The Jubilee Indulgence

by Staff

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS ACCORDING TO WHICH AN INDULGENCE IS GRANTED TO THE FAITHFUL ON THE OCCASION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY

To My Venerable Brother Archbishop Rino Fisichella President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization With the approach of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy I would like to focus on several points which I believe require attention to enable the celebration of the Holy Year to be for all believers a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God. It is indeed my wish that the Jubilee be a living experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to it be ever more effective. My thought first of all goes to all the faithful who, whether in individual Dioceses or as pilgrims to Rome, will experience the grace of the Jubilee. I wish that the Jubilee Indulgence may reach each one as a genuine experience of God’s mercy, which comes to meet each person in the Face of the Father who welcomes and forgives, forgetting completely the sin committed. To experience and obtain the Indulgence, the faithful are called to make a brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door, open in every Cathedral or in the churches designated by the Diocesan Bishop, and in the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, as a sign of the deep desire for true conversion. Likewise, I dispose that the Indulgence may be obtained in the Shrines in which the Door of Mercy is open and in the churches which traditionally are identified as Jubilee Churches. It is important that this moment be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy. It will be necessary to accompany these celebrations with the profession of faith and with prayer for me and for the intentions that I bear in my heart for the good of the Church and of the entire world. Additionally, I am thinking of those for whom, for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door, particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to the home. For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning to pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial, receiving communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence. My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. May they all be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father who wants to be close to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom. I have asked the Church in this Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us. Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so as to obtain the grace of complete and exhaustive forgiveness by the power of the love of the Father who excludes no one. The Jubilee Indulgence is thus full, the fruit of the very event which is to be celebrated and experienced with faith, hope and charity. Furthermore, the Jubilee Indulgence can also be obtained for the deceased. We are bound to them by the witness of faith and charity that they have left us. Thus, as we remember them in the Eucharistic celebration, thus we can, in the great mystery of the Communion of Saints, pray for them, that the merciful Face of the Father free them of every remnant of fault and strongly embrace them in the unending beatitude. One of the serious problems of our time is clearly the changed relationship with respect to life. A widespread and insensitive mentality has led to the loss of the proper personal and social sensitivity to welcome new life. The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this moment as a defeat, believe they they have no other option. I think in particular of all the women who have resorted to abortion. I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope. The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it. May priests fulfil this great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence. A final consideration concerns those faithful who for various reasons choose to attend churches officiated by priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X. This Jubilee Year of Mercy excludes no one. From various quarters, several Brother Bishops have told me of their good faith and sacramental practice, combined however with an uneasy situation from the pastoral standpoint. I trust that in the near future solutions may be found to recover full communion with the priests and superiors of the Fraternity. In the meantime, motivated by the need to respond to the good of these faithful, through my own disposition, I establish that those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins. Trusting in the intercession of the Mother of Mercy, I entrust the preparations for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year to her protection.

From the Vatican, 1 September 2015

Francis

BOOK OF HEAVEN

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

 The Little Daughter of the Divine Will

 VOLUME 2 

May 19, 1899

 Humility is the safeguard of the celestial favors.

 ….Then He showed me many religious people and, among them, priests – even of holy life. But as good as they were, they lacked that spirit of simplicity in believing in the many graces and the many ways the Lord uses with souls. Jesus said to me: “I communicate Myself both to the humble and to the simple, because they immediately believe in my graces and take them into great consideration, though they may be ignorant and poor. But with these others you (Luisa) see, I am very reluctant, because the first step which draws the soul near Me is belief; and it happens that these, with all of their science and doctrine, and even holiness, never come to experience a ray of celestial light – that is, they walk along the natural way, and they never arrive at touching, even slightly, that which is supernatural. This is also the reason for which in the course of my mortal life there was not one learned, one priest, one man of power, among my followers, but all ignorant and of low condition – because these were more humble and simple, and also more disposed to make great sacrifices for Me.”

 VOLUME 2

 August 10, 1899

 About justice. The fruits of justice: truth and simplicity. How Jesus is wounded by simplicity.

 …. He (JESUS) added: “The daughter of justice is truth. Just as I am the eternal Truth, and I do not deceive, nor can I deceive, in the same way, the soul who possesses justice makes truth shine in all of her actions. Therefore, since she knows by experience the true light of truth, if someone wants to deceive her, since that light which she feels within herself is missing, she immediately recognizes the deceit. And so it happens that with this light of truth she deceives neither herself, nor her neighbor, nor can she be deceived. The fruit produced by this justice and by this truth is simplicity, which is another quality of my Being – being simple; so much so, that I penetrate everywhere; there is nothing that can prevent Me from penetrating inside of it. I penetrate into Heaven and into the abysses, into good and into evil; but my Being, which is most simple, by penetrating even into evil, does not get dirty; even more, it does not receive the slightest shadow. In the same way, through justice and truth, gathering this beautiful fruit of simplicity within herself, the soul penetrates into Heaven, she enters into hearts to lead them to Me, she penetrates into everything that is good; and if she finds herself with sinners and sees the evil that they do, she does not get dirty because, being simple, she immediately brushes it off, without receiving any harm. Simplicity is so beautiful, that my Heart is wounded at one gaze alone of a simple soul. She is the admiration of angels and men.”

 VOLUME 4

 November 22, 1901

 ….He (JESUS) made Himself seen for a little while and told me: “My daughter (Luisa), when the soul does the will of someone else in everything, it is said that she has trust in that person, therefore she lives from someone else’s volition, and not from her own. In the same way, when the soul does my Will in everything, I (JESUS) say that she has faith. So, Divine Will and faith are branches produced by the same trunk; and since faith is simple, faith and Divine Will produce a third branch, that of simplicity. And here is how the soul comes to reacquire the characteristics of a dove in everything. Don’t you (Luisa) want, then, to be my dove?”

 VOLUME 4

 April 29, 1902

….This morning my adorable Jesus came for a little, telling me: “My daughter (Luisa) , one who wants everything from God must give all of himself to God.” And He stopped, without telling me anything else for the time being. Seeing Him close to me, I said to Him: ‘Lord, have compassion on me; don’t You (JESUS) see how everything is dry and withered? It seems to me that I have become so dry, as if I had never received a drop of rain.’ And He: “So much the better. Don’t you (Luisa) know that the drier the wood, the more easily the fire devours it and converts it into fire? One spark alone is enough to ignite it. But if it is full of humors and not well dried, it takes a big fire to ignite it, and much time to convert it into fire. The same in the soul: when everything is dry, one spark alone is enough to convert her completely into fire of divine love.” And I: ‘Lord, You are making fun of me. How ugly, then, everything is; and besides, what do You have to burn if everything is dry?’ And He: “I am not making fun of you (Luisa); you (Luisa) yourself cannot comprehend that when not everything is dry in the soul, complacency is a humor, satisfaction is a humor, one’s own taste is a humor, self-esteem is a humor. On the other hand, when everything is dry and the soul operates, these humors have no place from which to arise, and the Divine Fire, finding only the soul naked, as dry as she was created by It, with no other extraneous humors, since it is something that belongs to It, it is extremely easy for It to convert her into Its very Divine Fire. And after this, I (JESUS) infuse in her a garment of peace, and this peace is preserved by interior obedience, and kept by external obedience. This peace gives birth to the whole of God within the soul – that is, to all the works, the virtues and the ways of the Humanate Word – in such a way that one can see in her His simplicity, His humility, the dependency of His infantile life, the perfection of His adult virtues, the mortification and the crucifixion of His dying. But it always begins from this: one who wants the whole of Christ must give everything to Christ.”

 VOLUME 7

 July 31, 1906

Jesus speaks about simplicity.

 ….Continuing in my usual state, blessed Jesus came for a little, and embracing me wholly, He told me: “My daughter (Luisa), simplicity is to virtues as condiment to foods. For a simple soul there are neither keys nor doors to enter into Me, nor are there for Me to enter into her, because from all sides she can enter into Me, and I into her. Even more, to better say it, she finds herself in Me without entering because, by her simplicity, she comes to resemble Me, Who am most simple Spirit, and only because I am most simple I am present everywhere and nothing can escape my hand. A simple soul is like the light of the Sun – in spite of any fog, or of the fact that its rays pass through whatever rubbish, it remains always light, it gives light to all, and it never changes. In the same way, a simple soul, no matter what mortification or displeasure she may receive, does not cease to be light for herself and for those who have mortified her. And if she sees evil things, she does not become stained, but remains always light; nor does she change, because simplicity is that virtue which most resembles the Divine Being. Only through this virtue can one participate in the other divine qualities, and only in the soul who is simple are there no impediments or obstacles for Divine Grace to enter and to operate. In fact, since both one and the other are light, one light easily unites and transforms into the other.”

 VOLUME 7

 October 3, 1906

Jesus speaks about simplicity.

 ….As I was in my usual state, blessed Jesus came for just a little, and told me: “My daughter (Luisa) , simplicity fills the soul with Grace to the point of diffusing outside; so, if one wanted to constrain Grace within her, this could not be done. In fact, just as the Spirit of God, because He is most simple, diffuses everywhere without effort or strain, but rather, naturally; in the same way, the soul who possesses the virtue of simplicity diffuses Grace into others without even realizing it.”

VOLUME 10

 May 19, 1911

….Continuing in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus made Himself seen all afflicted, and I was around Him, all intent on compassionating Him, loving Him, embracing Him and consoling Him, with all the fullness of confidence; and my sweet Jesus told me: “My daughter (Luisa) , you are my contentment. I like it this way – that the soul forgets about herself, about her miseries, and occupies herself only with Me, with My afflictions, with My bitternesses, with My love, and she remains around Me with all confidence. This confidence captures my Heart and inundates Me with so much joy that, just as the soul forgets all of herself for Me, I forget everything for her, and I make her one single thing for Me; and I reach the point of not only giving her, but of letting her take everything she wants. On the other hand, to the soul who does not forget everything for Me, even her miseries, and who, if she wants to be around Me, does so with all respect, with fear and without the confidence that captures my Heart, as though wanting to be with Me with fearful restraint and all circumspect – to this one I give nothing, and she can take nothing, because the key of confidence, of ease, of simplicity is missing. These are all necessary things in order for Me to give, and for her to receive; and so, she comes with miseries, and with miseries she remains.”

 VOLUME 11

 February 24, 1912

The soul who lives in the Divine Will loses her temperament and acquires that of Jesus.

 ….So I added: ‘My Love, tell me, what is your temperament?’ And Jesus: “One who lives in my Will loses her temperament and acquires mine. So, the soul who lives in my Will finds in herself a pleasant, attractive, penetrating, dignified temperament, and altogether simple – a child-like simplicity; in sum, she looks like Me in everything. Even more, she keeps her temperament within her power as she wants and as it’s needed. Since she lives in my Will, she takes part in my Power, so she keeps at her disposal all things, and herself . According to the circumstances and to the people she deals with, she takes my temperament and applies it.”

 VOLUME 11

 August 20, 1913

One who lives in the Divine Will must have trust, simplicity and disinterest in giving to all.

 While I was praying, I saw my always adorable Jesus within me, and many souls around me, who were saying: ‘Lord, You have placed everything in this soul!’ And stretching their hands toward me, they said: ‘Since Jesus is in you , and all His goods are with Him, take them and give them to us.’ I remained confused, and blessed Jesus told me: “My daughter (Luisa), all possible goods are contained in my Will, and it is necessary for the soul who lives in It to be in It with trust, operating as owner together with Me. Creatures expect everything from this soul, and if they don’t receive, they feel defrauded. But how can she give if she does not operate together with Me in complete confidence? Therefore, trust in giving; simplicity in communicating herself to all; disinterest for herself, to be able to live completely for Me and for her neighbor are necessary for the soul who lives in my Will. Such am I.”

 VOLUME 13

 November 19, 1921

The truth is simple.

 ….However, know that simplicity enters into all truths as the first nourishment. If the truths were not simple, they would not be light, and they could not penetrate into human minds to enlighten them; and where there is no light, objects can not be distinguished. Simplicity is not only light, but it is like the air that one breathes which, though it cannot be seen, gives respiration to all; and if it wasn’t for the air, the earth and everyone would remain without motion. Therefore, if the virtues, the truths, do not carry the mark of simplicity, they will be without light and without air.”

VOLUME 25

 December 16, 1928

….“These nine excesses of My Love, manifested with so much love of tenderness and simplicity, formed the prelude of the many lessons I was to give you about My Divine Fiat, in order to form Its Kingdom.  And now, by their being read, My Love is renewed and redoubled.  Don’t you (Luisa) want, then, that My Love, being redoubled, overflow outside and invest more hearts, so that, as a prelude, they may dispose themselves for the lessons of My Will, to make It known and reign?” 

  VOLUME 27

 November 6, 1929

 ….Then, my poor and little mind kept wandering within the Divine Fiat, and my lovable Jesus added: “My daughter (Luisa), My Divine Will simplifies the creature, It empties her so much of everything that does not belong to It, that nothing else is left of the human being but a complex of simplicity.  Simple the gaze, the word, the manners, the steps; the mark of the Divine simplicity can be seen in her as though in a mirror.  Therefore, when My Divine Will reigns on earth, pretense, lie, that can be called origin of every evil, will no longer exist; while simplicity, as origin of every true good, will be the true characteristic that will point out that here reigns the Divine Will. 

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

The Little Daughter of the Divine Will

VOLUME 18 

December 20, 1925 

The tears of Jesus; how He shed the tears of all creatures.  To live in the Divine Will means to possess It as one’s own. 

I was thinking of the tears that Baby Jesus shed at His birth, and I said to myself:  ‘How bitter these tears must have been for Him; how they must have now frozen, now burned that tender face.’  In fact, from what I know, tears have two effects depending on the reason for which they are shed:  if their cause comes from love, they burn and make one sob; if then they are produced by sorrow, they are ice-cold and make one shiver.  For my royal little Baby there was intense and infinite love, and endless sorrow; so, His tears must have cost Him very much.’  Now, while I was thinking about this, my sweet Jesus moved in my interior, and showed His face wet with tears – but so many, that one flowed after the other, to the point of wetting His chest and His hands.  And, sighing, He said to me:  “My daughter (Luisa), my tears began from the very first instant of my conception in the womb of my Celestial Mama, up to my last breath on the Cross.  The Will of my Celestial Father entrusted to Me also the task of tears, and I was to shed so many of them from my eyes, for as many as all creatures together would shed.  Just as I conceived all of their souls within Me, so was I to shed all of their tears from my eyes.

See, then, how much I had to cry.  I had to shed from my eyes the tears which creatures shed out of passion, so that mine might extinguish their passions.  I had to shed the tears which are needed after sin, to give them the sorrow for having offended Me and the conviction of the evil they had done, preparing, with my tears, the resolution not to offend Me anymore.  I had to shed the tears in order to move souls to compassion, to make them comprehend the pains of my Passion; and I also shed abundant tears of love, in order to electrify souls to love Me, to draw their sympathy and their hearts, all for Me.  It is enough to tell you (Luisa) that there is not one tear that arises on the human eye, which I did not shed from my eyes.  No one knew of my many tears, of my much crying, hidden and secret.  How many times, even as a tender Child, I flew from earth up to Heaven, and leaning my little head upon the knees of my Celestial Father, I cried and cried, and, sobbing, I said to Him:  ‘My Father, You see, I am born in the world to tears and to sorrow, just like my brothers, who are born to tears, and die amidst crying.  And I love these brothers so much, that I want to shed all of their tears from my eyes.  Not even one do I want to let escape, so as to give to their tears, tears of love, of sorrow, of victory, of sanctification and of divinization.’  How many times my dear Mama, in looking at Me, was pierced in seeing Me all wet with crying; and because of the pain of seeing Me cry, She united Her tears to mine, and we cried together.  And sometimes I was forced to hide Myself to give vent to crying, so as not to always pierce Her maternal and innocent Heart.  Other times, I waited for the moment when my Celestial Mama, out of necessity, had to occupy Herself with housework, to give vent to my tears, in order to complete the number of tears of all creatures.”

On hearing this, I said to Him:  ‘My Love, Jesus, so, your eyes have shed also my tears, as well as those of our first father Adam.  And I want You to pour them upon my soul, to give me the grace not only to do your Most Holy Will, but to possess It as my own thing and my own will.’  At that moment, Jesus shook His head, and from His face tears flowed onto my poor soul; and He added:  “Daughter of my Will (Luisa), indeed I shed your tears, so that, as they would pass through my eyes, I might give you (Luisa) the great gift of my Will.  That which Adam could not receive with his tears, even though they too passed through my eyes, you (Luisa) can receive.  In fact, before sinning, Adam possessed my Will, and with the possession of my Will he grew in the likeness of his Creator; and he grew so much as to form the enchantment of all Heaven, and all felt honored in serving him.  After sin, he lost the possession of my Will, and even though he wept over his fault and he sinned no more, he was able to do my Will, but not to possess It, because the Divine Offended One was missing, who was to form the new divine graft between the creature and the Creator, in order to let him cross again the thresholds of the possessions of the Eternal Volition. 

This graft was made by Me, Eternal Word, after four thousand years, when Adam had already passed on to the thresholds of Eternity.  But in spite of this divine graft done by Me with tears and sighs and unheard-of pains, how many reduce themselves to the conditions of Adam after sin – merely doing my Will?  Others, do not want to know It; others rebel against It.  Only one who lives in my Will rises to the state of Adam innocent, before falling into sin.  In fact, there is great distance between those who do my Will and those who possess It – the same distance which passes between Adam innocent and Adam after sin.  And I, in coming upon earth, was to act as God; I was to complete the work of man in everything; I was to raise him to the first point of his origin, by giving him the possession of my Will.  And even though many make use of my coming as remedy for their salvation, and therefore take my Will as medicine, as strength and as antidote in order not to go to hell, I will wait still, that souls may arise who take It as life; and by making It known, they may take possession of It.  In this way, I will complete the work of my coming upon earth, and the divine graft formed anew with the creature, will have fruit.  Then will my tears turn into celestial and divine smiles, for Me and for them.”

OUR LADY OF AMERICA

PRAYERS BY SISTER MARY EPHREM

Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil)

08/02/1916

01/10/2000

Sister Mary Ephrem writes to her Spiritual director Fr. Leibold concerning the composition of this prayer:…

“I was getting some things ready for the following morning, In the Midst of it I was seized with an indescribable impulse. Thoughts of the Trinity and being conformed to the likeness of Christ filled my mind and my heart… My whole longing was to live a life of complete adoration, in union with Christ.

I was suffering a great deal for I was inconsolable at the thought of my own ingratitude and of the crimes which sinners commit against God.”

Prayer to Our Lady of America, Patroness of our Land

Written at the behest of Our Lady, October 5, 1956

by Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil)

Oh Immaculate Mother, Queen of our country, open our hearts, our homes, and our land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of Gods light shining in and about you. Be our leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior,

Who loves us with infinite charity.

We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the world an abyss of evil, without God and without your loving maternal care.

We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most Pure Heart, O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God, may be firmly established in us.

We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother, for we believe in your great love for us, and we place in you our entire confidence. We promise to honor you by faith, love,

and the purity of our lives according to your desire.

Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, your children of America, as your instruments of peace among men and nations. Work your miracles of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed,

and sanctifies us.

May your valiant spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints, assist you and us in “renewing the face of the earth.” Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother, and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom, where your Son reigns forever as King.

Amen! (200 days)

Nihil Obstat: Daniel Pilarczyk, S.T.D.

Imprimatur: +Paul F. Leibold, V.G. Cincinnati, Jan. 25, 1963

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The mystery of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by St John, the Precursor, proposes the contemplation of an already adult Jesus. This mystery is infinitely linked to the Solemnities of the Lord’s birth and the Epiphany that we have just celebrated, as in some ways it takes up and represents their significance to us.

At Christmas we have contemplated the human birth of the Word incarnate by the Virgin Mary. In the 4th century, the Fathers of the Church deepened the understanding of the faith with regard to the Christmas mystery in the light of Jesus’ Humanity. They spoke of the Incarnation of the Word already working like the ‘Christification’ of that humanity that he had assumed from His mother. Or put in simpler terms: Jesus is the Christ from the first instant of conception in Mary’s spotless womb because He Himself, with His Divine Power, consecrated, anointed and ‘Christified’ that human nature with which He became incarnate.

In the mystery of the Epiphany, we then meditated on Christ’s manifestation to all nations that was represented by the Magi, the wise men from the East, who came to adore the Child.

Now, in the mystery of Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan River, we again encounter and represent the truth of the Lord’s incarnation and His manifestation as the Christ. Jesus’ Baptism is in fact His definitive manifestation as the Messiah or Christ to Israel, and as the Son of the Father to the entire world. Here we find the dimension of the Epiphany which was His manifestation to all nations. The Father’s voice from heaven shows that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Son and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove shows the Trinitarian nature of the Christian God. The true and unique God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shows Himself in Christ, through Him, with Him and in Him.

The Baptism in the Jordan returns to the great Christmas theme of ‘Christification,’ Jesus of Nazareth’s spiritual anointing, His presentation as the Anointed One par excellence, the Messiah or the One sent by the Father for the salvation of mankind. The Spirit that descended on Jesus shows and seals in an incontrovertible way the ‘Christification’ of Jesus’ humanity that the Word had already fulfilled from the first moment of His miraculous conception by Mary. Jesus, from the very beginning, was always the Lord’s Christ, He was always God. Yet, His one, true humanity, that which is perfect in every way, as the Gospel records, constantly grew in natural and supernatural perfection. ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with men’ (Lk2:52). In Israel at 30 years of age, one reached full maturity and therefore could become a master. Jesus came of age and the Spirit, descending and remaining on Him, definitively consecrated His whole being as the Christ.

The same Spirit, that descended on the water of the River Jordan wafted over the waters during the first creation (Gen 1:2). Therefore, the Baptism in the Jordan presents yet another truth: that Jesus has started a new creation. He is the second man (1 Cor 15:47) or the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that comes to repair the first Adam’s guilt. He does this as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. ‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners’ (Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p 18).

Excerpted from the Congregation for the Clergy

BOOK OF HEAVEN

 VOLUME 13 

September 14, 1921

Each time the soul does her acts in the Divine Will, she grows more and more in sanctity.

Continuing in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus, on coming, told me: “My daughter (Luisa), each time the soul does her acts in my Will, she grows more and more before Me in wisdom, in goodness, in power and beauty. In fact, as she keeps repeating her acts in my Will, she takes more bites of wisdom, of goodness, etc.; and the soul grows with the food from which she feeds herself. This is why in the Holy Gospel it is written that I grew in wisdom before God and before men. As God, I could neither grow nor decrease. My growth was just in my Humanity which, growing in age, came to multiply my acts in the Supreme Volition; and each additional act I did was additional growth in the Wisdom of the Celestial Father. This growth of Mine was so true that even creatures noticed it. Each one of my acts ran in the immense sea of the Divine Will; and as I operated, I nourished Myself with this Celestial Food. It would take too long to tell you about the seas of Wisdom, of Goodness, of Beauty and Power that my Humanity swallowed in every additional act It performed.

The same happens to the soul. My daughter (Luisa), Sanctity in the Divine Will grows in every instant – there is nothing that can escape from growing, and that the soul cannot let flow in the infinite sea of my Will. The most indifferent things – sleep, food, work, etc. – can enter into my Will and take their place of honor as agents of my Will. If only the soul wants it so, all things, from the greatest to the smallest, can be opportunities to enter my Will – which does not happen with virtues. In fact, if one wants to exercise the virtues, many times the occasion is missing. If the soul wants to exercise obedience, it takes someone who commands her, and it may happen that for days and weeks there is no one to give new orders for her to obey; therefore, as much as goodwill to obey as she might have, poor obedience will remain idle. The same with patience, humility and all the other virtues; since they are virtues of this low world, other creatures are needed in order to exercise them. On the other hand, my Will is virtue of Heaven, and I alone am enough to maintain the soul every instant in continuous exercise. It is easy for Me to keep her up night and day, in order to maintain her exercised in my Will.”