knowing that they communicate in that same Will in which everything is safe. And upon receiving these blessings, the soul multiplies them with its own acts in the Divine Will, and gives double glory and honour to all of Heaven. So, by fusing yourself in my Will you put Heaven and earth into motion. If you knew what you do, and what happens by fusing yourself in my Will, you would die from the desire to fuse yourself continually.’ ” Jesus then added: “To live in my Will surpasses by far the merit of martyrdom itself... Thus every time you fuse yourself in my Will, you dispose yourself to suffer the martyrdom of your will.” (January 4th 1925)
98 Chapter 13 And another time: Jesus: “..you do my Life. You will pray with Me, and the Divine Father will be content with it, and all Heaven will say: ‘Who calls us upon the earth? Who is it that wants to embrace this holy Will in themselves, enclosing all of us together? ’ How much good you can obtain for the earth, by making Heaven descend upon the earth.” (May 3rd 1916)
We can fill Heaven and earth with praise - “My child, do you really want to love Me? Say ‘Jesus I love you with your Will.’ And since my Will fills Heaven and earth, your love will surround Me everywhere, and your ‘I love you’ will reverberate high in the Heavens, and in the depth of the abysses. And if you want to say: ‘I adore you, I bless you, I praise you, I thank you,’ you will say it united with my Will. You will fill the Heavens and earth with acts of adoration, blessings, praise, and thanksgiving in my Will. These are simple things, easy and immense.” (October 2nd 1913)
Another time Jesus said: “My child, acts done in my Will lose their human quality. They fuse with my divine acts, and ascending to Heaven they disseminate everywhere, embracing all centuries, all points, and all peoples. Because they are contained in my Will, these acts are the defenders of my Throne, and will make reparation for any offence that people commit against Me, not only in the present but until the end of time.” (May 24th 1920)
Jesus explained to Luisa how our guardian angels feel blessed when we do our acts (actions) in the Divine Will:
“Each act that you do... is one more accidental beatitude which he enjoys by being at your side. It is a Paradise redoubled with joys that you offer him, so that he feels happy about his lot of having you under his guardianship. And since the joys of Heaven are in common, your Angel shares the accidental beatitude that he has received from you. His Paradise is redoubled to all the Heavenly Court, as fruit of the Divine Will in the soul whom he protects. Everyone rejoices and magnifies and praises the power, the sanctity, the immensity of my Will. Therefore be attentive.” (February 28th 1926)
99 One day Luisa asked Angels and Saints to join her in doing her acts. Jesus was very pleased and said: “As you called everyone, I felt myself loved by everyone in turn. Since you have a free and deserving will, when you performed your action, my Will released from itself a greater love, glory and happiness, with which everyone felt themselves imbued. The Angels and Saints experience a greater glory and happiness, when they feel more reciprocated in love by God. And those on earth receive more help and more graces, according to their dispositions. All the actions done in my Will cause this great good, because my Will is for everyone and all have a right to this act. Since it is the act of a wayfarer (on earth) who derives merit for all the good they do, the merit becomes common merit and therefore common joy, love, and glory. If you only knew the meaning of being loved in return by God, and the joy and glory that God can give, how much more attentive you would be!.. The Angels and the Saints who know of it, sigh for your call so that they may have this great good, and when you do not call them, they anxiously say: ‘Aren’t you going to call us today?’ For while you are on earth your merit develops in Heaven, to give new love and new happiness to these Celestial inhabitants.” (September 12th 1937)
Jesus told Luisa how the Saints hope for someone to re-do their earthly actions – their lives, in the Divine Will. “The Saints themselves... ardently wait for their sister to substitute their acts – holy in the human order, but not in the divine order. They pray that I quickly let the creature enter into this divine ambience, so that all their actions may be substituted with the Divine Will, and with the imprint of the Eternal One. I have done it for everyone, now I want you to do it for everyone.” (See chapter 16) (February 13th 1919)
Jesus told Luisa how everything is contained in the Divine Will: the life and actions of his own Humanity, and everyone’s life and actions which have been perfected by him. Since God exists outside of time - everything in the Divine Will exists outside of time. So in effect, we say that it exists in the present. For example, think of last Saturday and realise that all your actions whatever you did – still exist in the Divine Will.
100 Chapter 13 What Jesus says, is that your past life is still in act. All this can be significant in prayer, because we can reach back and access our own past, the lives of others, and we can access Jesus’ Humanity: “My child, for whoever lives in my Will there does not exist either past or future, but everything is in present act. Since everything I did and suffered is in present act, if I want to give satisfaction to the Father or do good to people, I can do it as if I were in the act of suffering and working. Thus what a soul suffers and does in my Will, is merged with my pains and with my works, and they are made one alone. Further, when a person wants to attest their love for Me - with their pains, they can take pains suffered at other times, which remain in act, and give them to Me to duplicate their love and satisfactions towards Me.” (July 7th 1917)
At the Ascension of Jesus, he took his place in Heaven, and he no longer suffers. The above message explains what Jesus does do – he assumes his earthly sufferings, which are still in act.
Jesus explains further about this topic of ‘time’. “My child, all that which is done by Me is Eternal. Thus my Humanity will not suffer for only a time, but even until the world ends. Now since my Humanity in Heaven is not capable of suffering, I use the humanity of souls, having them share in my pains, so as to continue my Humanity on earth. And this I do with justice, because when I was on earth I incorporated into myself the life of everyone, in order to place them in safety and to do everything for them. Now being in Heaven, I diffuse my Humanity in them, especially in whoever loves Me. I diffuse my pains and all that my Humanity did for the good of souls led astray, in order to say to the Father: ‘My Humanity is in Heaven but also on earth in the souls who love and suffer for Me.’ Consequently my satisfaction is always complete, my pains are always in act, because souls who love Me substitute for Me. Therefore console yourself when you suffer, because you receive the honour of substituting for Me.” (October 8th 1917)
And: “…in my Passion of Love I had to suffer as many deaths, as the number of acts of love that left Me - for which there was no reciprocation. Therefore my child, come into my Will to give Me the return of so much love. In my Will you will find as in act, all this Love...” (Date ? 1924)
101 Jesus and the soul: “My Will has the power of making the soul transparent. That which I do is reflected in her: if I think, my thought is reflected in her mind and turns into light. Moreover, her thought as light, is reflected in mine. If I look, if I speak, if I love, as so many lights they reflect themselves in her, and she reflects herself in Me. Thus we are in continuous reflections, in constant communications, and in reciprocal love. And since I am found everywhere, the reflections of these souls reach me in Heaven, on earth, in the Sacramental Host, and in the hearts of people. Everywhere and always I give light, and light they send to Me; love I give, and love they give to Me. They are my earthly dwellings, where I take refuge from the nausea of the other people.” (November 20th 1917)
Jesus gave teachings on suffering:
“When people humiliate, insult, and contradict you, I want you to keep your eyes fixed on Me, not them. As if I myself am saying to you: ‘Soul, I want you to suffer a little to make you beautiful, and to make your soul rich with new merits. I want to work on your soul with these sufferings, to make you resemble Me’… This way you will walk the straight path, nothing will bother you anymore, and you will enjoy perfect peace.” (Volume 1, section 9)
“My child, when I give the soul bitterness and tribulations, if the soul unites with my Will it is pleasing to Me. If a person thanks Me for their sufferings, making of them a gift and offering them to Me - though for them they remain sufferings and bitterness, for Me they are changed into sweetness and refreshment. What refreshes and pleases Me most however, is seeing that a soul whether working or suffering, is completely intent on pleasing Me alone, without any other purpose or desire for compensation. What makes the soul most dear, most beautiful, most lovable, and most intimate with the Divine Being, is perseverance in this way of behaving, which makes the soul immutable with the immutability of God.” (June 16th 1903)
“Victim souls are human angels who must make reparation for, beseech on behalf of, and protect humanity. Whether they succeed or fail, they must not cease from their work, at least not until it is granted to them from on high.” (October 7th 1903)
102 Chapter 13 “My child, the cross is to the soul as the reins are to the horse. What would become of the horse if man did not put reins on him?.. Such is the cross for the soul. The cross tames and frees man, from throwing himself down the path of the passions that he feels inside himself, and which like fire devour him. The cross extinguishes the fire, and instead of allowing man to become infuriated against God and against himself, it tames him. The cross becomes a way for man’s own salvation, and a way to give glory to God.” (October 8th 1906) Jesus’ own method: “..the right way to suffer is not to look at the cause from which sufferings come, nor at what you suffer, but at the good that can come from it. This was my way of suffering: I neither looked at my executioners, nor my sufferings, but at the good I intended to accomplish through my suffering...” (March 10th 1901)
Luisa during ecstasy: “Having received Holy Communion, I felt myself outside of my body. Then I saw a person who was very oppressed by many crosses, and my blessed Jesus said: ‘Tell her that in the act in which she feels like the target of persecutions – in the moment that the pain and the sufferings are felt – she can make use of all her sufferings to heal and cure my wounds. This way her sufferings will serve Me: now to cure my side, now my head, now my hands, and now my feet. All these wounds are painful, and irritated by the immense and numerous offences that people give Me. Also tell her it is a great honour that I give her. I myself give the medicine to cure my wounds, and I give her the merit of charity for having cured Me.’
While Jesus said this to me I saw many souls in Purgatory who, hearing all of this, were astonished. Then they said: ‘You are so fortunate who receive such sublime teachings, you can acquire the merits to alleviate and cure God! These merits exceed all the others, and they will have a glory which will surpass that of the rest – for as much as Heaven surpasses the earth. Oh if we had received such teachings, and the knowledge that our sufferings could cure a God! How much wealth and merits we would have acquired, of which we are now deprived!’ ” (October 2nd 1906)
103 Jesus gave some teachings on Purgatory: “My child, it is true that Confession remits sins. However the most sure and certain means, in order to escape Purgatory, is love. Thus love must be the predominant passion in the soul. Love in thought, in word, in movements – in everything, everything must be evolved from this love! Then uncreated Love, finding everything to be love, absorbs into itself the created love. In fact what does Purgatory do, except fill the voids of love that are in the soul? Then when it fills these voids, it sends the soul to Heaven. If these voids are not present, the soul does not belong in Purgatory.” (July 14th 1907)
“My child, the soul who does my Will shall never enter Purgatory, because my Will purges the soul of everything. And having held onto it so jealously in life, guarding it in my Will, how could I possibly permit the fires of Purgatory to touch it? At the most, should it happen to be lacking in some adornment, then my Will - before revealing the Divinity to it, will seek to clothe it with all the garments it needs - and then I will reveal myself.” (March 8th 1914)
Jesus explained the state of Purgatory: “They are deprived of my presence, because they see themselves soiled by their own sins. Their sins not only prevent them from seeing Me, but also keep them from even daring to come to Me – because not even the slightest, most insignificant sin can exist in the presence of my infinite Holiness. Even if I allowed them, sullied as they are into my presence, it would cause them greater torments than Hell itself. There is no greater torment to which I could subject a soul, than to oblige it to be in my presence while it is still stained with sin. For this reason, in order to soften its pains, I allow a soul to purge its sins first, and then come into my Presence.” (April 1st 1922)
In the next message we see how souls in Purgatory are able to help the living, and we know from experience that their prayers are very valuable. Luisa wrote: “Continuing in my usual state, I saw my blessed Jesus and many souls of Purgatory. These were sent by Jesus to help the nations, where it seemed many disasters would occur: calamities like contagious diseases, earthquakes, and suicides, because man – being tired of himself and living without God – no longer feels the strength to keep on living.” (March 9th 1906)
104 Chapter 13 A soul in Purgatory speaks to Luisa: “.. For us, it is not as it is for you - who have free choice, your own will. For us it can be said that every will has ceased. Our will is only the Will of God. We live on this. In this we find all our contentment, and this forms all our good and our glory.” (March 11th 1900)
We saw in an earlier message (March 28th 1917) that when Jesus says an ‘I love you,’ it reverberates around Heaven and earth and “it penetrates into Purgatory.” So that’s a good thought! And we’ve heard from elsewhere that the Virgin Mary visits Purgatory to comfort the souls.
In one of Luisa’s spiritual experiences she encountered a priest in Purgatory, who had been her Confessor. He said:
“One time you made a beautiful intercession for me. If you only knew the good that you did for me, the consolation and refreshment that I felt, and the years you shortened… You immersed yourself in the Divine Will and took its power, the immensity of its Love, the immense value of the pains of the Son of God, and all the Divine Attributes. You came and poured them over me, and as you poured them over me – I received the bath of Love that the Divine power contains, the bath of Beauty, the bath of the Blood of Jesus, and of all the Divine attributes. Who can describe the good that you did for me? All were baths that contained a Divine power and immensity...” (14th March 1919)
As you progress with these teachings, your mind will absorb more of what Jesus is saying. You will want to live closely with him, as Luisa describes: “To live in the Divine Will means to live inseparably, to do nothing by oneself, because before the Divine Will the soul feels incapable of anything. It asks no orders nor receives them, because it feels incapable of going alone. Moreover it says: ‘If you want me to do something, let us do it together as one. And if you want that I go, let us go together as one.’ …Thus for whoever lives in the Divine Will, it is impossible for them to do anything by themselves.” (August 14th 1917)
Luisa’s words are encouraging for those of us who usually feel we should strive on our own. Although Jesus had previously taught: “..apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
105
On being self-absorbed
“My daughter, thinking about yourself blinds your mind; it forms a sort of human enchantment in you, and this enchantment forms a net around you. This net is composed of weaknesses, oppressions, melancholies, fears, and all the evil contained in human nature. The more you think about yourself, even under the aspect of good, the thicker the net becomes, and the more blind your soul.
On the other hand, not thinking about yourself but thinking only of Me, and only of loving Me in everything, is light for the mind which forms a sweet divine enchantment. Its net is also formed, but this net is made of light, fortitude, joy, and trust; in sum - of all the goods that I Myself possess. The less you think of yourself, the thicker this net becomes, to the extent that you no longer recognise yourself.
How beautiful it is to see the soul wrapped in this net, which has been woven by Divine enchantment! How delightful, gracious, and dear to all Heaven!
The opposite for the soul which remains focused on itself.”
August 16th 1912
106 Chapter 13 CHAPTER 14 THE HOLY SPIRIT
“The Kingdom of God is not just words, it is power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20
All the extraordinary promises we now associate with the Divine Will, may make us forget the phenomenal promises and blessings which we received with the first Coming of Jesus. Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things than him. And his divine works of healing, raising the dead, deliverance from evil spirits, were indeed reproduced. Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, various spiritual gifts (charisms) were listed by St. Paul, such as: prophecy, miracles, healing, ‘tongues’, the interpretation of ‘tongues’, discernment of good and evil spirits, word of knowledge, gift of teaching, gift of preaching (see 1 Cor. 12). These are called charismatic gifts, from the Greek ‘charis’ meaning ‘grace’. They are not earned or deserved, but a grace freely given by the Holy Spirit. To remind yourself of the amazing life of the early Church – read the Acts of the Apostles.
As the Church became worldly, so these charisms (gifts) of the Holy Spirit were less evident. They became associated with holy people – the Saints. Down the centuries there were ‘revivals’, and the one most widespread commenced at the turn of the 20th century. The charisms were experienced worldwide, as a sovereign act of God. Clearly this gave a sign to the Christians, to return to their roots. It was an antidote to the accumulating evil in the world. The phenomenon of the Pentecostal movement, or Charismatic Renewal (renewal of charisms) in the Catholic Church, was supported by Popes, but not embraced by the general establishment of the Church, so by now it has grown weak. However, it will no doubt be fanned into life again, by the Holy Spirit – as events unfold.
Sadly, the call to new life and to new gifts, is a wonder that we have forgotten to appreciate. Anyone experiencing the Pentecostal movement in its full flow, has seen miracles of healing, transformation of lives through inner healing, beautiful prophecy, the wonder of singing in ‘tongues’, dramatic
107 deliverance from evil, amazing preaching, and so on. Just a touch of the Holy Spirit in anointed prayer, and you feel you are walking on air. It is refreshing and reviving.
This phenomenon does appear to have been a preparation for life in the Divine Will. It taught people a new personal intimacy with Almighty God; it increased their spiritual awareness and gave a sense of hope; it taught the huge value of praise of God, and people learned to verbalise their praise; it taught deep trust in God; people learned how to use spontaneous prayer.
The trust was based on the notion that God will bring good out of any situation – if we praise him and let him operate. So whatever the problem or the drama - praise of God is the solution. ‘I’ve lost my keys – praise the Lord I trust in him.’ ‘I’ve lost my job – praise the Lord, he will give me a new beginning.’ ‘Nothing is going right today – still I’ll praise the Lord’. And so on, for praise gets rid of evil. And now in the Divine Will, Jesus is asking for trust, and for belief in the wonders that he is offering.
So Almighty God started the process of our renewal in a dramatic way 2,000 years ago. We were invited into a relationship, invited to participate as heirs – as sons and daughters of God, and all the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit were placed at our disposal.
How then, should we see the Gift of the Divine Will – another gift which we are in danger of neglecting. In 1 Corinthians chap. 13 St. Paul speaks about Love as the greatest gift. And certainly the Divine Will is the greatest gift of Love that God could give us! It is the icing on the cake. The Divine Will was reserved as the ultimate blessing, and now it is being lived in a small way – prior to the Second Coming of Jesus. The degree to which Jesus wants us to desire and long for this Gift to come on earth, is expressed in the next message: “I want you to ask for my Will in your pains, in the food that you eat, in the water you drink, in the work you do, and in your sleep. I want you to engage your breath and heartbeat, in asking my Will to come and reign. In this way, everything will be an occasion for you to ask for my Will, even in the sun that fills your eyes with light, in the wind that whistles in your ears, in the sky that you see spread itself out above your head… Everything must be an occasion for you to ask my Will to reign in the midst of mankind. By this means you will place many 108 Chapter 14 pledges in my hands, with the first pledge being your whole being: you will not move unless you first ask that my Will be understood and desired by all.” (October 31st 1937)
Such an amazing invitation we are given - “So you can see how necessary to me are these souls who live in my Will… By their continuous living in my Will, they will restore freshness, beauty, and splendour to the entire Mystical Body, making all of it similar to my Head, which will sit in Majesty over all these members. I have done everything, all you have to do is want this Gift and it is yours. I am going to give it to you on loan and I am going to watch whether you are attentive and faithful, and want to learn the life of the Divine Will. I am going to compensate for all your little inadequacies, as you start off in this new life as an infant in the Divine Will. But your acts will be divine because you have entered into divinity, and the Will that is going to operate in you is Divine, and God Himself will be producing your activity. But you are going to make mistakes, because you are so used to living in your human will. I want to cry freedom, I want to be free in you, I want to no longer be merely your slave conserving your existence, watching you do everything wrong. I want to act freely in you by means of my Will. Consecrate yourself to the Divine Will. All you must do, is want with all your heart to live in my Kingdom, and it is yours.” (January 11th 1922)
When the charismatic gifts of Pentecost are experienced in a community, when there is an ‘outpouring of the Holy Spirit’, there is the sense of a ‘current’ between Heaven and earth. And it is dramatic! What we are told in effect in the next message, is that God is longing to pour himself out by means of the Divine Will, and when we are receptive – it will be phenomenal.
“When a soul calls my Will into itself, and in turn enters my Will and lets my Will act in all its actions - even the most insignificant, a current is established between the Will acting in the Three Divine Persons, and their very same Will acting in the individual. Thus if the Divine Persons wish to give love, there is a place on earth to deposit that love – where their own Will is acting in this soul. The Divine Will ascends anew to the bosom of the Divinity…it carries back in a divine manner the soul’s reciprocal love. In 109 this way, Eternal Love becomes a flowing current between Heaven and earth, flowing down and returning without impediment… Then if my Divinity wishes to allow its Beauty to issue forth, its Truths, its Power, its infinite Graces, they have somewhere to reside. ..Thenceforth I will no longer be defrauded of anything. I will be in perfect harmony within my Will, as it operates on earth in people - and in the Divine Persons in Heaven. How much more will I reveal of myself. When I have formed a home for it on earth, my imprisoned Love will be liberated, and the currents between Heaven and earth will be free to flow continuously.” (October 24th1922)
Our life in the Divine Will is the work of the Holy Spirit:
“My daughter, it is necessary to add another name to what you have written, regarding fusing one’s self in my Will. This is the Holy Spirit. A name by which to fuse one’s self in the order of grace: in everything that the Sanctifier has done for those being sanctified. Moreover, if Creation is attributed to the Father – the Divine Persons always being united in their works; Redemption is ascribed to the Son; the Fiat Voluntas Tua will be attributed to the Holy Spirit. It is precisely in the Fiat Voluntas Tua that the work of the Holy Spirit will overflow. You promote this when, coming before the Supreme Majesty you say: ‘I come to correspond with love, for everything the Sanctifier does for those he sanctifies. I come to enter into the order of grace, to be able to give a correspondence of love – as if all had become holy; and to make reparation for all the opposition, and failure to correspond with grace...’ And in your childlike simplicity, say to Him: ‘Sanctifying Spirit, I beg and implore you, to quickly make your Will known to all, so that knowing it they may love it, and receive your first act of their complete sanctification – which is your most Holy Will.’ My child, the Three Divine Persons are inseparable yet distinct, and we want to manifest ourselves to the human generations in this way: that while we are One among ourselves, each of us wants to manifest individually his love and his design towards mankind.” (May 17th 1925)
110 Chapter 14 Did you remember from chapter 4, how the Fiat Voluntas Tua refers to the Our Father prayer: ‘Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven’.
Jesus describes how a soul in the Divine Will can affect the Holy Trinity: “You must know that as the soul breathes, works, thinks, loves, and acts in whatever undertaking - since my Will is in the soul as the centre of life, it is my Will which breathes, works, thinks, loves, acts. It gives motion to the work, circulation to the blood, thought to the mind, love to the heart and everything else. And because the Three Divine Persons possess this same Will, it happens that they feel in themselves the breath of the soul, the heartbeat, the movement. Each time our Will decides to form an act, it causes us to generate new joys, new blessings, new happiness, which harmonise among the Three Divine Persons, forming immense seas of new happiness, which surround the Blessed (in Heaven) who remain enraptured in these joys, and exhilarated in this ecstasy. And when our Will wants to form other acts, to make us happier, and it makes us put forth other blessings, the Blessed become more moved and more powerfully enraptured in our immeasurable beatitudes. Now this is how the soul reaches so high - who lets our Will live in it. As it acts, it gives us occasion to put in motion our blessings, harmonies, and the infinite joys of our Love.” (June 20th 1925)
It is only while on earth that we can give this great pleasure to God, because we can operate in the Divine Will, and our actions then done with Jesus are divine. The souls in Heaven, being fixed in the Divine Will are receiving pleasure – but are not able to cause as much pleasure to God. So that’s another reason to make the most of our time, and turn to the Holy Spirit for help:
“The soul who is still wandering (on earth) unites herself with my Will in such a way, as to never separate herself from it. Her life is of Heaven, and I receive from her the same glory that I receive from the Blessed. Further, I take more pleasure and satisfaction in her. This is because what the Blessed do in Heaven they do without sacrifice, and with delight.” (9th May 1907) 111 Luisa:
“I was lamenting with my sweet Jesus for my poor state, because I have become a useless being who doesn’t do any good; therefore what is my life good for?
Then my kind Jesus said to me:
‘My daughter, the reason for your life is known by Me, it doesn’t befit you to investigate it. Rather, know that just by merging yourself in Me every day, and several times a day, you are helping to maintain the level of reparations. This is because, just by entering into Me and taking from Me the beginning of all that she does (i.e. the beginning of each activity) the soul can bring into balance the reparations of everyone and everything. Due to an Eternal beginning – an Eternal Will, she can bring into balance the glory of the Father on behalf of mankind. Being in Me, she can bring everything into balance: satisfaction, reparations, and the complete glory due to the Heavenly Father, in the name of all. Thus as you enter into Me, you restore the equilibrium of reparations, and the glory of the Eternal Majesty. And does this seem little to you ?’ ” 3rd September 1919
Another day: “My daughter, see how I fuse myself and make myself one sole thing with the soul who does my Will. I make myself her own life, because my Will is inside and outside her. You can say that it is like the air she breathes, which gives life to everything in her...”
2nd October 1913
112 Chapter 14 CHAPTER 15 CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE
Our Lord Jesus is preparing his return to this earth, and Isaiah wrote: “Make straight in the desert a highway for our God… the stumbling blocks shall become level, and the rugged places smooth.” (Isaiah 40: 3-4)
We are among the privileged people who know the plan of the Lord – to return and establish the Kingdom of the Divine Will upon the earth. Whether we see that day or not, we still have the choice to prepare our hearts for him, to make the rough places smooth, and invite him to establish the Kingdom in us. In this chapter we will look at more guidelines on how to make way for Jesus, and live in the Divine Will.
In the last chapter Jesus reminded us that the Third Fiat – the Fiat of Sanctification, is the particular work of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately God’s Will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven. And it is the Holy Spirit who will enlighten and transform us. Jesus recommended: “You in your childlike simplicity, say to Him: ‘Sanctifying Spirit I beg and implore you, to quickly make your Will known to all, so that knowing it they may love it, and receive your first act of their complete sanctification – which is your most Holy Will.’ ” (May 17th 1925)
We can make those words more personal, and apply them to ourselves as a prayer: Sanctifying Spirit I beg and implore you, to quickly make your Will known to me, so that knowing it I may love it, and receive your first act of my complete sanctification – which is your most Holy Will.
To progress in this way of life, most people will need to get closer to God the Holy Spirit. In him we find the fullness of the Love of the Father and Jesus. He will reveal Jesus to us more deeply, as we try to make his way straight in our lives. Therefore daily prayer to the Holy Spirit is essential.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the Fire of your Love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Amen 113 Painful as it sounds, for this way of life we need the Holy Spirit to convict us of our faults and failings – to bring them to our attention. Then we can deal with them. Previously we muddled along and admitted our faults now and then. But now that we know how our sin excludes us from the Divine Will, there is a need for action. Jesus: “So the first step to live in the Divine Will, which seeks to give a person the Divine Order, is in the depth of the soul - where grace moves it to empty itself of all human tendencies, passions, inclinations, as well as other things.” (18th September 1924)
It is the Holy Spirit who produces grace and virtue in us. And Jesus is explicit about all the virtues, and the need to develop them – as part of our preparation for life in the Divine Will.
The Catholic Church has compiled a list of 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit: (based on Galatians 5:23) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, endurance, mildness, faith, modesty, continence, chastity.
When we follow the teaching of Jesus, and model ourselves on him, these graces and virtues are gradually developed in us. If we run through the list we may see areas of weakness, and the need to ask the Holy Spirit for improvement and inspiration. He understands, so it’s best to be completely honest.
In general, our personality may work against us or we may tire of being good – which can happen with age. So progress can be erratic. Jesus speaks in his messages of the ‘passions’ being in order, but for most of us there are no fiery passions – but a trickle of disorder. We show a trickle of irritation, impatience, criticism, resentment, frustration, self-pity. And in the early stages of this spiritual development, we are likely to attract attention from the devil - who wants to stir up any weakness.
Catholics do need frequent confession to keep on track, and to root out negative issues. Apart from that, there’s a need to devote more thought and prayer to this new direction in our lives. We need to find quiet time wherever we can, so as to reflect deeply. “We can be sure that we are in God, only when the one who claims to be living in him, is living the same kind of life as Christ lived.” (1 John 2: 5-6)
114 Chapter 15 Ideally, with progress we will come to love as Jesus loves, think as he thinks, and want what he wants. And in this way we give Jesus another ‘humanity’, in which he can operate on earth. During his life, Jesus occupied himself with glorifying the Father, expiating sin, and imploring the salvation of souls. These should be our aims too as we identify with him.
In this world, pain and sorrow are inescapable – for nearly everyone. Christians are fortunate that Almighty God makes use of these situations for our spiritual growth. And it is the same with learning to live in the Divine Will. Jesus speaks of the ‘courtship’ of suffering:
“And to better dispose you, to prepare in you the space to deposit its truths, (the Divine Will)... wants to give the noble courtship of sorrow - to be sure of the soul, and to be able to trust her. It is always the sorrow and the crosses that open the doors to new manifestations, to more secret lessons, to the greatest gifts I want to deposit in you. This is because, if the soul supports with perseverance my suffering and sorrowful Will, it will become capable of receiving my rejoicing Will. It will acquire the intelligence and the hearing to understand the new lessons of my Will.” (25th June 1925) Luisa wrote: “..While I was suffering, I felt as if I could not do anything, and I felt oppressed by this. And Jesus, embracing my whole being said to me: ‘My daughter, don’t be troubled. Seek only to remain abandoned in my Will, and I will do everything for you. For only one instant in my Will, is worth more than all the good that you could do in your entire lifetime.’ ” (8th March 1914)
Once Jesus’ messages have found a home in us, we will want to seriously consecrate ourselves to the Divine Will. And from then on, we can renew our commitment each day. A Consecration prayer is at the back of this book – but feel free to make up your own. Jesus encouraged us: “Consecrate yourself to the Divine Will. All you must do is want with all your heart to live in my Kingdom, and it is yours.” (January 11th 1922)
115 Do you remember to put yourself under Our Lady’s care? Remember how Mary asked Luisa to come to her three times a day, and say to her: “My Mother I love you. Love me too, and give me a taste of the Will of God for my soul. Give me your blessing also, that I may do all my actions under your maternal gaze.”
Hopefully, by now you are making efforts to do your current acts with Jesus. It’s difficult to remember all the time, and some days may be better than others. The all important change is in our thinking, and for that reason it helps to read the messages again and again. We have to convince ourselves that this is all vitally important and life-enhancing. Jesus gives great encouragement: “..When you perform the simplest act, united with my Will, you give Me a complete act of love, praise, thanksgiving, reparation... In fact everything is enclosed within that act, even to the extent that you enclose Me within that act – and you give Me to Myself...” (October 29th 1914)
Isn’t it a sublime request that Jesus makes to each one of us - how do we resist. On a practical note – we will have days or episodes when we know that we are in a bad mood, and therefore not tuned to the Divine Will. So we may feel like stopping our current acts. However, it is usually best to just carry on and not lose the habit. It is still prayer, Jesus is close, and it keeps us spiritually aware.
If we can overcome our mood and make an effort, help is there: Jesus: “My daughter, pay close attention when you speak about my Will, because my Will is so happy that it forms our very beatitude, and the human will is so unhappy that if it could enter into ours, it would destroy our happiness and make war against us. In my Will, neither aridity, nor temptation, nor defects, nor agitations, nor coldness enter, because my Will is Light and contains all possible pleasures. The human will on the other hand, is nothing but a portion of darkness, full of displeasure. Therefore if someone is already in my Will, before entering and by the mere contact with my Will, the Light has dissipated her portion of darkness in order to change it into my Light. The heat has dissipated her coldness and aridity; the divine pleasures have taken away the displeasure, and my happiness has removed all her unhappiness.” (19th July 1907)
116 Chapter 15 Jesus kept reminding Luisa to be attentive, and that is vital for us because we are so easily distracted. “Therefore be attentive: fix your gaze always on my Will - and you will find yourself with the fullness of the grace of living in my Will.” (21st September 1923)
This habit of being attentive to the Divine Will, takes time to achieve – so don’t be disheartened. In time your mind will draw itself back to the topic. As we develop prayerful attentiveness, inviting Jesus into our actions and glorifying the Divinity – Jesus responds. He acts in us, and so we come to do divine acts:
“When the soul merging herself in Me, makes her immediate acts with Me, I then feel myself so greatly attracted to her - that I do together with her that which she does, and I change her action into divine. I keep track of everything and reward everything...” (28th March 1917)
“My dearest daughter, working for Christ makes the human work disappear, and Christ makes arise the divine work. For this reason, always work together with Me – as if we were together doing the same thing. If you suffer, do it as if you were suffering with Me; if you pray, if you work, make everything run in Me and together with Me. Thus you will lose the human works in everything, only to find them again as divine. Oh how immense is the wealth that souls could acquire working this way...” (23rd September 1906)
And as this progresses, Jesus calls it a divine attitude: “ ‘And do you know when the soul attracts an ‘I love you’ of mine? When merging herself in Me, she takes the divine attitude, and losing herself in Me – does everything that I do.’ Luisa: ‘My Love, it is difficult to always have this divine attitude.’ Then Jesus: ‘My daughter, what a person cannot always do with their immediate acts in Me, they can supply with the attitude of their good will..’ ” (March 28th 1917)
An important sign of this divine attitude is that we experience inner peace. This peace is experienced when we are both obedient (doing the Will of God) and abandoned (accepting all that happens within or without as God’s Will). Without obedience we are disturbed when we do our own will in opposition to God. 117 Without abandonment, we are disturbed whenever things don’t go the way that we want. This disturbance shows that we are not acting for or in Jesus. Jesus explains: “My child, the true sign for knowing if a soul lives in my Will, is that in all that happens, in anything, it happens in peace. This is because my Will is so perfect and holy, that it cannot produce even the shadow of disturbance. Hence, if in contradictions, mortifications, and bitterness, one feels disturbed, one cannot say that he is in my Will. At the most, if he feels resigned and at the same time disturbed, he could say that he is in the shadow of my Will.” (July 17th 1907) Obedience is very basic and important: “Do you want to know what obedience is? Obedience is the quintessence of love; obedience is the finest, the purest, and the most perfect love, extracted from the most painful sacrifice – to destroy oneself in order to live again of God. Being most noble and divine, obedience tolerates nothing human in the soul, and nothing which does not belong to it. Therefore its attention is on destroying within the soul, everything that does not belong to its divine nobility, which is to say - love of self. And once it has achieved this, it cares little that it alone struggles and toils on behalf of the soul, while allowing the soul to rest peacefully. Finally, I Myself am obedience.” (October 3rd 1899) Jesus was totally obedient to the Father: “My child, how the prayers of those who always seek to do my Will touch my Heart! I feel the echo of my prayer which I made while on earth. All my prayers were reduced to a single theme: namely that the Will of my Father be perfectly fulfilled in Me, as well as in all peoples. The greatest honour for Me and my Heavenly Father, was that I did his most Holy Will in everything. By always doing the Will of the Eternal One in each and every instant, my Humanity opened channels of communication between the human will and the Divine – which man had closed by sin.” (February 22nd 1925)
And our abandonment is important to Jesus: “My daughter, the most beautiful act, and the one that pleases Me most, is abandonment in my Will. Abandonment to the extent that one does not remember that his own being exists, but only the Divine Will..” (23rd June 1907) 118 Chapter 15 And a longer lesson: “I want you to be upright in all that you do, keeping one eye on Me and the other on your work. I want you to make people completely disappear – so that when they tell you to do something, you will not judge anyone, and you will not look to see if the thing is painful or distasteful, easy or hard to do. Say to Me often: ‘Lord, give me the grace to do well that which I want to begin, continue, and finish just for you. I do not want to be the slave of people anymore’. So if you walk, talk, work, or do anything else, do it for the sole purpose of pleasing Me, and making Me happy.
When people humiliate, insult, and contradict you, I want you to keep your eyes fixed on Me, regarding it as something coming from Me – not them, as if I myself am saying to you: ‘Soul, I want you to suffer a little to make you beautiful, and to make your soul rich with new merits. I want to work on your soul with these sufferings, to make you resemble Me.’
Then suffering everything for love of Me, you will make a thanksgiving offering to Me, for having made you work and gain merit. And you will even reward those who have wrongly given you the opportunity to suffer. This way you will walk the straight path, nothing will bother you, and you will enjoy perfect peace.” (Volume 1, section 9)
It was St. Paul who wrote: “We know that in everything, God works for the good of those who love him, whom he has called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8: 28) It’s so true, that if we can hold-on to trust and be patient, no matter how long it takes, the Lord will sort out our difficult situations and the outcome will be good. And with that trust we can be less distracted and self-absorbed.
Jesus said: “.. the trusting soul is my smile and my entertainment. One who trusts in Me loves Me, esteems Me, and believes Me to be rich, powerful, and immense.” (8th October 1919)
The topic of humility seems to come close to abandonment, as Jesus explains: “…The most sublime humility is to lose every reasoning, and not discuss the why and how – but to dissolve into one’s own nothingness. And while doing this, without realising it one 119 finds oneself dispersed in God. This brings about the most intimate union in the soul, the most perfect love for God, but with great advantage to the soul, because by losing its own reason – it acquires Divine Reason. By losing every discourse that concerns its own state: whether it is hot or cold, favourable or unfavourable, the soul will not be interested in the things that happen to it, and will obtain a language completely Heavenly and Divine. Besides this, humility produces for the soul a garment of security, and so – wrapped in this garment, the soul remains in the deepest peace, fully adorned to please its dear and beloved Jesus.” (June 20th 1900)
And to be dispersed in God, refers of course to being absorbed into the Divine Will.
Luisa was also told to be faithful: “Be faithful and attentive to Me, because faithfulness and attentiveness balance the soul’s moods - and thus establish perfect peace, which puts the soul in control, so that it does what it wants and achieves what it wants. The person who lives in my Will is like the sun. The sun never changes, its act is one: that of sending forth light and heat. It does not do one thing today and tomorrow another; it is always faithful and constant in doing the same thing.” (13th February 1923) Jesus gives further teaching: “My daughter, if the soul suffers distractions, or troubles, it is a sign that it has not devoted itself completely to Me. This is because when a soul has given itself entirely to Me, being mine – I know how to take care of my Gift. So, in virtue of its free will, when the soul does not devote all of itself to Me, I do not have that special custody, and it is constrained to suffer troublesome things that upset my union with it. But when a soul is completely mine, it doesn’t make any effort to remain peaceful. It is entirely my responsibility to prevent anything from entering into it that might upset our union.” (23rd November 1907)
Jesus wants us to be single-minded in putting him first: “What refreshes and pleases Me most... is seeing a soul that, whether working or suffering, is completely intent upon pleasing Me alone, without any other purpose or desire for compensation. What makes the soul most dear, most 120 Chapter 15 beautiful, most lovable, and most intimate with the Divine Being - is perseverance in this way of behaving, which makes the soul immutable with the immutability of God..” (16th June 1903)
A different topic, is the way that some people as a normal course - look for ‘signs’. In their quest for living close to God, they fall into the habit of interpreting this event or that event, as a sign of God’s Will. Yet this is risky, because it can lead to superstition. Also when the person guesses wrong, they can become disillusioned. So as a practice it should be treated with caution.
On the other hand, we want to include the Lord in all our decision-making. What do you think Lord? What shall I do Lord? This is part of living in the Divine Will. So the right course, seems to be – that we share our thoughts and choices, we ask for God’s guidance, and we then use common sense to proceed.
There is also an issue with praying the right way, for this is what Jesus taught: “Desire Me not with your desire but with my desire – because I greatly love to reveal myself to you. In brief, everything that you want and desire, want it and desire it because I want it: that is, take it from within Me and make it yours… Everything that goes out of Me enters in Me. That is why people complain that they cannot obtain what they ask of Me. It is because what they ask for, are not things which go out from Me… Everything that is holy, pure, and heavenly goes out from Me and enters in Me. Now why marvel if I do not listen to them, when what they ask from Me is not within Me? That is why you should bear well in mind: that everything that goes out from God enters in God.” (August 9th 1900)
So perhaps we should formulate our needs and desires in spiritual terms: asking for graces, blessings, mercy, on ourselves and others.
Let’s formulate a general prayer based on the above message: Lord Jesus, fusing with your Divine Will I want to desire you with your desire, and I ask you to reveal yourself to me and to all who seek you. Lord I hold before you this book I am reading on your Divine Will. I ask you to open my heart, and reveal the contents that you
121 want me personally to understand. May your Holy Spirit fill my heart with the Love that I need, in order to put you first always. Lord I love you with your Divine Will, and adore you with your Divine Will, and I ask you to prepare all our hearts for the coming of your Kingdom of the Divine Will upon the earth. Amen
To live in the Divine Will is to be in receipt of God’s blessings. And he wants to favour us yet more – it’s just a matter of being sensitive to his Will: “No longer living on its own will, the soul lives in mine. And just as my Will circulates in its will, its will circulates in all my Being. I continually feel its contact, and feeling myself continually touched by the soul… you cannot comprehend how much I want to love it, favour it, and grant all that it asks of Me. And if it were to be denied anything, I would be denying it to myself – because in the final analysis, living in my Will the soul does not ask for anything but what I want. This is what it wants, and the only thing that makes it happy - as much for itself as for others, because its life is more in Heaven than on earth.” (May 3rd 1908)
To finish this chapter, let’s encourage ourselves in knowing that just one act done in the Divine Will is a divine act, and it gives more glory to God than all the acts of all the previous Saints combined.
This reminds us of the situation in the gospel when Jesus first set out on his mission: when the Fiat of Redemption was underway. Concerning John the Baptist he told the people: “No one may be found greater than John among the sons of woman, but I tell you, the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7: 28)
John the Baptist belonged to the old order - Similarly, our wonderful Saints now belong to the old order, for the Fiat of Sanctification is now underway.
“My daughter, the living in my Will is the living most closely approaching that of the Blessed in Heaven. And the distance is as great between those who live in my Will, and those who are simply in uniformity with my Will and do it faithfully, carrying out its orders – as the distance between Heaven and earth…” (2nd February 1921)
122 Chapter 15
“..My Heavenly Mother, who had the unique mission of being the Mother of the Son of God, with the office of Co-Redemptrix of the human race. She was enriched with so many graces for the mission of her Divine Maternity, that all the earthly and heavenly creatures combined could never equal Her. But that was not sufficient to attract the Word into Her maternal womb. It was necessary that my Mother should empty all this abyss of grace and gifts, embracing all peoples, loving them, restoring, adoring the Supreme Majesty for everyone; alone in doing everything that human generations should have done for God. Therefore in her virginal heart She had an inexhaustible fervour towards God and toward all mankind. And when the Divinity found in this virgin the recompense of love for all, It felt attracted and Its Conception was completed - that is the Incarnation of the Word. And as She conceived Me, She accepted the office of Co-Redemptrix, and took part and embraced together with Me all the pain, recompense, reparation and maternal love toward everyone. Thus in the heart of my Mother, there was a fibre of maternal love toward each person. Therefore in truth and justice, I declared on the Cross that She was the Mother of everyone. She was with Me in love, in pain, in everything: She never left Me alone. And if the Eternal One had not filled Her with so much Grace, as to be able to receive from Her alone the love of everyone, He would never have moved from Heaven to come upon the earth, and redeem the human race. This is why it was fitting and necessary that, due to the mission as Mother of God, She had to embrace everyone and surpass everyone.” May 1st 1925
123 CHAPTER 16 NEW VOCABULARY
It is Jesus who wants to read, and I read with him - (basic current act)
In the last message – Our Lady is described as Co-Redemptrix, (the female version of Co-Redeemer). We ourselves are called to be co-redeemers, and this we do when we pray for people to come to Jesus. Our Lord died on the Cross, but if we do not pray for everyone to turn to him, his Sacrifice will be wasted. So we have an important part to play.
Now how are you progressing with your prevenient act, and current acts? Here is Jesus’ full message on that topic: “There is both a prevenient act and a current act. The prevenient act is when the soul, at the break of dawn, sets its will in mine and decides and affirms that it wants to live and act only in my Will. With this act it prepares all its actions and makes them flow in my Will. With this predisposing consent, my Sun surges and my life is replicated in all your actions – as if in one single current act. But the prevenient act can be eclipsed and clouded by certain human ways: by self-will, by self-esteem, by carelessness, by neglect, etc. All these things are like clouds that interfere with the sun, and render its light less vivid as it falls on the face of the earth. The current act on the other hand, is not subject to the possible interference of clouds – but rather clears away any clouds that may exist. It makes rise other suns in which my Life is replicated with ever more intense light and heat, each more beautiful than the other. Both acts are necessary: the prevenient act assists, creates the disposition, and makes room for the current act. The current act preserves and enlarges the disposition of the prevenient act.” (27th May 1922)
Here is the suggested formula, for a current act in the Divine Will which brings all mankind to the Father (from chapter 11): Lord as I read, I find within myself all mankind and all acts of reading (past, present and future). I re-form each act in your Divine Will; and I offer adoration, glory, reparation, and Jesus’ Love - to our Heavenly Father.
124 Chapter 16 Are you inviting Jesus more – into your life and your actions? In the next message, Jesus wants the distinction between us and him to disappear, so that we realise our closeness with him:
Jesus: “..from now on, between you and Me I don’t want ‘you’ and ‘I’ to exist. Therefore it will no longer be said: ‘you will do’ and ‘I will do’, but ‘we will do’. Also that ‘yours’ and ‘mine’ must disappear. Instead we will say ‘ours’ of all things..” (Volume 1 section 39)
“I live not with my own life, but with the life of Christ who lives in me.” St. Paul (Galatians 2:20)
We’ll now look again, at the extraordinary union with Jesus that is achieved in his Divine Will. Each action that we do, because done together with Jesus – has the value of being a ‘divine act’. And gradually Jesus is forming his Life within us. He said:
“How can one explain the words I uttered when I created mankind: ‘Let us make man in our image and likeness’? How can a creature, as incapable as he is, be my image and likeness? Only in my Will can he accomplish this. By making my Will his own, a person can achieve at the level of the divine; and by repeatedly performing divine acts, he gradually becomes like Me, eventually even to the point of being transformed into my perfect image...” (August 24th 1915)
Luisa: (LETTER – No. 47) “And do you want to know what happens in our act? His Love, His Goodness is so great, that as we form our action and let His Will flow in it, the Divine Life forms in our act. And this Life of God is repeated in our acts - for as many acts as we do. Do you think it is trivial that, as long as I let His Will flow, He gives me the power to form Divine Life in as many actions as I do? They might be natural or tiny acts – but as long as His Will is there, the great prodigy is performed.”
Jesus explains this point further: “My daughter, living in my Will is a life that I have to form – it is not virtue. And life needs motion and continual actions. If this were not so, there would no longer be life. At best it could be a work - which does not need continual acts; but not life.” (5th September 1938)
125 And another day: “My daughter, when the soul does its actions in my Will, it multiplies my Life. If it does ten actions in my Will, it multiplies me ten times; if it does twenty, one hundred, one thousand, or even more actions in my Will, so many times does it multiply Me. It is similar to the Sacramental consecration: I am multiplied into as many hosts as are consecrated. But in the case of the Consecration, I need the hosts to be able to multiply myself, and I need a priest to consecrate them. Whereas in my Will I need the actions of people who are living hosts...so that my Will can consecrate and enclose Me in those acts. Thus I am multiplied in each action, when it is done in my Will. Because of this, my Love finds its complete release and satisfaction in souls who do my Will...” (March 24th 1922) Yes, Jesus wants to form his Life in us: “My daughter, only my Will has this power to form a Life in someone. It is understood that the soul has given Me – who knows how often – sure proofs that it wants to live by my Will, and not by its own. Each act of the human will that is not in Me, prevents the completion of my Life. And this is the greatest prodigy that my Will knows how to work: my Life in a person. The light of my Will prepares the place for Me; its heat purifies and consumes all that could be unsuitable for my Life, and provides Me with the necessary elements to develop my Life.” (15th March 1925)
But as Jesus has just said above – the completion of his Life is prevented by our actions that are not done in the Divine Will.
Our Lady advises us to focus on Jesus: “Behold your treasure, Jesus, your life and your all. Take him and keep him with you always. While you do so, keep your eyes fixed upon him within you. Do not be embarrassed if He says nothing to you, or if you have nothing to say to him. Just keep your eyes upon him within you, and then you will understand everything, do everything, and make satisfaction for everyone… Do not fear. Your task is that of keeping your interior eyes fixed upon Jesus. This has such power that all other powers, whether human or diabolic, are brought down and defeated.” (30th June 1903)
126 Chapter 16 Then we become like Jesus: “Whoever lives in my Will loses his temperament and acquires mine. Therefore, in the soul that does my Will is found a temperament that is pleasant, attractive, penetrating, dignified, and generally simple – of childlike simplicity. In a word, he resembles Me in everything.” (24th February 1912)
And: “I am going to place myself before you as a mirror, and you will do nothing but look at Me to imitate Me. Just make sure you never lose sight of my Person.” (Volume 1, section 11)
Jesus to Luisa – how he wants us to do everything with him: “If you had been humbler and always closer to Me, you would not have done that work so poorly. But because you thought that you could begin doing it, continue and finish it without Me, it did not turn out – to your regret – according to my Will. So invoke Me at the beginning of every action that you undertake, and always keep yourself in my presence to do the action with Me. This way it will be accomplished to perfection.” (Volume 1, section 7)
Jesus wants us to really welcome his Divine Will in our lives:
“Now you must know that the more a person seeks my Will, desires to know it, loves it, and does not let it escape from any of his actions, the more it will grow to its fullness. An extra act of attention, a sigh, a desire for its Life, is enough to make it grow... Oh how wonderfully it grows and propels him to reach such heights, to the point of reaching the Divine upper spheres – where he learns the most sublime and intimate secrets! ..My child, there is a great difference between him who desires my Will by employing all his attention, his eyes, and his heart; and him who desires it without employing any great attention. It seems that they lack the eyes to see it in all things, the heart to love it, and the voice to call it... Such as these, one may say possess my Will in small measure. Its fullness is therefore far from them.” (23rd August 1937)
But Jesus understands our failures in prayer: “Regarding prayer, when you cannot concentrate – don’t think about anything except remaining calmly in that state, and not about why you are distracted. 127 Otherwise you yourself will be the cause of the distractions. Instead, humble yourself and admit that you deserve them, and just keep calm… Offer Me all your bitterness, weariness and anguish as sacrifices of praise and satisfaction, and in reparation for the offences committed against Me. Then your prayer will rise up like fragrant incense to my Throne, wounding my Heart and drawing down upon yourself new graces and new gifts...” (Volume 1, section 14)
In order to grow more like Jesus, and operate in his Divine Will, we will have to employ the language that he uses. He urges us to imitate his style of prayer, and that means learning new ways to express ourselves. You will have noticed the phrases that are new to us, for Jesus speaks of ‘multiplying’, ‘substituting’, ‘making infinite’ etc. Here Jesus describes the new situation:
“At best others have known the shadow of my Will; the grace and the sweetness contained in doing my Will. But no one knows about penetrating into my Will, embracing its immensity, multiplying oneself with Me and penetrating everywhere: into Heaven and into hearts, abandoning human ways and acting in divine ways – all this while still on earth.” (January 29th 1919) And: “My child, actions done in my Will lose their human quality. They fuse with my divine acts, and ascending to Heaven they disseminate everywhere (multiply) embracing all centuries, all points, and all peoples.” (May 24th 1920)
Jesus speaks of ‘multiplying oneself’. What he means here, is that when we have asked to enter the Divine Will, or asked to merge with Jesus, we are then able to pray without limitation – in the Divine Will. We know that space and time no longer limit us.
In order to reach everybody past, present, and future, we ask to multiply ourselves – so as to reach each person individually. We know that Jesus can personally go to every single soul; therefore we believe him, when he tells us that in the Divine Will – we can do what he does. So as Jesus says above, with him we can ‘penetrate everywhere: into Heaven and into hearts’. And in that way we ‘abandon human ways and act in divine ways’. That is what this spiritual growth is about.
128 Chapter 16 But don’t worry – you won’t leave your armchair! It all sounds strange, but already you pray for people in all places. It’s a matter now, of expanding your belief, and listening to Jesus. The new way of expressing ourselves will sink in, and become natural.
In the next message, Jesus and Luisa (in the Divine Will) multiply themselves to reach all of mankind: “.. Jesus and I multiplied ourselves in everyone; we adored, gave thanks, and honoured the Creative Power in the name of all, and the Eternal One (the Father) received the glory from Creation.”
This time, they glorified the Heavenly Father as Creator. And you notice how it is done in the name of all. This is the norm, because mankind has a debt of glory owing to Almighty God. Anyone operating in the Divine Will has this responsibility to pray on behalf of all mankind, in giving love, glory, adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and reparation to God. It’s the on-going debt from the time of Adam and Eve - which is a pleasure for us to pay. (Honour given to the Father, includes the Son and Holy Spirit.)
As mentioned, Jesus wants to see us praying in this way: “..I rejoice when I see that a person enters this divine ambience, and multiplying herself together with Me, multiplies herself in all, and loves, repairs, and substitutes for each and everyone in a Divine manner... When we can do that, Jesus adds: I no longer recognise human things in her, but all my things; my Love increases and multiplies itself; the reparations multiply to the infinite, and the substitutions are Divine... What joy! What festivity! The Saints themselves unite with Me and celebrate.” (February 13th 1919)
In the above message it says: ‘the reparations multiply to the infinite’. We know that the Divine Will can multiply one act into as many acts as desired, or to the infinite. So for a person who ‘repairs’ (makes reparation) that act done in the Divine Will can be multiplied by God for his pleasure. And it is surprising to us, to find that our little prayers can give so much pleasure – when done in the Divine Will ! The next message gives a nice example:
“My daughter, if you wish to give Me a kiss from each of my children, kiss Me in my Will – because my Will contains the Creative Power. It can multiply one act into as many 129 acts as desired. Thus you will give Me the pleasure of having been kissed by everyone. Furthermore, you will receive merit as if you had brought everyone to kiss Me. Plus all mankind will receive the effects of this kiss according to how well they are disposed.” (August 24th 1915)
In being able to operate in the Divine Will, we are more fortunate than the souls in Heaven – for as Jesus says, his Will is at work in us, and he is multiplied: “The Blessed in Heaven enjoy all the bliss that my Will contains, and live in it, with it as their centre. But they do not multiply it, because their virtues are fixed within them. You are more favoured than they are: you can multiply my Life, my Will, and my blessings. In them my Will is gratifying; in you it is at work, and I ask for your actions so as to multiply Myself. When you are at work, I am eager to see if you work in my Will, to receive the gratification of seeing Myself multiplied in your action. You must be very careful to pay attention to every detail.” (May 19th 1922)
When we merge with Jesus, and do our current actions with him – we are one more ‘presence’ of Jesus on earth, as he forms his Life in us. Now our actions in him are ‘divine’. In that way, Jesus is multiplied. And Jesus likes to multiply our actions – because they are now his actions.
Now to use multiply in a prayer: Lord Jesus, fusing with your Divine Will, I find there your Passion and your prayers on behalf of mankind. I want to multiply myself with you, in order to take these merits and prayers to all peoples of all times, so that they gain an awareness of your Love, and turn away from sin. Amen
It may seem futile to pray for people in the past – since they are dead. However, in the Divine Will all time is in the present. This means that we can include people in the past, and we don’t know how much good our prayers have done.
Another expression we must learn to use, is ‘substituting’. It means that we substitute or stand in for other people. Jesus substitutes for us, when he prays to the Father and makes reparation. In the next message, Jesus asks Luisa (and us) to join him in the Divine Will and substitute for mankind: 130 Chapter 16 “Beloved daughter of my Will, do you want to come into my Will to substitute in a Divine way, for so many actions not done by our brothers, for so many done in a human way, and for other actions that are holy yes, but human and not done in the divine order? I have done everything in the divine order, but I am not yet content. I want someone to enter into my Will, and in a divine manner, come to embrace my acts, substituting for all – as I did. Therefore come, come.” (February 13th 1919)
In this message, Jesus reminds us that he already re-did all lives in the Divine Will – he has ‘done everything in the divine order’, but he wants us to do the same.
So we attempt a prayer as follows: Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find there all mankind, and all the good actions which they fail to do; the actions which are done in a human way; and actions that are holy but not done in the divine order. Substituting for each soul, I bring their actions before you and re-form them in your holy Will, offering adoration, glory, and reparation. Covering each act with Jesus’ Love, I offer them to you Heavenly Father for your honour.
When we do our current actions with Jesus, and say the prayer to include all mankind (Chapter 11) we are already substituting and repairing, as you see: Lord as I walk, I find within myself all mankind and all acts of walking (past, present, and future). I re-form each act in your Divine Will; and I offer adoration, glory, reparation, and Jesus’ Love - to our Heavenly Father.
We can use substitute in a prayer, such as the following: Heavenly Father, fusing with your Divine Will and finding there all mankind, I want to substitute for each one, in order to give thanks for the gift of Our Lady in our lives. Jesus gave her to us from the Cross – to be our Mother, and we offer praise, glory, and the Love of Jesus and Mary, to give you honour. Amen
Amazingly, we can also pray for the Saints. Jesus told Luisa how the Saints are hoping for someone to re-do their earthly actions – their lives, in the Divine Will:
131 “The Saints themselves... ardently wait for their sister to substitute their acts – holy in the human order, but not in the divine order. They pray that I quickly let souls enter this divine ambience, so that all their actions may be substituted with the Divine Will, and with the imprint of the Eternal One. I have done it for everyone, now I want you to do it for everyone.” (February 13th 1919)
On Saints’ feast days or at any time, we can re-do (re-form) their actions in the Divine Will, and offer them to the Eternal Father. This gives the Saint great honour. So for example Saint Clare: Lord, entering your Divine Will I find the life of Saint Clare, and each action of her life - from birth to her death. Taking these actions done in the human will, I want to substitute and re-form each one in your Divine Will. I offer reparation, glory, and adoration, covering them with Jesus’ Love, and I offer each action to you heavenly Father, for your praise and honour. Amen
Lord, thank you for the graces you showered upon Saint Clare in her life, and for the blessings you give us through her intercession. I now ask St. Clare to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of your Divine Will upon the earth. Amen Jesus explains the value of reparation: “Substituting yourself in the name of the whole human family, try as much as you can, to make reparation to Me for everyone. If you only knew how much good the world receives, when one soul – with no shadow of personal interest but only for my love – elevates herself between Heaven and earth, and unites with Me to bring into balance the reparations of everyone.” (3rd September 1919)
Luisa’s reparation: “I had been adoring the wounds of Blessed Jesus and was finishing with the Creed. I intended to pray it within the immensity of the Divine Will, because there one finds all the past, present, and future actions of mankind, including those which people should have done, yet due to carelessness or evil intent, did not. So I said: ‘Jesus my Love, I enter into your Will because with this Creed I want to reconstruct and make reparation for all the acts of faith that people have failed to do, all the disbelief, and the lack of adoration due to God as Creator.’ ” (January 29th 1919) 132 Chapter 16 Another example of Luisa substituting and making reparation:
“My Love, in your Will I find all generations, and I in the name of the whole human family, adore you, kiss you, and make reparation to you for everyone. Your Wounds, your Blood, I give to all, so that everyone will find their salvation... I want to substitute, to make reparation to you, and love you, for all – from the first to the last person.” (December 6th 1919) Another time: “Later, I tried to merge myself in my Jesus and in his Will, multiplying my thoughts in his, in order to repair and substitute for all human intelligences, past, present, and future. Then from my heart I said to my Jesus: ‘How I would like to restore to you, with my mind, all the glory, honour, and reparation, for the whole human family.’” (16th May 1919)
Our Lord also uses such terms as - to make infinite and make eternal. Here follows a nice example: “My Will has the power to make infinite everything that enters it, and to elevate and transform the actions of people into eternal acts. What enters my Will acquires the eternal, the infinite, the immense; losing the partial, the limited, the small. So say loudly in my Will: ‘I love You’, and I will hear the melody of my Eternal Love; I will feel the created love hidden in the Uncreated Love; and I will feel loved by the creature with an Eternal, Infinite, Immense Love, a love worthy of Me, which satisfies Me and compensates for all.” (January 8th 1919)
With just the fact of dying to our own will, we are raised to being uniquely helpful to the human race. Here Jesus explains, using the unusual expression of ‘a single point’. “Only my immense Eternal Will finds everything: past, present, future, then reduces it to a single point; and in this point encounters all hearts beating, all minds living, and all my works as ongoing acts. When a soul makes my Will its own, it does everything. It makes reparation for all, loves for all, and benefits each and every one as if all were one.” (January 5th 1921)
133 No being more beautiful ...
Jesus: “Human nature as it was created by us was not ugly, but beautiful, because We do not know how to make ugly things. And if it became such, it was because it did not know how to stay in the ways created and willed by Us. See how necessary it is that people operate and live in our Divine Will, because this was given to them as life in the first act of their creation... Human nature disfigures when it does not live united to our Divine Will, in which the origin of its creation was established. Oh if everyone would understand this great truth, how careful they would be to let themselves be ruled, and fed, so as to grow by my Will; which being the principle of Life - would form in them their great fortune in this life down here, and their great glory in the life up there. My daughter, there is not a being more beautiful, more holy, more charming, than the soul who lets herself be dominated by my Divine Will. She becomes the smile of Heaven upon the earth; each of her acts forms a rapture for her Creator, Who – feeling the sweet force of his Will in the creature, gently lets himself be ravished, while all the Blessed rejoice, seeing that upon the earth there is one who enchants the Will of Heaven to make It hers, and so lives in common with them. Oh how they feel doubly happy, in seeing that on earth there reigns that Fiat, which beatifies them and forms their supreme happiness, and now reigns on earth operating and triumphant. Therefore wherever that soul lives, there is formed a crown of light: the smile of the Heavenly Fatherland, which attracts the attention of all the Blessed. Yes the acts done in my Divine Will, are so many chains of love which unite Heaven and earth, the Blessed and mankind. Therefore my daughter, be attentive, fly, run always to my Divine Will, and you will form the smile of Heaven upon the earth.” August 10th 1931 134 Chapter 16 CHAPTER 17 THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Cardinal Newman prayed: “Jesus, flood my soul with your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that all my life may be a radiance of yours. Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with, may feel your Presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus!”
Here is a great story:
St Gertrude was one day singing in chapel, and meanwhile adding mental prayers, but she wasn’t doing very well with it and complained to herself: “Alas, what fruit can I obtain from this exercise, when I am so unstable?” Then Jesus appeared, and offered his Heart to her - under the appearance of a burning lamp. He said: “Behold I present to the eyes of your soul my loving Heart, which is the organ of the most Holy Trinity – that it may accomplish all that you cannot accomplish yourself. Thus in my eyes, all will appear perfect in you; for even as a faithful servant is always ready to carry out the commands of his master, so from henceforth my Heart will be always ready – at any moment – to repair your defects and neglects.”
St Gertrude felt embarrassed and unworthy, so Jesus went on: “Supposing you have a beautiful and melodious voice, and take much pleasure in chanting, won’t you feel displeased if another person whose voice is harsh and unpleasant, and can hardly utter a correct note, wishes to sing instead of you, and insists on doing so? Thus my Divine Heart, understanding human inconstancy and frailty, desires with incredible ardour, continually to be invited – either by your words or by some other sign – to operate and accomplish in you, what you are unable to do yourself. Since its Omnipotence enables it to act without effort, and its impenetrable Wisdom enables it to act in the most perfect manner, so also its joyous and loving Charity makes it ardently desire to accomplish this end.”
Isn’t this exactly what we want?
135 As we learn to live in the Divine Will, we see more clearly how our human nature needs lots of improvement. We get uncomfortable in seeing our failings, and look for inspiration. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, are inspirations and life-lines for us.
And St. Margaret Mary Alacoque expressed the following: “Taking your heart as it were in your hands, offer and consecrate it to Our Lord, that He may be forever the sole owner thereof, that He may reign therein absolutely, and may teach you to love him perfectly.” “We must not belong to God by halves. As God gives himself entirely to the soul He loves, so does He desire to possess the soul’s entire love.” “On awaking, enter in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and consecrate your body, your soul, your heart and your whole being, so as to live but for its love and glory alone.”
St. Margaret Mary taught: “Remember that your perfection consists wholly in conforming your life and actions, to the sacred virtues of the Heart of Jesus; especially his patience, his meekness, his humility, and his charity… Our interior and exterior life will thus become a living image of his, and as He is the living image of God his Father, so we shall become living images of Him... We find it easy to imitate those whom we love much.” “Plunge yourself often into the charity of that lovable Heart, so that you may never act towards your neighbour, in a manner which may in the least wound that virtue, never doing to others what you would not wish done to yourself..”
136 Chapter 17 Here is a prayer of St. John Eudes: “O Blessed Virgin Mary, I humbly beseech you, by your Immaculate Conception and through your pure Heart, to take full possession of my heart. Give it completely to your Divine Son, and beg Him to banish from it all sin, and establish in it forever the perfect reign of His Divine love.”
St. John Eudes in his great devotion described Jesus’ Heart as follows: “..a burning furnace of most pure love for us: a furnace of purifying love.. in which the hearts of holy souls are purified more perfectly than gold in the furnace. An illuminating love, which scatters the darkness of hell with which the earth is covered, and lets us into the wonderful brilliance of heaven.. A sanctifying love, which destroys sin in our souls, in order to establish there the kingdom of grace. A transforming love, which transforms serpents into doves, wolves into lambs, beasts into angels, children of the devil into children of God, children of wrath and malediction into children of grace and blessing. A deifying love, which makes gods of men.. letting them share in the holiness of God: his mercy, his patience, his goodness, his love, his charity and his other divine perfections..”
St. Louis de Montfort called Mary: “The Holy of Holies where saints are formed and moulded.” “She is the mould designed to form and shape God-like creatures”. It is good therefore to keep reminders - holy pictures in our homes. Especially since Jesus – through St. Margaret Mary: “..promised that he would pour out in abundance, into the hearts of all those who would honour his Heart, all the gifts with which it is filled, and that everywhere this image is exposed and honoured, it would draw down all kinds of blessings.”
And if we need motivation for our efforts, remember Jesus’ sorrowful words to St Margaret Mary. In his second great vision Jesus complained of the ingratitude with which his burning Love is repaid: “I feel this more than all I suffered in my Passion... The sole return they make for all my eagerness to do them good, is to reject and treat me with coldness. Will you at least console me as far as you are able.” “I want your heart to serve me as a refuge, wherein I may withdraw and take my delight, when sinners persecute me and drive me from theirs.” 137 Through Sister Lucy of Fatima, Jesus requested devotion to the ‘Two Hearts’ – his own and Mary’s Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. At Kerizinen in Brittany, Our Lady gave further messages requesting this devotion. This should encourage us to ‘enter into their Hearts’, and perform all our actions with the holy intentions and motivations which are theirs. We should try to ‘enter into’ the love, charity, purity, humility, and holiness of their Hearts, so that in all that we are and all that we do, we may be filled with their holy dispositions.
The Heart of Jesus is present for us daily in the Blessed Sacrament. The miracles of the Eucharist – notably at Lanciano, show perfectly that Jesus feeds us from his Heart in the Mass.
‘The Golden Arrow’ is the name of the following prayer, given by Jesus with this title – because it pierces him in a loving way. It was given to Sr. Mary of St. Peter, a Carmelite nun living in Tours in the 1840’s. The prayer could be said before Mass, for it reminds us that the Heart of Jesus is present in the tabernacle.
“May the most holy, the most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible, and ineffable Name of God, be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified; in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, through the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen”
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to Luisa: “I place myself in perpetual adoration, to reintegrate the universal harmony, and to fulfil the supreme, divine design, which is the absolute Glorification of the Father, in the perfect homage deserved by Him, but not rendered to Him by all creatures. For this do I live my Sacramental Life...” (Volume 1, section 15) And: “When I descend into a heart that gives me company, with fatherly care I place my Life in communication with it and leave there, as on deposit - my virtues, the fruit of my sacrifices, participation in my Sacramental Life. That fortunate heart then becomes my abode, the hiding place of my pains, the place of my refuge. In it, I feel myself recompensed for the sacrifice of my Eucharistic Life, because I find someone who breaks my solitude, who dries my tears, who gives Me the liberty of letting Me vent my love and my sorrows… Then how content I am!” (Date unknown)
138 Chapter 17
“..Even if you only do once what I have taught you, you fix a star that is always in the heaven of your soul. I have extended a physical heaven over humanity, and my Fiat studded it with stars; so too I have extended a heaven in the depth of your soul. Then the Fiat of the good that you do – since every good is the fruit of my Will – shall embellish this heaven with stars.
Accordingly, if the soul does ten goods, he puts ten stars there; if a thousand goods, a thousand stars. Therefore, live out my teachings as much as you can, in order to stud the heaven of your soul with stars, so that it may not be inferior to the heaven that exists on your horizon. Moreover, every star will carry the imprint of the teaching of your Jesus. How much honour you will give Me !”
4th June 1919
139 CHAPTER 18 INTRODUCTION TO THE ROUNDS
“The only thing left for us to do in Creation, relates to our Will: namely that it act in mankind as it acts in us...” July 14th 1922
In chapter 4 we heard about the Decree of Creation, the Decree of Redemption, and the Decree of Sanctification. Corresponding to these, we now have the Rounds of Creation, the Rounds of Redemption, and Rounds of Sanctification.
Making Rounds is very much part of living in the Divine Will, for under these three headings we offer regular praise, love and worship to Almighty God. We do it by going round all his works and wonders, naming them, and giving glory. In doing this on behalf of all mankind – from Adam to the last person – we help to set things right, and give God the glory he is lacking.
Through the teachings on the Divine Will, we have deepened our relationship with Almighty God, and realised how he wants us to live very close – so as to participate in his Life. Let’s look again at the present situation which has to be set right -
The title Jesus gave to his messages is: Book of Heaven - The Recall of the Creature into the Order, into the Place, and into the Purpose for which he was Created by God.
Jesus told Luisa: “See, I even want the title to correspond to the great work of My Will. I want mankind to understand that the place assigned to him by God is in My Will; and as long as he does not enter into it, he will be without place, without order, without purpose. He will be an intruder in Creation without rights of any kind; and therefore he will go wandering about without peace, without heritage. And I, moved to compassion will cry out continuously to him: „Enter into your place, come into order; come take your inheritance and live in your house. Why do you want to occupy a land that is not yours? And not being yours, you live unhappy and are the laughing-stock of all created things.‟
140 Chapter 18 All things created by Me – because they are in their place, are in order and in perfect harmony, with all the plenitude of their goods assigned to them by God. You alone want to be unhappy, but with a voluntary unhappiness. Therefore come into your place. I call you there and I await you.” (August 27th 1926) Another time: “In creating man there was not only our Will - but an emanation that went forth from our Bosom, a part of Ourselves which We infused in him; and therefore We created him with free will so that he would grow always more in beauty, in wisdom, in virtue. In our likeness he could multiply his goods, his graces. Thus all our Love was centred in man; and therefore we put all creation at his disposal, all ordered to him, so man could make use of our works as so many ladders and ways to come to us, to know us, and to love us. But how much is our sorrow in seeing man beneath our created things! Indeed his soul made beautiful by us, was transformed by sin into ugliness; not only did he not grow in goods, but he is horrible to look at. Yet, as if all that was created for him were not enough, our Love in order to guard this free will, gave him the Gift most grand which surpasses all other gifts: We gave him our Will as preservative, as antidote, as protection, and help to his free will... Our Will was given to him as primary life and prime act of all his operations. He, in order to grow in grace and in beauty, had need of a Supreme Will, not only to keep his human will company, but to substitute itself in the operations of the creature. But even this great Gift he despised and did not want to know. Do you see therefore, how our Will enters into the primary life of man? As much as he has its prime Act, its Life, a person grows in grace, in light, in beauty; he conserves the bond of the prime act of Creation. And We receive the glory of all created things - because they serve our operating Will in mankind, which is the unique purpose of all creation. Therefore I recommend to you, that our Will be for you the life and prime act of all your actions.” (August 9th 1925)
We want to praise and give glory to God in the Rounds, yet first we should consider how Creation is not yet complete. It will only be complete when we live in the Divine Will. As Jesus said:
141 “The only thing left for us to do in Creation, relates to our Will: namely that it act in mankind as it acts in us..” (July 14th 1922)
We were designed to reciprocate God’s Love, and that includes recognition of the Love poured out in all the creation that surrounds us. Our failure to live in the Divine Will, and failure to give God an exchange of love, means that we fall short. Jesus said: “My child, you must know that this way of praying - that is of reciprocating God‟s love for all things created by him, is a Divine right and is a first duty of mankind… In all created things God bound his Love toward each person, and it is their duty to exchange with God their little love - the person‟s „thank you‟ to Him who has done so much for them.” (August 9th 1925)
Until we reciprocate and give God this exchange of love in the Divine Will, we cannot reach our human potential. We are stunted, and our creation is not yet complete. That is part of the next message, it is difficult to take in at first, but some explanation follows. “My blessed daughter, everything that our Paternal Goodness has operated in Creation and Redemption, has not yet received the exchange from mankind. And the reason is that our purpose in creating – was that man would complete our Will in everything. That same Will operating in Creation must obtain its continuous operating Act in mankind - in a way that the echo of one, will form the same echo in the other, so as to form one alone. Now if my Divine Will does not form its Kingdom in souls, and they do not give it the freedom to reign with its creative and operative virtue - true exchange will not be given to us. Therefore We are always waiting, and We see our most beautiful works halfway, and without the fulfilment of our purpose. There lacks the most beautiful thing, the most important Act: there lacks the purpose for which all things were created. ..Not having had the true exchange, our creative work has remained as suspended, and has not been able to proceed with the work of Creation, because it has been established that from the external Creation that they possess, must follow the internal Creation in the depth of souls. Yet this could be done - if my Will had the prime place, and the freedom to operate in the human will... 142 Chapter 18 How can We be reciprocated, if We have not finished doing what We want, and have not fulfilled the work of Creation begun so many centuries ago. The work of Creation included what my Fiat must do in mankind, in order to be able to say that our work is complete… When We obtain the purpose – that in all things a person does our Will and lives in it; and they have the purpose of living in our Will and letting it reign… only then - when the purpose of one will be that of the other, will We be able to receive the true exchange for everything that we have done for Love of mankind..” (November 13th 1932)
Do you see what our Lord is saying? That the creative work he wants to do in our souls – can only be achieved when we live in the Divine Will. And that work is very much part of his Creative plan: so the wonder of Creation is still unfinished. Therefore, it is up to us individually to respond - by purposefully wanting to live in the Divine Will, letting it reign, and not hindering God’s magnificent work in our soul. When we do that, we are in a position to reciprocate God’s love, revealed in Creation and Redemption. What a privilege! That „internal Creation in the depth of souls‟ is what Almighty God really wants to achieve in our times. And in making the Rounds we co-operate with this process. This work in our souls is expressed poetically by Jesus: as he speaks of creating „new heavens, stars, suns, and so forth‟ in the soul, as we pray in the Divine Will.
In making the Rounds, we help to set straight the preceding situation of mankind’s disordered relationship with God. In the Divine Will we can pray on behalf of all mankind, and our prayers of love, glory, praise, adoration, and thanksgiving are multiplied and pleasing to God. They help to fill the void – the absence of fitting prayer and return of love, that has existed since Adam and Eve. Luisa was shown visions of this ‘void’, and of her own soul there before the Divinity. One day she asked Jesus: “Tell me my Love, what is this void that is presented before my mind when I fuse myself in your most holy Will?”
Jesus: “My daughter, the void is my Will which has not received correspondence, and is waiting for you. It should have been filled with as many acts as souls would have done if they had fulfilled our Will.
143 This immense void that you see represents our Will, which departed our Divinity for the good of everyone in Creation, to make everything and everyone happy. Consequently, all mankind should fill this void with exchanges of their acts, and the donation of their will to their Creator. And not having done this, they have saddened us with the gravest offence imaginable. This is why We have called you with the special mission: that We receive correspondence and are filled with what the others owe us... It is only our Will living in you that makes us joyful. And your little acts done in our Will bring us the joys of all creation. In this way it seems that everyone smiles at us, and all created things bring us joy.” (10th May 1925)
Almighty God wants acknowledgement for everything he has ever done for us – in Creation, Redemption, and our Sanctification. This is because every ‘act’ on his part, is an act of Divine Love toward every person on earth. Therefore, each person has a debt of love to God for all those many acts. The only way we can repay this debt – is of course in his Divine Will.
During Jesus’ hidden life on earth, he gave a perfect return of love, glory, adoration, and thanksgiving to God the Father – on our behalf. And now he wants us to do the same, on behalf of everyone – so that our acts can be multiplied for as many people as will exist throughout time.
Furthermore, when we merge with Jesus and enter the Divine Will, we find there – all his actions past, present, and future. So we can also place our love and glory on Jesus’ past acts – such as his Passion; on present acts – such as the Sacraments; and on future acts – such as his Second Coming.
Jesus explained: “Now if you wish to retrace the paths of the Eternal Will, enter the door of my Humanity: there you will find my Divinity, and the Divine Will shall make present to you – as in act, all that I did, do and will do, as much in Creation as in Redemption and Sanctification. And you will have the contentment of being able to kiss those acts, and to put your little act of love, adoration, and recognition on each one.” (March 8th 1925)
144 Chapter 18 In the Rounds, we will go around Heaven and earth – placing our acts of love as mentioned. This situation compares to being in a marriage - where we learn all about the other person, right down to every detail, and everything they have ever done. This is how our God asks us to come close – to see and hear about all that he has done; and he wants our reactions. What God desires to hear from us is: „Yes Lord, I see your works of Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification, and with all my heart, and all my soul, I approve, I admire, I glorify, I give thanks, and I place my „I love you‟ on every single act of yours!‟
And how do we know what all these acts are? We know them through Divine Revelation (the Bible), through observation, and through the Church. Prior to the Fall, it was God’s original design that everyone would live with him in a sharing, loving relationship – glorifying and praising his actions.
So day to day, we will learn to go round all aspects of God’s works. Luisa one day grumbled about this: “And so I continued my rounds in the acts of the Divine Will, and I thought to myself: „But what good does it do, to make my rounds over and over again in the Supreme Fiat, by following its acts?‟ And my dear Jesus added: „My daughter, every form of life needs food. Without food a person cannot be formed, nor can he grow, and if food is lacking, his very life is endangered. Your following my Will, your uniting with its acts, your going round and round in it - are necessary to form the food that nourishes, forms, and grows its Life in your soul. My Will does not know how to nourish itself on acts other than those done in its Will. It cannot form itself, nor make itself grow in a person unless he enters into my Will, unites his acts with its acts, and forms his part of the light that it bears. In this way, the life of the Divine Will is formed in a person. The more actions he does in the Divine Will, the more he unites himself with its acts and lives in it. And so, he will form food to nourish the Divine Will, and make it grow quickly in his soul. It is life which is formed by your rounds in the Divine Will; it is food that is necessary for the development of the Life of my Divine Will in your soul. These acts are necessary to prepare the food to nourish my Will in others. So be attentive, and do not think of stopping your acts in my Will.‟ ” (April 1st 1930)
145 It is good to know, that Jesus so much wants us to succeed, that he is waiting to help us in making the Rounds: “Only my Will gives the capacity, the appreciation and the true disposition to receive the gifts of the Creator. And my Will provides the exchange, the gratitude, the thanksgiving, and the love that the soul is obliged to give – for the gifts that have been given with so much kindness. Therefore come with me, and we will go around Heaven and earth together, so that I can deposit in you the love I withdrew from Myself - for love of mankind and all created things. You will give me the exchange for everything. And together with Me you will love everyone with my Love, and we will give love to all. We will be two in this love, and I will no longer be alone.” (July 16th 1924)
Somehow, Almighty God feels ‘lonely’ without our participation: „My Will does not want to remain alone in its acts, but wants the company and the exchange of your actions... This is to live in my Divine Will: never leave your Creator alone...‟ (May 21st 1925) Jesus explains the value of the ‘I love you’: “In the „I love You‟ the Heavenly Father generates Me, and in the „I love You‟ proceeds the Holy Spirit. In the „I love you‟ the Eternal Fiat created everything, and in the „I love you‟ it pardoned sinful man and redeemed him. Thus, in the „I love you‟ the soul finds everything in God, and God finds everything in the soul. Therefore the value of the „I love you‟ is infinite: it is full of life, of energy, it never tires, it surpasses everything and triumphs over all. Therefore, I want to see and hear this „I love you‟ directed to Me upon your lips, in your heart, in the flight of your thoughts, in the drops of your blood, in your pains and joys, in the food you eat, in everything. The life of my „I love you‟ must be extensive in you, and it will put in you the seal of the Divine „I love you‟.” (August 2nd 1925) Jesus needs love: “..Pray, implore forgiveness, repair, and love, yes love Me for everyone! Satiate Me with love! In Me there are no passions, however if there could be passion, the one and only one would be Love. But Love in Me is more than passion, it is my very Life. Moreover if the passions can be destroyed, Life cannot. Do you see what a necessity of being loved I find myself in? Therefore love Me. Love Me!” (February 9th 1908)
146 Chapter 18 Luisa speaks again of the void, which represents the Divine Will – empty of the return of loving acts, which mankind owes to Almighty God. In this vision she sees herself as a little girl:
“..while fusing myself in the Supreme Will, an immense void becomes present in my mind, and the little girl continues her rounds: elevating herself on high she wants to recompense her God, for all the love he had for mankind at Creation. She wants to honour him as Creator of all things, and that is why she goes around the stars, and in each twinkling imprints an ‘I love you’ and ‘Glory to my Creator’. In each atom of the sun’s light that floods below, she imprints ‘I love you’ and ‘Glory’. And in the vastness of the heavens, in the distance from one place to another – an ‘I love you’ and ‘Glory’. In the singing of the bird, and the movement of its wings: ‘Love’ and ‘Glory to my Creator.’ In the blade of grass that sprouts from the earth, and the flower that blooms, and the perfume that ascends: ‘Love’ and ‘Glory’. I go around to each heart of mankind, as if I wanted to enclose within each one my ‘I love you’ and ‘Glory to my Creator’. I would like that there be one single Will, one harmony among all things, and one single cry: ‘Glory and love to my Creator’. And after having united everything together, such that each one gives an exchange of love, and a declaration of glory for all that God has done in Creation – I take myself before his Throne and say: ‘My Supreme Majesty and Creator of all things, this little child comes into your arms to tell you that all creation, in the name of all mankind, gives you not only an exchange of love, but also the rightful glory for so many things created by you for love of us’.” May 17th 1925 147 CHAPTER 19 THE ROUNDS OF CREATION
In making the Rounds of Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification, we pray on behalf of all mankind, and aim to fill the void – the lack of love returned to Almighty God. And at all times, we want to implore the coming of the Kingdom of the Divine Will. Jesus has said that his Kingdom will come down upon the actions that we offer him. There have to be sufficient acts done in the Divine Will, before the general Reign of the Divine Will can be established upon the earth. The Holy Trinity operated in a similar way before the Fiat of Redemption was established. There had to be a certain amount of prayer offered before the Incarnation could take place. The Holy Spirit inspired the Hebrew nation to long for their Messiah. Jesus told Luisa: “To re-establish the Kingdom of my Will upon the earth, there are needed sufficient acts by mankind, so that my Kingdom not remain in the air, but descend to form itself upon the very acts of the people… This is why I push you so much to go around in all our works: Creation and Redemption, to let you take part with your acts, your ‘I love you’, your adoration, your gratitude, your ‘thank you’ in all our works... Therefore if you will, continue your acts so that forming the established number, you can obtain what you desire with so much insistence.” (13th September 1926)
The following extracts are messages concerning Creation, and how our Lord wishes to be acknowledged. They give an overview to this topic. They are not yet the rounds.
March 28th 1922 Jesus: “.. all things were created to transmit continuous love to mankind. Therefore it is only just, that mankind give homage and love to its Creator - for each created thing. ..There is not one thing for which I did not give glory to my Divine Father, on behalf of all peoples. Now I want and expect those who live in my Will - to do the same. If you only knew how magnificent it is, to see in each twinkling of the stars, in each drop of light from the sun – my glory, my love, my profound adoration united with yours! 148 Chapter 19 Oh how it runs, how it flies on the wings of the wind, filling the whole atmosphere! How it flows in the waters of the seas! How it finds affirmation in each plant, in each flower! How it multiplies itself in every movement. It is a voice that echoes: ‘glory, love, and adoration be given to my Creator!’ This is why the person who lives in my Will echoes my voice, repeats my life, and is the perfect glory of my Creation. How could I not love this person?”
May 21st 1925 Jesus: “My daughter come to do your rounds in my Will... Look at the stars, the blue sky, the sun, the moon, the plants, the flowers, the fruits, the fields, the earth, the sea, everything and everyone. In each thing there is an act of my Will, and it continues to conserve this same act in each created thing. My Will does not want to remain alone in its acts, but wants the company and the exchange of your acts. Therefore I have placed you in my Will - so that you may accompany my acts, and together in my Will you will want - what I want: that the stars shine, that the sun fills the earth with light, that the plants flower, that the fields remain verdant, that the birds sing, that the sea murmurs, that the fish dart. And so my Will shall no longer feel alone in created things, but will feel the company of your acts... This is to live in my Will: never leave your Creator alone, admire all his works, and add the little acts of mankind to his Divine Acts.”
November 1st 1926 Jesus: “My child, my Eternal Fiat not only fills all creation and is life of every created thing, but it also holds our attributes dispersed in all creation, because creation should serve as terrestrial Paradise to the human family, and therefore should have the echo of the beatitudes and happiness of Heaven.”
May 25th 1923 Jesus: “We created this entire machine of the universe, the heavens, the sun, the oceans, and all the rest, to give as a gift – but do you know to whom? To those who do our Will: everything was given to them as our legitimate children… by giving these gifts to our legitimate children, our Will dwelling within them and constituting their very life, makes them understand all the distinct loves and their specialness – which are in creation. For within every created thing there is a distinct love, and a special good, for the person to whom the gift is directed. They
149 should therefore, reciprocate for each of these distinct loves, giving us glory and honour for all of the goods given to them. As to a true, legitimate Son, my Heavenly Father entrusted this great gift of the entire universe to my Humanity. There was nothing for which I did not reciprocate: gift for gift, or love for love. Then my Heavenly Mother came, who knew so well how to reciprocate with her Creator, and now here come the children of my Will. All of nature will compete, to give you each gift and distinct love which every created thing contains. One will give you the gift of your Creator’s beauty, and the love that beauty contains; another will give you the gift of power, and the love that power contains; then the gifts of wisdom, goodness, holiness, light, purity, and the distinct love that each of these contains. Thus my Will shall break down all barriers that exist between the soul and God. It will place the soul in harmony with Heaven and earth, and awaken within it all the secrets that exist in Creation, and make it the repository of all the gifts of God.”
August 1st 1923 Jesus: “I want you to know how all creation carries my ‘I love you’ upon the wings of our Eternal Will to mankind; and mankind upon the same wings of my Will – by making it theirs, ought to give Me the exchange of their ‘I love you’. Look at the azure sky. There is no point where there is not an ‘I love you’ sealed in it for mankind… The murmuring of the sea says ‘I love you, I love you’; and the drops of water are musical keys which form the most beautiful harmonies of my infinite ‘I love you’. The plants, the leaves, the flowers, the fruits, bear my ‘I love you’ to mankind. And child, how many of my ‘I love you-s’ are impressed in your being? Man’s thoughts are sealed by my ‘I love you’. The beat of his heart within his chest, with that mysterious ‘thump, thump’ is my never interrupted ‘I love you, I love you’… Yet in the midst of so many expressions of my Love, man does not know how to elevate himself and give Me the exchange of my Love... My Love absolutely wants the exchange of love with all people.”
February 20th 1919 Jesus: “Oh what oceans of love and intimacy were opened between my Humanity and the Supreme Majesty! And so everything you see, even the smallest flower, is one more bond between mankind and the Creator. And this is why: it was just to seek gratitude and love on the part of mankind.
150 Chapter 19 Then I substituted for everyone, and thanked and adored the Creative power on behalf of everyone. But my Love toward so much goodness is not satisfied: that is why I would like others to thank, love, and adore this Creative Power… But do you know who can give this homage? The souls who live in my Will – who as they enter it, find as in act all the Acts of the Supreme Majesty… ”
Luisa: “..I was together with my sweet Jesus, and I saw this Supreme Majesty in the Act of putting forth all of Creation. Oh Lord, how much Love! Each created thing received the seal of Love, the key of communication, a mute language to eloquently proclaim God. But to whom? To ungrateful mankind! My little intelligence lost itself in seeing so many channels of communication, and the immense Love which came forth. And mankind, as it were oblivious to all these goods. For that reason, Jesus and I multiplied ourselves in everyone, we adored, gave thanks, and honoured the Creative Power in the name of all, and the Eternal One received the glory from Creation...”
June 10th 1924 Luisa: “It seems to me that each created thing has a distinct role, in order to be able to give homage to its Creator...”
Jesus: “My daughter, my Will contains everything, and whoever lives in it must not miss anything that pertains to Me. Moreover if he should leave out only one thing, it can be said that he does not give Me all the honour and the glory that my Will contains. Thus it can be said that his life is not complete in it; nor does he give Me the exchange of all that my Will has given him – because I have given everything to him who lives in my Will. I go to him as in triumph of my Love. And he should come by the same path, to give Me the new exchange of his love.
Wouldn’t it be delightful for you, if having made many beautiful and varied works, the person you love put them around you, to please you. And letting you see them one by one, he said to you: ‘See these are your works, how beautiful this one is, how artistic is this other one, and the third how masterful, and the fourth what a variety of colour.’ What joy you would experience, what glory for you? And so it is for Me. Moreover whoever lives in my Will, having everything centred in him, must be like the pulse of all creation, because all the things which pulsate in him by virtue of my Will, must form a single heartbeat to return to Me the pulse of everyone and of 151 everything, and render to Me the glory and the love of everything I have created. In the soul that reigns in my Will I must find everything for everyone, so that he – containing all, can give Me everything that the others should give Me.”
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IN THE CONTEXT OF CREATION, THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION SHOULD PERHAPS BE MENTIONED -
If you feel some discomfort with the topic of Creation, because you have accepted the idea of Evolution – you may like to consider some points. If you make the distinction between micro and macro Evolution, it’s easy to see what was feasible and what was not. Micro-Evolution refers to the changes that take place in creatures – within a limited degree. It’s what takes place in breeding. It accounts for the changes in the birds that Charles Darwin saw on the Galapagos Islands. We can see lots of examples of micro- Evolution. By contrast, we cannot see any example of macro-Evolution: the theory that fish turned into amphibians, then reptiles, then into birds and mammals (to put it briefly). In a BBC one-hour programme on Evolution, science could only suggest two examples of macro-Evolution: the Duck-billed Platypus, and the Archaeopteryx – a prehistoric bird with teeth. How extraordinary – a whole scientific theory with no hard evidence. The fossil record reveals the stages of Creation, and stages of micro- evolution. For decades, BBC TV promoted the idea that there were pre- human species, such as Neanderthal Man, and Homo Erectus. In 2018 it was finally admitted that all such ‘species’ were in fact Homo Sapiens. They were just different branches of development. This fact was known all along to the science community, through D.N.A. analysis. This reveals the efforts being made to deceive the public. Sadly, since the 18th century science has been harnessed and financed by people who are against God. Fish that turned into Dinosaurs?? And why aren’t fish still changing into amphibians, as claimed? How did that all stop? This Theory has always been an offence to Almighty God. There are sites on the internet which explain how Evolution was scientifically impossible.
152 Chapter 19 PRACTICE OF THE ROUNDS
Almighty God wants us to reach out to him each day through his creation. So it will be useful to re-read the previous beautiful messages, to recall what Jesus was saying. At home we can draw the curtains in the morning, and thank God for the Love he is sending through his creation. In the Divine Will we can make a return of love by placing an ‘I love you’ on every drop of dew on the grass, and by placing an ‘I love you’ on every flower - in the garden and in the whole world. And so on.
Everything done by God was designed to please us, or to provide for us. So even if it seems like a miserable day, we can look at the rain, and remember that each drop carries an ‘I love you’ from our Creator, and he is filling the reservoirs for our needs. As we go about our day, we learn to be attentive to God according to his desire - and give glory, love, and thanksgiving for all that is around us. However, since he wants appreciation for all of creation, there is a need to spend some time in daily prayer.
Most people live in towns, so we have to use our imagination in this form of prayer. And we want to venture beyond the everyday experience, because Our Lord asks us to thank him for everything. If we are to do these rounds each day, it seems a good idea to divide the world up into its various regions, and also to have a day to give thanks for life in the city. So here is a suggestion: 1. My own country. 2. Africa. 3. All the oceans. 4. South America. 5. Mountainous regions. 6. Australia. 7. A place you like. 8. City life.
For this approach, we can use our knowledge drawn from documentaries, nature-films, from our travels, from magazines. This is a basic effort – you can add ‘I love you’ wherever you like, and put in anything you can remember to expand the details. For example, if you have thanked Almighty God for bees and honey, you may like to give praise for the benefits of honey: as a food full of minerals, for its calming effect, for its healing effect etc.
153 If you have thanked God for creating coconuts, you could add praise for the useful shell and its fibre, for the nutritious flesh, for the milk, and for the oil – which has dozens of uses and is medicinal. Or perhaps you want to use a completely different approach, especially if you are more scientific. If you know about botany, you may prefer to spend your time on that topic. If you know about astronomy you may want to praise, thank, and give a return of love for the cosmic part of creation..
Introduction:
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So praying on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you a return of love; and thanksgiving, honour, and glory for all your creation. We praise you for the care and the perfection with which you made everything. We thank you first of all for our own nature: for the wonder of humanity, and all the gifts that are in our body, mind, and spirit. Lord remind us that we are on a pilgrimage, and help us to appreciate and enjoy the wonders that surround us each day. May we come to realise that you really love us personally, and you really did want to please us personally in your acts of creation. Amen
DAY 1 : MY OWN COUNTRY
(In my imagination) Lord I place myself in a sunny spot where I can see a hill, a valley, and a river. In my heart I bring along all mankind, and together we praise and give thanks for this beautiful country, and ask you to bless it. I continue with everyone in my heart as I say – Thank you for your love, which comes to me in the sunlight, and in the clear blue of the sky. Your love comes to me in the breeze, and in all the trees and shrubs that are stirred by it. Your love is in all the varieties of grass and plants and wild flowers. Your love is in all the insects, which are busy in the ground and in the air; it is in the butterflies and dragonflies, and in the bees. Your love is in the rippling noise of the river. Your love is in the
154 Chapter 19 clouds that come, and the rain that feeds life everywhere. Your love is in the rainbow and in the mist that rises.
Your love is given in every bird that flies and sings. It is in all the wild animals – the fox, the squirrel, rabbit, badger and deer. And your love is in the farm animals: the cows, sheep, horses, goats, plus all the good things they give us - the milk, eggs, wool, leather.
I want to give you a return of love, glory, and thanksgiving for all these blessings (together with all mankind).
Praise you for the air that we breathe, and for the winds that bring fresh air from the sea. Thank you and glory for the sun, which gives life to the earth, and ripens the fruit. Thank you for the rain, and snow, and ice. Praise you for the soil that gives life to every plant, shrub, and tree. Thank you for each insect and worm that lives in the soil, and keeps it fertile.
Praise you for all the frogs, and newts, and lizards. Thank you for all the life in our rivers – the fish, and eels, and small life. Thank you and glory for all the bird life: the hawk, pheasants, pigeons, swans and ducks, geese, and chickens. Praise and love for the birds that sing and live around our gardens and parks, and give so much pleasure: the thrush, blackbird, nightingale, the robin, sparrow, and blue tit.
Praise and glory to you Lord, for all the trees, and the way they improve the air and improve the soil. Thank you for how the trees build our houses, and grow our fruit, and give shelter to the birds. Praise for the great variety of tree shapes and sizes, their leaves and beautiful colours.
Love and glory for all the foods that we grow – all the salads, the potatoes, carrots, beans, etc. the wheat, and barley, and oats etc., the fruit bushes, and the apples, pears, plums. And thank you for the vitamins they contain, and for all the minerals from the soil, which nourish us.
Lord you thought of everything, and you provided healing for our bodies in so many of the plants, and roots, and herbs. And the
155 flowers you gave us – they brighten our days with incredible colours and designs, and provide nectar to make us honey.
Thank you for the house pets that we treasure – especially the great variety of dogs and cats.
On behalf of everyone, Lord I’d like to make a return of love to you - by placing an ‘I love you’ on every ray of light from the sun today. And since I like donkeys, I place an ‘I love you’ on every donkey in this country; and an ‘I love you’ on every leaf of every tree. Lord together with all of mankind - I give praise, glory and thanksgiving for all this wonder of creation, which reveals your love for us. Amen
DAY 2 : AFRICA
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for Africa, and for all the Love that comes to us through your creation, in that continent.
Dear Lord to think of Africa is to visualise sweeping plains, and herds of extraordinary animals feeding. So I thank and praise you for these massive grasslands, and the way they are watered by the rain and the rivers. I praise you for the migrating herds and the way you have met all their needs.
Love and glory for the wildebeest, for the variety of antelopes, for the zebras and giraffes. Glory especially for the elephants with their strong personalities, and their long memory.
Praise you Lord also for the predators – the female lions with their cubs, and the males that are especially impressive. Praise you for the leopards and cheetahs, the hyenas, and jackals.
156 Chapter 19 To think of Africa is also to visualise apes and monkeys – and Lord I praise you for so many varieties. Thank you for the chimpanzees, and the pleasure they have given us. Glory for so many monkeys large and small, and for the way each has adapted its life-style. And especially thank you for the silver backed gorillas, and their close families, and their friendship towards humans.
Africa seems to have a lot of snakes, so I thank you for these. And I praise you for the anteaters, the meerkats and gerbils, the warthog, the porcupine, the chameleon, and the bush-baby.
Praise you for the massive creatures in the rivers – the hippos, and the crocodiles. And praise for the awesome rhinoceros.
Love and glory for all the amazing birds in Africa: the ostrich, the flamingo, the colourful parrots, the osprey, myna birds, and canaries. Lord your birds never fail to please and fascinate us, and they show forth your glory.
Thank you for the variety of landscapes in Africa: the deserts, the jungle, mountain ranges and plains. Glory for all the wonderful trees and vegetation, and exotic plants: the orchids, jasmine, sugarbush, mallow; the variety of acacia trees, mahogany, baobab, and the oil palms. And thank you for the beauty of dramatic sunsets which remind us of your awesome Beauty.
Praise for the exotic fruits that we enjoy – pineapple, avocado, pomegranate, coconuts, plantain, dates, and so on. And thank you for the various foods grown – the yams, cassava, cocoa beans, peanuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds. You have blessed us with wonderful tastes and textures!
Thank you for the wealth of minerals in this continent – the manganese and chromite, the gold and diamonds. Praise for the gem stones: the rubies, sapphires, crystals, jasper and garnet. And thank you for the reserves of oil.
Lord you richly blessed Africa, and your Love comes to us through all that you created there. I’d like to make a return of love to you together with all mankind, and so I place an ‘I love you’ on every animal in Africa; an ‘I love you’ on every acacia tree; and ‘I love you’ on every pomegranate that is grown. And I ask for your love to surround this continent, and to bless every person who lives there. Amen
157 DAY 3 : THE OCEANS
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for the oceans of the world, and the way they express your Love for us.
These great seas with their massive foamy waves, remind us of your great Power. As the sea crashes on the shores and hits the rocks, we are reminded of how timeless this is, and how it has gone on for millions of years – as your plans have unfolded. You placed so much life in the oceans, almost as much as there is on land! Praise you for the plankton that feeds so much of this life.
I praise you for the greatest creatures in the seas – the amazing whales, and how they tend their young. And praise you for the sharks and their streamlined bodies; and for the dolphins that swim alongside our boats. Then there are all the large and small fish, and I thank you especially for those that we eat: the cod, whiting, tuna, sardines, plaice. Glory to you also for the octopus and the squibs; the oysters, mussels, and other shell fish that we enjoy.
I give glory for the fabulous coral reefs, and the life which they sustain. Praise for the variety of fish with such incredible colours and designs. And I praise you for the sponges, the jelly- fish, the star fish, and cuttlefish. Thank you for the sea-weeds that decorate the seas and beaches. And praise to you for the variety of crabs, and the way they burrow in the sand.
Glory and praise for all the birds that live around the oceans – the varieties of gulls, and varieties of petrels; the grebes, the gannets, albatross, the puffins, and oystercatchers. And thank you for the coast-line creatures - the lobsters, prawns, shrimps,
158 Chapter 19 cockles. Praise also for the big creatures: the seals, the walrus, the sea-cows, the dugong, and the sea lion.
Lord praise and thank you for the rich harvest that mankind has always enjoyed from the sea. And thank you for the way the sea gives us so much pleasure – in sailing, swimming and surfing, fishing, and relaxing. The lapping waves give us endless pleasure to watch. Love and glory for the beaches with their colourful shells and stones, and rock pools, and palm trees in the sunny places. And since earliest times the sea has inspired us to travel and explore your beautiful world.
Lord praise to you, for how you made the sea so healthy with the salt and ozone; the currents bring fresh life to our shores; and the oceans cause the rain that we need. We see your design in all this, and in the way you provide for every type of creature.
Thank you Lord, for the Love that comes to us in all these features of your oceans. Together with all mankind, I’d like to make a return of love by placing an ‘I love and thank you’ on every drop of water in the seas. And ‘I love you’ on every strand of seaweed; and ‘I love you’ on every dolphin. Praise and glory Lord ! Amen
DAY 4 : SOUTH AMERICA
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for the continent of South America, and how your Love comes to us through all that you created there.
Lord I praise and thank you for this continent, which contains such dramatic scenery. In the north we find the Amazon rainforests, and I praise you for the oxygen that the forests supply to our atmosphere. Also thank you for the medicinal plants that are in the forest, and for the ways that they heal us today. 159 Praise for the magnificent trees – which include mahogany and rosewood, and the flowering jacaranda and magnolia; and thank you for the mangrove trees around the coast. Glory to you, for the massive river basins of the Amazon, and the Orinoco, and praise for their numerous tributaries.
Praise and glory for the extraordinary creatures that inhabit this area: the sloth, the armadillo, the tapir, the anaconda and boa constrictor. Praise too for the myriad of small creatures, butterflies, insects, and the clever leaf-cutter ants.
Praise and thank you for the tropical fruits that are grown: the pineapple, papaya, guava, and avocado. And thank you for brazil nuts, and cashew nuts, and for the crops of sugar cane.
Glory to you Lord, for the fantastic Andes mountains along the west coast, which are so high. And praise for the glaciers and glacial lakes that supply the rivers. Also praise for the amazing rock formations that they cause. You created special animals for these heights – the llama, vicunas, and alpaca; praise to you for their willingness to live with people, and how they supply the wool for their clothes. Glory for other creatures, like the jaguar and cougar, the guanacos, guinea-pigs, the capybara, chinchilla, and the iguana.
Praise to you, for the unusual birds in South America – the macaw, the pewee, the toucan, hummingbirds, parakeets, the stork, the Muscovy duck, and the mighty condor.
Lord you provided this area with vast grasslands, for which I thank you, and I praise you for the cattle raised there. Thank you also for the coffee plantations, and the huge crops of maize, soybeans, quinoa, and potatoes.
Praise too for the various mineral deposits – the iron ore, the copper, tin, lead, and zinc. And thank you for the natural gas. Praise for the many precious gems that give us pleasure to wear, including emeralds, amethyst, aquamarine, topaz, tourmaline, lapis lazuli.
Glory and praise for the island region in the south, and for the huge swells of the sea – as the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean
160 Chapter 19 meet up. Thank you for all the penguins that provide for their young in these cold, choppy waters.
Also praise for the various sea creatures, especially for the intelligent orca whales that frequent the coast. And praise for the hermit crabs, and the catches of mackerel, bonito, shrimps, and anchovy – with all the fish oil that is produced.
So much Love comes to us from you Lord, in all your creation of this amazing continent. Together with all mankind, in return I’d like to place an ‘I love you’ on every blade of grass in the pampas, an ‘I love you’ on every feather of each penguin, and ‘I love you’ on every coffee bean. Thank you Lord, you supply everything that we could need or wish for. Amen
DAY 5 : MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for the mountainous regions in the world, and for all the Love that comes from you there.
Lord these regions are cold, but so dramatic and impressive to us. Praise you for the peaks with their snow and ice. And thank you for the grassy slopes in summer, where the animals can feed. In Asia I praise you for the yaks that give milk, and work for the people. Thank you for the water buffalo that also lives and works in mountainous places. And praise for the reindeer and the nomadic people of the north. Praise and glory for the rock formations that are stunning to see, and the canyons and gorges. Thank you for the beautiful alpine flowers in summer. Praise for the waterfalls and rushing streams. Lord, all our rivers have their source in the mountains, and I praise you for all the life that they maintain along the way, and for the transport system that they give us.
161 The sparkling lakes reflect the sky, and give home to various creatures: the beaver, otter, mink, and voles, and I praise you for them all. And thank you for the fish in the lakes and rivers – the salmon, the catfish, perch, pike and carp.
Glory, for so many fir trees that give shelter to the animals, and for the bark that is food for the deer. Thank you also for the moss and lichens that they can eat. Lord you made so many beautiful creatures that live in these wilds, and I praise you for each of them in the different continents: the bears, the caribou, the snow leopards, the lynx, the ibex, mountain goats, wolves, and so on. Praise you also for the bird life: the great eagles, the hawks, the owls, buzzards, falcons, woodpeckers, and all the other amazing birds.
Lord, the sight of the mountains is uplifting to our spirits, and they are a powerful image of your enduring Strength, so I am reminded of the psalm: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – from where shall come my help? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121
Lord we take for granted so many wonders in the world, including the small life – which is under our feet in the form of microbes, worms, and insects in the soil; and in the air there is motion from flying insects. Lord you thought of everything, and arranged a cycle of life, so that everything is renewed, and the earth is maintained fertile.
We receive much Love from you Lord in these magnificent places, and on behalf of all mankind I make a return of love – placing an ‘I love you’ on every alpine flower, and ‘I love you’ on every fir tree. Amen
162 Chapter 19 DAY 6 : AUSTRALIA
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, fusing with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for the continent of Australia, and for your Love that can be seen in the diversity of life there.
Lord this sun-baked country is surrounded by beautiful coasts and beaches. Thank you for the surfing and swimming and the barbecues that people enjoy.
Praise and glory for the great Barrier Reef, with its beautiful corals and all the sea life around it. Praise for the varieties of little fish, including the angel-fish, the gobies, the sea dragon; and praise for the barracuda, the sword fish, the turtles, and of course the great white shark.
Glory and praise for the tropical rainforest across the north, with its rich vegetation, flowering shrubs and colourful birds. Praise for all the birds of Australia, including the cockatoo, the kingfisher, kookaburra, nightjar, pelican, and the big emu – the bird that cannot fly. The everglades are an exciting feature of the north, praise for their cabbage tree palms, mangrove trees with hanging pythons, and the salt water crocodiles!
Glory to you Lord, for the massive central area of Australia – the outback with its scrub and desert, and wooded areas of eucalyptus. Praise for the huge numbers of reptiles in this dry land. And thank you for the strange marsupials: the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, wombats, and the koala bears. Their pouch for carrying their young is a brilliant idea!
Praise also for the amazing duck-billed platypus, for the dingoes, the tortoises, the tree frog, the fruit bats and flying foxes.
163 Thank you Lord, for the way people have been able to develop the country – with the massive sheep farms, the cattle ranches, the vineyards, and all the crops that are grown.
Finally thank you and glory for all the minerals that have been found: the coal, bauxite, copper, silver, cobalt, and tungsten.
Lord this colourful country has been blessed, and it receives your Love through all your varied creation. On behalf of all mankind I praise and thank you, and I place an ‘I love you’ on every leaf of every eucalyptus tree, and ‘I love you’ on every cockatoo, and ‘I love you’ on every tortoise. Lord I ask you to continue blessing the people, so that they may come into a closer relationship with you. Amen
DAY 7 : Somewhere I like - SOUTH ASIA
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, as I fuse with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for South Asia, from India to Malaysia. Praise you Lord for so many trees – for those that give beauty, like the Mimosa and Tamarind; and for those that give fruits, like the papaya, the lime, mandarin, lychee, mango, and the breadfruit and jackfruit. Thank you for the plantations of trees with other uses: like the kapok, the rubber tree, the sapodilla which gives latex, and the mulberry which feeds the silk-worms for silk production.
Lord we love the foods that come from this area, especially the curries – so praise and glory for all the herbs and spices: the ginger, turmeric, chillies, coriander, cumin, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon. And thank you for all the varieties of beans and lentils.
164 Chapter 19 Praise also for the tea bushes, and the teas which we all appreciate. And thank you for the cotton crops, and all the clothing they make. Praise and glory for the huge crops of rice, millet, bananas, wheat, and the oil seeds.
Thank you Lord, for the wonderful variety of scenery here, and for the coastlines of beautiful beaches. Praise for all the birds that decorate the place: the fantails, the auks, hornbills, orioles, waxwings, the fairy bluebirds, the green magpies, and of course the peacocks.
And thank you for the animals that live closely with the people – the little donkeys pulling carts, the water buffalo that tills the rice fields and provides milk, the camels in the desert, the hump- backed cows, the horses pulling transport, the elephants that still do logging.
Praise and glory for all the wild creatures, including the tiger, the orang-utan, gibbon monkeys, antelopes, the wild boar, the tree shrew, gecko lizard, and the cobra.
Thank you for the Indian Ocean, which you made the warmest sea in the world, and praise for all the creatures that live there, and for the huge variety of fish. Thank you for the giant mudskipper, the manta ray, the porcupine fish, the grey mullet, the sawfish, mandarin fish, guitar fish, and the leopard flounder.
On behalf of all peoples, I thank you Lord for your Love that is revealed in this exotic part of the world. I’d like to return your love by placing an ‘I love you’ on every grain of sand on the beaches, an ‘I love you’ on every feather of every peacock, and an ‘I love you’ on each amazing sunset when the sun appears as a massive red globe.
Lord may all the people of these countries soon come to know you as their Redeemer, who cares for each one of them. Amen ......
A word from Jesus: 12th November 1937 “You must know that each one of your ‘I love you-s’ that you hide in the sun, in the sky, and in other created things, are our jewels. We love them, we kiss them, we embrace them, and we congratulate ourselves over them: we feel glorified and reciprocated for everything we ever did...” 165 LIFE IN THE CITY
Lord I am sorry for my sins, and with your help I will try not to sin again – Lord, as I fuse with your Divine Will I find as in act all the creative Acts of your Supreme Majesty. So on behalf of all mankind from Adam to the last person, I want to give you love, glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all your creation. Today I thank you especially for our life in the city – with all the goods we enjoy.
Lord as I look around my home I see so many things that I take for granted. Firstly there’s the electricity in my light bulbs, and in all the appliances. Praise and thank you for the tremendous uses of electricity – in being able to see at night, and in using electric fires, the fridge, CD player, television, micro-wave, toaster, washing-machine. Electrical energy was there for us to discover, and I give glory that it has been available in my time.
I praise you for all the materials used in my appliances – because nearly everything comes from the ground – from the original material of the planet. Thank you for the metals – the iron, zinc, tin, nickel, platinum, copper, tungsten, etc. Then there is oil and all the fantastic things we can make from it, including the various forms of plastic. In this way, our computers and televisions came originally from the ground, and that’s an unusual thought – for which I give praise and glory. In my kitchen, thank you for the clay used in the china and kitchen ware. And praise for the gas which fuels our cookers and central heating; plus the coal for our fires and boilers.
Lord as I look from my window and see an array of buildings, I want to thank you for all the building materials that you provided – the raw materials for the bricks, and the cement and sand. Thank you for the gravel in the concrete, and for the raw stone in all the stone-work. At this moment I see PVC windows and doors, and all the plastic guttering and pipe-work. So I thank you again, and give praise for the oil that we find deposited all over the world, and for the dozens of uses that we have for it. Thank you for all the wood that is used in building construction – the beams, rafters, skirting, doors. And praise you Lord for the raw materials that make our glass – how could we live without glass! In the street I see the tarmac, and the stones of the kerbs and paving, for which I thank you. 166 Chapter 19 Dear Lord, the cars and buses, lorries and bicycles, they all use tyres containing rubber or latex – which comes from your trees. Praise for the metals of the body-work which come from the ground. And thank you, because the upholstery and much of the interior comes originally from your oil. The engines are composed of a variety of metals, and they run on diesel or petrol – which comes from oil ! So Lord, each time I drive or catch a bus, I should give praise and love for all this provision from you.
In our places of work, we see so many more examples of materials in use – and praise you Lord for each item. We have steel-works; aircraft factories using every sophisticated material; food processing plants; paper mills – making our paper from trees. We have factories making our furniture, our clothes, carpets, curtains, ornaments, paints, all from natural materials, or oil-based. Everything we have and own, comes from the substances you have provided in our planet, and it is wonderful to realise.
We usually take all this for granted Lord, so today I want to give a return of love on behalf of everyone. Plus I thank you for the intelligence and the inventiveness of mankind. It seems that you put all these elements ready for us to find and develop. So I place an ‘I love you and praise you’ on every barrel of oil that is produced in the world, and ‘I love you’ on every car wheel, and ‘I love and thank you’ on every light bulb.
With our present day lives of comfort and ease, may we give more time to our spiritual awakening, and learn to live in your Divine Will. Praise and glory, Amen
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In all the different places in which you find yourself, try to keep up an attitude of observation and thanksgiving. It can be a playful challenge to notice something new each day, and to place an ‘I love you’. The habit helps to keep one’s focus on God, and it is the appreciation that he desires. So it could be – ‘I love you Lord in this engine oil.’ ‘I place I love you on every cat in the world’. ‘Lord I love you in this fresh bread’. ‘Lord I place an I love you on every traffic-light in this country.’ ‘Praise and thank you for all medicines.’
167 GIVING THANKS FOR FOOD
Most people have forgotten about the Grace before and after meals. But now let’s expand on it in the Divine Will - So we recollect ourselves, say sorry for our sins, and ask to fuse with God’s Divine Will.
Lord, thank you for your care for me, and for your Love that comes to me through all the good things you provide. Thank you for the fields of grain that have given my cereal and toast. And thank you for the animals that gave the milk and eggs. Lord I give a return of love, placing my ‘I love you’ on every grain of wheat that is growing in all the world. And I place an ‘I love you’ on every chicken that is in the world. Lord I thank and praise you. Amen At dinner you can give thanks for God’s provision of the vegetables, and meat / fish, and how his love comes to us in all this goodness… Then for example: Lord I give a return of love, placing an ‘I love you’ on every potato growing in this country, and ‘I love you’ on every tuna fish in the sea. Thank you for all this Love and care that you give me. Amen
If you eat alone and feel inspired, as you eat you could ask for a blessing on the people who work to produce the foods. And a blessing on the people who transport it, and sell it.
When finished: Thank you Lord for your blessing in this food, and for your Love which brought it to me. I give praise and glory for every form of food that is in your creation. Amen
The above is just a suggestion, but it may get you started…
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One day Luisa thought to herself:
“‘Which will be for the greater glory of God: to follow the acts of Creation or the acts of Redemption?’ And Jesus returned saying: ‘My daughter I am very pleased with either one, however, with this difference: in the works of Creation mankind discovers our jubilant Majesty, which in creating many works had the principal aim of making everything serve our Will – which reigned in it.
168 Chapter 19 All created things were to serve as a deposit for an exchange of love, adoration, and glory towards us. All created things spoke of our Love for mankind; and by means of them – mankind was to love its Creator.
…Do you think that we are indifferent to your ‘I love you-s’ with which you have invested all creation? Hardly! We gaze upon them, one by one, and as our jewels they give us the joy that we had at Creation. Therefore you allow our celebration to continue. And should these ‘I love you-s’ not be evident except to us alone, it is because our immense Will eclipses your ‘I love you-s’ by means of its Light, and jealously keeps them hidden in its Bosom.
…so great is our pleasure that we show the entire Heavenly Court, so that they may rejoice together with us. You cannot therefore give us greater glory than to follow our acts of Creation, since this unites you to our very purpose. It interweaves you within our Love, whereby we feel you embrace our Love and we embrace yours: thus of the two we form one Love… What joy! What happiness to have a soul together with us, to love us and enable us to do as we please.
Now in the works of Redemption the purpose changes: we go in search of the guilty one. In Creation all was jubilation: our works smiled with joy, love and glory. However in the Redemption there was suffering, bitterness, tears, remedies and medicine to cure man... Now the soul entering into our Will takes up its tender and compassionate ‘I love you-s’, as well as my pains, bitterness and tears... Kissing these jewels I will not feel alone, but comforted, sustained, and accompanied by the one that lives in my Will. In these ‘I love you’ jewels, I will find someone to dry my tears, someone to share my sufferings, someone to defend me. Therefore I want you in my Will, so that in jubilation or in suffering I will always have you with me.’ ” November 12th 1937
Yet again, who would have thought that each one of us could give so much pleasure to Almighty God – with so little effort !
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