Ijournal entry 042715 # 17. April, month of The Blessed Sacrament. Quotes from St. Jose Escriva, St. Madeline Sophie Barat, and Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad. Book: “By Way of the Desert", by Bernard Bangley. Article: "A NEW AND DIVINE HOLINESS", by Mark Mallett. YouTube video: "Appropriating The Divine Will", by Fr. Joseph Iannuzzi
April, the month of The Blessed Sacrament
“Eucharistic piety should be centered above all on the celebration of the Lord's Supper, which perpetuates the pouring out of His love on the Cross. But it has a logical prolongation ...in the adoration of Christ in this divine Sacrament, in the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament, in prayer beside the Tabernacle, as well as in those other exercises of devotion both personal and collective, private and public, which you have been practicing for centuries". By St. John Paul II
“Eucharistic piety should be centered above all on the celebration of the Lord's Supper, which perpetuates the pouring out of His love on the Cross. But it has a logical prolongation ...in the adoration of Christ in this divine Sacrament, in the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament, in prayer beside the Tabernacle, as well as in those other exercises of devotion both personal and collective, private and public, which you have been practicing for centuries". By St. John Paul II
The Cheese & Crackers
⚫️ "Where the hand feels the prick of thorns, the eyes discover a bunch of splendid, fragrant roses". By St. Jose Escriva
🔴 "God does not ask of us the perfection of tomorrow, nor even of tonight, but only of the present moment. By St. Madeline Sophie Barat:
🔵 "We must nourish a great love for God and our neighbors; ... a love that gently bears an act of impatience, or a bitter word, a love that lets an inadvertence or act of neglect pass without comment, a love that lends itself readily to an act of charity. By Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad
The Veggies
Sharing my Divine Mercy Sunday penance assigned after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The priest told me to meditate on the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are found in the book of Matthews, chapter 5, verses 1-12:
Matthew 5:1-12 "When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you"
Turning to the book of Matthews, reminded me of the scripture given to me in Medugorge. It was Matthew 11(28-30):
Turning to the book of Matthews, reminded me of the scripture given to me in Medugorge. It was Matthew 11(28-30):
"Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light"
We must come to Him, and sitting down with Him, He will then teach us. In coming, we are not be rushed or in a hurry, but settled in spirit, ready to give God quality time. Thinking that the first thing The Lord might want to teach me is this : at the first sign of weariness, come to Him and find rest. Rest can be extended to mean, laying the problem, the aggravation, or the distress immediately before Him. At that point, it is to know and possess enough faith to believe that God is hearing and paying attention to me/us. He is there for me through Jesus, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, with the intercession of Blessed Immaculata, St. Joseph, & all the angels and saints offering support.
Upon immediate contact with Jesus after coming into His presence, resting the burden upon His shoulders will allow strength to surge in. In releasing the burden, we can be assured that what is before Him gets His undivided attention and is not swept away. This knowledge can give us tremendous hope, and hope will begin to roll away the stone that blocks our confidence and acceptance of God's will as it is. What follows is not unrest, disordered thoughts, or a lack of peace, but trust. The bottom line is: If God is for, who can be against? He will forever take care of us, have no fear!
We must come to Him, and sitting down with Him, He will then teach us. In coming, we are not be rushed or in a hurry, but settled in spirit, ready to give God quality time. Thinking that the first thing The Lord might want to teach me is this : at the first sign of weariness, come to Him and find rest. Rest can be extended to mean, laying the problem, the aggravation, or the distress immediately before Him. At that point, it is to know and possess enough faith to believe that God is hearing and paying attention to me/us. He is there for me through Jesus, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, with the intercession of Blessed Immaculata, St. Joseph, & all the angels and saints offering support.
Upon immediate contact with Jesus after coming into His presence, resting the burden upon His shoulders will allow strength to surge in. In releasing the burden, we can be assured that what is before Him gets His undivided attention and is not swept away. This knowledge can give us tremendous hope, and hope will begin to roll away the stone that blocks our confidence and acceptance of God's will as it is. What follows is not unrest, disordered thoughts, or a lack of peace, but trust. The bottom line is: If God is for, who can be against? He will forever take care of us, have no fear!
Matthew 6:30 "If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?"
💡 The Meditation on the Beatitudes 💡
(in front of The Blessed Sacrament in church and enhanced for this ijournal entry)
✏️ 1) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
🔸Poor in spirit, is to become molded into the image and likeness of God. This can have meaning here, as a reference to one becoming very, very, rich in the spirit of God by wanting and doing the Father's will at all times. Only a vacant space can be occupied, and what is empty have room to be filled. To know that each moment is speaking for the moment, causes one to realize that a moment spent richly immersed in the Holy Spirit because we are poor in our own spirit, affords one the richness of God's graces desired by the heart.
✏️ 2) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land"
🔸For He who goes before us as our Leader, Savior, Master, and Lord, is meek and truly humble of heart. We follow the leader, we trail our Master, it is the Good Shepherd who mesmerizes us as we gladly string along. As we follow our Master we shall possess the land, because from Him we learn the territory and what is worth our labor. We labor for spiritual real estate, and we become more than conquerors. Our energy is conserved, because meekness fosters efficiency, it assists us in persevering and not losing heart.
✏️ 3) "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted"
🔸 Mourning will always be a given down here in the valley of tears, but comfort will always be available and never lacking. As we are comforted, we are to give comfort. The rich mercy of God allows us to forgive and offer comfort to others, first and foremost with our prayers. As we are then directed by God, pertinent to a particular situation at hand, we forgive and offer comfort even if doing so causes us to inwardly mourn. For there is no mourning that does not have the flip side of comfort available, along with great merits for our sacrifices. It is because Hesus is on the backside of our every cross.
✏️ (4) "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill"
🔸For those who trust, hope, love, obey, and believe in God with their whole heart, they will indeed hunger and thirst. It will be because His spirit within them will be duplicated. The fuel to flame our desire to keep on keeping on, is to know that the time of justice will one day arrive. It may not come easy, it may not come quickly, but come it will. As in every case, it will be more than we can ask or imagine, and it will be according to God's riches and Glory. So the wait is worth it as we say: To God be the glory, now and forever. Dear Lord our God, please help us to become hungrier and hungrier for truth, as it will penetrate our lives and set us free.
✏️ (5) "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy"
🔸"Blessed" goes way, way, way, beyond happiness. In offering mercy, sometimes we may or may not feel happy, but for sure, let's be mindful that in doing so, we are really, really, blest. "Blessed", as is of God, takes us a long way and will last an awful long time, like for all of eternity. Happiness comes and it goes, but when you are blest, you are blest indeed. It is in giving that we receive, so let's make haste in offering mercy to others. Because our hope is hinged on the love of God, we doubt not that "blessedness" is ours in abundance because of His great mercy. Mercy that is rich, mercy that is Divine, mercy that is luscious, oh what a treat it is to have it guaranteed. Because we have emptied ourselves and given it away, now we are to be filled in good measure. As we are found empty and poor in spirit, so we will be filled and made rich, praise The Lord, Alleluia and Amen!
✏️ (6) "Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God"
🔸 There is no other way to live, to die, or to enter into the spirit of God, but by abiding and residing with Him, clean and pure of heart. That we might frequent, and see the need to make perfect friends with the sacraments. To be reconciled unto God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving Eucharist is priceless. It is with, through, and in Jesus, that cleanness of heart will be a given. Having recourse to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and all the angels and saints, is necessary for their teachings and for the aide we will receive as we journey in truth. We will then learn and grow to be vessels ready to be made clean by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be of great use for the kingdom of God.
(The Blessed Sacrament was removed, so finished the remainder in church right before Mass and it was completed at home)
✏️(7) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God"
🔸 Let us not be fooled, until we become tried and true children of God, we can't be peacemakers to the fullest extent. The reason being, we are not adequately filled with the peace of Christ. In some way, shape, or form, we will sow or perpetrate discord, and not foster peace in every area of our life, evidenced by the way we think, act, or react. Our action may not be fully and completely Christ like.
✏️ (8) "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
🔸It seems one key to the kingdom of heaven, comes to us by way of suffering. It comes in one fashion or another, permitted or willed by God. To follow the protocol of God, will surely mean obtaining an inheritance far surpassing any that we can ask or imagine. So it is, that we might see with our spiritual eyes, and may all blindness cease. May understanding bring the knowledge that to suffer is to be blest, because of the dividends that accumulates. Endurance is necessary for the hear and now. It is kind of like an experience that can take place after consuming a medication. The medicine may taste terrible going down, but once down, it does a tremendous amount of good in the long run.
✏️ "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you"
🔸 God's economy is so very different from ours, it's like His down is our up, and our up is really His down. For the "blessed", everything in our eyesight that we consider a curse or cause for sorrow and tears, really is the opposite. Joy is measured out to be in the largest portion to be given out, not here, but given to us to experience in heaven. Life here is temporary and will pass away, so lasting blessing, honor, and glory is to come, as is fitting, and so shall it rightly be, thanks be to God. We aren't the first, and we will not be the last to be plagued with trials, tribulations, and troubles. It is helpful that we continually seek after metamorphosis in our lives. Let us pursue an attitude change and a different mindset that will allow us to accept the teachings of the Master, becoming more like Him as we seek this with all our heart. Talking to myself, and anyone who may need to hear and internalize this.
In a recent audio presentation crossing my path, it was mentioned that God's glory is the salvation of souls. Hearing that brought to mind this scripture from the book of Isaiah. It may help us realize and serve to boost our confidence that God will be with us, He will save and He will definitely help us, if we but wait on Him and allow Him free access to our hearts. He will not give us up, or throw us away.
💡 The Meditation on the Beatitudes 💡
(in front of The Blessed Sacrament in church and enhanced for this ijournal entry)
✏️ 1) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
🔸Poor in spirit, is to become molded into the image and likeness of God. This can have meaning here, as a reference to one becoming very, very, rich in the spirit of God by wanting and doing the Father's will at all times. Only a vacant space can be occupied, and what is empty have room to be filled. To know that each moment is speaking for the moment, causes one to realize that a moment spent richly immersed in the Holy Spirit because we are poor in our own spirit, affords one the richness of God's graces desired by the heart.
✏️ 2) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land"
🔸For He who goes before us as our Leader, Savior, Master, and Lord, is meek and truly humble of heart. We follow the leader, we trail our Master, it is the Good Shepherd who mesmerizes us as we gladly string along. As we follow our Master we shall possess the land, because from Him we learn the territory and what is worth our labor. We labor for spiritual real estate, and we become more than conquerors. Our energy is conserved, because meekness fosters efficiency, it assists us in persevering and not losing heart.
✏️ 3) "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted"
🔸 Mourning will always be a given down here in the valley of tears, but comfort will always be available and never lacking. As we are comforted, we are to give comfort. The rich mercy of God allows us to forgive and offer comfort to others, first and foremost with our prayers. As we are then directed by God, pertinent to a particular situation at hand, we forgive and offer comfort even if doing so causes us to inwardly mourn. For there is no mourning that does not have the flip side of comfort available, along with great merits for our sacrifices. It is because Hesus is on the backside of our every cross.
✏️ (4) "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill"
🔸For those who trust, hope, love, obey, and believe in God with their whole heart, they will indeed hunger and thirst. It will be because His spirit within them will be duplicated. The fuel to flame our desire to keep on keeping on, is to know that the time of justice will one day arrive. It may not come easy, it may not come quickly, but come it will. As in every case, it will be more than we can ask or imagine, and it will be according to God's riches and Glory. So the wait is worth it as we say: To God be the glory, now and forever. Dear Lord our God, please help us to become hungrier and hungrier for truth, as it will penetrate our lives and set us free.
✏️ (5) "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy"
🔸"Blessed" goes way, way, way, beyond happiness. In offering mercy, sometimes we may or may not feel happy, but for sure, let's be mindful that in doing so, we are really, really, blest. "Blessed", as is of God, takes us a long way and will last an awful long time, like for all of eternity. Happiness comes and it goes, but when you are blest, you are blest indeed. It is in giving that we receive, so let's make haste in offering mercy to others. Because our hope is hinged on the love of God, we doubt not that "blessedness" is ours in abundance because of His great mercy. Mercy that is rich, mercy that is Divine, mercy that is luscious, oh what a treat it is to have it guaranteed. Because we have emptied ourselves and given it away, now we are to be filled in good measure. As we are found empty and poor in spirit, so we will be filled and made rich, praise The Lord, Alleluia and Amen!
✏️ (6) "Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God"
🔸 There is no other way to live, to die, or to enter into the spirit of God, but by abiding and residing with Him, clean and pure of heart. That we might frequent, and see the need to make perfect friends with the sacraments. To be reconciled unto God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving Eucharist is priceless. It is with, through, and in Jesus, that cleanness of heart will be a given. Having recourse to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and all the angels and saints, is necessary for their teachings and for the aide we will receive as we journey in truth. We will then learn and grow to be vessels ready to be made clean by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be of great use for the kingdom of God.
(The Blessed Sacrament was removed, so finished the remainder in church right before Mass and it was completed at home)
✏️(7) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God"
🔸 Let us not be fooled, until we become tried and true children of God, we can't be peacemakers to the fullest extent. The reason being, we are not adequately filled with the peace of Christ. In some way, shape, or form, we will sow or perpetrate discord, and not foster peace in every area of our life, evidenced by the way we think, act, or react. Our action may not be fully and completely Christ like.
✏️ (8) "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
🔸It seems one key to the kingdom of heaven, comes to us by way of suffering. It comes in one fashion or another, permitted or willed by God. To follow the protocol of God, will surely mean obtaining an inheritance far surpassing any that we can ask or imagine. So it is, that we might see with our spiritual eyes, and may all blindness cease. May understanding bring the knowledge that to suffer is to be blest, because of the dividends that accumulates. Endurance is necessary for the hear and now. It is kind of like an experience that can take place after consuming a medication. The medicine may taste terrible going down, but once down, it does a tremendous amount of good in the long run.
✏️ "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you"
🔸 God's economy is so very different from ours, it's like His down is our up, and our up is really His down. For the "blessed", everything in our eyesight that we consider a curse or cause for sorrow and tears, really is the opposite. Joy is measured out to be in the largest portion to be given out, not here, but given to us to experience in heaven. Life here is temporary and will pass away, so lasting blessing, honor, and glory is to come, as is fitting, and so shall it rightly be, thanks be to God. We aren't the first, and we will not be the last to be plagued with trials, tribulations, and troubles. It is helpful that we continually seek after metamorphosis in our lives. Let us pursue an attitude change and a different mindset that will allow us to accept the teachings of the Master, becoming more like Him as we seek this with all our heart. Talking to myself, and anyone who may need to hear and internalize this.
In a recent audio presentation crossing my path, it was mentioned that God's glory is the salvation of souls. Hearing that brought to mind this scripture from the book of Isaiah. It may help us realize and serve to boost our confidence that God will be with us, He will save and He will definitely help us, if we but wait on Him and allow Him free access to our hearts. He will not give us up, or throw us away.
Isaiah 42:8 ""I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols"
The potatoes
Book: “By Way of the Desert", by Bernard Bangley
Psalm 88:9 “Every day I call on you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you"
Excerpt:
"SOME BROTHERS asked Agathon, “Abba, which detail of our way of life is most important?” Abba Agathon answered, “I could be wrong, but in my opinion prayer to God is the most important and requires all the energy you can give it. When you attempt to pray, demons attempt to interrupt you. They understand that prayer is the only thing that gets in their way. The other aspects of our religious life have a little latitude for rest, but we need to pray to the end of our days. This is the greatest struggle.” We need to pray to the end of our days.”
Excerpt:
"SOME BROTHERS asked Agathon, “Abba, which detail of our way of life is most important?” Abba Agathon answered, “I could be wrong, but in my opinion prayer to God is the most important and requires all the energy you can give it. When you attempt to pray, demons attempt to interrupt you. They understand that prayer is the only thing that gets in their way. The other aspects of our religious life have a little latitude for rest, but we need to pray to the end of our days. This is the greatest struggle.” We need to pray to the end of our days.”
The Meat
Article: "A NEW AND DIVINE HOLINESS", by Mark Mallett
Info from this site: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/the-coming-new-and-divine-holiness/
"GOD wishes to do something in mankind that He has never done before, save for a few individuals, and that is to give the gift of Himself so completely to His Bride, that she begins to live and move and have her being in a completely new mode. He wishes to give the Church the “sanctity of sanctities.” In a little known speech to the Rogationist Fathers, Pope (now St. JPII) John Paul II noted how, through their founder Blessed Annibale Maria di Francia (now St. Annibale or St. Hannibal)… 'God himself had provided to bring about that “new and divine” holiness with which the Holy Spirit wishes to enrich Christians at the dawn of the third millennium, in order to “make Christ the heart of the world.” —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Address to the Rogationist Fathers, n. 6, www.vatican.va
The three foundational principles of St. Hannibal, or three buds you could say, that would blossom into this new springtime are:
✏️I. To put the Blessed Eucharist at the centre of personal and community life, in order to learn from it how to pray and love according to the Heart of Christ.
✏️II. To exist as a body in unity, in the unanimity of hearts that makes prayer acceptable to God.
✏️III. Intimate association with the suffering of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
What St. John Paul describes above is both a programme for and the programme of the era of peace that is coming after the purification of the world in which the Eucharist, the Unity, and the Sufferings of the Church will serve to bring to fruition that one Bride of Christ, spotless and unblemished, prepared for the eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb. As St. John heard and saw in a vision:
Rev 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment"
That is, she was allowed a “new and divine” holiness…. Several mystics have spoken of this new era that is coming, though using different terms to describe it. ‘These include the “Mystical Incarnation” of Venerable Conchita de Armida and Arhcbishop Luis Martinez, the “New Indwelling” of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, the “Assumption of Souls in Love” of St. Maxamilian Kolbe, the “Divine Substitution” of Blessed Dina Belanger’, the “Flame of Love” of Elizabeth Kindelmann (at least as its beginning), and the “Gift of Living in the Divine Will” of Servant of God Luisa Picarretta. This “new and divine” holiness is essentially the state of being in the Divine Will that belonged to Adam and Eve before the fall, and that was recovered in the “new Eve”, Mary, and of course was Christ’s constant mode, the “new Adam.” The Blessed Virgin Mary, as I have written before, is the key to understanding the nature of the Church as she is, and is going to be. What will this look like?
Jesus explained to Venerable Conchita: 'This is much more than spiritual marriage. It is the grace of incarnating Me, of living and growing in your soul, never to leave it, to possess you and to be possessed by you as in one and the same substance. It is I who communicate it to your soul in a compenetration which cannot be comprehended: it is the grace of graces… It is a union of the same nature as that of the union of heaven, except that in paradise the veil which conceals the Divinity disappears…' —cited in The Crown and Completion of All Sanctities, by Daniel O’Connor, p. 11-12; nb. Ronda Chervin, Walk with Me, Jesus.
It is again, in a word, to live in the Divine Will. What does this mean? Brothers and sisters, it has been reserved for these times, but I believe mostly the times to come, to unpack the full theology and breadth of what God is and is going to do. And we’ve only just begun. As Jesus said to Luisa: 'The time in which these writings will be made known is relative to and dependent on the disposition of souls who wish to receive so great a good, as well as on the effort of those who must apply themselves in being its trumpet-bearers by offering up the sacrifice of heralding in the new era of peace…' —Jesus to Luisa, The Gift of Living in the Divine Will in the Writings of Luisa Piccarreta, n. 1.11.6, Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi.
St. Louis de Montfort perhaps captures best the groaning that is steadily rising from the body of Christ for this new divine gift as evil continues to exhaust itself: 'Your divine commandments are broken, your Gospel is thrown aside, torrents of iniquity flood the whole earth carrying away even your servants… Will everything come to the same end as Sodom and Gomorrah? Will you never break your silence? Will you tolerate all this for ever? Is it not true that your will must be done on earth as it is in heaven? Is it not true that your kingdom must come? Did you not give to some souls, dear to you, a vision of the future renewal of the Church?' —Prayer for Missionaries, n. 5; www.ewtn.com.
Rather than try to unfold here what took Luisa 36 volumes to write—a work that remains largely unedited and untranslated (and is, in fact, under a moratorium for being published, save for a few works mentioned below), I will just add one more hint of this coming grace before returning to my particular mission of “heralding in the new era of peace.” In his landmark Doctoral Dissertation, which carries the Pontifical Gregorian University’s seals of approval as well as ecclesiastical approval authorized by the Holy See, theologian Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi gives us a bit more of glimpse of this grace of the coming “new Pentecost” that the Popes of the past century have been praying for. 'Throughout her writings Luisa presents the gift of Living in the Divine Will as a new and divine indwelling in the soul, which she refers to as the “Real Life” of Christ. The Real Life of Christ consists primarily of the soul’s continuous participation in the life of Jesus in the Eucharist. While God may become substantially present in an inanimate host, Luisa affirms that the same may be said of an animate subject, i.e., the human soul'. —The Gift of Living in the Divine Will, by Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi, n. 4.1.21, p. 119.
This transformation into a ‘ “living Host” that perfectly mirrors Jesus’ interior state’, while still remaining a creature with full free will and faculties but wholly united to the inner life of the Holy Trinity, will come about as a new gift, a new grace, a new sanctity that will, according to Luisa, make the sanctity of the saints of the past seem as but a shadow in comparison. In the words of that great Marian saint: 'Towards the end of the world… Almighty God and His Holy Mother are to raise up great saints who will surpass in holiness most other saints as much as the cedars of Lebanon tower above little shrubs'. —St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary, Art. 47.
But you might be saying by now, “What…? Greater sanctity than Catherina of Sienna, than John of the Cross, than St. Francis of Assisi??” The answer as to why lies in the riddle of the ages…. A while ago, a thought came to me to write about the The Coming Age of Love and the Four Ages of Grace. The first three ages are that of the Holy Trinity’s action within time. St. John Paul II in his speech to the Rogationists spoke of “a call to holiness on the path of the evangelical counsels.” One could also speak of the three ages of Faith, Hope, and Love which are a path to the “sanctity of sanctities.” As it says in the Catechism: 'Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. The universe was created “in a state of journeying” (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it'. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 302.
The Age of the Father, which is the “age of Faith”, began after the Fall of Adam and Eve when God entered into covenants with mankind. The Age of the Son, or “age of Hope”, began with the New Covenant in Christ. And The Age of the Holy Spirit is that which we are entering as we “cross the threshold of hope” into an “age of Love.” 'The time has come to exalt the Holy Spirit in the world… I desire that this last epoch be consecrated in a very special way to this Holy Spirit…It is his turn, it is his epoch, it is the triumph of love in My Church, in the whole universe'. —Jesus to Venerable María Concepción Cabrera de Armida; Fr. Marie-Michel Philipon, Conchita: A Mother’s Spiritual Diary, p. 195-196.
This Triumph of Our Lady and the Church is not the bliss of Heaven, that definitive state of total perfection in body, soul, and spirit. Thus, the “era of peace” or “third millennium” of Christianity, says John Paul II, is not an opportunity “to indulge in a new millenarianism”…with the the temptation to predict substantial changes in it in the life of society as a whole and of every individual. Human life will continue, people will continue to learn about successes and failures, moments of glory and stages of decay, and Christ our Lord always will, until the end of time, be the only source of salvation. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, National Conference of Bishops, January 29th, 1996; www.vatican.va.
Still, the last stage of the Church’s growth in perfection will also be unparalleled in history, because Scripture itself testifies that Jesus is preparing for Himself a Bride who shall be sanctified.
Ephesians 1:4, 5:27 "He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him… that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish"
In her writings, the Lord speaks to Luisa of these three ages in time, what He calls the “Fiat of Creation”, the “Fiat of Redemption”, and the “Fiat of Sanctification” that form one single path toward the Holy of holies. 'All three together will interweave and accomplish the sanctification of man. The third Fiat [of Sanctification] will give so much grace to man as to restore him to his original state. And only then, when I see man as I created him, will My work be complete…' —Jesus to Luisa, The Gift of Living in the Divine Will, by Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi, n. 4.1, p. 72.
"Just as all men share in the disobedience of Adam, so all men must share in the obedience of Christ to the Father’s will. Redemption will be complete only when all men share his obedience". —Fr. Walter Ciszek, He Leadeth Me, pg. 116-117.
Is this unfair, then, that those who live in the last age of man should become the most holy? The answer lies in the word “gift.” As St. Paul wrote:
In her writings, the Lord speaks to Luisa of these three ages in time, what He calls the “Fiat of Creation”, the “Fiat of Redemption”, and the “Fiat of Sanctification” that form one single path toward the Holy of holies. 'All three together will interweave and accomplish the sanctification of man. The third Fiat [of Sanctification] will give so much grace to man as to restore him to his original state. And only then, when I see man as I created him, will My work be complete…' —Jesus to Luisa, The Gift of Living in the Divine Will, by Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi, n. 4.1, p. 72.
"Just as all men share in the disobedience of Adam, so all men must share in the obedience of Christ to the Father’s will. Redemption will be complete only when all men share his obedience". —Fr. Walter Ciszek, He Leadeth Me, pg. 116-117.
Is this unfair, then, that those who live in the last age of man should become the most holy? The answer lies in the word “gift.” As St. Paul wrote:
Philipians 2:13 "For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work"
The gift of Living in the Divine Will that God wishes to give His Church in these latter times will come about precisely by the desire and co-operation of the body of Christ that God Himself inspires—as usual. Thus, this is the great work of the Mother of God at this hour: to gather us into the upper room of her Immaculate Heart to prepare the Church to receive the “Flame of Love” that is Jesus Christ Himself, according to Elizabeth Kindelmann. This is precisely what Luisa wrote when she described this gift to come as the “Real Life” of Christ and why we can also speak of this as the dawning of the “day of the Lord”, or “middle coming” of Christ, or “rising Morning Star” that heralds and is the beginning of the final return of Jesus in glory at the end of time, when we shall see Him face to face. It is also the fulfillment of the Our Father— “Thy kingdom come” —insofar as God accomplishes His divine plan within salvation history: '…the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign'.—Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2816.
The gift of Living in the Divine Will that God wishes to give His Church in these latter times will come about precisely by the desire and co-operation of the body of Christ that God Himself inspires—as usual. Thus, this is the great work of the Mother of God at this hour: to gather us into the upper room of her Immaculate Heart to prepare the Church to receive the “Flame of Love” that is Jesus Christ Himself, according to Elizabeth Kindelmann. This is precisely what Luisa wrote when she described this gift to come as the “Real Life” of Christ and why we can also speak of this as the dawning of the “day of the Lord”, or “middle coming” of Christ, or “rising Morning Star” that heralds and is the beginning of the final return of Jesus in glory at the end of time, when we shall see Him face to face. It is also the fulfillment of the Our Father— “Thy kingdom come” —insofar as God accomplishes His divine plan within salvation history: '…the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign'.—Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2816.
Revelation 20:4 "I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years"
Perhaps we can understand why the holiness of the saints of this next era will surpass that of previous generations by going back to the threshold of the second age of grace, the “Fiat of Redemption.” Jesus said,
Perhaps we can understand why the holiness of the saints of this next era will surpass that of previous generations by going back to the threshold of the second age of grace, the “Fiat of Redemption.” Jesus said,
Matthew 11:11 "Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he"
You see, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, etc. were great men whose faith was credited to them. Yet, Jesus makes the point that the Fiat of Redemption gave the next generation something greater, and that is the gift of the indwelling Trinity. The age of Faith gave way to a living Hope and new possibility of sanctity and communion with God. For this reason, even the least in the Kingdom possesses something greater than the patriarchs before them. Writes St. Paul:
You see, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, etc. were great men whose faith was credited to them. Yet, Jesus makes the point that the Fiat of Redemption gave the next generation something greater, and that is the gift of the indwelling Trinity. The age of Faith gave way to a living Hope and new possibility of sanctity and communion with God. For this reason, even the least in the Kingdom possesses something greater than the patriarchs before them. Writes St. Paul:
Ephesians 2:19-22 "…you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit"
And so now, at this time in salvation history, “God has foreseen something better for us”, to bring us deeper mysteries of His Divine Will as a body. [14] And that perfect Unity, whose source is the Holy Eucharist, will come about through the Passion of the Church, for… The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2015
The three buds of St. Hannibal [15] —the Eucharist, Unity, and the Cross—bring about the Kingdom of God on earth: The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The Kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2816
My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 1784
And that Unity, as it once was between Adam and Eve, is the climax of Living in the Divine Will, the sanctity of sanctities, which is the Will of God on earth as it is in heaven. And this reign of Christ and His saints will prepare the Church to enter into the last and eternal age at the end of time.
…every day in the prayer of the Our Father we ask the Lord:
And so now, at this time in salvation history, “God has foreseen something better for us”, to bring us deeper mysteries of His Divine Will as a body. [14] And that perfect Unity, whose source is the Holy Eucharist, will come about through the Passion of the Church, for… The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2015
The three buds of St. Hannibal [15] —the Eucharist, Unity, and the Cross—bring about the Kingdom of God on earth: The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The Kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2816
My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 1784
And that Unity, as it once was between Adam and Eve, is the climax of Living in the Divine Will, the sanctity of sanctities, which is the Will of God on earth as it is in heaven. And this reign of Christ and His saints will prepare the Church to enter into the last and eternal age at the end of time.
…every day in the prayer of the Our Father we ask the Lord:
Matthew 6:10 “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
(…. we recognize that “heaven” is where the will of God is done, and that “earth” becomes “heaven” —i.e., the place of the presence of love, of goodness, of truth and of divine beauty—only if on earth the will of God is done. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, General Audience, February 1st, 2012, Vatican City,
Jesus himself is what we call ‘heaven.’ —POPE BENEDICT XVI, quoted in Magnificat, p. 116, May 2013
…heaven is God. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, On the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, Homily, August 15th, 2008; Castel Gondolfo, Italy; Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com
Why not ask him to send us new witnesses of his presence today, in whom he himself will come to us? And this prayer, while it is not directly focused on the end of the world, is nevertheless a real prayer for his coming; it contains the full breadth of the prayer that he himself taught us: “Your kingdom come!” Come, Lord Jesus! —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, p. 292, Ignatius Press"
(…. we recognize that “heaven” is where the will of God is done, and that “earth” becomes “heaven” —i.e., the place of the presence of love, of goodness, of truth and of divine beauty—only if on earth the will of God is done. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, General Audience, February 1st, 2012, Vatican City,
Jesus himself is what we call ‘heaven.’ —POPE BENEDICT XVI, quoted in Magnificat, p. 116, May 2013
…heaven is God. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, On the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, Homily, August 15th, 2008; Castel Gondolfo, Italy; Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com
Why not ask him to send us new witnesses of his presence today, in whom he himself will come to us? And this prayer, while it is not directly focused on the end of the world, is nevertheless a real prayer for his coming; it contains the full breadth of the prayer that he himself taught us: “Your kingdom come!” Come, Lord Jesus! —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, p. 292, Ignatius Press"
The Dessert
YouTube video: "Appropriating The Divine Will", by Fr. Joseph Iannuzzi
Link to video, part 1. of 8:
http://youtu.be/XJUNionX6o8
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