PRAYERS, READINGS and NOVENA
Saint Joseph
In the Kingdom of the Divine Will 
From the Writings of The Servant of God
Luisa Piccarreta
The Little Daughter of the Divine Will
PRAYERS:
May 1, A.D. 2019 – St. Joseph the Worker
St. Joseph was born in Bethlehem and worked as a carpenter (Matthew 13:55: “Is not this the carpenter’s son?”), an occupation he later passed on to his Son (Mark 6:3: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us?”). He became betrothed to Mary, a consecrated Virgin, in order to serve as her protector. When Mary came to be with child, his confusion and resolve to “put her away privately” in order to spare her any public humiliation were done away with when an Angel of the Lord visited him in a dream and explained things to him:
Matthew 1:20-24
But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.
After Jesus was born, an angel again appeared to St. Joseph and told him to take the Holy Family away in order to escape the wrath of Herod.
Matthew 2:13-15
And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son.
After time in Egypt, an angel came twice more to St. Joseph:
Matthew 2:19-23
But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, Saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child. Who arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee. And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene.
The next — and last — time we hear of St. Joseph in Sacred Scripture is when Jesus was “lost” in the Temple:
Luke 2:42-52
And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day’s journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father’s business? And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.
Tradition tells us that he had the great honor to have died in the presence of Our Lady and his Son, which fact makes him the patron of a holy death. Because during his life he was given the great responsibility of caring for and protecting the Virgin — who is the Mother of all Israel — and her Son, St. Joseph is considered the patron and protector of the entire Church.
Book of Heaven – May 31 A.D. 1931
The tiny little house of Nazareth.
….After this, I continued my acts in the Divine Fiat, and my poor mind paused in the little house of Nazareth, where the Queen of Heaven, the Celestial King Jesus, and Saint Joseph, were in possession of and lived in the Kingdom of the Divine Will. So, this Kingdom is not foreign to the earth; the house of Nazareth, the little family that lived in It, belonged to this Kingdom and kept It in full force. But while I was thinking about this, my great King Jesus told me: “My daughter, indeed the Kingdom of my Divine Will has existed upon earth,
and therefore there is the sure hope that It will return again to Its full force. Our house of Nazareth was Its true Kingdom; however, We were without peoples. Now, you must know that each creature is a Kingdom; therefore, one who lets the Divine Will reign within herself can be called a little Kingdom of the Supreme Fiat. So, she is a tiny little house of Nazareth that We have upon earth; and, though little, since Our Will is in her, reigning, Heaven is not closed for her; she observes the same laws of the Celestial Fatherland, she loves with the same love, feeds herself with the foods from up there, and is incorporated into the Kingdom of Our interminable regions. Now, in order to form the great Kingdom of Our Will upon earth, first We will make the many tiny little houses of Nazareth – that is, the souls who will want to know It in order to let It reign within themselves. I Myself, and the Sovereign Queen, will be at the head of these tiny little houses, because, We having been the first to possess this Kingdom on earth, it is Our right, which We will not surrender to anyone, to be the directors of them. Then, with these tiny little houses, repeaters of Our house of Nazareth, We will form many little states of Ours, many provinces, which, after they have been formed well, and ordered like many little Kingdoms of Our Will, will fuse together and will form one single Kingdom and one great people. Therefore, in order to have Our greatest works, Our way of acting is to begin, first alone, one on one with one single creature; when We have formed this one, We make her a channel in order to enclose in Our work two or three more creatures; then We expand, forming a small group, and then We expand it so much as to take the whole entire world. Our works begin in the isolation of God and the soul, and end by continuing their life in the midst of entire peoples. And when there is the beginning of a work of Ours, it is the sure sign that it will not die at birth; at the most, it may live hidden for some time, but then it will go out and will have its perennial life. Therefore, always forward do I want you in my Divine Will.”
(1) Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker
O glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations, to work with gratitude and joy, in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins, considering it an honor to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God, to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties, to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account that I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thine example, O Patriarch, St. Joseph. Such shall be my watchword in life and in death. Amen.
(2) Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker
St. Joseph, by the work of your hands and the sweat of your brow, you supported Jesus and Mary, and had the Son of God as your fellow worker. Teach me to work as you did, with patience and perseverance, for God and for those whom God has given me to support. Teach me to see in my fellow workers the Christ who desires to be in them, that I may always be charitable and forbearing towards all. Grant me to look upon work with the eyes of faith, so that I shall recognize in it my share in God’s own creative activity and in Christ’s work of our redemption, and so take pride in it. When it is pleasant and productive, remind me to give thanks to God for it. And when it is burdensome, teach me to offer it to God, in reparation for my sins and the sins of the world.
O good father Joseph! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows and joys, to obtain for me what I ask.
(insert your specific employment request here.)
Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers, everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Be near to me in my last moments, that I may eternally sing the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)
4) Prayer to St. Joseph for Employment
Dear Saint Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care. Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.
(5) Litany of St. Joseph,
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, hear us
Christ, graciously hear us
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us
Holy Mary, pray for us
St. Joseph, pray for us
Blessed offspring of David, pray for us
Light of patriarchs, pray for us
Spouse of the mother of God, pray for us
Chaste custodian of the Blessed Virgin, pray for us
Guardian of the Son of God, pray for us
Defender of Christ, pray for us
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us
O Joseph, most just, pray for us
O Joseph, most chaste, pray for us
O Joseph, most prudent, pray for us
O Joseph, most forceful, pray for us
O Joseph, most obedient, pray for us
O Joseph, most faithful, pray for us
Mirror of patience, pray for us
Lover of poverty, pray for us
Model of laborers, pray for us
Patriarch of the home, pray for us
Protector of virgins, pray for us
Strength of the family, pray for us
Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us
Hope of the sick, pray for us
Patron of the dying, pray for us
Terror of demons, pray for us
Protector of the church, pray for us
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world,
forgive us O Lord
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world,
hear us O Lord
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, through the merits of the devoted spouse
of your most holy Mother, help us, we beseech thee,
that what of ourselves we cannot obtain,
may be granted through the intercession
of the Most Holy Patriarch, Saint Joseph.
You who reign with God, the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit now and forever.
Amen.
(6) Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. I have special confidence in you. You are powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me, to your intercession. By the love you have for Jesus and Mary, do not abandon me during life, and assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I am confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Through Christ, our Lord. AMEN. (MENTION YOUR INTENTIONS)
Saint Joseph in the Kingdom of the Divine Will
Saint Joseph, you will be my protector, the guardian of my heart, and will keep the keys of my will in your hands. You will keep my heart jealously and shall never give it to me again, that I may be sure of never leaving the Will of God.
___________________________________________________________________
READINGS:
Book of Heaven – Volume 1
J.M.J.
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Out of pure obedience, I begin to write.
You know, oh! Lord, the sacrifice it costs me, such that I 0 submit myself to a thousand deaths rather than write one single line of the things that have passed between me and You. Oh! my God, my nature trembles, it feels crushed and almost undone at the mere thought of it. O please! give me strength, oh! Life of my life, that I may do the holy obedience! You who have given inspiration to the confessor, give me the grace to be able to execute what is commanded of me.
Oh! Jesus, oh! Spouse, oh! my strength – to You I rise, to You I come, into your arms I introduce myself, I abandon myself, I rest. O please! relieve me in my affliction and do not leave me alone and abandoned! Without your help, I am sure I will not have the strength to do this obedience that costs me so much – I will let myself be defeated by the enemy, and I fear of being crushed by You, justly, because of my disobedience.
O please! look at me, again and again, oh! Holy Spouse, in these arms of yours – see by how much darkness I am surrounded; it is so thick as to allow not even one atom of light to enter into my soul. Oh! my mystical Sun, Jesus – let this light shine within my mind, that it may dispel the darkness and I may freely remember those graces that You had given to my soul. Oh! Eternal Sun, unleash another ray of light into my inmost heart, and purify it of the mud in which it lies – ignite it, consume it with your love, so that my heart, which, more than anything, has experienced the sweetnesses of your love, may manifest them clearly to the one to whom it is obliged to do so. Oh! my Sun Jesus, one more ray of light upon my lips, that I may say the pure truth, with the sole purpose of knowing whether it is really You, or rather, an illusion from the enemy. But, oh! Jesus, how poor in light I still see myself in these arms of yours. O please! content me – You who love me so much, continue to send me light. Oh! my Sun, my beautiful One, I want to enter right into the center, that I may remain completely sunken within this most pure light. Oh! Divine Sun, let this light precede me in front of me, follow me behind me, surround me everywhere, and penetrate into every intimate hiding place of my interior, that my terrestrial being may be consumed, and You may transform it completely into your Divine Being.
Most Holy Virgin, lovable Mother, come to my aid, obtain for me from your sweet Jesus and mine, grace and strength in order to do this obedience. Saint Joseph, my dear protector, assist me in this circumstance of mine. Archangel Saint Michael, defend me from the infernal enemy, who puts so many obstacles in my mind to make me fail this obedience. Archangel Saint Rafael, and you, my guardian Angel, come to assist me and to accompany me, to direct my hand, that I may write the truth alone.
May everything be for the honor and glory of God – and to me, all the confusion. Oh! Holy Spouse, come to my help. In considering the many graces You have given to my soul, I feel all horrified and frightened, all full of confusion and shame at seeing myself still so bad and unrequiting of your graces. But, my lovable and sweet Jesus, forgive me, do not withdraw from me, but continue to pour your grace into me, that You may make of me a triumph of your mercy.
Volume 1
So, from the beginning, the Divine Master began to strip my heart of all creatures, and through an interior voice, He would tell me: “I am all that is beautiful and that deserves to be loved. See, if you do not remove this little world that surrounds you – that is, thoughts of creatures, imagination – I cannot enter freely into your heart. This murmuring in your mind is a hindrance to letting you hear my voice more clearly, to pouring my graces, to truly enamoring you of Me. Promise Me that you will be all mine, and I Myself will put my hand in the work. You are right that you can do nothing. Do not fear, I will do everything; give Me your will – this is enough for Me.”
This would happen mostly during Communion. So I would promise Him to be all His own; I would ask His forgiveness, for up to that point, I had not been so; I would say to Him that I truly wanted to love Him, and I prayed Him never to leave me alone again without Him. And the voice would continue: “No, no – I will be together with you, observing all of your actions, your movements, your desires.”
So, I would feel Him upon me for the whole day; He reprimanded me in everything. For example, if I let myself be carried away in conversing a little too much with my family, even of indifferent things which were not necessary, the interior voice would tell me: “These discourses fill your mind with things that do not belong to Me; they surround your heart with dust, such as to make you feel my grace as weak, no longer alive. O please! imitate Me when I was in the house of Nazareth – my mind was occupied with nothing but the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls; my mouth uttered nothing but holy discourses. With my words I tried to repair for the offenses against the Father, to dart through hearts and draw them to my love – and primarily my Mother and St. Joseph. In a word, everything called upon God, everything was done for God, and everything referred to Him. Why could you not do the same?”
Volume 2 – April 21, 1899
This morning, while I was in my usual state, in one instant I found myself within myself, but without being able to move. I realized that someone was entering my little room; then he closed the door again, and I felt he was drawing near my bed. In my mind I thought that someone had entered furtively, without anyone of my family seeing him, and had penetrated even into my little room. ‘Who knows what he will to do me?’ My fear was so great that I felt my blood freeze in my veins, and I trembled all over. Oh! God, what to do? I said to myself: ‘My family did not see him; I feel all numb and I cannot defend myself, nor can I ask for help. Jesus, Mary, my Mama – help me! Saint Joseph, defend me from this danger!
Volume 4 – December 25, 1900
…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.
Volume 4 – December 26, 1900
As I continued to see the Holy Baby, I saw the Queen Mother on one side and Saint Joseph on the other, adoring the Divine Infant profoundly. Being all intent on Him, it seemed to me that the continuous presence of the Little Baby kept them engrossed in continuous ecstasy; and if they could work, it was a prodigy that the Lord operated in them; otherwise they would have remained motionless, unable to attend to their external duties. I too did my adoration, and then I found myself inside myself.
Volume 5 – March 19, 1903
This morning I saw the confessor all humiliated, and also blessed Jesus and Saint Joseph, who said to him: “Get down to work, for the Lord is ready to give you the grace you want.” After this, on seeing my dear Jesus suffering as in the course of His Passion, I said to Him: ‘Lord, did You not feel tiredness in suffering so many different pains?’ And He: “No, on the contrary, one suffering would ignite the heart more to suffer another one. These are the ways of Divine Suffering; not only this, but in suffering and operating, It looks at nothing but the fruit It receives from it. In my wounds and in my blood I saw nations saved and the good that creatures would receive; and my Heart, instead of feeling tiredness, felt joy and ardent desire to suffer more. So, this is the sign that what one suffers is participation in my pains: that there is suffering united with joy to suffer more; that in operating, one operates for Me; that one does not look at what he does, but at the glory he gives to God, and at the fruit he receives.”
Volume 5 – March 20, 1903
As I was outside of myself, I saw father all in difficulty with regard to the grace he wants; and once again, blessed Jesus with Saint Joseph were saying to him: “If you get down to work, all your difficulties will disappear, and will fall off like fish scales.”
Volume 7 – May 9, 1907
It has been a few months since I wrote, and with great repugnance, and only to obey I begin to write again. Oh, what a weight I feel! Only at the thought that I could say to my beloved Jesus: ‘See how I love You more, and how my love grows, since for love of You alone I submit myself to this sacrifice, and for as long as it lasts, I can also say that I love You more’ – thinking that I can say to my Jesus that I love Him more, I feel the strength to make the sacrifice to obey. Now, since I do not remember everything distinctly, I will tell of the past, all together and confusedly, starting from where I left when I was praying that He would take my mother to Paradise without her touching Purgatory. Then, on March 19, the day dedicated to Saint Joseph, in the morning, while I was in my usual state, my mother passed from this life into the sphere of eternity; and blessed Jesus, allowing me to see her as He was taking her, told me: “My daughter, the Creator takes his creature.”
Volume 11 – August 14, 1912
Finding myself in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus told me: “My daughter, in order for the soul to forget herself, she should do each thing which is necessary for her as if Jesus wanted to do it within her. If she prays, she should say: ‘It is Jesus who wants to pray, and I pray together with Him.’ If she has to work: ‘Jesus wants to work; Jesus wants to walk; Jesus wants to take food. He wants to sleep, He wants to get up, He wants to enjoy Himself…’ and so on for all other things of life – except for error. Only in this way can the soul forget herself; not only will she do everything because I want it, but because I want to do them: they are necessary to Me.”
Now, one day I was working and I thought to myself: ‘How is it possible that Jesus works in me while I work? Does He really want to do this work?’ And Jesus: “Yes I do. My fingers are in yours and they work. My daughter, when I was on earth, didn’t my hands lower themselves to work the wood, hammer the nails, and help my foster Father Joseph in the smithing work? While I was doing that, with those very hands and with those fingers, I created souls and called other souls to the other life; I divinized all human actions; I sanctified them, giving a Divine merit to each one of them. In the movements of my fingers I called in sequence all the movements of your fingers and those of others; and if I saw that they were doing them for Me, or because I wanted to act within them, I continued my life of Nazareth in them, and I felt cheered by them for the sacrifices and the humiliations of my hidden Life, giving them the merit of my own Life.
Daughter, the hidden Life that I conducted in Nazareth is not taken into account by men, when in fact, after the Passion, nothing could benefit them more. By lowering Myself to all those little actions and those acts which men exercise during their daily life, such as eating, sleeping, drinking, working, starting the fire, sweeping, etc. – all acts which no one can do without – I made flow inside their souls a tiny divine coin of incalculable price. Therefore, if my Passion redeemed them, my hidden Life provided each human action, even the most insignificant one, with Divine merit and with infinite value.
Do you see? As you work – working because I want to work – my fingers flow within yours, and as I work in you with my creative hands, in this very instant, how many am I giving to the light of this world? How many others am I calling? How many others do I sanctify, correct, chastise, etc.? Now, you are with Me creating, calling, correcting and so forth; therefore, just as you are not alone, neither am I alone in my work. Could I ever give you greater honor?”
Who can say all that I understood, and all the good that can be done for ourselves and for others, by doing things because Jesus wants to do them in us? My mind gets lost, therefore I stop here.
Volume 12 – December 25, 1918
‘My Love, there are certain times in which my life becomes bitter, especially because of the conditions in which You put me.’ And Jesus, knowing what I wanted to say to Him, added: “What do you fear? I will take care of everything; and when one directs you I give my grace to him; when another does, I give grace to the other. And then, it is not you whom they will assist, but Me; and I will be generous with them according to how they will appreciate my work, my sayings and my teachings.” And I: ‘My Jesus, the Confessor appreciated very much what You said to me. He cared very much about it, and he worked very hard to make me write. What will You give to him?’ And Jesus: “I will give him Heaven as recompense, and I will consider his office as that of Saint Joseph and of my Mama, who, having assisted my Life on earth, had to go through hardships in order to nourish Me and assist Me. Now, since my Life is in you, I consider his assistance and sacrifices as though my Mama and Saint Joseph were doing them again for Me. Aren’t you happy?” And I: ‘Thank You, O Jesus.”
Volume 12 – December 25, 1920
…However, know that my Sacramental lot is even harder than my lot as an Infant. Though cold, the grotto was spacious, and had air to breathe; the Host too is cold, but so small that I almost lack air. In the grotto I had a manger with a little hay for bed; in my Sacramental Life, I don’t even have hay, and I have nothing but hard and ice cold metals for bed. In the grotto I had my dear Mama who took Me very often with her most pure hands, covered Me with ardent kisses in order to warm Me, soothed my crying, and nourished Me with her most sweet milk. In my Sacramental Life it is all the opposite: I do not have a Mama; if they take Me, I feel the touch of unworthy hands which smell like earth and muck. Oh! how I feel their stench – more than the manure I smelled in the grotto. Instead of covering Me with kisses, they touch Me with irreverent acts; instead of milk, they give Me the bile of sacrileges, of indifference, and of coldness. In the grotto, Saint Joseph never left Me without the light of a little lantern at night. Here in the Sacrament, how many times I remain in the dark also at night! Oh, how much more painful is my Sacramental lot! How many hidden tears, not seen by anyone. How many wails not listened to. If my lot as an Infant moved you to pity, much more should my Sacramental lot move you to pity.”
Volume 12 – January 24, 1921
“My daughter, calm yourself – I choose whomever I please. However, know that I begin all of my works between Myself and one creature; and then they are spread. In fact, who was the first spectator of the FIAT of my Creation? Adam, and then Eve. It surely wasn’t a multitude of people. Only after years and years did crowds and multitudes of people become spectators of It. In the second FIAT my Mama was the only spectator; not even Saint Joseph knew anything, and my Mama found herself more than in your condition: the greatness of the Creative Power of my work which She felt within Herself was such that, confused, She did not feel the strength to mention it to anyone. And if, then, Saint Joseph knew it, it was because I manifested it to him. So, this FIAT germinated like a seed within Her virginal womb; the ear of grain was formed in order to multiply It, and then It came to the light of day. But who were the spectators? Very few. In the room of Nazareth my dear Mama and Saint Joseph were the only spectators. Then, when my Most Holy Humanity grew up, I went out and I made Myself known – but not to all. Afterwards, It spread more, and It will still spread.
So will the third FIAT be. It will germinate within you; the ear of grain will be formed; only the priest will have knowledge of It. Then, a few souls – and then, It will spread. It will spread, and will follow the same path as Creation and Redemption. The more crushed you feel, the more the ear of the third FIAT grows and is fecundated in you. Therefore, be attentive and faithful.”
Volume 17 – December 24, 1924
… I was thinking about the act in which the sweet little Baby came out of the maternal womb to be born into our midst. My poor mind wandered within a mystery so profound and all love; and my sweet Jesus, moving in my interior, stretched out His little hands to embrace me, and said to me: “My daughter, the act of my birth was the most solemn act of the whole Creation. Heaven and earth felt plunged into the most profound adoration at the sight of my little Humanity, which kept my Divinity as though enclosed within walls. So, in the act of my birth, there was an act of silence and of profound adoration and prayer: my Mama prayed, and remained enraptured by the power of the prodigy which was coming out of Her; Saint Joseph prayed; the Angels prayed; and all Creation felt the strength of the love of my creative power being renewed upon them. All felt honored and received true honor, because the One who had created them would make use of them for what was needed for His Humanity. The sun felt honored, in having to give its light and heat to its Creator; it recognized the One who had created it – its true Lord, and made feast for Him and paid Him honor by giving Him its light. The earth felt honored, when it felt Me lying in a manger; it felt touched by my tender limbs, and exulted with joy with prodigious signs. All Creation saw their true King and Lord in their midst; and feeling honored, each one wanted to perform its office for Me: the water wanted to quench my thirst; the birds, with their trills and warblings, wanted to cheer Me; the wind wanted to caress Me; the air wanted to kiss Me – all wanted to pay Me their innocent tribute. Only men, ungrateful, even though all felt something unusual within themselves – a joy, a powerful strength – were reluctant; and suffocating everything, they did not move. And even though I called them with tears, with moans and sobs, they did not move, except for some few shepherds. Yet, it was for man that I was coming upon earth! I was coming to give Myself to him, to save him, and to bring him back to my Celestial Fatherland. Therefore, I was all eyes to see whether he would come before Me in order to receive the great gift of my divine and human Life. So, the Incarnation was nothing less than placing Myself at the mercy of the creature. In the Incarnation I placed Myself at the mercy of my dear Mama; as I was born, Saint Joseph too was added, to whom I gave the gift of my Life. And since my works are eternal and not subject to ending, this Divinity, this Word who descended from Heaven, never withdrew from the earth, so as to have the occasion to give Himself continuously to all creatures. As long as I lived, I gave Myself in an unveiled manner; then, a few hours before dying, I made the great prodigy of leaving Myself in the Sacrament, so that, whoever wanted Me, could receive the great gift of my Life. I paid no attention either to the offenses they would give Me, or to their refusals to receive Me. I said to Myself: ‘I have given Myself – I do not want to withdraw, ever. Let them do to Me whatever they want – I will always be theirs, and at their disposal’.
Volume 19 – June 15, 1926
…The same will be for my Will: knowledge will give life to the fruits of my Will. This is why I wanted to renew what I did in Redemption, choosing another virgin, remaining hidden with her for forty years and more, segregating her from everyone as if in a new Nazareth, to be free with her to tell the whole story, the prodigies and the goods contained in It, so as to be able to form the life of my Will in you. And just as I chose Saint Joseph to be together with Me and my Mama, as our cooperator, tutor and vigilant sentry for Me and for the Sovereign Queen, in the same way, I have placed near you the vigilant assistance of my ministers, as cooperators, tutors and depositories of the knowledges, goods and prodigies contained in my Will. And since my Will wants to establish Its Kingdom in the midst of peoples, through you I want to deposit this celestial doctrine in my ministers as my new apostles, so that first I may form with them the link of connection with my Will, and then they may transmit it into the midst of peoples. If it were not so, or were not to be so, I would not have insisted so much on having you write, nor would I have permitted the daily coming of the priest, but I would have left all my work between Me and you. Therefore, be attentive and leave Me free to do what I want in you.”
Now, who can say how confused I remained at this speaking of Jesus? I remained mute, and from the depth of my heart I repeated: ‘Fiat, Fiat, Fiat…’
Volume 20 – December 25, 1926
… I was thinking of how unhappy was that grotto in which little baby Jesus was born; how exposed it was to all winds and to cold, so much as to make one numb with cold. Instead of men, there were animals which kept Him company. So I thought: ‘Which prison was more unhappy and sorrowful – the prison of the night of His Passion, or the grotto of Bethlehem?’ And my sweet baby added: “My daughter, the unhappiness of the prison of my Passion cannot be compared to the grotto of Bethlehem. In the grotto I had my Mama near Me, in body and soul. She was with Me, therefore I had all the joys of my dear Mama, and She had all the joys of Myself, Her Son, which formed our Paradise. The joys of a Mother who possesses her child are great; the joys of possessing a Mother are even greater. I found everything in Her, and She found everything in Me. Then there was my dear father Saint Joseph who acted as a father to Me, and I felt all the joys which he felt because of Me. In my Passion, instead, all of our joys were interrupted, because we were to give place to sorrow, and between Mother and Son, we felt the great pain of the nearing separation, sensible at least, which was to occur with my death. In the grotto the animals recognized Me, and honoring Me, they tried to warm Me with their breath. In the prison, not even men recognized Me, and in order to insult Me, they covered Me with spit and opprobrium. So, there is no comparison between the two.”
Volume 30 – January 1, 1927
See, when I came upon earth, I wanted to give many examples and similes about how I wanted the human will to end. I wanted to be born at midnight, so as to break the night of the human will with the refulgent day of Mine. And even though at midnight the night continues and does not finish, it is yet the beginning of a new day; and my Angels, to honor my birth and to point out to everyone the day of my Will, from midnight on, enlivened the vault of the heavens with new stars and new suns, such as to turn the night into more than daylight. This was the homage that the Angels gave to my little Humanity, in which dwelled the full day of the sun of my Divine Will, and the call of the creature into the full day of It. Still little, I submitted Myself to the cruel cut of circumcision, which made Me shed bitter tears for the pain – and not only to Me, but with Me cried my Mama and dear St. Joseph. It was the cut of the human will that I wanted to make, so that all might let the Divine Will flow within that cut, and so that a broken will might have life no more – but only Mine, which had flowed within that cut in order to begin Its life again.
Still little, I wanted to flee to Egypt. A tyrannical and iniquitous will wanted to kill Me – symbol of the human will which wants to kill Mine; so I fled, in order to say to all: ‘Flee the human will, if you do not want Mine to be killed.’ My whole life was nothing other than the call of the Divine Will into the human. In Egypt I lived like a stranger in the midst of that people – symbol of my Will, which they keep as though estranged within their midst; and symbolizing that whoever wants to live in peace and united with my Will, must live as though estranged to the human will. Otherwise, there will always be war between the two of them, because they are two irreconcilable wills.
After my exile, I returned to my fatherland – symbol of my Will which, after Its long exile of centuries upon centuries, will return to Its dear fatherland, to reign in the midst of Its children. And as I went through these stages in my life, I kept forming Its Kingdom in Me, and I called It with incessant prayers, with pains and with tears, to come and reign in the midst of creatures. I returned to my fatherland and I lived hidden and unknown. Oh, how this symbolizes the sorrow of my Will which, while living in the midst of the peoples, lives unknown and hidden! And with my hiddenness, I impetrated that the Supreme Will might be known, in order to receive the homage and the glory which are due to It.
Volume 20 – January 6, 1927
…I was thinking about the Holy Magi, when they visited the little baby Jesus in the grotto of Bethlehem; and my always lovable Jesus told me: “My daughter, see the order of my Divine Providence: for the great portent of my Incarnation, I chose and used a Virgin, humble and poor; and the Virgin Saint Joseph as my custodian, who acted as a father to Me, and who was so poor that he needed to work in order to sustain our lives. See how in the greatest works – and the mystery of the Incarnation could not be greater – We use people whose outward appearance attracts no attention from anyone, because dignities, scepters, riches, are always fumes which blind the soul, and prevent her from penetrating into the celestial mysteries in order to receive a great act of God – and God Himself. But in order to manifest to the peoples the coming of Myself, Word of the Father, upon earth, I wanted and used royal authorities, learned and erudite men, so that, by their authority, they might diffuse the knowledges of the incarnate God and, eventually, also impose themselves to the peoples. In spite of this, the star was seen by everyone, yet only three of them move, pay attention and follow it. This says that, among all, these alone possessed a certain dominion over themselves, which formed a little empty space in their interior. So, beyond the appearance of the star, they felt my call which echoed within their interior; and heedless of sacrifices, of gossip, of mockeries – because their were leaving for an unknown place and they had to hear much of it – disregarding everything and dominating themselves, they followed the star united to my call, which resounded in their interior as more than a speaking star. It enlightened them, it attracted them, and said many things about the One whom they were to visit; and, drunk with joy, they followed the star.
Volume 21 – April 16, 1927
I was thinking about the pain of my Mama, when, sorrowful and pierced in Her Heart, She departed from Jesus, leaving Him dead in the sepulcher; and I thought to myself: ‘How could She possibly have so much strength, as to be able to leave Him. It is true that He was dead, but it was always the body of Jesus. How could Her maternal love not consume Her, rather than letting Her take one step alone away from that extinguished body? What heroism – what strength!’
But while I was thinking of this, my sweet Jesus moved in my interior and told me: “My daughter, do you want to know how my Mama had the strength to leave Me? All the secret of Her strength was in my Will reigning in Her. She lived of a Will which was Divine – not human, and therefore She contained an immeasurable strength. Even more, you must know that when my pierced Mama left Me in the sepulcher, my Will kept Her immersed within two immense seas – one of sorrow, and another, more extensive, of joys and beatitudes; and while that of sorrow gave Her all the martyrdoms, that of joys gave Her all the contentments. Her beautiful soul alone followed Me into Limbo, and was present at the feast that all the Patriarchs, the Prophets, Her father, Her mother and our dear Saint Joseph made for Me. Through my presence, Limbo became Paradise; and I could not do without letting the One who had been inseparable from Me in my pains, participate in this first feast of the creatures. Her joy was so great, that She had the strength to depart from my body, withdrawing and waiting for the fulfillment of my Resurrection, as the fulfillment of Redemption. Joy sustained Her in sorrow, and sorrow sustained Her in joy.
To one who possesses my Will, neither strength, nor power, nor joy may be lacking; rather, she has everything at her disposal. Do you not experience this within yourself? When you are deprived of Me and you feel consumed, the light of the Divine Fiat forms Its sea of happiness and gives you life.”
Volume 21 – April 30, 1927
Oh, if the creatures could see what happens in the secret of our hearts, how surprised with amazement they would be! This happened when I and my Mama were on earth, as we were preparing, between the two of us, the Kingdom of Redemption – all the remedies which were needed so that everyone might find salvation. We did not spare sacrifices, nor work, nor life, nor prayers; and while we were all intent on thinking about everyone – on giving our life for all, no one would think about us; no one knew what we were doing. My Celestial Mama was the depository of the Kingdom of Redemption, and therefore She took part in all of the sacrifices, and in all of the sorrows. Only Saint Joseph knew what we were doing, but he did not take part in all of our sorrows.
Volume 23 – March 11, 1928
I was following my Divine Fiat, doing my round in It; and as I arrived at the home of Nazareth in which my lovable Jesus had conducted His hidden life, in order to follow His acts, I was saying to Him: ‘My Love, there is no act You do in which my ‘I love you’ does not follow You, to ask You, by means of your acts, for the Kingdom of your Will. My ‘I love you’ follows You everywhere – in the steps You take, in the words You speak, in the wood You hammer; and while You hammer the wood, You hammer the human will, that it may be undone, and your Divine Will may rise again in the midst of creatures. My ‘I love you’ flows in the water You drink, in the food You take, in the air You breath, in the rivers of love that pass between You and your Mama and Saint Joseph, in the prayers You do, in your ardent heartbeat, in the sleep You take. Oh! how I wish to be near You, to whisper to your ear: “I love You, I love You…. O Please! let your Kingdom come”.’
Volume 24 – July 7, 1928
…while accompanying my sweet Jesus in the little room of Nazareth in order to follow His acts, I thought to myself: ‘Certainly my beloved Jesus had the Kingdom of His Will during His hidden life. The Sovereign Lady possessed His Fiat, He was the Divine Will Itself, and Saint Joseph, in the middle of these seas of endless light – how could he not let himself be dominated by this Most Holy Will?’ But while I was thinking of this, my Highest Good, Jesus, sighing with sorrow told me in my interior: “My daughter, indeed my Divine Will reigned in this house of Nazareth on earth as It does in Heaven. My Celestial Mama and I knew no other will, and Saint Joseph lived in the reflections of Our Will. But I was like a king without a people, isolated, without cortege, without army, and my Mama was like a queen without children, because She was not surrounded by other children worthy of Her to whom She could entrust Her crown of queen, so as to have the offspring of Her noble children all kings and queens. And I had the sorrow of being a king without a people; and if those who surrounded Me could be called a people, it was a sick people – some were blind, some mute, some deaf, some crippled, some covered with wounds. It was a people that gave Me dishonor – not honor; even more, it did not even know Me, nor did it want to know Me. So, I was king only for Myself, and my Mama was queen without the long generation of Her offspring of royal children.
But in order to be able to say that I had my Kingdom, and to rule, I had to have ministers; and even though I had Saint Joseph as prime minister, one minister only does not constitute a ministry. I had to have a great army, all intent on fighting to defend the rights of the Kingdom of my Divine Will; and a faithful people that would have, as law, only the law of my Will. This was not so, my daughter; therefore I cannot say that, on coming upon earth, I had the Kingdom of my Fiat at that time. Our Kingdom was for Us only, because the order of Creation and the royalty of man were not restored. However, by the Celestial Mother and I living wholly of Divine Will, the seed was sown, the yeast was formed, to make Our Kingdom arise and grow upon earth. Therefore, all the preparations were made, all the graces were impetrated, all the pains were suffered, so that the Kingdom of my Fiat might come to reign upon earth. This is why Nazareth can be called the point of recall of the Kingdom of Our Will.”
Volume 27 – October 21, 1929
“My daughter, my Divine Will reigns. It can be paralleled to Me, Eternal Word, who, in descending from Heaven, enclosed Myself in the womb of my Celestial Mother. Who knew anything? No one, not even Saint Joseph knew, at the beginning of my conception, that I was already in their midst. Only my inseparable Mama was aware of everything. So, the great portent of my descent from Heaven upon earth had occurred, and in reality; and while with my immensity I existed everywhere – Heaven and earth were immersed in Me, with my person I was enclosed in the maternal womb of the Immaculate Queen – no one knew Me, I was ignored by all.
And so, my daughter, here is the first step of the parallel between Me, Divine Word, when I descended from Heaven, and my Divine Will that takes Its first step to come to reign upon earth. Just as I directed my first steps toward the Virgin Mother, so did my Will direct Its first steps in you; and as It asked for your will and you surrendered it, It immediately formed Its first act of conception in your soul; and as It manifested Its knowledges, giving you as though many divine sips, It formed Its Life and gave start to the formation of Its Kingdom. But, for a long time, who knew anything? No one; only you and I were aware of everything; and after some time my representative, the one who directed you, became aware of what was happening in you – symbol of my representative, Saint Joseph, who was to appear as my father before creatures, and who, before I came out of the maternal womb, had the great honor and gift of knowing that I was already in their midst.
After the first steps I took the second: I went to Bethlehem to be born, and I was recognized and visited by the shepherds of that place. But they were not influential people, they kept for themselves the beautiful news that I had already come upon earth, therefore they did not occupy themselves with making Me known, with spreading Me everywhere, and I continued to remain the Jesus hidden and unknown to all. But, though unknown, I was already in their midst – symbol of my Divine Will: very often other representatives of mine have come to you, from afar and from nearby, who have listened to the beautiful news of the Kingdom of my Divine Will, the knowledges about It, and how It wants to be recognized. But, some for lack of influence, some of will, they did not occupy themselves with spreading It, and It remained unknown and ignored, even though It already exists in their midst; but because It is not known, It does not reign – It reigns only in you, just as I was only with my Celestial Mama and with my foster father Saint Joseph.
The third step of my coming upon earth is the exile, and I had this because the Holy Magi came to visit Me, who aroused some interest in searching for Me. This search of Me made Herod fearful, and instead of joining with them to come to visit Me, he wanted to plot against my life in order to kill Me, and by necessity I was forced to go into exile. Symbol of my Divine Will: very often it seems that they arouse some interest, that they want to make It known by publishing It. But – nothing! Some are taken by fear, some are afraid to compromise themselves, some do not feel like sacrificing themselves; now with one pretext, now with another, everything ends up in words, and my Divine Will remains exiled from the midst of creatures. And just as I did not depart for Heaven, but in the exile I remained in the midst of creatures, only with my Divine Mother and with Saint Joseph who knew Me very well and I formed their paradise on earth, while for the others it was as if I did not exist; in the same way, having formed Its Life in you with all the cortege of Its knowledges, if It does not receive the effects, the purpose for which It has made Itself known, how can my Fiat depart? In fact, when We decide to do a work, a good, no one can move Us. Therefore, in spite of the exile and of Its hiddenness, just as I did – doing my public life and making Myself known after thirty years of hidden life – so will my Divine Volition not be able to remain always hidden, but will obtain Its intent of making Itself known in order to reign in the midst of creatures. Therefore, be attentive, and know how to appreciate the great gift of my Divine Will in your soul.”
Volume 27 – January 30, 1930
I was thinking about how the Kingdom of the Divine Will could come upon earth, and in what way It may unfold. Who will be the first fortunate ones to have such a great good? And my sweet Jesus, making Himself seen, clasped me all to Himself, and giving me three kisses, told me: “My daughter, in the same way as the Kingdom of Redemption unfolded, so will the Kingdom of my Will unfold. It can be said that Redemption is making Its round throughout the whole world, a round which It has not yet entirely completed, because not all the peoples know about my coming upon earth, and therefore they are without its goods. Redemption keeps preparing and disposing the peoples for the Kingdom of my Divine Will. So, just as my Redemption had Its beginning, not in the whole world, but in the center of Judea, because in this nation there was the little core of those who were awaiting Me, there was She whom I had chosen as Mother, and Saint Joseph, who was to be my foster father – in this nation I had manifested Myself to the prophets by letting them know that I was going to come upon earth; it was right that, there where this was known, they be the first ones to have Me in their midst; and even though they were ungrateful, and many did not want to know Me, yet, who can deny that my Celestial Mama, the Apostles, the disciples, were from the Jewish nation, and that they were the first criers who exposed their lives to make known to the other nations my coming upon earth and the goods which are in my Redemption? – so it will be for the Kingdom of my Divine Fiat: the towns, the provinces, the kingdom, which will have been the first to know the knowledges about my Divine Will and Its expressed Will of wanting to come to reign in the midst of creatures, will be the first to receive the goods that Its Kingdom will bring. And then, making Its way with Its knowledges, It will do Its round in the midst of the human generations. My daughter, there is much analogy between the way in which Redemption unfolded and the way in which the Kingdom of my Divine Will will unfold. See, in my Redemption I chose a Virgin; in appearance She had no importance according to the world, either of riches, or of height of dignity or positions which would indicate Her; the very city of Nazareth was not important – a tiny little house was Her whole abode. But even though I chose Her from Nazareth, I wanted for it to belong to the capital city, Jerusalem, in which there was the body of the pontiffs and priests who then represented Me and announced my laws. For the Kingdom of my Divine Will I have chosen another virgin who, in appearance, has no importance, either of great riches or of height of dignity; the very city of Corato is not an important city, but it belongs to Rome, in which resides my representative on earth, the Roman Pontiff, from whom come my divine laws; and just as he makes it his duty to make my Redemption known to the peoples, so will he make it his duty to make known the Kingdom of my Divine Will. It can be said that one and the other will proceed in the same way and manner, as the Kingdom of my Supreme Fiat must unfold.”
Volume 28 – June 2, 1930
…my daughter, I know where my aims tend to, what they must serve for, what I do, great and beautiful, when I choose a creature. What do they know? And this is why they have always something to say about my operating. And not even my short life down here was spared, when my Most Holy Humanity was in their midst and I was all love for them; and yet, if I drew too close to sinners, they had to say that it was not decorous for Me to deal with them. And I let them talk, and without giving importance to their talking, I did the facts, I drew closer to sinners, I loved them more in order to attract them to love Me. If I did miracles, they had something to say, because they believed I was the son of Saint Joseph; they had to say that the promised Messiah could not come from a carpenter, and they kept arousing doubts about my Divine Person, so much so, as to form clouds around the Sun of my Humanity. And I aroused the little breezes to get rid of the clouds, and I reappeared more blazing with light in their midst, in order to accomplish the purpose of my coming upon earth, which was Redemption.
Therefore, do not be surprised that they have found something to say on the way I have conducted Myself with you; and even though they have formed clouds around the operating I have had with you, I will arouse my little breezes to get rid of these clouds. And if they love the truth, they will know that the way I have conducted Myself with you, even though I have not used it with other souls, was necessary to Our Love, because it was to serve Our very Will, in order to make It known and to make It reign.”
Volume 29 – May 31, 1931
…I continued my acts in the Divine Fiat, and my poor mind paused in the little house of Nazareth, where the Queen of Heaven, the Celestial King Jesus, and Saint Joseph, were in possession of and lived in the Kingdom of the Divine Will. So, this Kingdom is not foreign to the earth; the house of Nazareth, the little family that lived in It, belonged to this Kingdom and kept It in full force. But while I was thinking about this, my great King Jesus told me: “My daughter, indeed the Kingdom of my Divine Will has existed upon earth, and therefore there is the sure hope that It will return again to Its full force. Our house of Nazareth was Its true Kingdom; however, We were without peoples. Now, you must know that each creature is a Kingdom; therefore, one who lets the Divine Will reign within herself can be called a little Kingdom of the Supreme Fiat. So, she is a tiny little house of Nazareth that We have upon earth; and, though little, since Our Will is in her, reigning, Heaven is not closed for her; she observes the same laws of the Celestial Fatherland, she loves with the same love, feeds herself with the foods from up there, and is incorporated into the Kingdom of Our interminable regions. Now, in order to form the great Kingdom of Our Will upon earth, first We will make the many tiny little houses of Nazareth – that is, the souls who will want to know It in order to let It reign within themselves. I Myself, and the Sovereign Queen, will be at the head of these tiny little houses, because, We having been the first to possess this Kingdom on earth, it is Our right, which We will not surrender to anyone, to be the directors of them. Then, with these tiny little houses, repeaters of Our house of Nazareth, We will form many little states of Ours, many provinces, which, after they have been formed well, and ordered like many little Kingdoms of Our Will, will fuse together and will form one single Kingdom and one great people. Therefore, in order to have Our greatest works, Our way of acting is to begin, first alone, one on one with one single creature; when We have formed this one, We make her a channel in order to enclose in Our work two or three more creatures; then We expand, forming a small group, and then We expand it so much as to take the whole entire world. Our works begin in the isolation of God and the soul, and end by continuing their life in the midst of entire peoples. And when there is the beginning of a work of Ours, it is the sure sign that it will not die at birth; at the most, it may live hidden for some time, but then it will go out and will have its perennial life. Therefore, always forward do I want you in my Divine Will.”
Volume 30 – March 20, 1932
…In fact if I might not have manifested to you that I can give and want to give my Divine Will dominating and reigning in the midst of creatures, you would have been indifferent like all the others for a good so great. So that your interest, your prayers have been effects and parts of that which you have known. And I myself when I came upon the earth, [in] the thirty years of my hidden life it can be said that I apparently didn’t do good to anyone, nor did even one know me. I remained in the midst of them unobserved, the whole good was developed between me and the Celestial Father, my Celestial Mother and dear St. Joseph, because they knew who I was; all the others [knew] nothing. Instead when I went out from my hideaway and openly made myself known saying that I was really the promised Messiah, their Redeemer and Savior, and although with having made myself known I attracted on me calumnies, persecutions, contradictions, anger, hatred of the Hebrews and the Passion and death itself. All these evils that as copious rain rained on me had the beginning in making myself known, I affirmed that which I really was, the Word Eternal descended from heaven in order to save them. So very true that even when I (was) in the house of Nazareth, not knowing who I was, no one said anything of me, nor did they slander me nor did they hurt me. As I revealed myself all the evils fell on me. But this was necessary to make myself known, otherwise I would have left again for heaven without completing the purpose for which I came upon the earth. Instead with making myself known, in spite that I attracted so many evils, in the midst of this abyss of evils I formed my Apostles, announced the Gospel, worked prodigies, and my knowledge instigated my enemies to make me suffer so many sufferings, even to give me death on the cross. But I obtained my intent, that so many would know me in the midst of so many that didn’t want to know me, and to complete my Redemption. I knew that, with making myself known, the perfidy and pride of the Hebrews would have done so much. But it was necessary to make myself known, because a person, a good if it isn’t known it is not bearer of life nor of good. The good, the truths not known remain impeded in itself without fecundity, as so many sterile mothers that finish with their generation.
Volume 32 – April 16, 1933
“My blessed daughter, listen still to my long story of love, I could say that it is an interminable chain of incessant love, not ever interrupted, after all I created the creature in order to love her, in order to hold her united with me, and not loving her I would go against my own Will, I would act against my own nature that is all love, and then I created her because I felt the need to express my love, and to make her feel the sweet continuous whisper, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you’. Now, you should know that since I was conceived, and in the whole course of my life, in all the acts that I did, I enclosed within love, conquest, triumph, my work was very different from that of creatures, the doing and not to do, the suffering and not to suffer, it was in my power, my omniclairvoyance didn’t hide anything from me, and I first put my Will in my acts, I enclosed (the) fullness of sanctity, (the) fullness of love, (the) fullness of all goods, and then with all knowledge I exhibited myself to work or suffer, according to what I myself wanted, and with this I became conqueror and triumphator of my acts, but do you know for whom I made these conquests and these triumphs? for creatures, I loved them too much, and I wanted to give, I wanted to be the conquering Jesus, to give them my conquests and my triumphs myself in order to conquer them. So that my life down here, was none other than a continuous act of heroic love, that never says enough to conquests and triumphs, in order to make my children happy, and I did this in everything, if I put myself to walk, I held the virtue to be able to find myself from one city to the other without making use of my steps, but I wanted to walk, in order put in every step my love, in every step that raced, raced, and I made myself conqueror and triumphator of my steps, oh! if creatures might pay attention to me, they would have felt in my steps the continuous cry: I race, I race in search of creatures, in order to love them and to be loved. Thus if I worked with St. Joseph in order to procure the necessities of life, it was love that raced, they were conquests and triumphs that I made, because one Fiat was enough for me in order to have everything at my disposition, and making use of my hands for a little profit, the Heavens were stupefied, the Angels remained enraptured and mute in seeing me abase myself to the humblest actions of life, but my love had its outlet, it filled, overflowed in my acts, and I was always the divine conqueror and triumphator. For me taking food was not necessary, but I took it in order to make love race more and make new conquests and triumphs. So that I gave course to the most humble and base things of life, that was not necessary for me, but I did it in order to form so many distinct ways in order to make my love race, and form new conquests and triumphs over my Humanity, in order to make a gift of them to whom I loved so much, and therefore, one who doesn’t receive my love, and doesn’t love me, forms my hardest martyrdom, and puts my love on (the) cross. But I pass ahead, in order to form the Redemption one tear of mine, one sigh was enough, but my love would not have remained content, being able to give and to do more, my love would have remained impeded in itself and would not have been able to give the boast of saying: ‘I have done everything, I have suffered everything, I have given you everything, my conquests are superabundant, my triumph is complete’; I can say that I arrived even to confound human ingratitude with my love, with my excesses and with unheard of sufferings, hence I myself in every suffering put the intensity of the most intense and bitter sorrow, the most humiliating confusions, the cruelest barbarities and afterwards I equipped it for me with all the most sorrowful effects, that only a man and God could suffer, I exhibited myself to suffer it, and oh, the admirable conquests in my sufferings and the full triumph that my love made, no one would have been able to touch me if I might not want it, and here there is the whole secret, my sufferings were voluntarily wanted by me, and therefore they contain the miraculous secret, the conquering strength, the love that moves one to remorse, and they hold the virtue to sweep away the whole world and change the face of the earth.”
Day Seventeen –
The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will
Now, my child, listen to Me: I continued my life in the temple and my little escapes up there to my Celestial Fatherland. I had my rights as daughter to make my little visits to my Divine Family which, more than Father, belonged to Me. But what was not my surprise when in one of these visits the Divine Persons made known to Me that it was Their Will for Me to leave the temple; first, to unite myself in bond of marriage, according to the manner of those times, to a holy man called Joseph; and then, to withdraw together with him to live in the house of Nazareth.
My child, in this step of my life it apparently seemed that God wanted to put Me to the test. I had never loved anyone in the world, and since the Divine Will extended through my whole being, my human will never had one act of life; therefore, the seed of human love was missing in Me. How could I love a man in the human order, though he might be a great saint? It is true that I loved everyone, and that my love for all was so great that my love of Mother kept them inscribed in my maternal Heart, one by one, with indelible characters of fire; but this was all in the divine order. Human love, compared to the divine, can be called shadows, shadings – atoms of love. Yet, my child, what apparently seemed to be a trial and as though foreign to the sanctity of my life, was admirably used by God to fulfill His designs, and to grant Me the grace for which I so much longed – that is, the descent of the Word upon earth. God gave Me the safeguard, the defense, the help, such that no one could talk about Me – about my honesty. Saint Joseph was to be the cooperator – the tutor, who was to take care of that bit of the human which We needed – as well as the shadow of the celestial Paternity, in which our little celestial family on earth was to be formed.
So, in spite of my surprise, immediately I said: “Fiat”, knowing that the Divine Will would not harm me, or prejudice my sanctity. Oh, had I wanted to put in one act of my human will, even in the aspect of not wanting to know man, I would have sent to ruin the plans of the coming of the Word upon earth! Therefore, it is not the diversity of states that prejudices sanctity, but the lack of Divine Will, and of the fulfillment of one’s own duties to which God calls the creature. All states are holy, marriage too, provided that the Divine Will is present, as well as the exact sacrifice of one’s own duties. But the great part are indolent and lazy, and not only do they not become saints, but of their own state, some make a purgatory, and some a hell.
So, as I learned I was to leave the temple, I did not say a word to anyone, waiting for God Himself to move the external circumstances to make Me fulfill His adorable Will, as in fact happened. The superiors of the temple called Me and let Me know that it was their will, and also the custom of those times, that I prepare myself for marriage. I accepted. Miraculously, among many, the choice fell upon Saint Joseph; so the marriage was made and I left the temple.
Therefore, I beg you, child of my Heart, that in all circumstances you take to heart the Divine Will alone, if you want the divine designs to be accomplished over you.
Day Eighteen – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will
Now, my dear child, listen to Me: I left the temple with the same courage with which I entered it, and only to do the Divine Will. I went to Nazareth and I no longer found my dear and holy parents. I was accompanied only by Saint Joseph, and I saw in him my good angel whom God had given Me for my custody, though I had cohorts of angels that accompanied Me on the journey. All created things made bows of honor for Me, and I, thanking them, gave each created thing my kiss and my greeting as Queen. And so we arrived at Nazareth.
You must know that Saint Joseph and I looked at each other with modesty and felt our hearts swollen, because each one wanted to let the other know that we were bound to God with a vow of perennial virginity. Finally, silence was broken, and both of us manifested our vow. Oh, how happy we felt! Thanking the Lord, we promised to live together as brother and sister. I was most attentive in serving him; we looked at each other with veneration, and the dawn of peace reigned in our midst. Oh, if all would reflect themselves in Me by imitating Me! I adapted Myself very much to an ordinary life; I would let nothing appear outside of the great seas of grace I possessed.
Meditation 1 – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
My child, give Me your hand now, and follow Me, as I continue to give you my lessons.
So I departed from Nazareth, accompanied by Saint Joseph, facing a long journey, and crossing mountains to go visit Elisabeth in Judea, who, in her advanced age, had miraculously become a mother.
I went to her, not to make a simple visit, but because I burned with the desire to bring her Jesus. The fullness of grace, of love and of light that I felt within Me, pushed Me to bring, to multiply – to increase a hundredfold the life of my Son in creatures.
Yes, my child, the love of Mother which I had for all men, and for you in particular, was so great that I felt the extreme need to give my dear Jesus to everyone, that all might possess Him and love Him. The right of Mother, given to Me by the Fiat, enriched Me with such power as to multiply Jesus as many times as there are creatures who want to receive Him. This was the greatest miracle I could perform: to have Jesus ready to give to whomever desired Him. How happy I felt!
How I wish that you too, my child, in approaching and visiting people, would always be the bearer of Jesus, capable of making Him known, and yearning to make Him loved.
After many days of travel, finally I arrived in Judea, and I hastened to the house of Elisabeth. She came toward Me in feast. At the greeting I gave her, marvelous phenomena occurred. My little Jesus exulted in my womb, and fixing little John in the womb of his mother with the rays of His Divinity, He sanctified him, gave him the use of reason, and made known to him that He was the Son of God. And John leaped so vigorously with love and with joy that Elisabeth was shaken. Touched by the light of the Divinity of my Son, she too recognized that I had become the Mother of God; and in the emphasis of her love, trembling with gratitude, she exclaimed: “Whence comes to me so much honor, that the Mother of my Lord would come to me?”
I did not deny the highest mystery; rather, I humbly confirmed it. Praising God with the song of the Magnificat – sublime canticle, through which the Church continuously honors Me – I announced that the Lord had done great things in Me, His servant, and that because of this, all peoples would call Me blessed.
My child, I felt devoured with the desire to pour out the flames of love that consumed Me, and to reveal my secret to Elisabeth, who also longed for the Messiah to come upon earth. A secret is a need of the heart which is revealed, irresistibly, to persons who are capable of understanding each other.
Who can ever tell you how much good my visit brought to Elisabeth, to John, and to their whole household? Everyone was sanctified, filled with gladness, felt unusual joys, and comprehended things unheard-of. John, in particular, received all the graces which were necessary for him, to prepare himself to be the Precursor of my Son.
Dearest child, the Divine Will does great and unheard-of things wherever It reigns. If I worked many prodigies, it was because It had Its royal place in Me. If you let the Divine Will reign in your soul, you too will become the bearer of Jesus to the creatures – you too will feel the irresistible need to give Him to all!
Day Twenty-two – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
Now, child of my Heart, while you are all intent on longing for little Baby Jesus, pay attention and listen to Me. You must know that it was midnight when the little newborn King came out of my maternal womb. But the night turned into day; the One who was the Lord of light put to flight the night of the human will, the night of sin, the night of all evils; and as a sign of what He was doing in the order of souls, by means of His usual omnipotent Fiat the midnight turned into most refulgent daylight. All created things ran to praise their Creator in that little Humanity. The sun ran to give its first kisses of light to little Baby Jesus, and to warm Him with its heat; the ruling wind purified the air of the stable with its waves, and with its sweet moaning said to Him: “I love You”; the heavens were shaken from their very foundations; the earth exulted and trembled down to the abyss; the sea roared with its gigantic waves. In sum, all created things recognized that their Creator was now in their midst, and they all competed in singing His praises. The very Angels, forming light in the air, with melodious voices which all could hear, said: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will! The Celestial Baby is now born in the grotto of Bethlehem, wrapped in poor swaddling clothes…” – so much so, that the shepherds who were in vigil, listened to the Angelic voices and ran to visit the little divine King.
My dear child, continue to listen to Me. As I received Him into my arms and gave Him my first kiss, I felt the need of love to give something of my own to my little Son; and offering Him my breast, I gave Him abundant milk – milk formed in my person by the Divine Fiat Itself, in order to nourish little King Jesus. But who can tell you what I felt in doing this, and the seas of grace, of love, of sanctity, that my Son gave to Me in return? Then I wrapped Him in poor but clean little clothes, and I placed Him in the manger. This was His Will, and I could not do without executing it. But before doing this, I shared Him with dear Saint Joseph, placing Him in his arms. Oh, how he rejoiced! He pressed Him to his heart, and the sweet little Baby poured torrents of grace into his soul. Then, together with Saint Joseph, we arranged a little hay in the manger, and detaching Him from my maternal arms, I laid Him in it. Your Mama, enraptured by the beauty of the divine Infant, remained kneeling before Him most of the time. I put all my seas of love into motion, which the Divine Will had formed in Me, to love Him, adore Him, and thank Him.
Meditation 2 – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
Now, you must know that only eight days had passed from the birth of the Divine Infant. Everything was feast and happiness; the very Creation, taking a festive attitude, celebrated Its Baby Creator. But duty interrupted our joys, because in those times there was a law that all firstborn sons were to undergo the cruel cut of circumcision. My Heart of Mother bled with sorrow in having to submit my dear Son, my Life, my own Creator, to such a bitter pain. Oh, how I would have wanted to take His place! But the Supreme Volition imposed Itself on my love, and giving Me heroism, commanded Me to circumcise the Baby God. My child, you cannot comprehend how much it cost Me; but the Divine Fiat won, and I obeyed, united with Saint Joseph. In mutual agreement, we had my dear Son circumcised. At the painful cut, I felt my Heart being torn, and I cried. Saint Joseph cried too, and my dear Baby sobbed, and His pain was such that He shivered, and looking at me, He sought help. What an hour of pain and spasm for the three of us! It was such that, more than a sea, it engulfed all creatures, to bring them the first pledge and the very Life of my Son, to place them in safety.
Now, blessed child, you must know that this cut enclosed profound mysteries: first, it was the seal that impressed in the little Humanity of the Celestial Baby His brotherhood with the whole human family; and the blood He shed was the first disbursement before Divine Justice in order to ransom all human generations. The dear Baby was innocent – He was not obliged by the law; but He wanted to submit Himself, first, to give the example; and then, to infuse trust and courage, saying to all: “Do not fear; I am your little brother, similar to you. Let us love one another, and I will place you all in safety. I will bring you all to my Celestial Father, as my dear brothers.”
My child, what an example the Celestial Baby gives! He, Who is the Author of the law, obeys the law. He is born only eight days ago, yet He makes it a duty for Himself, submitting Himself to the cruel cut of circumcision; an indelible cut – as indelible as the union He came to form with degraded humanity. This says that sanctity is in doing one’s own duty, in the observance of the laws, and in fulfilling the Divine Will. Sanctity without duty does not exist. It is duty that places order, harmony, and the seal on sanctity.
Furthermore, my child, you must know that as Adam withdrew from the Divine Will, after his short life of innocence, his human will was wounded, more than by a deadly knife, and through this wound entered sin and passions. He lost the beautiful day of the Divine Will, and degraded himself so much as to arouse pity. So, after the joys of His birth, my dear Son wanted to be circumcised, so that His wound might heal the wound that Adam made in himself by doing his own will; and with His blood, He prepared for him the bath, to wash him of all his sins, to strengthen Him and to embellish him, in such a way as to render him worthy to receive again that Divine Will he had rejected, which formed his sanctity and his happiness. Child, there was not one work or pain He suffered, which did not seek to reorder again the Divine Will in creatures.
Therefore, in all circumstances, even painful and humiliating, take to heart doing the Divine Will in everything, because they are the raw material in which It hides in order to operate in the creature, and to let her acquire Its Life acting in the creature.
Now, dearest child, in so much pain, the most beautiful joy arises, such as to arrest our tears. As He was circumcised, we gave Him the Most Holy Name of Jesus, wanted by the Angel. In pronouncing this Most Holy Name, the joy, the contentment, was such as to sweeten our sorrow. More so, since in this name, whoever wanted would find balm for his pains, defense in dangers, victory in temptations, a hand so as not to fall into sin, and the medicine for all his evils. This Most Holy Name of Jesus makes hell tremble; the Angels revere It, and It sounds sweet to the ear of the Celestial Father. Before this Name, all bow down and adore. Powerful Name, holy Name, great Name; whoever invokes It with faith will feel marvels – the miraculous secret of the virtue of this Most Holy Name.
Now, my child, I recommend to you: pronounce always this Name, “Jesus”. When you see that your human will, weak and vacillating, hesitates in doing the Divine, the Name of Jesus will make it rise again in the Divine Fiat. If you are oppressed, call upon Jesus; if you work, call upon Jesus; if you sleep, call upon Jesus; and when you wake up, may your first word be “Jesus”. Call Him always; it is a Name that contains seas of grace, which He gives to those who call Him and love Him.
Day Twenty-three – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
Therefore, pay attention to Me, and listen to your Mama. I continued my stay in the grotto of Bethlehem with Jesus and dear Saint Joseph. How happy we were! Through the presence of the Divine Infant and of the Divine Will operating in us, that little grotto had changed into paradise. It is true that pains and tears were not lacking, but compared to the immense seas of joy, of happiness and of light which the Divine Fiat made arise in each one of our acts, they were just little drops plunged into these seas. And then, the sweet and lovable presence of my dear Son was a happiness of the greatest kind.
Now, dear child, you must know that the eighth day arrived after the birth of the celestial Baby into the light of the day, and the Divine Fiat sounded the hour of sorrow, ordering us to circumcise the charming little Baby. It was a most painful cut which little Jesus was to go through. It was the law of those times that all the firstborn had to undergo this painful cut. It can be called the law of sin, but my Son was innocent and His law was the law of love; but in spite of all this, since He came to find, not the man-king, but the man-decayed, in order to become his brother and to elevate him, He wanted to lower Himself, submitting Himself to the law.
My child, Saint Joseph and I felt a shiver of pain, but fearless and without hesitation, we called the minister and we had Him circumcised with a most painful cut. At the bitter pain, Baby Jesus cried and flung Himself into my arms, asking for help. Saint Joseph and I blended our tears with His; we gathered the first blood shed by Jesus for love of creatures, and we gave Him the name of Jesus – powerful name – which was to make Heaven and earth tremble, and even hell; a name which was to be balm, defense and help for every heart.
Now, my child, this cut was the image of the cruel cut that man had made to his own soul by doing his own will; and my dear Son allowed Himself to be given this cut in order to heal that hard cut of the human wills – to heal with His blood the wounds of the many sins that the poison of the human will has produced in the creatures. Every act of human will is a cut which is inflicted, and a wound that is opened; and the celestial Baby, with His most painful cut, prepared the remedy for all the human wounds.
Meditation 3 – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will
Now, at the end of the forty days, the dear Baby, drowned more than ever in His love, wanted to obey the law, presenting Himself to the temple to offer Himself for the salvation of each one. It was the Divine Will that called us to the great sacrifice, and we promptly obeyed. My child, when this Divine Fiat finds promptness in doing what It wants, It places at the creature’s disposal Its divine strength, Its sanctity, Its creative power to multiply that act, that sacrifice, for all and for each one. In that sacrifice It places the little coin of infinite value, with which one can pay and satisfy for all.
It was the first time that your Mama and Saint Joseph went out together with Baby Jesus. All Creation recognized its Creator; they felt honored at having Him in their midst, and in a festive attitude, they accompanied us along the way. As we arrived at the temple, we prostrated ourselves and adored the Supreme Majesty. Then we placed Him in the arms of the priest, who was Simeon, who made of Him an offering to the Eternal Father – offering Him for the salvation of all. And while he offered Him, inspired by God, he recognized the Divine Word, and exulting with immense joy, he adored and thanked the dear Baby. After the offering, he assumed the attitude of prophet, and predicted all of my sorrows. Oh, how painfully did the Supreme Fiat make my maternal Heart feel, with vibrating sound, the cruel tragedy of all the pains which my divine Son was to suffer! Each word was a sharp sword that pierced Me. But that which pierced my Heart the most was to hear that this Celestial Infant would be not only the salvation, but also the ruin of many, and the target of contradictions. What pain! What sorrow! If the Divine Will had not sustained Me, I would have died instantly of pure pain. But It gave Me life, to begin to form in Me the Kingdom of Sorrows within the Kingdom of Its very Divine Will. Therefore, with the right of Mother which I had over all, I also acquired the right of Mother and Queen of all Sorrows. Oh, yes, with my sorrows, I acquired the little coin with which to pay the debts of my children, and also those of my ungrateful children.
Now, my child, you must know that through the light of the Divine Will which reigned in Me, I already knew all the sorrows I was to suffer – and even more than those which the holy Prophet told me. Rather, I can say that he prophesied to Me the sorrows which I was to receive from the outside, but he said not a word about my interior pains which would pierce Me more, and the interior pains which passed between Me and my Son. But in spite of this, in that act, so solemn, of the offering of my Son, in hearing them being repeated to Me, I felt so pierced that my Heart bled, and new veins of sorrow and deep wounds opened within my soul.
Now, listen to your Mama. In your pains, in the painful encounters which are not lacking for you either, and when you know that the Divine Will wants some sacrifice from you – be ready, do not lose heart, but rather, repeat quickly the dear and sweet Fiat: “Whatever You want, I want”. And with heroic love, let the Divine Will take Its royal place in your pains, that It may convert them into the little coin of infinite value, with which you will be able to pay your debts, as well as those of your brothers – to ransom them from the slavery of the human will, and to let them enter, as free children, into the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat. In fact, you must know that the Divine Will is so pleased by the sacrifice It wanted of the creature, that It gives her Its divine rights, and constitutes her queen of the sacrifice and of the good which will arise in the midst of creatures.
Day Twenty-four – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
My dearest child, today the Heart of your Mama is swollen with love and with sorrow, so much so, that I cannot refrain from crying. You know of the coming of the Magi Kings, who caused rumor in Jerusalem, asking about the new King. And cruel Herod, for fear of being removed from his throne, has already given the mandate to kill my sweet Jesus, my dear life, together with all the other children.
My child, what pain! The One who has come to give life to all, and to bring into the world the new era of peace, of happiness, of grace…they want to kill Him! What ingratitude! What perfidy! Ah, my child, to what extent the blindness of the human will reaches! To the extent of becoming ferocious, of tying the hands of the Creator Himself, and of making itself the owner of the One who created it. Give Me your compassion, my child, and try to calm the crying of the sweet Baby. He cries because of human ingratitude, because, only a newborn, they want Him dead; and in order to save Him, we are forced to flee. Dear Saint Joseph has already been advised by the Angel to leave for a foreign land. Accompany us, dear child; do not leave us alone, and I will continue to give you my lessons on the great evils of the human will.
Now, you must know that as man withdrew from the Divine Will, he broke off with his Creator. Everything on earth had been made by God for him – everything was his; but man, by not wanting to do the Divine Will, lost all rights, and one could say that he did not know where to place his foot. So He became a poor exiled one, a pilgrim who could not have a permanent residence; and this, not only for the soul, but also for the body. All things became mutable for poor man; and if he did possess any fleeting thing, it was by virtue of the foreseen merits of this Celestial Baby. This, because the whole magnificence of Creation was destined by God for all those who would do His Will and live in Its Kingdom. All others, if they manage to take anything, are the true petty thieves of their Creator; and with reason: they do not want to do the Divine Will, but they want the goods which belong to It?
Now, dear child, listen to how much this dear Baby and I love you: at the first dawn of His life, He goes into exile, and into a foreign land, in order to free you from the exile in which your human will placed you; to call you to live, not in a foreign land, but in your fatherland – the Kingdom of the Supreme Fiat – which was given to you when you were created. Child of my Heart, have pity on the tears of your Mother, and on the tears of this sweet dear Baby – crying, We ask you never to do your will. But We beg you, We implore you: come back into the bosom of the Divine Will, which so much longs for you!
Now, dear child, in the midst of the sorrow for human ingratitude, and in the midst of the immense joys and happinesses that the Divine Fiat gave us and the feast that all Creation made for the sweet Baby, the earth became green and flowery again under our steps, to give homage to its Creator. The sun fixed on Him, and praising Him with its light, it felt honored to give Him its light and heat. The wind caressed Him; the birds, almost like clouds, alighted around us, and with their trills and songs, made the most beautiful lullabies for the dear Baby, to calm His crying and favor His sleep. My child, since the Divine Will was in us, we had power over everything.
So we arrived in Egypt, and after a long period of time, the Angel of the Lord told Saint Joseph that we should return to the house of Nazareth, because the cruel tyrant had died. So we repatriated to our homeland.
Now, Egypt symbolizes the human will – a land full of idols; and wherever Baby Jesus passed, He would knock down these idols and cast them into hell. How many idols does the human will possess! Idols of vainglory, of self-esteem and of passion, which tyrannize the poor creature! Therefore, be attentive; listen to your Mama. I would make any sacrifice never to let you do your will; and I would also lay down my life, to give you the great good of living always in the bosom of the Divine Will.
Day Twenty-five- The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
Now, you must know that for your Mama, for dear and sweet Jesus, and for Saint Joseph, the little house of Nazareth was a paradise. Being the Eternal Word, my dear Son possessed the Divine Will within Himself, of His own virtue; immense seas of light, of sanctity, of infinite joys and beauties resided in that little Humanity. I possessed the Divine Will by grace, and even though I could not embrace immensity, as did beloved Jesus – since He was God and Man, while I was always His finite creature – still, the Divine Fiat filled Me so much as to form Its seas of light, of sanctity, of love, of beauties and of happiness. And the light that came from us, the love, and all that a Divine Will can possess, were so great that Saint Joseph remained eclipsed, inundated, and lived from our reflections.
Dear child, in this house, the Kingdom of the Divine Will was in full force. Every little act of ours – working, starting the fire, preparing the food… – all were animated by the Supreme Volition, and were formed on the solidity of the sanctity of pure love. Therefore, from the tiniest to the greatest of our acts, immense joys, happinesses and beatitudes were unleashed. And we remained so inundated as to feel ourselves as though under a pouring rain of new joys and indescribable contentments.
My child, you must know that the Divine Will possesses, by nature, the source of joys, and when It reigns in the creature It delights in giving, in each one of her acts, the new and continuous act of Its joys and happinesses. Oh, how happy we were! Everything was peace, highest union, and each of us felt honored in obeying the other. My dear Son also competed in wanting to be commanded by Me and by dear Saint Joseph in the little jobs. Oh, how beautiful it was to see Him in the act of helping His foster father in the smith-work, or to see Him take food! But how many seas of grace did He let flow in those acts for the good of creatures?
Now, dear child, listen to Me: in this house of Nazareth, the Kingdom of the Divine Will was formed in your Mama and in the Humanity of my Son, to make of It a gift for the human family, when it would dispose itself to receive the good of this Kingdom. But even though my Son was King and I was Queen, We were King and Queen without a people. Our Kingdom, even though It could enclose all and give life to all, was deserted, because Redemption was needed first, in order to prepare and dispose man to come into this Kingdom, so holy. More so, since It was possessed by Me and by my Son, who belonged to the human family according to the human order, as well as to the Divine Family by virtue of the Divine Fiat and of the Incarnate Word, and therefore the creatures received the right to enter into this Kingdom. And the Divinity conceded this right, and left the doors open to those who wanted to enter. So, our hidden life of so many years served to prepare the Kingdom of the Divine Will for the creatures. This is why I want to let you know what this Supreme Fiat operated in Me, so that you may forget your will, and as you hold the hand of your Mama, I may lead you into the goods which I have prepared for you with so much love.
Tell me, child of my Heart, will you make Me content, and also your, and my, dear Jesus, who await you with so much love in this Kingdom so holy, to live together with us, and to live only of Divine Will?
Meditation 5 – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
We continued to spend our lives in the quiet little house of Nazareth, and my dear Son grew in grace and in wisdom. He was charming because of the sweetness and the gentleness of His voice, the sweet enchantment of His eyes, and the loveliness of His whole person. Yes, my Son was truly beautiful, unsurpassingly beautiful!
He had recently reached the age of twelve, when we went to Jerusalem according to custom, in order to solemnize the Passover. We set out on the journey – He, Saint Joseph and I. Very often, as we proceeded, with devotion and recollected, my Jesus would break the silence and speak to us now of His celestial Father, now of the immense love for souls which He felt in His Heart.
Once in Jerusalem, we went directly to the temple, and as we arrived, we prostrated ourselves with our faces to the ground, adoring God profoundly, and praying for a long time. Our prayer was so fervent and recollected as to open the heavens, draw and bind the Celestial Father, and therefore hasten the reconciliation between Him and men.
Now, my child, I want to confide to you a pain that tortures Me. Unfortunately there are many who, although they go to Church to pray, the prayer that they direct to God remains on their lips, because their hearts and minds flee far away from Him! How many go to church out of pure habit, or to spend time uselessly! They close Heaven, instead of opening It. How numerous are the irreverences committed in the house of God! How many scourges would be spared the world, and how many chastisements would convert into graces, if all souls made an effort to imitate our example!
Only the prayer which comes from a soul in whom the Divine Will reigns, acts in an irresistible way over the Heart of God. It is so powerful as to conquer Him, and to obtain the greatest graces from Him. Therefore, take care to live in the Divine Will, and your Mama, who loves you, will give to your prayer the rights of Her powerful intercession.
After we had fulfilled our duty in the temple and celebrated the Passover, we prepared to return to Nazareth. In the confusion of the crowd, we were separated; I remained with the women, and Joseph joined the men.
I looked around to see whether my Jesus had come with Me, but, not seeing Him, I thought He had remained with his father Joseph. But what was not the surprise and the concern I felt when, as we arrived at the place at which we were to reunite, I did not see Him at his side! Unaware of what had happened, we felt such fright and such pain that we both remained mute. Overcome with sorrow, we went back hurriedly, anxiously asking those whom we met: “O tell us if you have seen Jesus, our Son, for we can not live without Him!”
Crying, we would describe His features: “He is all lovable; His beautiful azure eyes sparkle with light and speak to the heart; His gaze strikes, enraptures and binds; His forehead is majestic; His face is beautiful, of an enchanting beauty; His most sweet voice descends deep into the heart and sweetens all bitternesses; His hair, curly and like finest gold, renders Him striking and charming. All is majesty, dignity and sanctity in Him. He is the most beautiful among the sons of men!”
But in spite of our searching, nobody was able to tell us anything. The sorrow I felt was so cruel as to make Me weep bitterly, opening, every instant, deep gashes in my soul, which caused Me true spasms of death.
Dear child, if Jesus was my Son, He was also my God; therefore my sorrow was wholly within the divine order – that is, so powerful and immense as to surpass all other possible torments together.
If the Fiat which I possessed had not sustained Me continuously with Its divine strength, I would have died of shock.
Seeing that no one was able to give us information, I anxiously questioned the Angels who surrounded Me: “But, tell Me, where is my beloved Jesus? Where should I direct my steps in order to find Him? O, tell Him I can bear no more; bring Him into my arms on your wings! My Angels, have pity on my tears, help Me – bring Me Jesus!”
In the meantime, as every search had turned out in vain, we returned to Jerusalem. After three days of most bitter sighs, tears, anxieties and fears, we entered the temple. I was all eyes and looked everywhere, when, finally, overcome with jubilation, I saw my Son in the midst of the doctors of the law! He was speaking with such wisdom and majesty as to make those who were listening remain enraptured and amazed. Just in seeing Him, I felt life come back to Me, and immediately I understood the secret reason of His being lost.
And now, a little word to you, dearest child. In this mystery, my Son wanted to give to Me and to you, a sublime teaching. Could you perhaps assume that He was ignoring what I was suffering?
On the contrary, my tears, my searching, and my cruel and intense sorrow, resounded in His heart. Yet, during those hours, so painful, He sacrificed to the Divine Will, His own Mama, the one whom He loves so much, in order to show Me how I too, one day, was to sacrifice His very Life to the Supreme Will.
In this unspeakable pain, I did not forget you, my beloved one. Thinking that it would serve as an example for you, I kept it at your disposal, so that you too, at the appropriate time, might have the strength to sacrifice everything to the Divine Will. As Jesus finished speaking, we approached Him reverently, and addressed Him with a sweet reproach: “Son, why have You done this to us?” And He, with divine dignity, answered us: “Why did you look for Me? Did you not know that I came to the world to glorify my Father?” Having comprehended the high meaning of His answer, and adored in it the Divine Will, we returned to Nazareth.
Child of my maternal Heart, listen. When I lost my Jesus, the pain I felt was so very intense; yet, a second one added to this – that of losing you. In fact, in foreseeing that you would have gone far from the Divine Will, I felt deprived of the Son and of the daughter at the same time, and so my maternity suffered a double blow.
My child, when you are in the act of doing your own will rather than that of God, think that by abandoning the Divine Fiat, you are about to lose Jesus and Me, and to fall into the kingdom of miseries and vices. Keep then, the promise you made Me – to remain indissolubly united to Me – and I will grant you the grace of never again letting you be dominated by your will, but only by the Divine.
Day Twenty-six – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
Now, pay attention to Me and listen. Listen, my child: a new life of sorrow, of loneliness and of long separations from my Highest Good, Jesus, begins for your Mama. His hidden life is ended, and He feels the irresistible need of love to go out in public, to make Himself known, and to go in search of man, lost in the maze of his will, and prey to all evils. Dear Saint Joseph had already died; Jesus was leaving, and I remained alone in the little house.
Day Twenty-eight – The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
Now, listen to Me, child of my sorrows. As my dear Son breathed His last, He descended into Limbo, triumpher and bearer of glory and happiness to that prison in which were all the Patriarchs and the Prophets, the first father Adam, dear Saint Joseph, my holy parents, and all those who had been saved by virtue of the foreseen merits of the future Redeemer. I was inseparable from my Son, and not even death could take Him away from Me. So, in the ardor of my sorrows I followed Him into Limbo, and was spectator of the feast and of the thanksgivings which that whole great crowd of people gave to my Son, who had suffered so much, and whose first step had been toward them, to beatify them and to bring them with Himself into celestial glory. So, as He died, conquests and glory began for Jesus and for all those who loved Him. This, dear child, is symbol of how, as the creature makes her will die through union with the Divine Will, conquests of divine order, glory and joy begin – even in the midst of the greatest sorrows.
Even though the eyes of my soul followed my Son and I never lost sight of Him, at the same time, during those three days in which He was buried, I felt such yearning to see Him risen, that in the ardor of my love I kept repeating: “Rise, my Glory! Rise, my Life!” My desires were ardent, my sighs, of fire – to the point of feeling consumed.
Now, in these yearnings, I saw my dear Son, accompanied by that great crowd of people, leaving Limbo and going back to the sepulcher. It was the dawn of the third day, and just as all nature had cried over Him, now it rejoiced; so much so, that the sun anticipated its course to be present at the act in which my Son was rising. But – oh marvel! – before rising again, He showed that crowd of people His Most Holy Humanity – bleeding, wounded, disfigured; the way it had been reduced for love of them and for all. All were moved, and admired the excesses of love and the great portent of Redemption.
Now, my child, oh, how I wish you to be present in the act of the Resurrection of my Son! He was all Majesty; from His Divinity, united to His soul, He unleashed enchanting seas of light and beauty, such as to fill Heaven and earth. Then, triumphantly, making use of His power, He commanded His dead Humanity to receive His soul again, and to rise, triumphantly and gloriously, to immortal life. What a solemn act! My dear Jesus triumphed over death, saying: “Death, you will be death no longer – but life!”
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NOVENA:
1ST DAY – FOSTER-FATHER OF JESUS
Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus. Mary alone was directly connected with the fulfillment of the mystery, in that she gave her consent to Christ’s conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred humanity of Jesus from her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation – the protection of Mary’s virginity before and during your married life with her. You made the virginal marriage possible, and this was a part of God’s plan, foreseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity.
In a more direct manner you shared in the support, upbringing, and protection of the Divine Child as His foster-father. For this purpose the Heavenly Father gave you a genuine heart of a father – a heart full of love and self-sacrifice. With the toil of your hands you were obliged to offer protection to the Divine Child, to procure for Him food, clothing, and a home. You were truly the saint of the holy childhood of Jesus – the living created providence which watched over the Christ-Child.
When Herod sought the Child to put Him to death, the Heavenly Father sent an angel but only as a messenger, giving orders for the flight; the rest He left entirely in your hands. Then it was that fatherly love was the only refuge which received and protected the Divine Child. Your fatherly love carried Him through the desert into Egypt till all enemies were removed. Then on your arms the Child returned to Nazareth to be nourished and provided for during many years by the labor of your hands. Whatever a human son owes to a human father for all the benefits of his up-bringing and support, Jesus owed to you, because you were to Him a foster-father, teacher, and protector.
You served the Divine Child with a singular love. God gave you a heart filled with heavenly, supernatural love – a love far deeper and more powerful than any natural father’s love could be.
You served the Divine Child with great unselfishness, without any regard to self-interest, but not without sacrifices. You did not toil for yourself, but you seemed to be an instrument intended for the benefit of others, to be put aside as soon as it had done its word, for you disappeared from the scene once the childhood of Jesus had passed.
You were the shadow of the Heavenly Father not only as the earthly representative of the authority of the Father, but also by means of your fatherhood – which only appeared to be natural – you were to hide for a while the divinity of Jesus. What a wonderfully sublime and divine vocation was yours – the loving Child which you carried in your arms, and loved and served so faithfully, had God in Heaven as Father and was Himself God!
Yours is a very special rank among the saints of the Kingdom of God, because you were so much a part of the very life of the Word of God made Man. In your house at Nazareth and under your care the redemption of mankind was prepared. What you accomplished, you did for us. You are not only a powerful and great saint in the Kingdom of God, but a benefactor of the whole of Christendom and mankind. Your rank in the Kingdom of God, surpassing far in dignity and honor of all the angels, deserves our very special veneration, love, and gratitude.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of having been chosen by God to be the foster-father of His Divine Son. As a token of your own gratitude to God for this your greatest privilege, obtain for me the grace of a very devoted love for Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior. Help me to serve Him with some of the self-sacrificing love and devotedness with which you have done so. Grant that through your intercession with Jesus, your foster-Son, I may reach the degree of holiness God has destined for me, and save my soul.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
2ND DAY – VIRGINAL HUSBAND OF MARY
Saint Joseph, I honor you as the true husband of Mary. Scripture says:
“Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of her was born Jesus who is called Christ” (Matt. 1:16). Your marriage to Mary was a sacred contract by which you and Mary gave yourselves to each other. Mary really belonged to you with all she was and had. You had a right to her love and obedience; and no other person so won her esteem, obedience, and love.
You were also the protector and witness of Mary’s virginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also the mutual right over it – a right to safeguard the other’s virtue. This mutual virginity also belonged to the divine plan of the Incarnation, for God sent His angel to assure you that motherhood and virginity in Mary could be united.
This union of marriage not only brought you into daily familiar association with Mary, the loveliest of God’s creatures, but also enabled you to share with her a mutual exchange of spiritual goods. And Mary found her edification in your calm, humble, and deep virtue, purity, and sanctity. What a great honor comes to you from this close union with her whom the Son of God calls Mother and whom He declared the Queen of heaven and earth! Whatever Mary had belonged by right to you also, and this included her Son, even though He had been given to her by God in a wonderful way. Jesus belonged to you as His legal father. Your marriage was the way which God chose to have Jesus introduced into the world, a great divine mystery from which all benefits have come to us.
God the Son confided the guardianship and the support of His Immaculate Mother to your care. Mary’s life was that of the Mother of the Savior, who did not come upon earth to enjoy honors and pleasures, but to redeem the world by hard work, suffering, and the cross. You were the faithful companion, support, and comforter of the Mother of Sorrows. How loyal you were to her in poverty, journeying, work, and pain. Your love for Mary was based upon your esteem for her as Mother of God. After God and the Divine Child, you loved no one as much as her. Mary responded to this love. She submitted to your guidance with naturalness and easy grace and childlike confidence. The Holy Spirit Himself was the bond of the great love which united your hearts.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the virginal husband of Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus with all my heart, as you did, and you love Mary with some of the tenderness and loyalty with which you loved her.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
3RD DAY – MAN CHOSEN BY THE BLESSED TRINITY
Saint Joseph, you were the man chosen by God the Father. He selected you to be His representative on earth, hence He granted you all the graces and blessings you needed to be His worthy representative.
You were the man chosen by God the Son. Desirous of a worthy foster-father, He added His own riches and gifts, and above all, His love. The true measure of your sanctity is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus. You were entirely consecrated to Jesus, working always near Him, offering Him your virtues, your work, your sufferings, your very life. Jesus lived in you perfectly so that you were transformed into Him. In this lies your special glory, and the keynote of your sanctity. Hence, after Mary, you are the holiest of the saints.
You were chosen by the Holy Spirit. He is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son – the heart of the Holy Trinity. In His wisdom He drew forth all creatures from nothing, guides them to their end in showing them their destiny and giving them the means to reach it. Every vocation and every fulfillment of a vocation proceeds from the Holy Spirit. As a foster-father of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, you had an exalted and most responsible vocation – to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare for it by the education and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work you cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the guide; you obeyed and carried out the works. How perfectly you obeyed the guidance of the God of Love!
The words of the Old Testament which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt can well be applied to you:
“Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God, or a wise man like to him?” (Genesis 41.38) No less is your share in the divine work of God than was that of Egypt. You now reign with your foster-Son and see reflected in the mirror of God’s Wisdom the Divine Will and what is of benefit to our souls.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for having made you the man specially chosen by Him. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to imitate your virtues so that I too may be pleasing to the Heart of God. Help me to give myself entirely to His service and to the accomplishment of His Holy Will, that one day I may reach heaven and be eternally united to God as you are.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
4TH DAY – FAITHFUL SERVANT
Saint Joseph, you lived for one purpose – to be the personal servant of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Your noble birth and ancestry, the graces and gifts, so generously poured out on you by God – all this was yours to serve our Lord better. Every thought, word, and action of yours was a homage to the love and glory of the Incarnate Word. You fulfilled most faithfully the role of a good and faithful servant who cared for the House of God.
How perfect was your obedience! Your position in the Holy Family obliged you to command, but besides being the foster-father of Jesus, you were also His disciple. For almost thirty years, you watched the God-Man display a simple and prompt obedience, and you grew to love and practice it very perfectly yourself. Without exception you submitted to God, to the civil rulers, and to the voice of your conscience.
When God sent an angel to tell you to care for Mary, you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood. When you were told to flee into Egypt under painful conditions, you obeyed without the slightest word of complaint. When God advised you in a dream to return to Nazareth, you obeyed. In every situation your obedience was as simple as your faith, as humble as your heart, as prompt as your love. It neglected nothing; it took in every command.
You had the virtue of perfect devotedness, which marks a good servant. Every moment of your life was consecrated to the service of our Lord: sleep, rest, work, pain. Faithful to your duties, you sacrificed everything unselfishly, even cheerfully. You would have sacrificed even the happiness of being with Mary. The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed at the call of duty. Your entire life was one generous giving, even to the point of being ready to die in proof of your love for Jesus and Mary. With true unselfish devotedness you worked without praise or reward.
But God wanted you to be in a certain sense a cooperator in the Redemption of the world. He confided to you the care of nourishing and defending the Divine Child. He wanted you to be poor and to suffer because He destined you to be the foster-father of His Son, who came into the world to save men by His sufferings and death, and you were to share in His suffering. In all of these important tasks, the Heavenly Father always found you a faithful servant!
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being God’s faithful servant. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to be a faithful servant of God as you were. Help me to share, as you did, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who ca me not to do His Will, but the Will of His Father, to trust in the Providence of God, knowing that if I do His Will, He will provide for all my needs of soul and body: to be calm in my trials and to leave it to our Lord to free me from them when it pleases Him to do so. And help me to imitate your generosity, for there can be no greater reward here on earth than the joy and honor of being a faithful servant of God.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
5TH DAY – PATRON OF THE CHURCH
Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the type and starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family’s existence.
I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ’s life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church – the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them.
You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly functions are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer to us – as it is the priest’s function to bring Him to us in the Mass – for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished and with tenderest care preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion.
God has appointed you patron of the Church because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Savior’s incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs.
Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of God’s promise, alone among them all, you saw with your won eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul. Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in God’s love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the church successfully accomplish its mission in this world – the glory of God and the salvation of souls!
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
6TH DAY – PATRON OF FAMILIES
Saint Joseph, I venerate you as the gentle head of the Holy Family. The Holy Family was the scene of your life’s work in its origin, in its guidance, in its protection, in your labor for Jesus and Mary, and even in your death in their arms. You lived, moved, and acted in the loving company of Jesus and Mary. The inspired writer describes your life at Nazareth in only a few words:
“And (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them” (Luke, 2:51). Yet these words tell of your high vocation here on earth, and the abundance of graces which filled your soul during those years spent in Nazareth.
Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the light of divine charity. There was an intimate union of heart and mind among the members of your Holy Family. There could not have been a closer bond than that uniting you to Jesus, your foster-Son and to Mary, your most loving wife. Jesus chose to fulfill toward you, His foster-father, all the duties of a faithful son, showing you every mark of honor and affection due to a parent. And Mary showed you all the signs of respect and love of a devoted wife. You responded to this love and veneration of both Jesus and Mary for you with feelings of deepest love and respect. You had for Jesus a true fatherly love, enkindled and kept aglow in you heart by the Holy Spirit. And you could not cease to admire the workings of grace in Mary’s soul, and this admiration caused the holy love which you had consecrated to her on the day of your wedding you grow stronger every day.
God has made you a heavenly patron of family life because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your beautiful example sanctified family life. How peacefully and happily the Holy Family rested under the care of your fatherly rule, even in the midst of trials. You were the protector, counselor, and consolation of the Holy Family in every need. And just as you were the model of piety, so you gave us by your zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God’s providence, and especially by your love, the example of labor according to the Will of God. You cherished all the experiences common to family life and the sacred memories of the life, sufferings, and joys in the company of Jesus and Mary. Therefore the family is dear to you as the work of God, and it is of the highest importance in your eyes to promote the honor of God and the well-being of man. In your loving fatherliness and unfailing intercession you are the patron and intercessor of families, and you deserve a place in every home.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of living in the Holy Family and being its head. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain God’s blessing upon my own family. Make our home the kingdom of Jesus and Mary – a kingdom of peace, of joy, and love.
I also pray for all Christian families. Your help is needed in our day when God’s enemy has directed his attack against the family in order to desecrate and destroy it. In the face of these evils, as patron of families, be pleased to help; and as of old, you arose to save the Child and His Mother, so today arise to protect the sanctity of the home. Make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May they be modeled after your own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the Church, receive the holy sacraments of God and of the Church, live a life of prayer, foster religious instruction in our homes. Grant that we may be reunited in God’s Kingdom and eternally live in the company of the Holy Family in heaven.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
7TH DAY – PATRON OF WORKERS
Saint Joseph, you devoted your time at Nazareth to the work of a carpenter. It was the Will of God that you and your foster-Son should spend your days together in manual labor. What a beautiful example you set for the working classes!
It was especially for the poor, who compose the greater part of mankind, that Jesus came upon earth, for in the synagogue of Nazareth He read the words of Isaiah and referred them to Himself:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed Me; to bring good news to the poor He has sent Me” (Luke 4:18). It was God’s Will that you should be occupied with work common to poor people, that in this way Jesus Himself might ennoble it by inheriting it from you, His foster-father, and by freely embracing it. Thus our Lord teaches us that for the humbler class of workmen, He has in store His richest graces, provided they live in content in the place God’s Providence has assigned them, and remain poor in spirit for He said,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced – a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surrounding not the courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today!
While your hands were occupied with manual work, your mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Divine Master, who worked along with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer, for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.”
As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power.
The light of divine faith that filled your mind, did not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter. You firmly believed that the saintly Youth working beside you was truly God’s own Son.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to work side by side with Jesus in the carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life, however lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work for God and with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
8TH DAY – FRIEND OF SUFFERING
Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great because of your close union with the Divine Savior. All the mysteries of His life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Poverty pressed upon you, and the cross of labor followed you everywhere. Nor were you spared domestic crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the holiest and most cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you. Keen must have been the suffering caused by the uncertainty regarding Mary’s virginity; by the bestowal of the name of Jesus, which pointed to future misfortune. Deeply painful must have been the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus at the Paschal feast. To these sufferings were surely added interior sorrow at the sight of the sins of your own people.
You bore all this suffering in a truly Christ-like manner, and in this you are our example. No sound of complaint or impatience escaped you – you were, indeed, the silent saint! You submitted to all in the spirit of faith, humility, confidence, and love; and cheerfully bore all in union with and for the Savior and His Mother, knowing well that true love is a crucified love. But God never forsook you in your trials. The trials, too, disappeared and were changed at last into consolation and joy.
It seems that God had purposely intended your life to be filled with suffering as well as consolation to keep before my eyes the truth that my life on earth is but a succession of joys and sorrows, and that I must gratefully accept whatever God sends me, and during the time of consolation prepare for suffering. Teach me to bear my cross in the spirit of faith, of confidence, and of gratitude toward God. In a happy eternity, I shall thank God fervently for the sufferings which He deigned to send me during my pilgrimage on earth, and which after your example I endured with patience and heartfelt love for Jesus and Mary.
You were truly the martyr of the hidden life. This was God’s Will, for the holier a person is, the more he is tried for the love and glory of God. If suffering is the flowering of God’s grace in a soul and the triumph of the soul’s love for God, being the greatest of saints after Mary, you suffered more than any of the martyrs.
Because you have experienced the sufferings of this valley of tears, you are most kind and sympathetic toward those in need. Down through the ages souls have turned to you in distress and have always found you a faithful friend in suffering. You have graciously heard their prayers in their needs even though it demanded a miracle. Having been so intimately united with Jesus and Mary in life, your intercession with Them is most powerful.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to suffer for Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to bear my suffering patiently for love of Jesus and Mary. Grant that I may unite the sufferings, works and disappointments of life with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass, and share like you in Mary’s spirit of sacrifice.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
9TH DAY – PATRON OF A HAPPY DEATH
Saint Joseph, how fitting it was that at the hour of your death Jesus should stand at your bedside with Mary, the sweetness and hope of all mankind. You gave your entire life to the service of Jesus and Mary; at death you enjoyed the consolation of dying in Their loving arms. You accepted death in the spirit of loving submission to the Will of God, and this acceptance crowned your hidden life of virtue. Yours was a merciful judgment, for your foster-Son, for whom you had cared so lovingly, was your Judge, and Mary was your advocate. The verdict of the Judge was a word of encouragement to wait for His coming to Limbo, where He would shower you with the choicest fruits of the Redemption, and an embrace of grateful affection before you breathed forth your soul into eternity.
You looked into eternity and to your everlasting reward with confidence. If our Savior blessed the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, John the Baptist, and others, because they greeted His presence with devoted hearts for a brief passing hour, how much more did He bless you who have sanctified yourself for so many years in His company and that of His Mother? If Jesus regards every corporal and spiritual work of mercy, performed in behalf of our fellow men our of love for Him, as done to Himself, and promises heaven as a reward, what must have been the extent of His gratitude to you who in the truest sense of the word have received Him, given Him shelter, clothed, nourished, and consoled Him at the sacrifice of your strength and rest, and even your life, with a love which surpassed the love of all fathers.
God really and personally made Himself your debtor. Our Divine Savior paid that debt of gratitude by granting you many graces in your lifetime, especially the grace of growing in love, which is the best and most perfect of all gifts. Thus at the end of your life your heart became filled with love, the fervor and longing of which your frail body could not resist. Your soul followed the triumphant impulse of your love and winged its flight from earth to bear the prophets and patriarchs in Limbo the glad tidings of the advent of the Redeemer.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Help me to spend each day in preparation for death. May I, too, accept death in the spirit of resignation to God’s Holy Will, and die, as you did, in the arms of Jesus, strengthened by Holy Viaticum, and in the arms of Mary, with her rosary in my hand and her name on my lips!
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by y our love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, take me with you to live in the Kingdom of the Will of God.
Fiat!
