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10/18 Feast Day of St. Luke the Evangelist

10/18 Feast Day of St. Luke the Evangelist

In order to find the Divinity, one must operate united with the Humanity of Christ and with His very Will. 

Continuing in my usual state, blessed Jesus came for just a little and told me:  “My daughter, it is necessary to operate through the veil of the Humanity of Christ in order to find the Divinity – that is, to operate united with His Humanity, with the very Will of Christ, as if His Will and that of the soul were one, in order to please Him alone; operating with His very ways, directing everything to Christ, calling Him in everything the soul does, as if He Himself were to do her very actions.  By doing this, the soul finds herself in continuous contact with God.  In fact, for Christ, His Humanity was nothing other than a sort of veil that covered the Divinity; therefore, by operating in the midst of these veils, she already finds herself with God.  One who does not want to operate through His Most Holy Humanity and wants to find Christ, is like one who wants to find the fruit without finding the skin – it is impossible.”

St. Luke

Along with St. Matthew, St. Luke offers the events before the birth of Jesus as well as episodes from His childhood (the two other Evangelists, St. Mark and St. John, begin their Gospels with Christ’s public ministry).

St. Luke was most likely a Gentile doctor who accompanied St. Paul on numerous missions, notably to Greece, Macedonia, and Jerusalem. The Gospel according to St. Luke was written in the latter part of the 1st century A.D. in idiomatic Greek and with Gentile readers in mind. None of this explains why the book contains such treasures for the reader and the artist.

There are two Annunciations in St. Luke; the Angel Gabriel comes to Elizabeth first and then to Mary. In Luke we hear for the first time the great hymns which will inspire mankind with hope: the Ave Marie and the Magnificat. In Luke we find out why Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem. In Luke, the Angels of the Lord are awesome beings, striking fear and terror at first and then great joy. In short, there simply wouldn’t be a Christmas to celebrate without the events narrated in St. Luke’s goepel.

St. Luke is the patron saint of doctors and artists.

Book of Heaven – January 18, 1928
Necessity of the first priests of the Kingdom of the Fiat

… “My daughter, you are worried, but I am not disappointed at all; on the contrary I enjoy in seeing the interest that priests take in these writings which will form the Kingdom of My Will. This means that they appreciate the great good of them, and each one would want to keep such a great treasure with himself, to be the first to communicate it to others. And while the issue of who is going to win lasts, one approaches the other in order to consult one another on what to do. And I enjoy that more of my ministers get to know that there is this treasure so great, of making known the Kingdom of My Divine Will; and I use this to form the first priests of My coming Kingdom of My Fiat. My daughter, it is a great necessity to form the first priests; they will serve Me like the Apostles served Me to form My Church; and the ones who will occupy themselves with these writings in order to publish them, putting them out to print them – to make them known, will be the new evangelists of the Kingdom of My Supreme Will. And just as the ones who are most mentioned in My Gospel are the four evangelists who wrote It, to their highest honor and My glory, so it will be for those who will occupy themselves with writing the knowledges on My Will in order to publish them. Like new evangelists, there will be greater mention of them in the Kingdom of my Will, to their highest honor and My great glory in seeing the order of the creature, the life of Heaven on earth – the only purpose of Creation – return into My Bosom. Therefore, in these circumstances I expand the circle, and, like a fisherman, I catch those who must serve Me for a Kingdom so Holy. Therefore, let Me do, and do not be worried.”

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10/17 Thousands of Angels are the Guardians of the Acts done in the Divine Will

THE BOOK OF HEAVEN

Ersonal Reflection pic 

Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta, The Little Daughter of the Divine Will

 VOLUME 14 

April 25, 1922

Thousands of Angels are the guardians and custodians of the acts done in the Divine Will.

Continuing in my usual state, I felt all immersed in the Divine Volition, and my sweet Jesus told me: “My daughter(Luisa), just as the Sun does not leave the plant, but caresses it with its light, fecundates it with its heat until it produces fruits and flowers; and then, jealous, it makes them mature, it keeps them with its light, and only then does it leave the fruit when the farmer picks it to make of it his food, the same for the acts done in my Will: my Love, my jealousy toward them is such that Grace caresses them, my Love conceives them, fecundates them and matures them. I place thousands of Angels as custodians of one single act done in my Will. In fact, since these acts done in my Will are seeds so that my Will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven, everyone is jealous of these acts. Their dew is my breath; their shadow is my Light. The Angels remain enraptured by them and, reverent, they adore them, because in these acts they see the Eternal Volition, which deserves all their adoration. Only then do they leave these acts, when I find souls who, picking them as divine fruits, make of them food for their own souls. Oh, fecundity and multiplicity of these acts! The creature herself who does them cannot count them.”

Then I was thinking to myself: ‘How is it possible that these acts be so great? And why do even Angels remain enraptured?’ And Jesus, squeezing me more tightly in His arms, added: “My daughter(Luisa), these acts are so great that, as the soul keeps doing them, there is nothing, both in Heaven and on earth, in which she does not take part. She remains in communication with all created things. All the good, the effects, the value of the heavens, of the Sun, of the stars, of water, of fire, etc., are not only in continuous relations with her, but they are her own things. She harmonizes with the whole Creation, and the whole of Creation harmonizes within her.

Why, then? Because those who live in my Will are the depositories, the preservers, the supporters, the defenders of my Will. They foresee what I want, and without Me commanding, they execute what I want; and comprehending the greatness, the Sanctity of my Will, they keep It and defend It jealously. How could everyone not remain enraptured in seeing these souls who form the support of their God, by virtue of the prodigy of my Will? Who can ever defend my rights if not one who lives in my Will? Who can ever really love Me, with love of disinterest similar to my Love, if not one who lives in my Will? I feel stronger in these souls, but strong of my own Strength. I am like a king surrounded by faithful ministers, who feels stronger, more glorious, more sustained, in the midst of his faithful ones than by himself alone. If he remains alone, he regrets not having his ministers, because he has no one with whom to pour himself out, and to whom to entrust the lot of his kingdom. So I am – and who could ever be more faithful to Me than one who lives in my Will? I feel my Will being duplicated, therefore I feel more glorious, I pour Myself out with them, and I trust them.”

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10/16 Today is the Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Anniversary of the Mystical Marriage (on earth) of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta with Our Lord Jesus Christ

10/16 Today is the Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Anniversary of the Mystical Marriage (on earth) of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta with Our Lord Jesus Christ

Feast of the Purity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary
 

Today is also the Anniversary of the Mystical Marriage (on earth)
of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta with Our Lord Jesus Christ

Short excerpt from Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta from the “Book of Heaven, The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose for which He was Created by God – Volume One”.  Longer excerpt follows:

On the morning of the aforementioned day (Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, October 16, 1888), Jesus made Himself seen again all affable, sweet and majestic, together with His Most Holy Mother and Saint Catherine. First, the angels sang a hymn, while Saint Catherine assisted me (Luisa), Mama (the Most Holy Virgin Mary) took my hand, and Jesus put the ring on my (Luisa’s) finger. Then, we embraced and He kissed me, and so did Mama also. Then we (Jesus and Luisa) had a conversation, all of love – Jesus told me of the great love He had for me, and I also told Him of the love I had for Him. The Most Holy Virgin made me (Luisa) comprehend the great grace I had received, and the correspondence with which I was to correspond to the love of Jesus.

*****

Book of Heaven
The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose
for which He was Created by God
Volume One

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

. . . “See, it will not be only for the good of creatures that I (Jesus) want these continuous sufferings, but also for your (Luisa’s) good. In this state of sufferings I (Jesus) will purify your (Luisa’s) soul thoroughly, in such a way as to dispose you (Luisa) to form a mystical marriage with Me (Jesus); and after this, I (Jesus) will make the last transformation, in such a way that both of us (Jesus and Luisa) will become like two candles placed on the fire – one is transformed into the other and they form a single one. In this way I (Jesus) will transform Myself in you (Luisa), and you  (Luisa) will remain crucified with Me (Jesus). Ah! would you not be happy if you could say: ‘The Bridegroom is crucified, but the bride also is crucified? Ah! yes, there is nothing that renders me dissimilar from Him.’ . . .

. . . My sweet Jesus would do nothing but dispose me (Luisa) to that mystical marriage which He (Jesus) had promised me (Luisa). When I was in that state (Luisa’s state of victimhood), He (Jesus) would make Himself seen sometimes three times a day, sometimes four, as He pleased; and sometimes it was a continuous coming and going. He seemed to be a sweetheart who cannot be without his spouse. This is how Jesus was with me, and sometimes He reached the point of telling me: “You see, I love you so much that I cannot be without coming. I feel almost restless, thinking that you are there suffering for Me, and you are alone; this is why I have come – to see if you need something.” . . .

. . . Now, while seeing Jesus or the priest celebrating the Divine Sacrifice, Jesus would make me (Luisa) understand that in the Mass there is all the depth of our Sacrosanct Religion. Ah! yes, the Mass tells us everything and speaks to us about everything. The Mass reminds us of our Redemption; It speaks to us, step by step, about the pains that Jesus suffered for us; It also manifests to us His immense love, for He was not content with dying on the Cross, but He wanted to continue His state of victim in the Most Holy Eucharist. The Mass also tells us that our bodies, decayed, reduced to ashes by death, will rise again on the day of the judgment, together with Christ, to immortal and glorious life. Jesus made me comprehend that the most consoling thing for a Christian, and the highest and most sublime mysteries of our holy religion are: Jesus in the Sacrament and the resurrection of our bodies to glory. These are profound mysteries, which we will comprehend only beyond the stars; but Jesus in the Sacrament makes us almost touch them with our own hands, in different ways.

First, His Resurrection; second, His state of annihilation under those species, though it is certain that Jesus is there present, alive and real. Then, once those species are consumed, His real presence no longer exists. And as the species are consecrated again, He comes again to assume His sacramental state. So, Jesus in the Sacrament reminds us of the resurrection of our bodies to glory: just as Jesus, when His sacramental state ceases resides in the womb of God, His Father, the same for us – when our lives cease, our souls go and make their dwelling in Heaven, in the womb of God, while are bodies are consumed. So, one can say that they will no longer exist; but then, with a prodigy of the omnipotence of God, our bodies will acquire new life, and uniting with the soul, will go together to enjoy the eternal beatitude. Can there be anything more consoling for a human heart than the fact that not only the soul, but also the body will be beatified in the eternal contentments? It seems to me that on that day it will happen as when the sky is starry and the sun comes out. What happens? With its immense light, the sun absorbs the stars and makes them disappear; yet the stars exist. The sun is God, and all of the blessed souls are the stars; with His immense light, God will absorb us all within Himself, in such a way that we will exist in God and will swim in the immense sea of God. Oh! how many things Jesus in the Sacrament tells us; but who can tell them all? I would really be too long. If the Lord allows it, I will reserve saying something else on other occasions.

Now, during these exits that the Lord would make me (Luisa) do, sometimes He (Jesus) would renew the promise of the marriage, which I already mentioned. Who can tell the ardent yearnings that the Lord infused in me for this mystical marriage to take place? Many times I would solicit Him, telling Him: “Most sweet Spouse, hurry, no longer delay my intimate union with You. O please! let us bind each other with stronger bonds of love, so that no one may ever again be able to separate us, even for simple instants.”

And Jesus would correct me now about one thing, now about another. I remember that one day He said to me: “Everything that is of the earth, everything – everything you (Luisa)  must remove, not only from your heart, but also from your body. You cannot understand how harmful are the slightest earthly shadows, and how much they hinder love.”

Immediately I said to Him: “If I have something else that must be removed, tell me, for I am ready to do it.” But as I was saying this, I myself realized that I had a gold ring at my finger, portraying the image of the Crucifix; and immediately I said to Him:”‘Holy Spouse, do you want me to take it off?”

And He told me: “Since I Myself will give you a more precious, more beautiful ring, which will have my living image impressed on it, and every time you will look at it your heart will receive new arrows of love – this one is not necessary.” And I promptly removed it.

The longed for day finally arrived, after not a little suffering. I (Luisa) remember that it was almost one year that I had been continuously in bed – it was the day of the purity of Mary Most Holy (October 16th). On the night before that day (October 15th), my lover Jesus made Himself seen all festive. He drew near me, took my heart in His hands, and He looked at it over and over again; He dusted it, and then He gave it back to me. Then He took a garment of immense beauty, whose background seemed to be a surface of gold streaked with various colors, and He clothed me with that garment. Then He took two gems, as if they were earrings, and He bejewelled my ears. Then He adorned my neck and my arms, and surrounded my forehead with a crown of immense value, all enriched with precious stones and gems, all refulgent with light; and it seemed to me that those lights were as many voices which resounded among themselves, speaking in clear notes of the beauty, the power, the fortitude, and of all the other virtues of my spouse Jesus. Who can tell what I comprehended, and in what sea of consolation my soul was swimming? It is impossible to say it.

Now, while He (Jesus) was crowning my (Luisa’s) forehead, Jesus told me (Luisa): “Most sweet spouse, I (Jesus) place this crown upon you (Luisa) so that nothing may be missing in order to make you (Luisa) worthy of being My spouse; but then, after our wedding is finished, I (Jesus) will take it with Me to Heaven, to keep it for you (Luisa) at the moment of your death.” Finally, He took a veil and covered me completely with it, from head to foot; and He left me in that way. Ah! it seemed to me that there was a great meaning in that veil, because the demons, in seeing me all covered with that veil, were so frightened and had such fear of me, that they fled, terrified. The very angels were around me with such veneration, that I myself was confused and all full of blushing.

On the morning of the aforementioned day (Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, October 16th), Jesus made Himself seen again all affable, sweet and majestic, together with His Most Holy Mother and Saint Catherine. First, the angels sang a hymn, while Saint Catherine assisted me (Luisa), Mama took my hand, and Jesus put the ring on my (Luisa’s) finger. Then, we embraced and He kissed me, and so did Mama also. Then we (Jesus and Luisa) had a conversation, all of love – Jesus told me of the great love He had for me, and I also told Him of the love I had for Him. The Most Holy Virgin made me (Luisa) comprehend the great grace I had received, and the correspondence with which I was to correspond to the love of Jesus.

10/16 Today is also the Feast Day of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

 

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Marguerite Marie Alacoque was born in Burgundy, France on July 22, 1647. She was the fifth of seven children. When her father died, the eight-year old Margaret was placed in a convent school where she was immediately attracted to the life of the nuns. The nuns, in turn, were surprised at the little girl’s devotion and spiritual progress and were able to get permission for her to receive her First Communion at the age of nine. During the 17th century, it was extremely rare for a Catholic to receive Communion before he or she was a teenager.

At the age of 11, Margaret became bedridden when she developed paralysis because of polio.  Margaret recovered in 1662 after vowing to become a nun.  Her last nine years at home were not easy, however.  Her mother had turned Margaret and her sisters into little more than servants and she was completely against her daughter’s religious ideas.  After her brother kindly supplied her dowry, margaret joined the Order of the Visitation in June of 1671.

Margaret had received visions of Our Lord throughout the majority of her life and consequently had forgotten how rare this gift is.  Once in the convent, she renewed her devotion to God after struggling with serval other nuns who doubted her vocation.  Also, Margaret was beginning to see terrifying visions of Our Lord undergoing His Passion.

On December 27, 1673, Margaret was in Adoration when she received a vision of Jesus who invited her to take the place of Saint John the Apostle at the Last Supper and to rest her head on His Heart.  He told her how much He loves mankind and that He and chosen her to be the disciple of His Sacred Heart.

Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Margaret several more times and asked her to promote frequent Holy Hars and the First Friday devotion.  He also asked that the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be designated as the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

Margaret’s superior did not immediately believe what her daughter told her.  When Margaret later became ill, Mother de Saumaise said that if God let her die, it was a sign that her visions were false.  When the nun miraculously recovered, however, she was forced to present margaret’s case to higher authorities.

At first, Margaret was condemned as a liar.  However, her confessor, Saint Claude de la Colombiere, believed her and, which his help, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus spread.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque died on October 17, 1690.  She was, unfortunately, not canonized until May 13, 1920.  She is considered the patron saint of devotees to the Sacred Heart and of polio patients.

Although her feast day was originally October 17, it was later moved to October 16 in order to give precedence to Saint Ignatius of Antioch.

20.  To Federico Abresch from Bologna from the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

In Voluntate Dei! – Fiat

Most esteemed one in the Lord,

You cannot imagine the contentment I feel when I hear that one wants to live in the Divine Will, because it is a victory of Jesus; and as He conquers our will, we conquer His Own.  In the Kingdom of the Divine Will no one loses, we are all winners, both God and the creature.

I am surprised by your doubts.  How is it?  Don’t you know that Redemption is preparation for the Kingdom of the Divine Will?  And the Sacred Heart of Jesus is nothing other than the immense Reign of His Will.  It is not the Heart that dominates; it is the Divine Will that dominates His Divine Heart.  Poor Heart, if it did not have a Will to dominate it, it would be good at nothing.  If the will is good, the heart is good; if the will is holy, the heart is holy.  If our will gives place to the Divine, letting It raise Its throne in our will, the heart acquires the divine qualities by grace.  Therefore, both in the Divine and in the human order, it is always the will that has the first place, the prime act, its rule.  The heart and all the rest are in the secondary order… Therefore, to say that the Heart reigns, if the Divine Will does not reign, is absurd.  They can be called devotions, pious practices…; if the Divine Will does not reign, the Kingdom does not exist.  It exists in Heaven, but has no place on earth.  However, the Holy Church, organ and messenger of the Supreme Fiat, through the Sacred Heart, through the Celestial Mama, beseeches the Kingdom of the Divine Will.  She does not say it with words, but says it with facts.  The Divine Volition is the King – His Heart, His wounds, His precious Blood, the sweet Queen, form the ministers that surround the King, and through them beseech the Kingdom of the Divine Will in souls.

Now, how can one know It?  All the necessary things, the different circumstances in which we may find ourselves, are Will of God for us.  If we are really determined to live in It, God is so pleased that, if miracles are needed, He will make them in order not to let us use our will.  It is up to us to truly decide, and be willing to give even our life in order to live in It; and dear Jesus and the Sovereign Queen will take on the commitment, will be our sentries, and will surround us with such graces as to not let us be betrayed by our own wills.  More so, since our Lord does not teach difficult things, nor does He impose them or want them, but He facilitates all that He wants from us in an admirable way; even more, He puts Himself in our place to make it easy for us, and does together with us all that He wants us to do.

I commend myself to your prayers and also to my good daughter Amelia.  Make yourselves saints.  May the Divine Volition stretch out Its arms to you, to raise you in Its womb.  Look at all things as bearers of It, to give you Its life, Its sanctity… The little one – raise him holy, as a gift of the Fiat; who knows whether your desires to see him religious and holy may not be fulfilled.  So I leave you all in the Divine Volition; let me always find you in It.  And with a thousand regards to the father, to the mother and to the son, I say,

most affectionately yours,

the little daughter of the Divine Will

***

Extending the Rays of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Book of Heaven – March 25, 1928

After this, my sweet Jesus made Himself seen with His Divine Heart unleashing many rays of light; each knowledge about the Divine Will was impressed at the point from which the rays started, in such a way as to form the most beautiful crown of light around that Divine Heart. And my beloved Jesus added:

“My daughter, look what a beautiful crown of glory and of light my Divine Heart possesses! A more beautiful and refulgent crown It could not possess. These rays are all the knowledges about my Will; however, these rays are hampered – they cannot extend, because their knowledges are not known; this is why they cannot extend and expand so as to fill the whole earth with light. It happens as it would to the Sun if its rays, which start from the center of its sphere, were forced to remain in the air, without being able to extend so as to touch the earth and invest it with light and heat. Unable to extend its rays, the Sun would not be able to give the effects that its light contains, nor could the earth receive them. There would be a certain distance between the earth and the light of the Sun, and this distance would prevent the Sun from doing good to the earth, and the earth would be sterile and infertile. Such are the knowledges about my Fiat:

if they are not made known, their rays cannot extend and take souls as though in their hands to warm them, to remove from them the torpor of the human will, to mold them anew, to transform them again in the life which my Fiat wants to infuse into them; because these knowledges are, and contain, the new creation of transforming the creature as he came out of Our creative hands.”

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10/15 Jesus gives Luisa the Key to His Will

JESUS GIVES LUISA THE KEY TO HIS WILL FROM THE BOOK OF HEAVEN

Ersonal Reflection pic 

Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta, The Little Daughter of the Divine Will

 VOLUME 6

March 2, 1905

Jesus gives Luisa the key of His Will. 

Continuing in my usual state, I found myself outside of myself, and I found myself with a key in my hand; and even though I was covering a long way and sometimes I would get distracted, yet, as soon as I would think about the key, I would always find it in my hand.  Now, I could see that this key served to open a palace, and inside of it there was Baby Jesus, sleeping; but I could see everything from afar, and I was all in haste – in a hurry to go there and open it, for fear that He might wake up, that He might cry, and would not find me near Him.  So I hastened more and more, but when I got there, just about to go up, I found myself inside myself, and I remained concerned.  However, afterwards, when blessed Jesus came, He told me:  “My daughter(Luisa), the key that you(Luisa) always found in your hand is the key of my Will which I have placed in your hands; and one who has an object in his hand can do with it whatever he wants.”

 

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10/14 Novena of Holy Christmas-The Nine Excesses of Love Starts Today

10/14 NOVENA OF HOLY CHRISTMAS – THE NINE EXCESSES OF LOVE STARTS TODAY!

Preparation for Holy Christmas during the Season of Advent
Luisa Piccarreta, the Little Daughter of the Divine Will

Let us prepare ourselves for the Great Feast of Holy Christmas by meditating on the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, attentively and continuously, during the Season of Advent, with the Christmas Novena (the Nine Excesses of Love) which the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will did for the first time at the age of seventeen, and which she never abandoned during the course of her life.

Here below is a suggested schedule of meditation.

First, let us focus on each Excess of Love for one week, during nine consecutive weeks, by reading and meditating on them each day, ever more closely and deeply. This will help us to prepare ourselves for the final nine days before Christmas, in which we will repeat the Novena.

May God grant us abundant graces, light and consuming love, to be reborn with Him in the Life of the Divine Will. Amen.

Meditation                         Theme                                Week
I        Excess of Love          Trinitarian Love                  October 14 – 20
II       Excess of Love          Constrained Love              October 21 – 27
III      Excess of Love          Devouring Love                 October 28 – Nov 3
IV      Excess of Love          Operative Love                 November 4 – 10
V       Excess of Love          Lonely Love                      November 11 – 17
VI      Excess of Love          Imprisoned Love              November 18 – 24
VII     Excess of Love          Unrequited Love              Nov 25 – Dec 1
VIII    Excess of Love          Supplicating Love            December 2 – 8
IX      Excess of Love          Agonizing Love                December 9 – 15

Meditation                          Theme                              Day
I        Excess of Love           Trinitarian Love                December 16
II       Excess of Love           Constrained Love            December 17
III      Excess of Love           Devouring Love               December 18
IV      Excess of Love          Operative Love                December 19
V       Excess of Love          Lonely Love                     December 20
VI      Excess of Love          Imprisoned Love              December 21
VII     Excess of Love          Unrequited Love              December 22
VIII    Excess of Love          Supplicating Love            December 23
IX      Excess of Love          Agonizing Love                December 24

Holy Christmas – The Birth of Jesus                        December 25

The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
The silver star in the Grotto of the Nativity marks the spot of Jesus’ Birth

THE NINE EXCESSESS OF LOVE

Christmas Novena – The Nine Excesses of Love

 Preparation for Holy Christmas
The Nine Excesses of Love in the Incarnation of the Word

 Let us prepare ourselves for the Great Feast of Holy Christmas by meditating on the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, attentively and continuously, during the Season of Advent, with the Christmas Novena (the Nine Excesses of Love) which the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will did for the first time at the age of seventeen, and which she never abandoned during the course of her life.

 Here below is a suggested schedule of meditation.
First, let us focus on each Excess of Love for one week, during nine consecutive weeks, by reading and meditating on them each day, ever more closely and deeply. This will help us to prepare ourselves for the final nine days before Christmas, in which we will repeat the Novena.  May God grant us abundant graces, light and consuming love, to be reborn with Him in the Life of the Divine Will. Amen.

 Meditation Theme Week
I Excess of Love Trinitarian Love October 14 – 20
II Excess of Love Constrained Love October 21 – 27
III Excess of Love Devouring Love October 28 – Nov 3
IV Excess of Love Operative Love November 4 – 10
V Excess of Love Lonely Love November 11 – 17
VI Excess of Love Imprisoned Love November 18 – 24
VII Excess of Love Unrequited Love Nov 25 – Dec 1
VIII Excess of Love Supplicating Love December 2 – 8
IX Excess of Love Agonizing Love December 9 – 15
Meditation Theme Day
I Excess of Love Trinitarian Love December 16
II Excess of Love Constrained Love December 17
III Excess of Love Devouring Love December 18
IV Excess of Love Operative Love December 19
V Excess of Love Lonely Love December 20
VI Excess of Love Imprisoned Love December 21
VII Excess of Love Unrequited Love December 22
VIII Excess of Love Supplicating Love December 23
IX Excess of Love Agonizing Love December 24
Holy Christmas – The Birth of Jesus December 25

*****
Book of Heaven
The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose for which He was Created by God

 Volume One

 FIRST EXCESS OF LOVE

Trinitarian Love

 As for example, in one hour, with my thought, I brought myself  to Paradise, and I imagined the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, sending the Son upon earth; the Son, promptly obeying the Will of the Father; the Holy Spirit, consenting. My mind was confounded in contemplating a mystery so great, a love so reciprocal, so equal, so strong among Themselves and toward men; and then, the ingratitude of men, and especially my own. I would have remained there, not for one hour, but for the whole day; but an interior voice told me:  “Enough – come and see other greater excesses of my love.”

 SECOND EXCESS OF LOVE

 Constrained Love

 Then, my mind brought itself into the maternal womb, and
remained stupefied in considering a God so great in Heaven, now so annihilated, restricted, constrained, as to be unable to move, and almost even to breathe. The interior voice told me: “Do you see how much I have loved you?” O please! make Me a little space in your heart; remove everything which is not mine, so you will give Me more freedom to move and to breathe.” [“My child, these thorns say that I want to be constituted King of each heart; to Me belongs every dominion. Take these thorns and prick your heart; let everything that does not belong to Me come out, and then leave one thorn inside, as the seal that I am your King, and to prevent any other thing from entering into you. Then, go through every heart, and pricking them, let all the fumes of
pride and the rottenness which they contain come out, and constitute Me King of all.” 17th Hour of the Passion, from 9 to 10 AM] My heart was consumed; I asked for His forgiveness, I promised to be completely His own, I poured myself out in crying; but – I say this to my confusion – I would go back to my usual defects. Oh! Jesus, how good You have
been with this miserable creature.

 THIRD EXCESS OF LOVE

 Devouring Love

 As I moved on from the second meditation to the third, an
interior voice told me: “My daughter, place your head upon the womb of my Mama, and look deep into it at my little Humanity. My love devoured Me; the fires, the oceans, the immense seas of love of my Divinity inundated Me, burned
Me to ashes, and sent their flames so high as to rise and reach everywhere – all generations, from the first to the last man. My little Humanity was devoured in the midst of such flames; but do you know what my eternal love wants Me to devour? Ah! Souls! And only then was I content, when I devoured them all, remaining conceived with Me. I was God, I was to operate as God – I had to take them all. My love would have given Me no peace, had I excluded any of them. Ah! my daughter, look well into the womb of my Mama; fix well your eyes on my conceived Humanity, and you will find your soul conceived with Me, and the flames of my love that devoured you. Oh! how much I loved you, and I love you!”
I felt dissolved in the midst of so much love, nor was I able to
go out of it; but a voice called me loudly, saying to me: “My daughter, this is nothing yet; draw closer to Me, and give your hands to my dear Mama, that She may hold you tightly upon her maternal womb. And you, take another look at my little conceived Humanity, and watch the fourth excess of my
love.”

 FOURTH EXCESS OF LOVE

 Operative Love

 “My daughter, from the devouring love, move on to look at
my operative love. Each conceived soul brought Me the burden of her sins, of her weaknesses and passions, and my love commanded Me to take the burden of each one of them; and it conceived not only the souls, but the pains of each
one, the satisfactions which each of them was to give to my Celestial Father.  So, my Passion was conceived together with Me. Look well at Me in the womb of my Celestial Mama. Oh! how tortured was my little Humanity. Look well at how my tiny little head is surrounded by a crown of thorns, which, pressed tightly around my temples, made rivers of tears pour out from my eyes; nor was I able to move
in order to dry them. O please! be moved to compassion for Me, dry my eyes from so much crying – you, who have free arms to be able to do it. These thorns are the crown of the so many evil thoughts that crowd the human minds. Oh! how they prick Me, more than the thorns which the earth germinates. But, look again – what a long crucifixion of nine months. I could not move a finger or a hand or a foot – I was here, always immobile; there was no room to be able to move even a tiny bit. What a long and hard crucifixion, with the addition that all evil works, taking the form of nails, repeatedly pierced my hands and feet through.” And so He continued to narrate to me pains upon pains – all the
martyrdoms of His little Humanity, such that, if I wanted to tell them all, I would be too long.  So I abandoned myself to crying, and I heard in my interior:  “My daughter, I would like to hug you, but I am unable to do so – there is no room, I am immobile, I cannot do it. I would like to come to you, but I am unable to walk. For now, you hug Me and you come to Me; then, when I come out of the maternal womb, I will come to you.” But as I hugged Him and squeezed Him tightly to my heart with my imagination, an interior voice told
me: “Enough for now, my daughter; move on to consider the fifth excess of my love.”

 FIFTH EXCESS OF LOVE

 Lonely Love

 And the interior voice continued: “My daughter, do not move away from Me, do not leave Me alone; my love wants your company – another excess of my love, which does not want to be alone. But do you know whose company it wants? That of the creature. See, in the womb of my Mama, all
creatures are together with Me – conceived together with Me. I am with them, all love; I want to tell them how much I love them, I want to speak with them to tell them of my joys and sorrows – that I have come into their midst to make
them happy, to console them; that I will remain in their midst as a little brother of theirs, giving all my goods, my Kingdom, to each one of them at the cost of my life. I want to give them my kisses, my caresses; I want to amuse Myself with them, but – ah! how many sorrows they give Me! Some run away from Me, some play deaf and force Me into silence; some despise my goods and do not care about my Kingdom, and they requite my kisses and caresses with indifference and obliviousness of Me; and they convert my amusement into bitter crying. Oh! how lonely I am, though in the midst of many. Oh! how loneliness weighs upon Me. I have no one to whom to say a word, with whom to pour Myself out – not even in love. I am always sad and taciturn, because if I speak, I am not listened to. Ah! my daughter, I beg you, I implore you, do not leave Me alone in so much loneliness; give Me the good of letting Me speak by listening to Me; lend your ear to my teachings. I am the master of masters. How many things do I want to teach you! If you listen to Me, you will stop my crying, and I will amuse Myself with you. Don’t you
want to amuse yourself with Me?”  And as I abandoned myself in Him, compassionating Him in His loneliness,
the interior voice continued: “Enough, enough; move on to consider the sixth excess of my love.”

 SIXTH EXCESS OF LOVE

 Imprisoned Love

 “My daughter, come, pray my dear Mama to make a little
space for you in her maternal womb, that you yourself may see the painful state in which I find Myself.” So, with my thought, it seemed to me that our Queen Mama made me a little room to make Jesus content, and placed me inside.
But the darkness was such that I could not see Him – I could only hear His breathing;  and He continued to say in my interior: “My daughter, look at another excess of my love. I am the eternal light; the sun is a shadow of my light. But
do you see where my love led Me – in what a dark prison I am? There is not a glimmer of light; it is always night for Me – but night without stars, without rest. I am always awake – what pain! The narrowness of the prison – without being able to make the slightest movement; the thick darkness; even my
breathing, as I breathe through the breath of my Mama – oh! how labored it is.  To this, add the darkness of the sins of creatures. Each sin was a night for Me, and combining together, they formed an abyss of darkness, with no
boundaries. What pain! Oh, excess of my love – making Me pass from an immensity of light, of space, into an abyss of thick darkness, and of such narrowness that I even lacked the freedom to breathe; and all this, for love of creatures.”
As He was saying this, He moaned, with moans almost suffocated because of the lack of space; and He cried. I was consumed with crying. I thanked Him, I compassionated Him; I wanted to make Him a little bit of light with my love, as He told me to. But who can say everything? Then, the same interior voice added: “Enough for now; move on to the seventh excess of my love.”

 SEVENTH EXCESS OF LOVE

 Unrequited Love

 The interior voice continued: “My daughter, do not leave Me
alone in so much loneliness and in so much darkness. Do not go out of the womb of my Mama, to watch the seventh excess of my love. Listen to Me: in the womb of my Celestial Father I was fully happy; there was no good which I did not possess; joy, happiness – everything was at my disposal. The Angels adored Me reverently, hanging upon my every wish. Ah! excess of my love. I could say that it made Me change my destiny; it restrained Me within this gloomy prison; it stripped Me of all my joys, happinesses and goods, to clothe Me with all the unhappinesses of creatures – and all this in order to make an exchange, to give my destiny, my joys and my eternal happiness to them. But this would have been nothing had I not found in them highest ingratitude and obstinate perfidy. Oh! how my eternal love was surprised in the face of so much ingratitude, and cried over the obstinacy and perfidy of man. Ingratitude was the sharpest thorn that
pierced my heart, from my conception up to the last moment of my life. Look at my little heart – it is wounded, and pours out blood. What pain! What torture I feel! My daughter, do not be ungrateful to Me. Ingratitude is the hardest pain
for your Jesus; it is to close the doors in my face, leaving Me numb with cold.  But my love did not stop at so much ingratitude; it took the attitude of supplicating, imploring, moaning and begging love. This is the eighth excess of
my love.”

 EIGHTH EXCESS OF LOVE

 Supplicating Love

 “My daughter, do not leave Me alone; place your head upon
the womb of my dear Mama, for even from the outside you will hear my moans, my supplications. In seeing that neither my moans nor my supplications move the creature to compassion for my love, I assume the attitude of the poorest of beggars; and stretching out my tiny little hand, I ask – for pity?s sake, at least as alms – for their souls, their affections and their hearts. My love wanted to win the heart of man at any cost; and in seeing that after seven excesses of my love, he was reluctant, he played deaf, he did not care about
Me, nor did he want to give himself to Me, my love wanted to push itself further. It should have stopped; but – no, it wanted to overflow even more from within its boundaries, and even from the womb of my Mama it made my voice reach every heart – and with the most insinuating manners, with the most fervent pleas, with the most penetrating words. And do you know what I said to him? “My
child, give me your heart; I will give you everything you want, provided that you give Me your heart in exchange. I have descended from Heaven to make a prey of it. O please! do not deny it to Me! Do not delude my hopes!? And in seeing
him reluctant – even more, many turned their backs to Me – I passed on to moans; I joined my tiny little hands and, crying, with voice suffocated by sobs, I added: “Ahh! Ahh! I am the little beggar; not even as alms do you want to give Me your heart? Is this not a greater excess of my love – that the
Creator, in order to approach the creature, takes the form of a little baby so as not to strike fear in him, and that He asks for the heart of the creature, at least as alms, and in seeing that he does not want to give it, He supplicates, moans and cries?” Then I heard Him say to me: “And you, don’t you want to give Me your heart? Perhaps you too want Me to moan, beg and cry for you to give Me your heart? Do you want to deny Me the alms that I ask of you?” And as He was saying this I heard Him as though sobbing, and I: “My Jesus, do not cry, I give You my heart and all of myself. Then, the interior voice continued: “Move further, and pass on to the ninth excess of my love.”

 NINTH EXCESS OF LOVE

 Agonizing Love

 “My daughter, my state is ever more painful. If you love
Me, keep your gaze fixed on Me, to see if you can offer some relief to your Jesus; a little word of love, a caress, a kiss, will give respite to my crying and to my afflictions. Listen my daughter, after I gave eight excesses of my love, and man requited Me so badly, my love did not give up, and to the eighth excess it wanted to add the ninth. And this was yearnings, sighs of fire, flames of desire, for I wanted to go out of the maternal womb to embrace man. And this reduced my little Humanity, not yet born, to such an agony as to reach the point of breathing my last. And as I was about to breathe my last, my Divinity, which was inseparable from Me, gave Me sips of life, and so I regained life to continue my agony, and return again to die. This was the ninth excess of my love: to agonize and to die of love continuously for the creature. Oh! what a long agony of nine months! Oh! how love suffocated Me and made Me die. Had I not had the Divinity with Me, which gave Me life again every time I was about to finish, love would have consumed Me before coming out to the light of day.” Then He added: “Look at Me, listen to Me, how I agonize, how my heart beats, pants, burns. Look at Me – now I die.” And He remained in deep silence. I felt myself dying; my blood froze in my veins, and, trembling, I said to Him: “My Love, my Life, do not die, do not leave me alone. You want love, and I will love You; I will not leave You ever again. Give me your flames to be able to love You more, and be consumed completely for You.

 THE BIRTH OF JESUS

 December 25, 1900 Volume 4

 As I was in my usual state, I felt I was outside of myself;
after wandering around, I found myself inside a cave, and I saw the Queen Mama in the act of giving birth to Little Baby Jesus. What a wonderful prodigy! It seemed that both Mother and Son were transmuted into most pure light. But in that light one could see very well the human nature of Jesus containing the Divinity within Itself, and serving as a veil to cover the Divinity; in such a way that, in tearing the veil of human nature, He was God, while covered by that veil, He was Man. Here is the prodigy of prodigies: God and Man, Man and God! Without leaving the Father and the Holy Spirit – because true love never separates – He comes to dwell in our midst, taking on human flesh. Now, it seemed to me that Mother and Son, in that most happy instant, remained as though spiritualized, and without the slightest difficulty Jesus came out of the Maternal womb, while both of them overflowed with excess of Love. In other words, those Most Pure Bodies were transformed into Light, and without the slightest impediment, Light Jesus came out of the Light of the Mother, while both One and the Other remained whole and intact, returning, then, to their natural state. Who can tell the beauty of the Little Baby who, at the moment of His birth, transfused, also externally, the rays of the Divinity? Who can tell the beauty of the Mother, who remained all absorbed in those Divine rays? And Saint Joseph? It seemed to me that he was not present at the act of the birth, but remained in another corner of the cave, all engrossed in that profound Mystery. And if he did not see with the eyes of the body, he saw very well with the eyes of the soul, because he remained enraptured in sublime ecstasy. Now, in the act in which the Little Baby came out to the light, I would have wanted to fly and take Him in my arms, but the Angels prevented me, saying that the honor of
holding Him first belonged to the Mother. Then, the Most Holy Virgin, as though stirred, returned into Herself and from the hands of an Angel received Her Son in Her arms. In Her ardor of love, She squeezed Him so tightly that it seemed that She wanted to draw Him into Her womb again. Then, wanting to let Her ardent love pour out, She placed Him at Her breast to suckle. In the meantime, I was completely annihilated, waiting to be called so as not to be scolded again by the Angels. Then the Queen said to me: “Come, come and take your Beloved, and you too, enjoy Him – pour out your love with Him.” As She was saying this, I drew near Mama, and She gave Him to me, into my arms. Who can say my contentment, the kisses, the squeezes, the tendernesses? After I poured myself out a little, I said to Him: “My beloved, You have suckled the milk of our Mama, share it with me.? And He, all condescending, poured part of that milk from His mouth into mine, and then He told me: “My beloved, I was conceived united to suffering, I was born to suffering, and I died in suffering. And with the three nails with which they crucified Me, I nailed the three powers – intellect, memory and will – of those souls who yearn to love
Me, keeping them all drawn to Myself, because sin had rendered them infirm and dispersed from their Creator – without any restraint.” As He was saying this, He gazed at the world and began to cry over its miseries. On seeing Him cry, I said: “Lovable Baby, do not sadden with your tears a night so happy for one who loves you. Instead of pouring ourselves out in crying, let us pour ourselves out in singing?; and as I said this, I began to sing. Jesus was amused at hearing me sing, and He stopped crying; and completing my verse, He sang His own, with a voice so powerful and harmonious that all other voices disappeared at the sound of His most sweet voice….

 From a letter of Saint
Annibale Maria di Francia to Luisa:
J.M.J.A.
Messina,
February 14, 1927

 Most esteemed one in the Lord, …I also tell you that in reading the nine Exercises of Christmas, of which we have
already prepared the proofs, one remains astounded at the immense Love and the immense suffering of Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ for love of us, and for the salvation of souls. I have never read in any other book on this topic a Revelation so touching and penetrating!

 … From the Writings of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, the Little Daughter of the Divine Will:

 December 16, 1928 Volume 25

 The nine excesses of Jesus in the Incarnation. Contentments of Jesus. His word is creation. Jesus sees the scenes of His love being repeated. Preludes of His Kingdom. I was doing my meditation, and since today it was the beginning of the Novena of Baby Jesus, I was thinking about the nine excesses of His Incarnation, which Jesus had narrated to me with so much tenderness, and which are written in the first
Volume. I felt great reluctance at reminding the confessor about this, because, in reading them, he had told me that he wanted to read them in public in our chapel. Now, while I was thinking of this, my little Baby Jesus made Himself seen in my arms, so very little, caressing me with His tiny little hands, and saying to me:

“How beautiful is my little daughter! How beautiful! How I must thank you for having listened to Me.”

 And I: “My Love, what are You saying? It is I
who must thank You for speaking to me, and for giving me, with so much love, as my own teacher, so many lessons which I did not deserve.”

 And Jesus: “Ah, My daughter! To how many do
I want to speak, and they do not listen to Me, reducing Me to silence, and suffocating My flames. So, we must thank
each other – you thank Me, and I thank you.  And then, why do you want to oppose the reading of the nine excesses? Ah! You do not know how much life, how much love and grace they contain. You must know that My word is creation, and in narrating to you the nine excesses of My love in the Incarnation, I not only renewed the love I had in incarnating Myself, but I created new love in order to invest the creatures and conquer them, so that they would give themselves to Me. With these nine excesses of My love, manifested with so much love of tenderness and simplicity, I formed the prelude of the many lessons I was to give you about My Divine Fiat, in order to form Its Kingdom. And now, as you read them, My love is renewed and redoubled. Don’t you want, then, that My love, being redoubled, overflow outside and invest other hearts, so that, as a prelude, they may dispose themselves for the lessons of My Will, to make It known and reign?” (…)
Afterwards, the confessor was reading in the chapel the first excess of the love of Jesus in the Incarnation; and my sweet Jesus, from my interior, pricked up His ears in order to listen. And drawing me to Himself, He said to me:

 “My daughter, how happy I feel in listening to them. But My happiness increases in keeping you in this house of My Will, as both of us are listeners: I, of what I have told you, and you, of what you have heard from Me. My love swells, boils and overflows. Listen, listen – how beautiful it is! The word contains the breath, and in being spoken, the word carries the breath which, like air, goes around from mouth to
mouth, and communicates the strength of My creative word. And so the new creation which My word contains descends into the hearts.
Listen, My daughter: in Redemption I had the cortege of My Apostles, and I was in their midst, all love, in order to instruct them. I spared no toil in order to form the foundation of My Church. Now, in this house, I feel the cortege of the first children of My Will, and I feel My loving scenes being repeated, in seeing you in their midst, all love, wanting to impart the lessons about My Divine Fiat, in order to form the foundations of the Kingdom of My Will. If you knew how happy I feel in seeing you speak about My Divine Will! I anxiously await the moment when you begin to speak, in order to listen to you, and to feel the happiness that My Divine Will brings Me”.

 December 21, 1928 Volume 25

 I continue the Novena of Holy Christmas; and continuing to hear the nine excesses of the Incarnation, my beloved Jesus drew me to Himself, and showed me how each excess of His love was a sea with no boundaries. And from this sea rose gigantic waves, in which one could see all souls devoured by those flames. Just as the fish swim in the waters of the sea, and the waters of the sea form the life of the fish, the guide, the defense, the food, the bed and the amusement of these fish, so much so, that if they get out of the sea, they can say, “our life is ended, because we have left our inheritance – the fatherland given to us by our Creator”; in the same way,
these immense waves of flames which rose from those seas of fire, by devouring the creatures, wanted to be the life, the guide, the defense, the food, the bed, the fatherland of the creatures. But as these go out of this sea of love, all at once, they find death.  “If the sea does not cry,” – Jesus says – “how
can I not cry, in seeing that while My love has devoured all creatures, ungrateful, they do not want to live in My sea of love, but wriggling free from My flames, they go into exile, away from My fatherland, losing the guidance, the
defense, the food, the bed, and even the life? They came from Me – they were created by Me, and were devoured by My
flames of love, which I had in incarnating Myself for love of all creatures. “As I hear the narration of the nine excesses, the sea of My love swells-it boils; and forming immense waves, it roars so much as to want to deafen everyone, that
they may hear nothing but My moans of love, My cries of sorrow, My repeated sobs, saying: ‘Don’t make Me cry any more; let us exchange the kiss of peace. Let us love each other, and we will all be happy – the Creator and the creature.’”

 

*****

Book of Heaven
The Call of the Creature to the Order, the Place and the Purpose
for which He was Created by God
Volume 14 – October 14, 1900

The dangerous scourge of the middle-class. Only innocence snatches God’s mercy and mitigates His just indignation.

The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta the Little Daughter of the Divine Will:

This morning I felt so dazed that I could not understand myself, nor was I able to go in search of my highest Good as I usually do. Every now and then He would move within my interior and would make Himself seen; and completely embracing me, and compassionating me, He would say to me: “Poor daughter, you are right that you cannot be without Me; how could you live without your beloved?”

And I, stirred by His words, said: “Ah, my beloved, what a hard martyrdom life is, because of the intervals in which I am forced to be without You. You Yourself are saying that I am right, but then You leave me!”

He hid furtively, as if He did not want me to hear what He was saying to me, and I was left in my dazedness again, unable to say anything else. When He saw me dazed again, He came out and said: ‘You (Luisa) are all My(Jesus)  contentment, in your heart I find true rest, and resting in it I experience the dearest delights.”

And I, stirring myself again, said: “For me also, You are all my contentment, so much so that all other things are nothing but bitternesses for me…” And since He withdrew again, I remained half way through my words, more dazed than before; and this is how the morning went on – it seemed He felt like joking a little bit.

After this, I felt myself outside of myself, and I saw unknown persons approaching, dressed as middle-class folk. On seeing them, the people were all horrified and screamed with fright and distress – especially the children; and they said: “If these set upon us, it is over for us.” And they added: “Let the young girls hide! Poor youths, if they are caught in the hands of these!” So, turning to the Lord, I (Luisa) said: “Pity – mercy! Move this scourge away, so dangerous for miserable humanity! Let the tears of innocence move You to compassion!”

And He: “Ah, my daughter (Luisa)! Only because of innocence do I (Jesus) have regard for others; it alone snatches My mercy and mitigates My just indignation.”

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