Divine Will Newsletter # 74
Prayer for the Elections - February 5 to November 5, 2008
Our Lady of America, Lily of Purity, intercede for our country during the coming elections. Since you are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from the Most Holy Trinity a president and other political leaders who will support life, who will change the laws to make abortion in any form illegal, and who will protect the life of each individual at every stage.
Our Sweet Mother, intercede for us that our next president will be a man of God who will help the United States become a country of great purity and high morality. A country that will uphold family life and influence other countries throughout the world to love God above all, to serve Him and to live for Him alone.
Our Sweet Mother, time and again you have given us your gracious assistance and thus we humbly and gratefully acknowledge you as Queen of America. Intercede for us now, as we beg for the end of abortion in our country and for the uprising of a culture of life.
We place our hope and our confidence in you! Our Lady of America, pray for us and may Our Eternal Father shine His light upon this country and the whole world. Amen.
The Pious Universal Union of the Divine Will
Official Newsletter for “The Pious Universal Union of the Children of the Divine Will –USA”
Come Supreme Will, down to reign in Your Kingdom on earth and in our hearts!
ROGATE! FIAT !
“May the Divine Will always be blessed!”
Newsletter No. 74 – September 8, 2008
One year after Luisa had remained in bed as perennial victim, Jesus gave her the grace of the “Mystical Union.” It was October 16, 1888, Feast of the Purity of Mary Most Holy[1]. Luisa was 23 years old.
Eleven months after the “Union” on earth, Jesus wanted to ratify it in Heaven, in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity and of all the Celestial Court, with a new mystical grace, the highest one ever known from previous Saints and from mystical writers: “The Mystical Marriage.” With this grace, Luisa was given perennial possession of the Three Divine Persons, concealed in the three theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity), which established in her their stable dwelling place. It was September 8, 1889, (119 years ago) Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Luisa was 24 and a half years old.
This date is important because this was the moment and the occasion in which Luisa first received the gift of the Divine Will.
September 14
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Jesus continued His work, disposing Luisa to the last “marriage”: “The marriage to the Cross.” Finally, one morning, showing Himself Crucified, He communicated her the most painful stigmata of His Passion, although consenting to the request of Luisa to keep them invisible.
From then on, Jesus Himself frequently renewed her mystical crucifixion, especially in the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Her insatiable hunger for suffering became equal to her irrepressible desires of Heaven
September 23
Padre Pio’s Feast Day
September 23, 1968 at the age of 81, Padre Pio died in his room at San Giovanni Rotundo at 2:30 a.m. His last words are, “Jesus, Mary! Jesus, Mary!”. Over 100,000 people including Padre Bucci attended padre Pio’s funeral (September 16) in San Giovanni Rotundo.
St. Alphonsus M. Liguori
From the book “Father Mary Hannibal Di Francia his life and works” by Rogationist Father Rev. Francis Vitale: A little friend of his prided himself on owing a medal of St. Alphonsus M. Liguori. After seeing it, Mary Hannibal could not help longing to have it. Thus he proposed an exchange: the medal of St. Alphonsus M. Liguori for many of his own. Eager to have many medals, his friend handed the prize over to Mary Hannibal, who in turn, gave his friend a rosary and some booklets besides the promised medals. His friend, who did not understand this type of trade, was amazed. The padre said, “I was beside myself with the joy of the medal.” Throughout his life, he wore that medal…..(Years later in 1900), …the padre along with his priests Fr. Bonarrigo and Fr. Ctanese as well as about ten youths went to the archbishop asking his blessing. The shepherd blessed them tenderly, wishing the developing congregation great productivity and putting them under the protection of St. Alphonsus M. Liguori, to whom he was very devout.
Nobility. A child prodigy, he was extremely well-educated, received his doctorate in law from the University of Naples at age 16. He had his own practice by age 21, and was soon one of the leading lawyers in Naples, though he never attended court without having attended Mass first. He declined an arranged marriage, studied theology, and was ordained at age 29.
Preacher and home missioner around Naples. Noted for his simple, clear, direct style of preaching, and his gentle, understanding way in the confessional. Writer on asceticism, theology, and history; master theologian. Founded the Redemptoristines women’s order in Scala in 1730. Founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Liguorians or Redemptorists).
Appointed bishop of Saint Agata dei Gotti by Pope Clement XIII in 1762. Worked to reform the clergy and revitalize the faithful in a diocese with a bad reputation. He was afflicted with severe rheumatism, he often could barely move nor raise his chin from his chest. In 1775 he resigned his see due to his health, and went into what he thought was a prayerful retirement.
Alphonsus vowed early to never to waste a moment of his life, and lived that way for over 90 years. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871.
Born: 1696 at Marianelli near Naples, Italy Died: 1787 at Nocera
Canonized: 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI
Name Meaning: noble ready; battle ready
Patronage: confessors, final perseverance, theologians, vocations
Reflection: Conformity to the Will of God
A MEDITATION ON THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL SPIRITUAL MATTERS: HOW THE HUMAN WILL CAN BE “CONFORMED” TO THE ALL-HOLY WILL OF GOD…
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008 INSIDE THE VATICAN
By: Pat Morse
St. Alphonsus De Liguori (1696-1787), the “Doctor of Prayer,” tells us: “Our whole perfection consists in loving God who is in Himself most lovely.”
He then goes on to say: “but, then, all perfection in the love of God consists in the union of our own will with His most holy Will.”
All perfection in the love of God consists in the conformity of my “relatively insignificant will” to the Holy Will of Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, the Lord of heaven and earth, the Supreme Being! How can this be? How can I, a fragile, human, possibly commune on the same level with the perfect God Almighty?
Just the thought of it seems to be a presumption beyond reality…and yet that is what He desires, namely, that I conform and unite my will to His Most Holy Will, my comparatively simple human love, to His Infinite, Divine Love, as St. Alphonsus tells us in this equally astounding statement which appears to say that it is within my power to influence the magnitude of the love of Almighty God for me: “The more unified a person is with the Divine Will, so much greater will be His Love.”
I have learned long ago to turn to and to rely upon this great Doctor of the Church, but I continue to be astounded by his revelations of the magnificence and generosity of God’s love toward us, and of the longing of the Almighty for our love and union with Him.
Still, I find it difficult to the point of incomprehension when I think of Him as the Creator and Ruler of the Universe and I, who am dependent upon Him for every aspect of my being, survival and hope for salvation, being sought to conform my will to His. And yet, that is wherein my survival lies as taught by St. Alphonsus and the other great saints as they make clear what God seeks of us.
St. Alphonsus writes: “It is quite true that mortifications, meditations, Communions, and works of charity towards others are pleasing to God. But when is this the case? When they are done in conformity to His Will; for otherwise, not only does He not approve them, but He abominates and punishes them.
“Suppose there are tow servants, one of whom labors hard and incessantly throughout the day, but will do everything after his own fashion; while the other does not work so much, but acts always in obedience to orders. Is it not certain that the latter; and not the former; is the one who pleases his master? In what respect do any works of ours serve to the glory of God where they are not done according to His good pleasure? It is not sacrifices that the Lord desires, says the prophet to Saul, but obedience to His Will. ‘Does the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of God should be obeyed?” (1 Kings 15:22)
The Greatest glory, then, that we can give to God is the fulfillment in everything according to His Holy Will. This is what our Redeemer, Whose object in coming upon earth was the establishment of the glory of God, principally came to teach us by His example.”
St. Alphonsus continues: “While we are in the world, we should learn from the Blessed in heaven the way in which we have to love God. The pure and perfect love which the Blessed in heaven entertain for God lies in their own perfect union with the Divine Will…..And it is this that Jesus Christ has taught us to pray – namely, that we may perform the Divine Will on earth as the saints perform it in heaven: Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Confirming his teaching, the Great Doctor quotes from the saints, including St. Teresa: “All that one who devotes himself to prayer has need to acquire is the conformity of his own will to the Divine; and he may rest assured that herein consists the highest perfection. Whoever practices this best will receive from God the greatest gifts, and will make most progress in the interior life.
And he adds: “The Blessed Henry Suso used to say, ‘God does not desire that we should abound in knowledge, but that in all things we should submit ourselves to His Will.”
St. Alphonsus says a great deal more, but the following statement leaves me with no only a clear understanding of “Conformity of my will to God’s Holy Will,” but of the magnitude of achieving the challenge: “He who gives his will to God, gives Him his goods in alms, his blood by disciplines, his food by fasting, gives to God a part of what he possesses; but he who gives Him his will gives Him the whole; so that he can say to Him, Lord, I am poor, but I give Thee all that is in my power; in giving Thee my will, there remains nothing for me to give Thee.” But this is precisely all that our God claims from us: ‘My son’, says the Lord, ‘give me thy heart that is, thy will,’ (Proverbs 22:26).
No, we cannot offer to God anything more precious than by saying to Him, ‘Lord, take possession of us; we give our whole will to Thee; make us understand what it is Thou dost desire of us, and we will perform it.’”
And then, St. Alphonsus goes on to increase the obligation: “If, then, we would give a full satisfaction to the heart of God, we must bring our own will in everything into conformity with His; and not only into conformity, but into uniformity, too, as regards all that God ordains. Conformity signifies the conjoining of our own will to the Will of God; but uniformity signifies, further, our making of the Divine and our own will, one will only, so that we desire nothing but what God desires, and His sole Will becomes ours. This is the sum and substance of that perfection to which we ought to be ever aspiring; this is what must be the aim of all our works, and of all our desires, meditations, and prayers. For this we must invoke the assistance of all our patron saints and of our guardian angels, and above all, of our Mother Mary, who was the most perfect of all the saints for the reason that she ever embraced most perfectly the Divine Will.”
The magnificence – the wonder – of just the expression “conjoining of my will to the Will of Almighty God and making of the Divine and my will only one will so that God and I desire only the same” is overwhelming, but then is added: “…and His Sole Will becomes ours.”
One can meditate a lifetime on the fullness of the meaning without a total and complete understanding this side of heaven. But he is not talking in the abstract, talking about some theory pertaining to unknown persons, or even to the great saints of heaven. No, he is talking about you and me.
The saints are talking about you -=- the reader – and telling you that this incredible intimacy and union with Almighty God is not only possible, but is our obligation to strive to attain.
The beauty of the concept merges with the magnitude and difficulty of the attainment of the obligation, as defined by St. Alphonsus. It is no wonder that he calls on us to invoke luminaries in heaven committed to our salvation, in addition to the Mother of God herself, to aid and intercede for us to “perfectly embrace His Divine Will.”
Inherent is the total rejection of self in the act of complete submission to Him Who made us. And “total” means entire without exception. It means every waking moment concentrating on every act and thought being identified with the Divine.
Can I do it? I don’t know, but I must strive constantly; not to strive by way of excluding all the other obligations and pleasures of family and friends from my life, but, as I envision, by absorbing all other things into the “conformity” and “uniformity” God requires. Thus, all we do is made good and noble and the “offering of our lives to God, whole and entire.”
The theologians – great and small – would describe it far more eruditely, but I must design my response based upon what I can do, how clearly I can understand. How does one go about setting up the warning signals so that the Will of God is at the center of every effort that meets the criteria for serving my Master? ‘There better had this discipline of mind and emotion been part of early training! But now is now and little time is left to learn and do and I must depend upon His unity of mind and Will for help.
In the several weeks of study and meditation on this fascinating obligation of “conformity,” familiarity has begun to provide aid and assistance in at least achieving a slight grasp and accord with the concept. And it is inevitable that I must subject myself to scrutiny as to what have been my intentions and my motives in the work I have chosen to do, particularly in choosing to write for Inside the Vatican and for under-taking a quarter of a century ago the foundation of Catholics Committed to Support the Pope to launch the Precis of Official Church Teaching.
How much was it for God and how much for my own satisfaction, ego, importance? It certainly was not for money, nor for ease and comfort, because the hours are long and the tasks difficult and frustrating.
But does it have to be all or none? Can I be working beyond my strength and time for His benefit, but receiving satisfaction, also, so long as the latter does not dominate? The question for me, until I know better, is: “How much?” How much satisfaction, or pride, or joy can I receive without corrupting my motives? I do not know, but I believe He will instruct me.
Back to St. Alphonsus; there is great comfort in reading and relying on him: “To live in constant conformity with the Will of God. This is the Will of the Father. And to do so requires that whatsoever occurs, whatsoever befalls me, whatsoever burdens or sufferings, or misfortunes, I encounter in this life, I must not only regard them as the Will of God, but accept them as products of His Will. This indeed is the principal effect of love. And therefore the more united a person is with the Divine Will, so much greater will be his love.”
Difficult? Certainly, when our loved ones fall ill, suffer and die, when we are afflicted and in pain. Then those sufferings are with us, whether we accept them, praising and thanking God, or blaming and railing against Him for this terrible treatment. But, if we conform our Will to His, as did Jesus in the garden when He prayed that the cup would pass, our merit in enduring the suffering will transcend all pain and suffering.
We learned this many years ago as we learned the faith. But, we may have not learned, or have forgotten, some deeper meanings which St. Alphonsus relates in the following passages and which may aid in our acceptance in time of trial: “When the messenger (who is thought to have been the devil) came to Job to tell him that the Sabeans had taken all his goods away and had put his sons to death, what is the Saint’s reply? The Lord giveth, and the Lord hath taken away. (Job 1:21). He said not, the Lord hath given me sons and property and the Sabeans have taken them away from me; but the Lord hath given them to me, and the Lord hath taken them away; because he perfectly understood that that loss of his was will by God; and therefore he added: As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.
“We must not, then, look upon the troubles that befall us as happening by chance, or only through the fault of others; we must rest assured that everything that happens to us comes to pass through the Divine Will.”
St. Augustine confirms the learned Doctor: “You should know that whatever happens in this world contrary to our will does not happen excepting through the Will of God.”
Like most, especially those of our age, my wife, Margaret, and I have had in recent years and days experiences which have caused us to call upon God for help and to wonder whether He ha been hearing our prayer. Some 11 years ago, I lost the vision in my right eye due to the botched surgical procedure by my physician. Last November, Margaret suffered an occlusion, or small stroke, to her left eye with a consequent loss of vision in that eye. For each of us, there has been a certain amount of discomfort, pain, difficulty in coping visually, etc. I have railed against my doctor’s mistake and we have lamented Margaret’s pain, diminished capacity, and the resultant inconvenience. Never did we apply the loss to our heavenly Father. All of that is changed as we contemplate the teaching of St. Alphonsus: God has ordained our travail, and our task, according to the Doctor of the Church, is to not only accept, but accept with thanksgiving for giving us the opportunity to serve Him.
For all of us, practically, we must suffer; therefore, accept is as coming from God, thank Him for the privilege and offer up the suffering for the salvation of our own, or the souls of others dear to us, or the “Souls most need of prayer.” What a meritorious result! And strive to live in “constant conformity and unity with God.”
George “Pat” Morse, an American Catholic lawyer and writer, is Associate Editor of Inside the Vatican. He is 91.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori, from the Redeeming Love of Christ
God says to each of us: “Give me your heart, that is, your will.” We, in turn, cannot offer anything more precious than to say: “Lord, take possession of us; we give our whole will to you; make us understand what it is that you desire of us, and we will perform it.”
If we would give full satisfaction to the heart of God, we must bring our own will in everything into conformity with his; and not only into conformity, but into uniformity also, as regards all that God ordains. Conformity signifies the joining of our own will to the will of God; but uniformity signifies, further, our making of the divine and our own will one will only, so that we desire nothing but what God desires, and his will becomes ours. This is the sum and substance of that perfection to which we ought to be ever aspiring; this is what must be the aim of all we do, and of all our desires, meditations and prayers. For this we must invoke the assistance of all our patron saints and our guardian angels, and, above all, of our divine mother Mary, who was the most perfect saint, because she embraced most perfectly the divine will.
The Letters of Saint Annibale Maria Di Francia
To the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta
“The Ecclesiastical Censor for the publications”
. J.M.J.A.
Rome, September 4, 1926
Dearest one in the Lord Jesus,
The air of Rome is rather good for me, thank God.
I give you this news: yesterday, first Friday of the month of September, I presented to Our Lord the 3rd Volume, which I finished reviewing completely. Then I went to the Sacristy and I signed it at the end with my Nihil Obstat, with the authority that Msgr. Archbishop of Trani gave me by appointing me Ecclesiastical Censor for the publications of His three Dioceses. So the authorization to publish for the world these books dictated by Our Lord about His Divine Will, is now opened. Note that it was the 1st Friday of the month which is dedicated each month to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Now this is my idea: to review, myself personally, with the help of the Lord, all of the other Volumes which I have not yet read – that is, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 19th; then, after going through them, to place my Nihil Obstat; and then to pray Msgr. Archbishop of Trani, according to His promise, to place His Imprimatur on each Volume, after my Nihil Obstat. It is understood that I will also place the Nihil Obstat, without new revision, on Volumes 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, which I have already reviewed, and whose originals you have. In this way, everything will be ready for the future – who knows, Our Lord may use whomever He wants. Do you see how, in this way, the celestial plan which wants these writings to be approved by the Ecclesiastical Authority appears to be so well outlined! Who can resist the Divine Will?
I think I will come back to Corato between the 21st and the 22nd of this month of September because, in truth, if I can, I will do everything possible with the help of Our Lord in order to present to Msgr. Archbishop of Trani all of our Volumes with my Nihil Obstat on September 24, which is dedicated to the Most Holy Virgin of Mercy, Redemptrix of slaves, and to have all the Imprimaturs, or at least the beginning of the Imprimaturs, on that day, so sacred and meaningful! - Which also falls on a Friday.
In the meantime, let us pray, because if this point is passed, we can say that the publication is secured. Lady Obedience imposes on you to write, either during the day or at night, everything, everything – everything that the Lord reveals to You: let nothing escape you. This is word of the Uncreated Wisdom, and one word is worth more than the whole Universe. You are not allowed, therefore, to neglect even one syllable. If you are not impeccable in this Obedience, I will ask your Archbishop to exercise greater authority over you.
I bless you and your good sister and the young girls….Blessing you again, I commend to you a little bit my poor health, which is worsened by the years; but before all, ask Blessed Jesus for my conversion. If you want, you can write me a few lines. My address is: Via Circonvallazione Appia, 66 – Roma (40).
Yours in J. C., our Beloved
Canonico M.A. Di Francia
THE LIFE OF LUISA
From “Childhood Memories” by Padre Bernardino Bucci
The bishop healed
It was during the year 1917. The new Archbishop of Trani, Archbishop Regime, perhaps influenced by that part of the clergy, who not only attached no importance to all that was happening to Luisa Piccarreta but openly manifested their hostility to the Servant of God, had established a very severe decree with regard to Luisa: priests were prohibited from entering her house and from celebrating Holy Mass there, a privilege which had been granted to Luisa by Pope Leo XIII and confirmed by Pope Pius X in 1907.
This measure was to be read out in all the churches of the diocese.
This is what happened.1
While he was signing his “famous decree”, he was suddenly afflicted by partial paralysis. When the priests present at that moment came to his help, he made them understand that he wanted to be taken to Luisa’s house.
Aunt Rosaria described this unusual episode in this way: “It was about eleven o’clock when we heard the sound of a carriage that stopped right outside the porch of Luisa’s house. I looked out from the balcony to see who it was and saw three priests, one of them, as it were, supported by the other two. Luisa said to me: ‘Open the door, the bishop is coming’. In fact, Archbishop Regime was at the door, supported by two other priests“, probably the vicar and chancellor of the Curia of Trani, “the bishop was uttering incomprehensible words. He was immediately ushered into Luisa’s room. It was his first visit to the home of the Servant of God, who, as soon as she saw him, said: “Bless me, Your Excellency“. The bishop raised his hand as though nothing had happened and blessed her. He was completely cured!
Archbishop Regime remained in Luisa’s room in a secret conversation for about two hours, and to the wonder of all, especially the priests, he emerged from her room smiling. He blessed those present and left“.
An effort was made to keep the case secret, and so it remained to the wider public. As long as he was in Trani, Archbishop Regime regularly visited Luisa Piccarreta, with whom he would have spiritual conversations. This episode inspired a sacred fear in the clergy and Luisa’s holy confessor, Gennaro di Gennaro, was able to continue his ministry more peacefully. After this event, Annibale Maria Di Francia also visited the Servant of God more often.
Prayer Requests –September 2008
Prayers are placed on the altars of the Chapels of the Divine Will - Each prayer is remembered every day at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where Luisa is invoked for her intercession
Mary (chemotherapy for breast cancer), Sr. Sean Foley (bilateral breast cancer and problems in the colon), Audrey (surgery to replace her shunt), Robert (in isolation with leukemia like problems), Rachel and her room mates (pray that they find a good place to live), Robert (mental illness), William and Elizabeth (graces that will enable them to have holy families), Redmond (recovering from a fall), Angelica (pregnant, due in a few weeks and is showing some signs of toxemia), Kenny (5 yrs old, in auto accident with his mother, he is paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator), Werner Meyer (has days to live), Cathy and Laurie (both are having major medical problems), Ryan Sutter (recovery from a serious motorcycle accident), Cindy (abdominal tumor), Dr. Richard Piccarreto (cancer has been found in the liver), Father Peek (still receiving massive doses of antibiotics continue to pray for his recovery), Bill Marsh (short term mission trip to Kenya), Henry (liver transplant), Vito Marcello (chemo), Gayle Gresham. ( bladder is coming loose), Reverend Father Neil Miller (will be operated on), Fr. Peter (a very very special intention), A young man (stroke like symptoms, immune problems, poor eyesight, depression and suicidal tendencies), Guiseppe (special intention), Anne Marie (Special intention),RebekahJ (Special intentions and for my Mary; Denise and her family; Tom and his family; Conversions to the priesthood and religious life and for families, esp. those serving in the military.) Mother Mary, Pray for us all !!!
Pray for the soul of Rita Walsh May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace
D E O G R A T I A S!
Saint Anniable, “Pray for us, Oh Lord,
Send Holy Apostles Into Your Church”
“Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!”
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