“Week of Obedience”

from February 28 to March 4,2016

Published 2/19/16 by the Official Website of Luisa Piccarreta

2/19/2016

As every year, also this year from February 28 to March 4, the Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of The Divine Will  will live the “Week of Obedience” with “days of light”, filled with morning and afternoon appointments to recall some of the highlights of the life of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta and to deepen her intimate bond with Jesus. On February 28 in fact we will remember the 117th Anniversary of obedience, the day when Luisa, in obedience to her official confessor Don Gennaro De Gennaro, began writing her diary and uttered her FIAT.  It is an important recurrence for all of us who, thanks to Luisa’s FIAT are able to deeply know the love that Jesus has for each of us by giving us the gift of His Will.

The highlight of this week of prayer, will be reached on Friday, March 4, the day that we will remember the 69th anniversary of the Transit into Heaven of Luisa.

She, with her life and then with her death, transformed her suffering into a means of grace by encouraging to leave the darkness of the human will to seek the light of the Divine Will. And we, with these “days of light” want to show that the Divine Will is the “sun” which transforms into light all the acts that are done in It.

We invite everyone to participate. Below the schedule:

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will.

7:00 a.m.: We commemorate the day when Luisa pronounced her Fiat and began to write her diary. It was the morning of February 28, 1899.

We will pray in front of the cell of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta to renew our FIAT to the Divine Will.

Chiesa dei Capuccini (Capuchin Church)

5:00 p.m.: Holy Rosary.

Mass follows. It will be concelebrated by don Gianni Cafagna and don Sergio Pellegrini.

VOLUME 2

 February 28, 1899

By order of the confessor I begin to write what passes between me and Our Lord, day by day. Year 1899, month of February, day 28.

I confess the truth, I feel great repugnance; the effort I have to make in order to conquer myself is so great that the Lord alone can know the torture of my soul. But, oh holy obedience, what a powerful bond you are! You alone could win over me, and surpassing all my repugnance, almost impassable mountains, you bind me to the Will of God and of the confessor. But, please, O Holy Spouse, as great as my sacrifice is, so much help do I need; I want nothing but that You hold me in your arms and sustain me. In this way, assisted by You, I will be able to say only the truth, only for your glory, and to my confusion.

This morning, since the confessor celebrated Mass, I also received Communion. My mind was in a sea of confusion because of this obedience that the confessor gave me, to write everything that passes in my interior. As I received Jesus, I began to tell Him of my pains, especially my insufficiency, and many other things. But Jesus did not seem to care about this thing of mine, and did not answer to anything. A light came to my mind, and I said: ‘Who knows whether I myself am the cause for which Jesus is not showing Himself as usual.’ So, with all my heart, I said to Him: ‘O please! My Good and my All, don’t show Yourself so indifferent with me – You make my heart split with pain. If it is because of the writing – let it be, let it be, even if it cost me the sacrifice of my life, I promise I will do it!’ Then Jesus changed appearance and, all benign, He told me: “What do you fear? Have I not assisted you the other times? My light will surround you everywhere, and so you will be able to manifest it.”

Purity of intention.

While He was saying this, I don’t know how, I saw the confessor near Jesus; and the Lord told him: “See, everything you do passes into Heaven. Therefore, see with what purity you must operate, thinking that all of your steps, words and works come before my presence, and if they are pure – that is, if they are done for Me – I take greatest delight in them and I feel them around Me like many messengers that remind Me continuously of you. But if they are done for low and earthly purposes, I feel bothered by them.” And as He was saying this, He seemed to grab his hands, and raising them up to Heaven, He said to him: “Your eyes always on high; you are of Heaven – work for Heaven!”

While I was seeing the confessor, and Jesus saying this to him, in my mind it seemed to me that if one operated in that way, it would happen as to a person who has to leave one house to move to another. What does he do? First he sends all of his things and everything he possesses, and then he goes himself. In the same way, we first send our works to take a place for us in Heaven, and then, when our time comes, we go ourselves. Oh, what a beautiful cortege they will make for us!

Faith.

Now, while seeing the confessor, I remembered he had told me that I was to write about Faith in the way in which the Lord had spoken to me about this virtue. While I was thinking of this, in one instant the Lord drew me so much to Himself, that I felt I was outside of myself, in the the vault of the heavens together with Jesus, and He told me these exact words: “Faith is God.”

But these two words contained an immense light, such that it is impossible to explain them – but I will do what I can. In the word “Faith”, I comprehended that Faith is God Himself. Just as material food gives life to the body so that it may not die, Faith gives life to the soul – without Faith, the soul is dead. Faith vivifies, Faith sanctifies, Faith spiritualizes man, and makes him keep his eyes fixed on a Supreme Being, in such a way that he learns nothing of the things of down here; and if he learns them, he learns them in God. Oh, the happiness of a soul who lives of Faith! – her flight is always toward Heaven. In everything that happens to her she always looks at herself in God; and so, just as in tribulation, Faith raises her in God and she does not afflict herself, not even with a lament, knowing that she is not to form her contentment here, but in Heaven; in the same way, if joy, riches and pleasures surround her, Faith raises her in God, and she says to herself: “Oh, how much more content and rich I will be in Heaven!” So, she feels bothered by these earthly things, she despises them, and tramples them underfoot. It seems to me that to a soul who lives of Faith, it happens as to a person who possessed millions upon millions of coins, and even entire kingdoms, and someone else wanted to offer him a cent. What would he say? Would he not disdain it? Would he not throw it in his face? I add: and what if that cent were all muddy, just as earthly things are? Even more: what if that cent were only lent to him? This person would say: “I enjoy and possess immense riches, and you dared to offer me this miserable cent, so muddy, and only for a short time?” I believe he would quickly remove his gaze from it, and would not accept the gift. So does the soul who lives of Faith with regard to earthy things.

Now, let us go back again to the idea of food: by taking food, the body is not only sustained, but shares in the substance of the food, which transforms into the body itself. The same for the soul who lives of Faith: since Faith is God Himself, the soul comes to live of God Himself; and by nourishing herself with God, she comes to share in the substance of God; and by sharing in Him, she comes to resemble Him and to be transformed with God Himself. Therefore, it happens to the soul who lives of Faith, that, just as God is holy, the soul is holy; powerful God – powerful the soul; wise, strong and just God – wise, strong and just the soul; and so with all the other attributes of God. In sum, the soul becomes a little god. Oh, the blessedness of this soul on earth, to then be more blessed in Heaven!

I also understood that the words that the Lord says to His beloved souls – “I will espouse you in the Faith” – mean nothing less but that the Lord, in this mystical marriage, comes to endow the souls with His own virtues. It seems to me that it happens as to two spouses: as they join their properties together, the belongings of one can no longer be distinguished from those of the other, but both of them become their owners. However, in our case, the soul is poor – all the good comes from the Lord, who lets her share in His possessions.

The life of the soul is God – Faith is God, and the soul, by possessing Faith, comes to graft all the other virtues into herself, in such a way that Faith is like a king in her heart, and the other virtues remain around It, as the subjects that serve Faith. So, without Faith, virtues themselves are virtues that have no life.

It seems to me that God communicates Faith to man in two ways: the first is holy Baptism; the second is when blessed God, by unleashing a particle of His substance into the soul, communicates to her the virtue of making miracles, like raising the dead, healing the sick, stopping the sun, and the like. Oh, if the world had Faith, it would change into a terrestrial paradise!

Oh, how high and sublime is the flight of the soul who exercises herself in Faith. It seems to me that by exercising herself in Faith, the soul acts like those timid little birds which, for fear of being caught by hunters, or of some other snare, establish their dwelling at the top of the trees, or in high places. Then, when they are forced to take food, they descend, take the food, and immediately fly back into their dwelling. And some of them, more cautious, take the food and don’t even eat it on the ground, but in order to be safer, they carry it up to the top of the trees, and there they swallow it.

In the same way, the soul who lives of Faith is so timid with earthly things, that for fear of being snared, she doesn’t so much as glance at them. Her dwelling is up high – that is, above all the things of the earth, but especially in the wounds of Jesus Christ; and from within those blessed rooms she moans, cries, prays and suffers together with her Spouse Jesus over the condition and the misery in which mankind lies. While she lives inside those holes of the wounds of Jesus, the Lord gives her a particle of His virtues, and the soul feels those virtues within herself as if they were her own. However, she realizes that even though she sees them as her own, the possession of them is given to her, for they have been communicated by the Lord.

It happens to her as to a person who has received a gift which he did not have. What does he do? He takes it and makes himself the owner of it; however, every time he looks at it, he says to himself: “This is mine, but it was given to me by so and so.” So also does the soul whom the Lord transforms in Himself, by unleashing a particle of His Divine Being from Himself. Now, just as this soul abhors sin, she also feels compassion for others, and prays for those whom she sees walking on the path of the precipice. She unites herself with Jesus Christ, and offers herself as victim in order to placate divine justice, and to spare creatures the deserved chastisements. And if the sacrifice of her life were necessary – oh, how gladly she would make it for the salvation of one soul alone!

 How she sees the Divinity of Jesus.

After the confessor told me to explain to him how I sometimes see the Divinity of Our Lord, I answered that it was impossible for me to be able to tell him anything. But, at night, blessed Jesus appeared to me and almost reproached me because of this refusal of mine, and then He flashed through me with two most luminous rays. With the first one I understood in my intellect, that Faith is God and God is Faith. I tried to say a few things about Faith; now I will try to say how I see God – and this was the second ray.

While I am outside of myself, and I find myself in the height of the heavens, I seem to see God within a light. He Himself seems to be light, and within this light there is beauty, strength, wisdom, immensity, height, depth – endless and boundless. Even in the air we breathe is God present, and we breathe Him; so, each one can make Him his own life, as indeed He is. Nothing escapes Him, and nothing can escape Him. This light seems to be all voice, though it does not speak; and all operating, though it always rests. It is present everywhere, though it occupies no space; and while it is present everywhere, it also has its own center. Oh, God, how incomprehensible You are! I see You, I feel You, You are my life, You restrict Yourself within me, but You remain always immense and lose nothing of Yourself. Yet, I feel I am stammering, and it seems I can say nothing.

In order to explain myself better, according to our human language, I will say that I see a shadow of God in the whole creation, because in the whole creation – someplace He has cast the shadow of His beauty, someplace His fragrances, someplace His light, as in Sun, in which I see a special shadow of God. I see Him as though concealed within this sphere, as the king of all other spheres. What is the Sun? It nothing but a globe of fire. One is the globe, but its rays are many; from this we can easily understand how the globe is God, and the rays are the immense attributes of God.

Second. The Sun is fire, but It is also light and heat. Here is the Most Holy Trinity veiled in the Sun: the fire is the Father, the light is the Son, the heat is the Holy Spirit. However, the Sun is one, and just as one cannot separate fire from light and heat, so one is the power of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who in reality cannot be separated from one another. And just as fire produces light and heat at the same time, in such a way that fire cannot be conceived without light and heat; in the same way, the Father cannot be conceived before the Son and the Holy Spirit, and vice versa, but all Three of the Them have the same eternal beginning.

I add that the light of the Sun diffuses everywhere; in the same way, God penetrates everywhere with His immensity. However, let us remember that this is but a shadow, because the Sun cannot reach where It cannot penetrate with Its light, while God penetrates everywhere. God is most pure Spirit, and we can represent Him with the Sun, which makes Its rays penetrate everywhere, and no one can grab them with their hands. Moreover, God looks at everything – the iniquities and the evils of men – but He remains always as He is, pure, holy and immaculate. A shadow of God is the Sun, which sends Its light over rubbish, but remains immaculate; It spreads Its light in the fire, but is not burned; in the sea and in the rivers, but is not drowned. It gives light to all, It fecundates everything, It gives life to all with Its heat, but does not become poor in light, nor does It lose any of Its heat. Even more, while It does so much good to all, It needs no one, and remains always as It is – majestic, shining, ever immutable. Oh, how well one can see the divine qualities in the Sun! With His immensity, God is present in the fire, but is not burned; in the sea, but is not drowned; under our steps, but is not trampled. He gives to all, but does not become poor, and needs no one; He looks at everything – even more, He is all eyes, and there is nothing He does not hear. He is aware of each fiber of our hearts, of each thought of our minds, but, being most pure Spirit, He has neither ears nor eyes, and no matter what happens, He never changes. The Sun invests the world with Its light, and It does not tire; in the same way, God gives life to all, helps and rules the world, and He does not tire.

A man can hide or place shelters so as not to enjoy the light of the Sun and Its beneficial effects, but he does nothing to the Sun – the Sun remains as It is, while all the evil will fall upon man. In the same way, by sin, the sinner can move away from God and no longer enjoy His beneficial effects, but he does nothing to God – the evil is all his own.

The roundness of the Sun also symbolizes the eternity of God, which has no beginning and no end. The penetrating light of the Sun itself is such that no one can restrict it in his eye; and if one wanted to stare at It in Its midday fullness, he would remain dazzled; and if the Sun wanted to draw near man, man would be reduced to ashes. The same for the Divine Sun: no created mind can restrict It in its little mind so as to comprehend It in all that It is; and if it wanted to try, it would remain dazzled and confused; and if this Divine Sun wanted to display all Its love, allowing man to feel It while he is in his mortal flesh, he would be reduced to ashes.

So, God has cast a shadow of Himself and of His perfections over the whole creation; it seems that we see Him and touch Him, and we are touched by Him continuously.

In addition to this, after the Lord said those words – “Faith is God” – I said to Him: ‘Jesus, do You love me?’ And He added: “And you, do you love Me?” Immediately I said: ‘Yes Lord, and You know that without You I feel that life is missing in me.’

“Well then”, Jesus continued, “you love Me, I love you – so, let us love each other, and remain always together.” This is how He ended for this morning. Now, who can say how much my mind has comprehended of this Divine Sun? I seem to see It and touch It everywhere. Even more, I feel invested by It, inside and out, but my capacity is so very little – while it seems it comprehends something about God, the moment I see Him, it seems I have comprehended nothing; even more, it seems I have spoken nonsense. I hope that Jesus will forgive my nonsense.

St. Veronica Giuliani -Mystic, Stigmatic, Victim Soul, Incorruptable

Her Diary St. Veronica left us a spiritual treasure, her Diary, which she wrote under obedience to her confessor, Fr. Gerolamo Bastianelli. She began writing it in April, 1693 and finished writing it thirty four years later in 1727. She wrote a total of twenty-two thousand pages. This was a great penance for her. She did not neglect her other duties and would write late at night in her cell. The devil would often try to scare her to disrupt her writing. He would hide and break her pencils, and sometimes even attacked her physically: “After Matins, when I wanted to make an act of obedience and write for a quarter of an hour, I suddenly got a big punch in the eye and heard a voice saying, ‘damned writings!’”  During the last fifteen years of her life, Veronica was so ill that a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows in her cell would come to life, and the Blessed Virgin Mary herself dictated to her the last chapters of the Diary.

Jesus made two promises to Veronica about this diary: “The Lord himself made me understand I should write everything; because He wanted it thus; and that these writings would be of great benefit to many souls; and that he wanted it to be for the whole of Christianity.” And on another occasion Jesus told her: “I inform you that I want to give special graces to whomever will trouble himself with this work. And I want everything, everything revealed. These are My works, My gifts, they are My singular graces, and all shall be for My glory.”

It is interesting to note that both saints and mystics have been entrusted with the publication of this diary. It was not until one hundred and fifty years later that Francois Dausse started to work on its publication, but his work remained unfinished because of his death. After this, St. Annibale Maria di Francia started working on this diary and managed to publish the first volume under the title, A Hidden Treasure, The Diary of St. Veronica Giuliani (1891-92). However, St. Annibale had to stop working on this Diary because the local Bishop asked him to start reviewing the writings of mystic, Luisa Picarreta in order to give them the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. Later, a Jesuit priest, Pietro Pizzicaria, managed to publish the next 8 volumes under the same title before he died and the last two volumes were published by Professor Umberto Bucchioni in 1927.

St. Annibale Maria di Francia and Luisa Piccarreta

                           from Ch. 4 of Luisa Piccarreta: A collection of memories of the Servant of God                                                    

by Fr. Bernardino Giuseppe Bucci, O.F.M.      

Aunt Rosaria would often and willingly speak of Blessed Annibale Maria di Francia, founder of the Rogationist Fathers and the Sisters of  Divine Zeal.     She spoke of the blessed as though he were intimately familiar  to her, using the name “Fr. Francia”. I personally took great interest in this  figure and often asked the Rogationist Fathers if by chance there might be  anything in their archives about the relations between Luisa and Blessed Annibale. I even went to the Sant’Antonio Institute in Corato, a house which the  blessed had wanted personally, in order to move Luisa there to be with the sisters.

 My aunt told me that Fr. Annibale had conceived of the project  of taking Luisa to the Institute of sisters opened in Trani, but that Luisa had  made him see that the Lord wanted her to stay in Corato. Fr. Annibale’s project  was implemented in 1928, after his holy death.     Annibale di Francia was the extraordinary confessor of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, and it was he who published her works. Blessed Annibale belonged to that array of priests who built up the Church of God with their holiness and their institutions for orphans and abandoned children. The work of these men was of great benefit to Italy and the Church, in a period when  anti-clericalism was triumphant.

 According to Aunt Rosaria, the blessed enjoyed the great esteem of St. .Pius X who willingly granted him private audiences. It seems that St.  Pius X paid great attention to Luisa Piccarreta: our blessed submitted her writings to him before having them printed.      Aunt Rosaria affirmed that after reading some of Luisa’s  writings, especially her famous work on the Passion of Our Lord, published under  the title L’orologio della Passione, St. Pius X said to him: “Dear father, you must read these writings on your knees, because it is Our Lord Jesus  Christ who is speaking in them”. And it was the holy Pontiff who urged Fr.  Annibale to publish them.

 Annibale called on Luisa regularly, at her house in Via Nazario  Sauro, staying with her for several hours, conversing with her on spiritual  matters.  He often took some Italian or foreign bishop to visit Luisa, and my aunt remembers the visit of a prelate from Hungary. To dispel certain doubts, the blessed father took several theologians to Luisa; having spoken to the Servant of God at length, theywould gather in another room for long discussions of what they had heard.

 My aunt recalls that one Hungarian bishop, after talking to Luisa, emerged from her room in deep distress and said the following words in his imperfect Italian: “Pray for my people“, for Luisa had informed him of the far from rosy future that awaited his homeland. Aunt Rosaria could not tell me precisely who the bishop was, nor exactly where he came from, she only told me: “a Magyar bishop“.  I realized that he must have been a Hungarian bishop.     Fr. Annibale did not only visit Luisa to talk to her; he gave lectures to all those who frequented Luisa’s house, especially the young people.

These lectures bore abundant fruits. Indeed, many of the girls became sisters,  many of the young men were initiated to the priesthood and quite a few were  admitted to his new congregation.

 Many people went to Luisa’s house to confess to Fr. Annibale. This was confirmed to me by Canon Andrea Bevilacqua who, as a young seminarian, would also go to Luisa’s house to confess to Fr. Annibale, who was also the extraordinary and deeply loved confessor of Archbishop Leo of Trani.     In my earlier publication I did not mention Blessed Annibale di  Francia, because I was advised to say nothing, to avoid creating obstacles to  his cause of beatification under way.

  It would be most interesting to consult the archives of the Rogationists and of the Sisters of Divine Zeal, where there must certainly be traces of the long correspondence between the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta and Blessed Fr. Annibale. My aunt told me that Luisa’s spirituality was impressed upon the institute’s Rule. It would be most interesting to read the institute’s old Rule and Constitutions. I hope, now that Fr. Annibale has been beatified by the Church, that the Rogationists and the Sisters of Divine Zeal will be able to re-evaluate the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta who contributed so much to their development with her prayers, her advice and her writings.

  Much still remains to be said about the relations between Blessed Annibale, the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta and St. Pius X, for whom Luisa had great veneration. At that time she already revered him as a  saint, and on various occasions said these words: “The Lord has given the  Church two great Pontiffs in these times; the first, a beloved son of Our Lady“, with reference to Pius IX, “the second, a great defender of the faith and of the Eucharist“.      Blessed Annibale di Francia had to overcome enormous obstacles  in orderto put into practice his plan to have Luisa taken to one of the  houses of his congregation to be with the sisters. He often used to say these  words: “The acceptance of Luisa in a house of my Institute will be a blessing  of God for the whole Congregation“.      Indeed, although there were already two houses of the Congregation of Divine Zeal in Trani, with holy persistence he opened a female house in Corato, close to Luisa’s birthplace. His project was not easy to implement: the holy founder died before the house had been completed.

Two years after his death, Luisa entered the house of the Sisters of Divine Zeal in Via delle Murge.   Rosaria Bucci’s memories      Blessed Annibale Maria di Francia paid frequent visits to the Servant of God, with whom he had long conversations, staying for hours in Luisa’s little room, where he also often celebrated Holy Mass.     This is what I remember of what Aunt Rosaria told me.

 In 1910, a priest arrived at Luisa’s house and asked to speak to her. This was the first of the many encounters between the two “saints”. That  day, it was Aunt Rosaria who opened the door to him, then a young girl who had  become familiar with Luisa’s milieu, who had been visiting her for four years  and so collaborated with Angelina in the household affairs. Moreover, since Aunt  Rosaria had mastered lace-making, she was acting as teacher for the other girls,  who were apprentices; she was also called by Luisa to set right her own work  that was often defective, for the Servant of God was unable to pull the knots  tight enough because of the stigmata, hidden beneath her skin and a source of  pain.2       Aunt Rosaria, on many occasions, prepared a little bed in a room in Luisa’s house on which Blessed Annibale would sometimes rest, especially  when he was a guest of the Piccarreta family for more than a day.

 The blessed’s stays in Luisa’s house were dictated by the fact  that before giving her writings to Annibale, she had to read through them all  and provide explanations on doubtful or incomprehensible points.     It was my aunt herself who gave Blessed Annibale the manuscript  of the famous book on meditation of the Passion. Blessed Annibale had it printed  with the name L’orologio dell Passione, a title about which Luisa was not  at first enthusiastic. The publication, with a long preface by the Blessed, went  into several editions, four to be precise.

 Aunt Rosaria remembered that Blessed Annibale once urged all the girls and Luisa’s regular visitors to read and meditate upon the work. In giving it to them, the blessed said: “Before having the manuscript printed, I  was received in audience by His Holiness Pius X, to whom I gave a copy. Several  days later, having returned to see the Holy Father for matters concerning my new  Congregation, he said these words: ‘Have Luisa Piccarreta’s L’orologio della  Passione printed immediately. Read it on your knees, because it is Our Lord  who is speaking in it“.       Since we have no other documents available, we cannot but trust  the testimony of Rosaria Bucci. Blessed Annibale and the Capuchin Friars of the Monastic   Province of Puglia

  It seems that the Franciscan fathers, and particularly the Capuchins, suggested to Blessed Annibale that he place his works under the protection of St. Anthony of Padua. It is certain that there was a deep reciprocal esteem between Blessed Annibale and the Capuchins.      I personally heard a lot about Blessed Annibale Maria di Francia from our older fathers.     Fr. Annibale published Luisa’s writings, many of which were given to our friars, whom he warmly commended not to disclose the author’s name to anyone since the devout writer wished to remain anonymous.      The Capuchin friar who had the most to say about this was Fr. Isaia from Triggiano, who was simple and humble, the figure of an authentic priest. This father had a deep veneration for Luisa Piccarreta and jealously preserved her writings and a few objects that had belonged to the Servant of God. Among these was a holy card with a picture on which a prayer had been written by Luisa in her own hand.      Fr. Isaia often used to say: “Luisa is a great saint and Fr.  Annibale another great saint, because he enabled us to know her. Saints understand one another. It is God who brings them together“.     In far off 1917, Fr. Isaia from Triggiano was a Capuchin student at our friary in Francavilla Fontana, where on several occasions the friars gave hospitality to Fr. Annibale Maria di Francia, who was establishing one of his works in nearby Oria.

  These are Fr. Isaia’s impressions of Fr. Annibale: “He was a  priest who truly belonged to God, and at the sight of him, we students would gather round him with great sympathy. We all went to him for confession. He had an unusual appearance, as well as an unusual manner of speech and gestures, always moderate and with a reserve that did not command fear but filial trust. He constantly spoke to us of God’s Will and exhorted us to bear with hardships and contradictions. He told us that a soul who was consecrated entirely to God was suffering and praying for us all“.     “This soul“, Blessed Annibale said to Fr. Isaia, “is  a daughter of your region, and this is a sign that the Lord is blessing the  people of Bari”. To comfort him in his doubts and sufferings, he gave him L’orologio della Passione, which he himself had had printed. Fra Isaia, a  Capuchin student at the time, asked him where this holy soul lived and who she  was, but Fr. Annibale answered: “just think about preparing yourself properly  for the priesthood and always doing God’s Will, and in due course you will  discover who this soul is“.     Fr. Isaia, who had become a priest, went to see Luisa Piccarreta, from whom he sought advice and – not infrequently – comfort in his apostolate, threatened by malicious gossip.     At that time the Monastic Province of Puglia was passing through a difficult period because of various disagreements between the two Provinces of Bari and Lecce, united in a single Monastic Province. Certain fathers headed a reform that was blocked by St. Pius X.      The majority submitted, but others resisted and ended by being expelled from the Order and excommunicated. One of these was Fr. Gerardo, superior and director of the studentate of Francavilla.      This father had extraordinary ideas about running the students’ community with a draconian discipline; he frequently left the students  fasting, because they had to mortify themselves and resemble the crucified  Christ. The worst thingwas that he did not even allow them to study.  Their studying was to consist of the crucifix and penance; he consequently  placed in the students’ rooms a large crucifix and a scourge. It is easy to  grasp the state of mind of all the students, many of whom fell ill. Fr. Annibale  di Francia, on one of his visits, called Fr. Gerardo and made him understand  that young men who were still growing could not be treated with such a regime.  And he himself set the example, by taking a great many provisions to the friary  and begging them to eat their fill, at least sometimes. Fr. Annibale was very  sensitive to the young students’ health, and would often say to them: “This  is not God’s Will“.      It seems that Fr. Gerardo was not totally unmoved by the exhortations of Fr. Annibale, who could speak with such conviction and love that  he had an impact on even the hardest of hearts. In fact, the results were immediately noticed: books were bought for the priestly formation of the young men, and slightly larger portions of bread and soup began to appear.      Shortly afterwards Fr. Gerardo left the Order and was excommunicated for his bizarre ideas and his rebellion against the Church. The Venerable Annibale’s words came true. Indeed, when the despairing students knelt  at his feet for confession, he would often say: “Continue to live God’s Will  intensely, because in a little while everything will change. Courage!“.

 Many fathers were in contact with Fr. Annibale and through him  became acquainted with Luisa. How is it possible to forget Fr. Daniel from Triggiano, a splendid figure of a Capuchin, a man who was a true little flower of St. Francis. Still today, his simplicity, his words and his acts live on throughout our Monastic Province.      Fr. Daniele spoke of Luisa Piccarreta as though she were a heavenly creature and when, asa young seminarian, I went to his room for  confession, he always said this to me:  “Are you Bucci from Corato? Did you know Luisa? You should know that she is a great saint and you should never stop praying to her if you want to be a priest“.

  Fr. Daniele was the historian of Triggiano and also published several devotional manuals, drawing heavily from Luisa Piccarreta’s books. The way he spoke of Luisa suggests that he was in direct contact with the Servant of  God and with Venerable Annibale.     I also heard the following fathers talk a lot about the Servant  of God Luisa Piccarreta. Fr. Giovanni De Bellis, who was frequently invited to  Corato to preach, went to Luisa’s house on these occasions. Fr. Giovanni, my  confrere in the community of the Friary of Trinitapoli when I was superior and  parish priest, often spoke to me of Luisa Piccarreta and Blessed Annibale Maria  di Francia, whom he had known personally. I had the good fortune to be present  at Fr. Giovanni’s last moments. This father died while he was completely  immersed in prayer, ‘his hands joined, the beads of the rosary between them. His  last words were: “May God’s Will be done“. It was 1982.

 Fr. Terenzio from Campi Salentina also deeply venerated the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta and would talk of her every time he met me. It was he who told me that the beatification cause of Fr. Annibale, Luisa’s confessor, had been initiated. When I was a young novice at the Friary of Alessandro, Fr. Terenzio was superior. One day he offered me this testimony: “There was a period when I was going through a crisis in my faith, and one day I went to Luisa, who listened to me kindly. She clarified all my doubts, and  gave me such clear and profound theological explanations that they were a revelation to me. All the doubts that my theological studies had not clarified were dispelled by Luisa. There is no doubt that Luisa had the gift of infused knowledge“.      Fr. Guglielmo from Barletta, one of the most distinguished priests of the Province who had several times been Minster Provincial and was rector of our theology center for students, spoke one day, during a lesson on ascetics, of Venerable Fr. Annibale and his works. He spoke at length of L’orologio della Passione and of the book Maria nel Regno della Divina Voluntà. Referring to Luisa Piccarreta, he said: “She is a great and marvelous soul. We are not even worthy to be her finger-nail“. Fr. Giuglielmo did not tell me whether he had known Luisa personally.

  Almost all our older fathers had direct or indirect contact with the Venerable Annibale and Luisa Piccarreta. Among them those to be remembered are: Fr. Zaccaria from Triggiano, several times Provincial; Fr. Fedele from Montescaglioso; Fr. Giuseppe from Francavilla Fontana; Fr. Tobia from Trigiano; Fr. Antonio from Stigliano, who left some writings on the Servant  of God; Fr. Dionisio from Barletta; Fr. Arcangelo from Barletta, also  Provincial; Fr. Pio from Triggiano, Provincial; Fr. Gabriele from Corato; Fr.  Timoteo from Aquarica, a great friend of Luisa’s last confessor, Fr. Benedetto  Calvi, in whose parish he often preached (he also assisted at the translation of  Luisa’s body from the cemetery to the church, and concelebrated at the Mass in  the main church for the opening of the beatification cause of the Servant of God  Luisa Piccarreta); Fr. Salvatore from Corato, of whom I shall speak in a  separate chapter. Many lay brothers who went to Corato to beg for alms never  failed to visit Luisa: Fra Ignazio, Fra Abele, Fra Rosario, Fra Vito and  Fra Crispino, who often spoke to me enthusiastically of Luisa, whom they greatly  revered.

Published 2/26/16 by the Official Website of Luisa Piccarreta

February 28, 1899:

“Lady” Obedience wins over Luisa!

‘The Kingdom of The Divine Will in the midst of creatures.  Book of Heaven. The call of the creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose for which he was created by God’

 Jesus says to Luisa: “Blessed are you, and all generations will call you Blessed”.

Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta,

The Little Daughter of the Divine Will

 VOLUME 13

 November 8, 1921

To live in the Divine Will means to multiply the Life of Jesus, with all the good It possesses. Jesus says to Luisa: “Blessed are you, and all generations will call you Blessed”.

 As I was in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus made Himself seen while taking a light from my interior, and carrying it away. I shouted: ‘Jesus, what are you doing? Do you want to leave me in the dark?’ And He, with all sweetness, told me: “My daughter (Luisa), do not fear. I am taking your little light with Me, and I leave you (Luisa) Mine. This little light of yours is nothing other than your will which, having placed itself in front of Mine, has received the reflection of my Will. That’s why it became a light. I am taking it in order to let it go around. I will take it to Heaven as the most rare and beautiful thing – which is the human will that has received the reflection of the Will of its Creator. I will let it wander among the Divine Persons, so that They may receive the homages and adorations of their own reflections – the only ones worthy of Them. Then I will show it to all the Saints, so that they too may receive the glory of the reflections of the Divine Will in the human will. And then, I will make it flow through the whole earth, so that all may take part in such a great good.”

Immediately, I added: ‘My Love, forgive me. I thought You wanted to leave me in the dark. This is why I said, “What are You doing?” But when it is about my will, feel free to take it and do whatever You want.’

Now, while Jesus was carrying this little light in His hands, I cannot say what happened – I lack the words to express myself… I just remember that He placed the little light in front of His Person, and the little light received all His reflections, in such a way as to form another Jesus. And every time my will repeated its acts, so many Jesuses were multiplied. Then, my Jesus told me: “Do you (Luisa) see what it means to live in my Will? It is to multiply my Life as many times as one wants, and to repeat all the good which my Life contains.”

Afterwards, I was saying to my Jesus: ‘My Life, I enter into your Will to be able to extend myself in everyone and to everything – from the first to the last thought, from the first to the last word, from the first to the last action and step that were done, are done, and will be done. I want to seal everything with your Will, so that You may receive from everything the glory of your Sanctity, of your Love, of your Power; and so that all that is human may remain covered, hidden, marked by Your Will. May nothing – nothing human remain, in which You do not receive Divine Glory.’

Now, while I was doing this and other things, my sweet Jesus came all festive, accompanied by innumerable Blessed, and said: “The whole of Creation says to Me: ‘My glory, my glory’.” And all the Saints answered: ‘Here, O Lord, we give You Divine Glory for everything.’ I could hear an echo from all sides, saying: ‘For everything we give You Love and Glory.’

And Jesus added: “Blessed are you (Luisa), and all generations will call you (Luisa) Blessed. My arm will make works of power in you (Luisa). You(Luisa) will be the Divine reflection; and filling the whole earth, you( Luisa) will make Me receive from all generations that Glory which they deny to Me.” On hearing this, I remained confused, annihilated, and I did not want to write. And He, caressing me, told me: “No, no, you (Luisa) will do it – I want it. What I said will serve as honor of my Will. I Myself wanted to pay the just homage which befits the Sanctity of my Will; rather, I said nothing compared to what I could say.”

‘The Kingdom of The Divine Will in the midst of creatures.  Book of Heaven. The call of the creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose for which he was created by God’

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Our Will is already established. We know its numbers, we know them all by name. ”   

Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta,

The Little Daughter of the Divine Will

 VOLUME 36

 May 6, 1938

 Desiring It and taking the first steps are all that is needed to Live in the Divine Will. How the Divine Will possesses the Generative Life and Generates endlessly when It Reigns.  inseparability of the Works of Our Lord from one who Lives in His Will.

 My poor mind is crowded with thoughts regarding the Divine Will. These thoughts seem like many messengers that bring lots of news about this Will, so Holy.  I was surprised; and my sweet Jesus, coming back to His little daughter, all Goodness said: “My good daughter (Luisa), it is very easy to enter My Will, since your Jesus never teaches difficult things.  My Love makes me adapt to human capabilities, so that the creature can do, with no difficulty, what I teach and what I want.  You (Luisa) must know that the first indispensable thing in order to enter My Fiat is wanting and firmly yearning to Live in It. The second thing is to take the first step since, once the first step is done, My Divine Will surrounds the creature with so much Light and attraction that she loses any desire to do her own will.  In fact, as soon as she takes a step she feels Powerful.  The night of passions, weaknesses, miseries is turned into Day—into Divine Strength; so she feels the irresistible need to take the second step, which calls for the third one, the fourth, the fifth and so on and on.

“These are the steps of the Light that embellishes the creature, Sanctifies her and makes her Happy; that puts her on the right way, making her similar to her Creator; to the extent that, not only does she feel the extreme need to Live in My Will, but she also feels It as inseparable from herself as her own life. See then, how easy it is.  But wanting is necessary. My Paternal Goodness wants it too, always present in My Will with Grace, Love and Goodness.  Since I also want it, I add My Contribution—My own Life if necessary, to give her all the help and the means—even My own Life, as her own—in order to make her Live in My Will.  I don’t hold anything back when it comes to making a creature Live in My Will. 

“My daughter (Luisa), Our Love is so Great that We fix different degrees of Beauty and Sanctity to adorn the soul in Our Divine Will. We will make these souls different from one another, distinct in their Beauty, Sanctity and Love, but all Beautiful—all Unique.  Some will remain in the Sea of Our Light and will enjoy the Goods of My Will, others will remain under the Action of My Operating Light.  These will be the most Beautiful ones, with all Our Creative Art and Operating Action.  As We find the creature in Our Will, We can do whatever We want.  She will be ready to receive Our Creative Power and We will delight in Creating New Beauties, unseen Sanctities—Love that We’ve never given to others and which they could not receive because the Life, Light and Strength of Our Will was missing.  We will hear in her Our Echo; the Creative Strength that always Generates Love and Glory; the continuous repetition of Our Acts and of Our own Life.  This is the Life of Our Fiat:  to Generate.  And where It Reigns It Generates continuously, without ever ending:  Generates in Us and keeps the Life of the Most Holy Trinity; Generates in the creature in which It Reigns; Generates Our Image, Love and Sanctity.  So, We still have a lot to do in the Work of Creation.  We have to reproduce Our Acts and Works, that will serve as the Most Beautiful Ornament for Our Heavenly Fatherland.”

After this, my mind got lost in the ocean of the Fiat, which made me aware of everything, and all seemed to belong to me as well as to God. Then my beloved Jesus, almost suffocated in His Flames of Love, added: “My blessed daughter (Luisa), one who Lives in My Will has always been inseparable from her Creator. She was with Us from all Eternity.  Our Divine Will brought her to Our Laps to Love, court and enjoy her, and since then, We have felt her love palpitating in Us, calling for the Work of Our Creative Hands, to make of her one of Our best Images.  O! how much We delighted in finding in Our Will someone in whom We could express Our Creativity.  Now, you (Luisa) must know that since these souls that Live, and will Live, in Our Fiat are inseparable from Us, they were coming down with Me when I, the Eternal Word, came down from Heaven to earth in the Excess of My Love.  They were guided by the Heavenly Queen; they formed My People, My loyal Army, My Living Royal Palace, in which I was True King of these children of My Divine Will. 

“I would never have come down from Heaven without the court of My People; without a Reign in which I could Dominate with My Laws of Love. All the centuries are just like a point for us, in which everything is Ours, in Action.  Therefore, when I came down from Heaven as Dominator and King of My children, I felt courted and Loved—as only We can do—and My Love was such that My children were all conceived together with Me. I just couldn’t be without them; I couldn’t have tolerated not finding My Loving children.  So they grew with Me in the Womb of My Queen Mother; they were born together with Me, cried with Me, did everything I did.  They walked, worked, prayed and suffered together with Me, and I can say that they were with me even on My Cross, to die and Rise Again to New Life for human generations.

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Our Will is already established. We know its numbers, we know them all by name.  We already feel them palpitating in ardent Love.  O, how much We Love them and yearn for the time to deliver them into the Daylight of Our Will on earth.  Then the children of My Volition will have in their power My Conception, My Birth, My steps, Pains and tears; they will be able to be conceived and born again as many times as they want; they will feel My steps and Pains in theirs. Since in My Will, My Birth and Life are repeated every instant, they can take Them for themselves, give Them to others, or do whatever they want. I know that they would never do what I do not want.  These children of Ours, born again, formed and fed by Our Will, will be the True Glory of Our Creation; they will crown Our Creative Work, placing the seal of their love in every created thing for the One Who did all for them and Loved them so much.”

 Fiat!