The Foundation of our faith: the Holy Trinity
58. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the foundation of our whole faith. It is an unfathomable mystery that we must believe and adore …we are humbled before such great majesty, we are happy before the infinite greatness of God … it something we must make known. The Mass is the greatest and only really worthy praise we can offer the Holy Trinity. We honor the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with the sign of the cross, the “Gloria Patri” and the Creed; every liturgical hymn concludes with praise and glory to the Holy Trinity. We pray the “Gloria Patri” so many times during the day – we do it with fervor and with the intention of offering God the praise He deserves and does not always receive. The “Gloria Patri” is a perfect act of love for God; with this prayer we praise Him and express the desire that he be praised by everyone. Glory be to God for all eternity!
The sign of the cross is the sign of a Christian: it is a prayer, praise of the Holy Trinity and a profession of faith. Early Christians made this sign constantly – almost before every daily act. Tertullian writes: “Before every action, before we enter or leave the house, every time we get dressed, when we wash, when we light the lamps, when we chat – we always make the sign of the cross.” If we do nothing else but resolve to make the sign of the cross well we will have already honored the Holy Trinity.
It is also homage to the Holy Trinity if we dedicate each of our actions to its glory. Everything belongs to God; everything comes from God; everything is in God. Everything that exists belongs to Him because He has created it and everything we have we received from God. Everything must therefore return to God, to His honor and to His glory – in the words of St. Ignatius: Ad majorem Dei gloriam – to the greater glory of God. Just as blood leaves the heart and runs through the arteries to the extremities of our body and then returns to the heart to be purified so too our actions and our life will have value and life to the extent that they come from God, from His holy will and with a purity of intention are undertaken for His glory alone. Everything for the honor and glory of the Holy Trinity.
One could say the Church celebrates the Holy Trinity all year long. Every Sunday, every day and every hour is a feast of the Holy Trinity. We are always honoring the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
All Christians, but especially missionaries, must honor the Holy Trinity. How can we credibly proclaim the Holy Trinity to non-Christians? First of all – with our own faith by doing everything for the honor and glory of the Holy Trinity. This will provide you with the special grace needed to present this mystery. It is truly wondrous that so many non- Christians accept and believe in a God who is both one and triune! “to the King of eternity, incorruptible and immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (to the ages of ages). Amen” (I Timothy 1,17).
The Liturgical Year
59. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son” (John 3,16). The Son became flesh out of love for us: “For us men and for our salvation” as we say in the Creed. God who loved us from all eternity gave us what was most dear and precious: His only-begotten Son. The fact that He was “only-begotten” reveals the extent to which He loved us. The Son came because He loves us. What do you expect? Love begets love. This is all a mystery of love.
As children of God and members of the Church we have the duty not just to appreciate the Church’s understanding of the year’s feasts – we must take an active part in them. During Advent we contemplate the arrival of the Messiah, the expectation of the people, the prophets, etc. On a given Sunday we listen to the readings, pray the Liturgy of the Hours and share the sentiments the Church reveals to the faithful on this particular Sunday. Similarly we must be devoted to the Saints, etc. We live the spirit of the Church – the Spirit of Our Lord. The Church offers us spiritual sustenance every day.
Advent
60. The Liturgical Year begins with Advent. It is a time of expectation. It is one might say a lengthy preparation for Christmas. The Church has set out four weeks to prepare us for the Birth of the Son of God. This period of Advent recalls the three Comings of our Lord Jesus Christ: His coming into the world at His incarnation; His eschatological coming at the Last Judgment; and His spiritual coming into the heart of each person. It is so very important for us to prepare for Jesus’ coming into our hearts. We enter into this spirit and make our own the cries of the Prophets found in the Sacred Liturgy: we repeat them all day, every day: “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and that You would come down” (Isaiah 63,19).
The Liturgy expresses many other sentiments during this season: “Use your power, Lord, and come; defend us from the dangers which overwhelm us because of our sins, save us.” But are our hearts ready to receive the Lord? Then again, “Bestir our hearts, O Lord, and prepare a way for your only begotten Son so that through your grace we may serve you with pure hearts.” “O Lord, incline Your ear and listen to our prayers. Through the grace of Your coming dispel the darkness in our hearts so that we can understand the wonders you work.” We must strive to make this spirit of the Church our own.
Advent is a time of renewal: we lower the hills and flatten the valleys; we avoid sin and practice virtue. Let us prepare ourselves, let us stimulate our hearts to love more so that the Lord can fill them with grace. Jesus will only come if He is desired. He wants to be desired. Jesus will come into our hearts with all His grace to the extent that we are prepared and desire Him. How kind is the Lord! He listens to our pleas and comes to us.
The Church prepares for Christmas with a novena that is dear to our hearts – a novena that is all love: “Come let us adore the Lord our coming King.” “The Lord is close, come let us adore Him.” Pray this novena – experience its faith: “The just man lives by faith” (Romans 1,17). Above all bow your heads before this mystery. To acknowledge the Infant is in no way demeaning. Foster the desire for His birth in you and in your community. We have loved this feast since childhood and how enthusiastically we prayed the Christmas novena! Let us think back to how we felt then. It comforts my heart to think back to those times.
Christmas
61. Our Lord humbled Himself and became an infant. The crib reveals the Lord’s humility and simplicity. If He has made Himself so small should we not do the same? St. Bernard says that Jesus made Himself small to be more lovable. St. Francis of Assisi remarked, “Let us love the Baby of Bethlehem! Let us love the Baby of Bethlehem!” He would repeat these words to everyone he met. Who doesn’t love babies? You must celebrate this feast not just with your head but with your whole heart. Anyone who does not feel this love must ask Jesus to provide it; ask through the intercession of Our Lady – she burned with love as she looked on her child.
The mystery of Bethlehem is so very important! Contemplating the Passion is certainly important but it is equally important to contemplate Christmas. The Holy Infant gives us an important lesson by overcoming three things humans hunger for: pleasure, riches and honors. He teaches us how to overcome these hungers as well. He gives us an example – through suffering, poverty and humility. By being born in poverty He detached us from the allures of this world and canonized poverty.
Christmas is not just a holiday for children – it is a holiday for us as well because we must become as children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We must practice those virtues that befit the Holy Child: simplicity and humility. The virtue of simplicity is so very important for a missionary – it is necessary if we are to be happily in distant places! And humility? Our Lord became a small child and then went even further and annihilated Himself through death on the cross. When you go to Church and look on Jesus in the tabernacle and the Infant in the Crib – say to Him, “I want all your virtues.”
We must love the Holy Child for Himself. He came down from heaven and assumed flesh for our sake, for each of us and for our salvation. We must think intensely about this “excessive” love of Jesus; we must return this love to the same degree. Let us ask God ceaselessly for this kind of love.
Let us pray with St. Augustine, “Lord make me love you.”
The Name of Jesus
62. The Father gave His Son the name Jesus which means Savior because He would save the world. A name is something like a life plan for the individual who bears it. St. Paul states that the Father gave the Son a name which is above every other name and at this name every knee should bend in heaven, on earth and below the earth. He adds that every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the Glory of God the Father (Cf. Philippians 2,9-11). We read in the Acts of the Apostles: “And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved” (Acts 4,12). How sweet is this name! It is honey on the lips, light to the mind and love in the heart. St. Paul repeats it over and over again in his letters.
Jesus tells us: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name will be given to you” (John 15,16). This is why the Church concludes all its prayers with the expression, “Through Christ Our Lord.” If this name is dear to every Christian how much more so is it dear to you who will proclaim it to all peoples and – following St. Paul’s example - will suffer for it. “For I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted and will endure and suffer for My name's sake” (Acts 9,16). Put up with anything to make the name of Jesus known and loved. We must pray that our last words in this life will be this name and that of Mary. Be very devoted to this name. It is our comfort and our consolation!
Year’s End
63. Like every business at the end of the year we draw up a balance sheet and a budget for the coming year. Today we will handle the former and tomorrow the latter. Our balance sheet will have both credits and debits.
On the credit side are the natural and supernatural graces we have received. In the natural order there is the grace of continued life – continued creation – and good health. If perhaps we have suffered physical discomfort this too is a grace in God’s eyes. These are graces we have been given. In the supernatural order there is our vocation and perseverance. This is something enormous that we will never really be able to grasp. Some of us will rejoice at our religious profession and others our ordination; all of us will recall sermons, readings, meditations, etc. Add to these the sacraments: the many Communions and for those of us who are priests, the many Masses! And beyond this there is the prayer, the inspiration … How many, many graces! For all of this we must thank the Lord.
On the credit side we can add good will in responding to our vocation, efforts to correct our defects, internal and external mortifications. Let us thank the Lord if we have accomplished something for without Him we could have done nothing – not little, not much but nothing.
Passive attitudes and feelings will not carry anything from God who could challenge the congregation as well as each one of us, saying: “Is there any other work I should have done in the vineyard but did not do?” (Cf. Isaiah 5,4). For how much of our negativity are we responsible? May none of us have to say “I was better in the past.” I don’t think any of us will be forced to say that but surely each of us will have a “deficit.” Let us not lose courage if we have not accomplished very much; let us pray that Our Lady will help us do more. She makes up for our shortcomings if we show good will. The Lord does likewise – He is a kindly Father, ready to forgive everything as long as we strive to improve. Perfection can only be achieved through determination; we must renew our resolve every morning at Communion and often during the day; we must renew our resolve during our monthly retreats and on feast days.
New Year
64. Yesterday we sang the Te Deum to thank God for all the graces we have received and today we will sing the Veni Creator to mark the New Year. We will begin each day and minute of this New Year with enthusiasm and courage. This is something you must start doing here and now and continue doing once you are in the missions. This is the spirit with which to launch the New Year. Don’t worry about the past you can only control the present. All of you are full of good will. We hope we can thank the Lord at the end of this year as we thanked Him yesterday for the previous year. Life and death are a mystery. Time gone by never returns. If we are not ready to accept grace as it appears we can never go backwards to retrieve it. Like time past graces are gone forever.
We must behave as if this were the last year of our lives. If we really believed this we would forge ahead with so much good will. When I go into the choir at the cathedral – I think of death. I think of my own death; they will bury me in the cathedral and the canons will walk along Via Santa Chiara and Via Basilica on their way to the cathedral. Do you think it is morbid to think of these things? On the contrary it does me good. One day I will move along these streets – not on my own two legs but carried by others. When that day arrives I will wish I had spent my brief time here well! I think of the good and bad things that can be said about me. If they know of my shortcomings they will say, “ Oh that priest, he was a bad one, etc.” Then I will reach the cathedral where there is a statue of Our Lady. It is the statue I love most next to our own Consolata. I will bow to Our Lady and they will lay my body before her. She will smile at me. Then they will carry me to the altar of the Blessed Sacrament. I hope that when Our Lord sees me He will be pleased and will say: “Well done. You have always come and prayed faithfully. Now I will take care of your soul.” I assure you this does me good – these are things that will one day happen.
Look at the year that stretches out before you and prepare your “budget.” We make agendas for the day and should do so for the whole year. Remember the beautiful prayer of St. Elizabeth, the Queen of France, “What will happen to me this year? I don’t know but I know nothing will happen that has not been foreseen, devised and ordained from all eternity.” Let us say the same thing; let us unite our will to the will of God: I accept everything, I will everything without reservations. This act is of great value: to unite ourselves to the will of God – not just in general but in all the details. Not one event, nor one word, not one activity that is not for You, My God!
It is supremely important to have a clear purpose. We must pass this year in the best way possible; if we show weakness let us recover immediately. There should not be even a single useless day. Let the New Year be one of many blessings for our Congregations, for the missions and for our missionaries.
Epiphany
65. “There it was, the true light that enlightens every man” (John 1,9). Epiphany is a Greek word that means “manifestation” or “appearance.” The Infant Jesus revealed Himself to the Jews through the angels who appeared to the shepherds; He made Himself known to the gentiles through the star that led the Magi. Let us thank the Lord: through His manifestation to the Magi we have been called to enjoy the fruits of redemption and the gift of faith. Let us thank Him for non-Christians as well because they too have been called to know and love Jesus. Let us thank Him especially for our missionary vocation; through this vocation we share in Jesus’ universal mission and He continues to reveal Himself to humankind. Finally let us thank Him for the grace He has given to our Congregations and for all the good being accomplished in the missions.
Let us imitate the Magi with a prompt, generous and enduring response to His call. How many beautiful meditations on the Magi exist! What should we learn from them? I think the most important thing – and something we can reflect on all year – is faithfulness to their calling. Many saw the star that appeared in the east but only they recognized its significance: the Messiah was being born. They journeyed to Bethlehem: “We saw … and we came” (Cf. Matthew 2,2). Many of you heard the voice of God calling you to the apostolate but once your initial fervor dissipated everything disappeared. It is not enough to be quick off the mark: you must respond to this initial grace. St. Augustine urges us to look out for the “time of the start” and not let the Lord and His grace pass us by.
The Magi were not just quick to respond – they responded with generosity and perseverance. They set off for their goal with no thought of how long or difficult the journey would be nor did they relent even when the star temporarily disappeared. They overcame these problems because they were generous and believed in God’s promises. Let us apply ourselves with the same fervor. Do we respond to each day’s grace with alacrity? Do we overcome the setbacks we encounter? Do we accept the hardships of mission with generosity? Is our faith strong? The Lord does not send us a single star but many: they represent the grace we need to persevere and become holy missionaries. Therefore we must be generous and constant in responding to the grace of our vocation.
Once they found the Child the Magi offered Him gold, frankincense and myrrh – charity, prayer and mortification. So every day, nay every hour, you must grow in the love of God and your neighbor; pray fervently that Jesus will fill you with the spirit of an apostle. Clothe yourself in mortification – this will be your companion your whole life long. The Epiphany is our feast. We must be missionaries in our head, our lips and our heart i.e. in our thoughts, our words and our works. The star will lead us to become holy Consolata Missionaries. We need only follow it.
Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
66. Only forty days after His birth Jesus is offered to His Father in the temple. This reflects the offering He Himself will make many years later on Calvary in expiation for the sins of mankind. The Prophet tells us: “Sacrifice and offering You do not desire, nor have You delight in them; You have given me the capacity to hear and obey; burnt offerings and sin offerings You do not require. Then said I, behold, I come” (Psalm 40,7-8). Sacrifice was the reason Jesus was brought to the temple; Mary joined Him in this. Simeon called Jesus “a light to enlighten the gentiles” (Luke 2,32) and told His mother, “a sword will pierce your soul” (Luke 2,35). Generously she accepted this and was ready to carry out God’s will.
Lent
67. “We beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, In the time of favor I have heard and heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance. Now is truly the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6,1-2). Paul speaks of the “acceptable” time, the time of “salvation” – i.e. a time to be accepted with gratitude and love – the time of the Gospel. The Church applies Paul’s words to Lent and repeats them often. Lent is indeed the acceptable time. More than at any other time the Lord accepts what we do and hears our pleas. We must therefore grasp the moment and not let it pass us by. We must especially value this time. Never say – I can’t fast or pray any more. It is not so much the quantity of our prayer that counts as it is the intensity. We must be closer to God and not let hours go by without thinking of Jesus. This is the whole idea! We can apply these same words to you and to the time you spend preparing for mission. We must take advantage of this Lenten season – it is the time of opportunity. We must revive our spirits and move forward decisively and not be among the sluggards…
Lent is a special time of penance and prayer. We are not yet saints who can live on bread and water alone. All the same we must have a penitential spirit – we must accept life’s hardships. The Lord wants small, minute but continual sacrifices. There are so many ways to practice penance or to fast. Some fast in one way and some in another. Besides depriving ourselves of food there is deprivation of the eyes, the imagination and the spirit.
68. During Lent the Church makes frequent use of Psalm 50 – the Miserere – in the Liturgy of the Hours. This is especially appropriate since it is a penitential psalm composed by David after he had sinned. The psalm teaches us about fear, hope and good intentions. Let us examine it and apply it to ourselves.
The Miserere can be divided into two parts. First David lists five reasons why the Lord should be merciful to him. The first is God’s great mercy and His infinite compassion for our misery: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love” (verse 1). O Lord according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Act not in accordance with your justice but rather with your kindness: “Cleanse me from all my faults” (verse 4).
The second reason is David’s recognition of his own lowliness and sincere hatred of his sin: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (verse 5). Therefore sin is no longer within but before me and this keeps me humble. The third reason is that the offense was only against God and only from God can he receive pardon: “Against You, against You alone have I sinned” (verse 6). The fourth reason is that he deserves compassion since we are all weak and inclined to do evil. I do not want to excuse my sin – no it torments me – but I have been prone to evil since my birth: “Behold I was born in sin and in sin did my mother conceive me” (verse 7). The fifth reason invokes the grace and favor already granted. You, O Lord, had done so much for me before I ever sinned. Now cleanse me so that I can regain Your friendship: “You desire sincerity of heart and teach me wisdom in my inward being” (verse 8).
After this list of motives David expresses his confidence that he will be saved (second part of the psalm): “Grant me the joy of being saved” (verse 14). And he promises to teach others the ways of the Lord: “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways and sinners will return to You” (verse 15).
This is how we should study and apply this psalm to our own circumstances. In this psalm each of us will find and profit from God’s inspiration. To make a sincere act of penance we need only pray the Miserere slowly and thoughtfully. Learn this and it will help you in the missions. Reciting the Miserere well is a consolation.
Passion and death
69. All the saints were very devoted to the Passion of Jesus. Missionaries more than others should meditate on the Passion of Jesus. It should be one of our principal devotions. The Blessed Sacrament is a memorial and a renewal of the Passion.
If hearts are not made of stone contemplation on the Lord’s passion will move us. Jesus suffered for each one of us as if we were the only ones: “He has loved me and given Himself for me” (Galatians 2,20). Whoever reflects on the fact that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53,5), must repent and do penance for his sins. Let us join our pain and suffering to the sufferings of Jesus as St. Paul put it: “I bear the wounds of Jesus in my body” (Galatians 6,17) and “I make up in my flesh what is lacking from the sufferings of Christ” (Colossians 1,4). We must concentrate our affections on the Our Lord’s sufferings. This is what St. Paul did: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6,14). We must make the Passion of the Lord our own; we must strive to keep it firmly in our mind, our heart, our body and our spirit.
Let us consider the sufferings of Jesus in depth. This will awaken our own desire to suffer for Him; we will make sacrifices and overcome the pains of our heart and spirit and to the extent possible – the pains of our body. Until we are thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Christ’s passion we will never possess a spirit of generosity and sacrifice. Clothe yourself with love and gird yourself with the spirit of the Passion. Your greatest source of strength in the missions will be the thought of Jesus’ Passion. What can a missionary accomplish if he does not love Jesus Crucified? Meditation on the passion will lead you to understand Jesus’ words, “I thirst” (John 19,28). This will enflame you with missionary zeal.
70. We are devoted to the crucifix. It should be in our rooms and on our person; we should turn to it frequently with acts of faith and love. You do not always have the Blessed Sacrament with you – but the crucifix, yes. What is the crucifix for a missionary? It is a “book”, a “friend” and a “weapon.” A book to read and meditate; a friend that comforts and assists; a powerful weapon against the devil. It is not enough to carry the crucifix, you must imitate it. Whether you like it or not your life will be filled with suffering – no one can escape this. What is important is to bear suffering patiently and learn to love and even seek it out. Jesus did not leave His cross midway along the road to Calvary but he got up and carried on to the end. Let us ask Him for the supernatural light and love to follow behind Him carrying our cross lovingly and not dragging it reluctantly.
Our cross is not as heavy as His – and if we carry it in a union of love with Him it becomes sweet. It’s easy enough to say we love the cross but when it comes to actually carrying it or putting up with some little contretemps we pull back. The Lord has told us clearly: “If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16,24). And St. Paul exclaims: “I have been crucified with Christ!” (Galatians 2,19). This is what it means to love the cross!
It is through the cross that we become saints and not through words or simple prayers. Words and prayers certainly help but what is most important is to bear our cross. The royal road to paradise is always the way of the cross. The only way to reach glory is to imitate the suffering Jesus. But Jesus will not be outdone in generosity – He gives us so much peace and so much joy. To suffer well is a gift from God and blessed is the one who receives it.
We must never lose this spirit – all our life long we must be ready to sacrifice ourselves. The Passion of the Lord will support us in the strains and sufferings of the apostolate and even in death itself. On the cross the Lord washed us in His blood. Let us kneel before Jesus Crucified and pray that we be cleansed. At His feet we will learn generosity in sacrifice. Anyone who does not take part in the Church’s commemoration of the Passion of Jesus has no heart – or no brain.
Easter – the Resurrection
71. Easter is a holiday we have enjoyed since childhood; it is close to our heart. “Christ risen from the dead dies no more; death has no further power over Him” (Romans 6,9). We must rise with fervor – not just from sin but from all our weaknesses. We must keep alive the fervor we feel at this feast day. We will no longer die! Let us say to ourselves: “We have risen, we no longer wish to die, we want to be genuine missionaries!” Never be afraid of being too zealous!
72. After His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples and gave them the greeting of “peace.” What a wonderful thing peace is! St. Augustine defines it as “tranquility of order.” When everything within and around us is in order then there is peace. We are at peace with God if we carry out His will. We will be at peace with ourselves if we avoid distraction, control our passions and free ourselves from vain desires. We will be at peace with out neighbors if we accept their limitations and treat them with respect. Peace can co-exist with sacrifice and trial but not with sin. If you have this peace, a gift of God, you will go forward in serenity and will find greater success in all you do. Ask Our Lord to give you this peace – He is after all the Prince of Peace. He will certainly grant it to you if you are willing to do what is necessary to preserve it.
73. Throughout Eastertide one feels the urge to cry out Alleluia! The liturgy repeats it over and over along with “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad” (Psalm 117,24). Equally sweet and pleasing is the prayer we direct to Our Lady at Easter time: “Queen of Heaven, rejoice. Alleluia!” The Church is suffused with joy during this period. Anyone not inclined to take part in this feast and enjoy it in his heart has neither heart nor intelligence.
Joyfulness is a necessary virtue. We are never too joyful. That might be the case if our joy was worldly or vulgar; but true joy of heart and spirit – no there is never too much. We are joyful always - every day and all year long. The Lord loves and favors joyful people. The psalm tells us: “Serve the Lord with joy” (Psalm 99,2). St. Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4,4). The Lord wants us to be joyful at all times … even when we are sleeping. We must be like infants: when they sleep they are at peace and smile. We live better and more perfectly if we are at peace. The psalm says: “I run along the path of your commandments because you have opened my heart” (Psalm 118,4). You open my heart to confidence, trust and joy. I do not just walk along the path of Your commandments, I run. When I am melancholy I walk slowly with feet of lead.
We are joyful with our neighbors, they do not have to put up with our moods but will say “These missionaries have left their home, their families, everything and still they are always joyful.” To do good we must be joyful: this will edify our neighbors and draw them to virtue. If we are saints but totally self-absorbed, thinking only of ourselves, others will be afraid to approach us.
Naturally our joy should not be inappropriate. Joy does not mean dissipation, shouting or turning the house upside down. Speak, smile – but do everything with moderation because joy is a virtue; be careful lest it degenerate into something else.
74. Joyfulness is the opposite of sadness. We must be strong lest sadness become despair. When we are constantly sad we accomplish nothing worthwhile. Some people are congenitally sad – it is their temperament. Others are depressed without knowing why. And there are still others who suffer stress – everything bothers them they are never happy. They are constantly seeking new and novel things and as a result they become bored and depressed. We must be even-tempered and not reeds shaken in the wind, alternately cheerful and depressed. If we act like this in the missions what will happen? Depression clouds the mind, paralyzes the will and destroys peace.
We can overcome sadness with prayer: we must desire holiness; we must be happy with our state in life; we must accept both the good and the bad from God’s hand; we must be patient and bear with adversity. We must be determined to live our lives with holiness, joy and fervor. A community in which all members were so determined would be an earthly paradise. There will always be weakness but our purpose here is to accept and support each other: to help each other become saints. We must not give way to depression: rather place everything in God’s hands. In this way we will edify each other and others as well. I do not want this to be a house of sadness but rather a house of joy. If you cannot overcome sadness or control your moods in the missions you will do only harm.
I would like to see you following God’s will, seeking and finding your security in His hands. How pleasing it is when we forge ahead; forward, ever forward! I want you to be cheerful. You must have health of mind and body. I would like to see your calm, flexibility and serenity ever increasing. This is the spirit I want for you: always joyful, always happy faces.
Ascension
75. The Ascension is a feast that goes straight to the heart and gives the soul a foretaste of heaven. The Lord brought the Apostles to the mountaintop so they could share in His glorious ascension into heaven. Along the way He gave them several final teachings and then the cloud took Him from their view. They remained ecstatic until an angel brought them back to reality: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1,9-11). Possibly the apostles were thinking – we would like to go with Him. No. First you must go and work for many years doing what He told you to do. Then they left the mountain and returned to Jerusalem.
The Ascension is the feast of heaven. Our heart is with Jesus and we ascend with Him. He is glorified and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf (cf. Hebrew 7,25). He prepares a place for us as He promised the Apostles (cf. John 14,2-3). Yes, Jesus is holding a place for me in heaven – He is doing this for each of us if we only desire it. This realization must give us courage and move us to be worthy missionaries; it must strengthen our will to work and expect no reward in this life; we will have our reward in heaven. Courage and perseverance! Heaven is costly and we will never be able to pay enough.
Look especially at the last words Jesus addressed to His disciples before going up into heaven: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole of creation” (Mark 16,15). Jesus gives this same command to missionaries. What a comfort this is! At that very moment the Lord was thinking of each of us. We see how the Church was close to His heart. His parting words could have been: be more patient, more kind, more charitable, more humble, etc… but no He said: Go into all the world.
Jesus promised supernatural and extraordinary assistance: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues” (Mark 16,17). At that very moment He was thinking of us, missionaries, we who continue the mission of the Apostles. What a comfort these promises are – they were proved true in the early centuries of the Church. Before ascending into heaven Jesus also said: “But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24, 49). It is almost as if He said – don’t go off to evangelize halfcocked; first prepare yourselves. Before launching our mission we must prepare ourselves through the grace that comes from the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost
76. Jesus said: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16,7). The Holy Spirit does not just send us His gifts and fruits, He Himself comes down in Person. The Lord did not say, “Receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit;” He said: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20,22).
It is the Holy Spirit who applies the merits of the Redemption Jesus has won; it is the Holy Spirit who saves and sanctifies us; it is the Holy Spirit who gives us His gifts. It is the Holy Spirit who makes people saints.
The Apostles withdrew to the cenacle and remained there in prayer with Mary (Cf. Acts 1,14). She helped the Apostles and procured for them the abundance of the Holy Spirit and she will do the same thing for us. The Holy Spirit does not appear in the midst of noise and dissipation; He comes where there is recollection. Whatever you do, do it in order to obtain the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In the cenacle they were all together, all of one mind. This is important: where there is no love the Holy Spirit will not come.
Under the influence of the Holy Spirit the Church was born on Pentecost. It is the Spirit that directs the Church and so it will be until the end of time. The Pope and the bishops lead the Church under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is a “Second Easter.” St. John Chrysostom calls it the fulfillment of all the other feasts. St. Maximus writes that it does not just commemorate the event, it repeats it. The Holy Spirit comes down again in a new way. Both in the past and today the Holy Spirit descends upon the Church and the faithful who are prepared and with the same result: the spreading of the faith. He is responsible for all the good we accomplish in the missions.
77. Works of love and grace are attributed to the Holy Spirit. He is entirely love and because of the love He has for us He burns with the desire to communicate Himself to us. Love demands love. Our duties to the Holy Spirit are: to know Him, to love Him and to follow Him. Let us ask Him to enflame our hearts so that we may become a new creation. All grace comes from the Holy Spirit but especially love. Loving the Son in no way offends the Father; so too loving the Spirit in no way offends the Son. This is the same love that inspired the Apostles to proclaim the Gospel with so much fervor. We too need this enthusiasm and it is the Holy Spirit who will give it to us.
It is difficult to live under His influence and not become a saint. Let us listen gladly to His voice in our heart. It is the voice of grace that we must put into practice. Let us follow the Holy Spirit with generosity and perseverance. If we receive the Holy Spirit worthily we will all become genuine and holy apostles. Let us place ourselves in His hands; let Him do what He wills we will follow meekly. He will make us saints. When we receive the Holy Spirit with His gifts and fruits we are transformed.
St. Paul says: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4,30). Three things can block His coming into our hearts: sin, a worldly spirit and too earthly a concept of life.[1] First of all, sin. The Holy Spirit cannot come and dwell where sin lives and reigns. Sin extinguishes God’s grace and therefore the presence of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul tells us “Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5,19).
A worldly spirit and too earthly a view of life can block the Holy Spirit. He is the “spirit of truth that the world cannot receive because it neither sees nor knows Him” (John 14,17). St. Paul explains: “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8,5). Chrysostom goes on to say that the light of the Holy Spirit can be extinguished by wind or a lack of oil, i.e. by the spirit of the world or a lack of good works.
78. I remember bringing the Blessed Sacrament to a priest who was gravely ill when I was a seminarian. As he waited to receive the Eucharist the holy priest kept reciting the sequence “Veni Sancte Spiritus” [Come Holy Spirit]. I sometimes recite this sequence myself before celebrating Mass – it is something you too could do. The words “Come Father of the poor” should inspire us with confidence, we are so weak and full of defects. The Holy Spirit is the protector of the destitute. They say that bees flee thunder – the Holy Spirit too seeks quiet, recollection. There are so many phrases in the Veni Sancte Spiritus that we could repeat throughout the day. We should say to the Lord, “Send Your Spirit to create a new heart within me.”
We should also pray the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus [Come Creator Spirit]. We would do well to reflect on the words of this hymn. It begins “Come Creator Spirit, visit our mind and fill the heart Your goodness has created.” First of all, we invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill us with His grace. Then we list His titles: “You are the Paraclete, the Gift of the Most High, a source of living water, fire and charity.” What beautiful titles - all taken from Scripture. Then the hymn speaks about the gifts: “You have given us seven gifts; You are the finger of the Father’s right hand, You were promised to the Apostles.” And then we make our prayer: “Enlighten our mind and intellect; help us with Your strength.” We ask Him for peace, we ask for help to avoid sin and the grace to know the Father and the Son.
We must foster His grace in us and our response to it. We must respond to His grace lest charity - the Holy Spirit - be extinguished. At times our grasp of the gifts seems tenuous because we are without enthusiasm and our lives are a mediocrity. We must revive God’s grace in us. The Holy Spirit will do His part but He expects us to do all we can.
79. The Holy Spirit gives His gifts freely and we must do our part to make them flourish. Wisdom: to appreciate spiritual things, keep our eyes on heaven and not give too much importance to the things of this world; Understanding: knowing what is within, the light which dispels the darkness, allows us to penetrate the mysteries and gives us serenity in our belief; Counsel: so we know where we are going and can lead others to virtue and holiness; Fortitude: to overcome weakness in times of danger or adversity and to prepare us for sacrifice and even martyrdom; Knowledge: to turn our thoughts from things of this world to those of the next; Piety: to honor God as our Father and everyone else as our brother or sister; Fear of the Lord: to avoid offending Him because He is our Father.
According to St. Paul the fruits of the Holy Spirit are: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5,22-23). According to St. Ambrose these virtues are called fruits because they “restore love to the soul and contain sweetness and savor.” Whoever enjoys these fruits lives in the Holy Spirit. To find delight in them we must be devoted to the Holy Spirit. They are balm to the heart, they make us ignore the miseries of life and even love sacrifice.
80. St. Paul further says that we are temples of the Holy Spirit: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells within you?” (I Corinthians 3,16). If we are temples of God we are, as it were, churches. What do we do in church? We do many things: we are careful to tend to material and spiritual cleanliness; we are silent and do not let our mind wander; we pray; we offer sacrifice when we take part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice; we listen to the Word of God and the Spirit speaks to us; we celebrate feast days with joy; we adorn our heart with acts of virtue.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is like receiving the Eucharist in communion. What we receive is the Spirit in person. He is pleased to dwell in us. We must reflect on this great and comforting truth often. In mission you will need the Holy Spirit. He will assist you and if necessary will perform miracles for you. Devotion to the Holy Spirit must become part of the very fabric of your being. It must remain so throughout your life – every month, every day and every hour. He will assist you in times of sadness or disappointment in the missions. If you call upon the Holy Spirit He will certainly give you courage and enthusiasm. The Spirit comforts and heals every wound.
Let us agree upon this: we will never abandon the Holy Spirit – we will keep Him within ourselves always. St. Philip Neri wanted all his religious to be sons of the Holy Spirit and I want the same thing for you. Yes, all of you should be sons and daughters of the Holy Spirit!
Corpus Christi
81. I would be remiss if I passed over the feast of Corpus Christi without speaking about this great mystery. Properly speaking the feast of the Blessed Sacrament is Holy Thursday in the context of the Lord’s Passion. To give it greater solemnity the Church established this feast after Pentecost.
This should be a feast “of the heart” – a feast of thanksgiving. In our Congregation this feast will be a day to renew and strengthen our love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We should pray “O Sacrum Convivium” with all our heart and mind: O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received! Jesus is as really present in the Sacrament as He is in heaven.
“The memory of Your passion is renewed”: “Do this in memory of me” Jesus told His Apostles (Luke 22,19). St Paul says the same thing: “Every time you eat this bread or drink this cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again” (I Corinthians 11,26).
“The mind is filled with grace”: this Sacrament provides not just a little grace but a fullness of grace. At communion we are permeated with grace – there is no part of us that is not filled with it. We receive the very author of grace.
“And we are given a pledge of future glory”: the Eucharist is a pledge. Jesus wanted to leave us a gift – He left us Himself. We have heaven here on earth. This Sacrament contains the treasures of wisdom and divine knowledge. By giving us Himself Jesus gives us everything. St. Augustine wrote: “He was almighty but could not give us more. He was all-wise but knew not what else to give us. He was rich but could not give us more.”
Sacred Heart of Jesus
82. The feast of the Sacred Heart is a fulfillment, a continuation of the feast of Corpus Christi. The Church teaches us that this feast was established to commemorate Jesus’ love for us in His passion. The Eucharist is the eternal memorial of that love. This is why these two feasts – although distinct – are intimately linked.
We owe the Heart of Jesus the same honor we give the Blessed Sacrament. These two devotions are distinct but they explain and complete each other. Devotion to the Heart of Jesus helps us understand the immense love of the Lord who gave Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist; the Eucharist helps us understand and gives us the Heart of Jesus.
The Heart of Jesus that the Church venerates is the same heart that suffered so much during His life on earth and especially during His passion. This heart bore the burden of mankind’s sin in Gethsemane and was pierced on the cross. We offer honor, adoration and love to the heart pierced by a lance. I want you to understand what this devotion involves – its object is the living heart of the Lord. Why does the Church honor the heart? Why – because in popular understanding it is the seat of our feelings. Everything is prompted by the heart and the will. If the heart stops life ends. This is not a new devotion – it is as ancient as the Son of God’s arrival on earth.
Our Congregations are consecrated to the Heart of Jesus. This consecration is a renewal and reaffirmation of our baptismal consecration. It is a recognition of the Lord’s rights over us. It reflects the honor and justice which for thousands of reasons we owe our Creator, our Redeemer and our Greatest Good. We must persevere in this devotion; we expect so much from this devotion – new, holy missionaries with zeal for the missions.
Feast of All Saints
83. Our eyes and hearts are fixed on heaven so that we can rejoice with the saints. The thought of heaven must be the dominant consideration on this day. I believe that there are very likely greater saints in heaven than those we honor on the altars. Formal canonization is not required; the Lord welcomes saints at their death. How many wonderful surprises there will be in heaven.
Everything the Church offers us is beautiful. We must live the spirit of the Church every day – it will be our spiritual nourishment, it will make us live the spirit of the Lord. Today the Church calls on us to rejoice: “Let us all rejoice in the Lord celebrating this feast of all the saints!” For our joy to bear the fruit of holiness we must know how to approach the saints and what obligations we have towards them. First of all we honor them because they are God’s friends, our older brothers and our benefactors. Each year our Congregation chooses a patron saint for special honor and imitation: this is a praiseworthy practice. The feast day of the saint whose name we bear should be special as well. We should honor the saint of the day, the patrons of our diocese, parish, congregation and the places where we travel.
We should also have recourse to the saints. They are our intercessors: they can and will help us obtain the grace we need. We should turn to them with trust and love. When we are in need of a special virtue we should turn to the saint known for that virtue: St. Thomas, St. Alphonsus and St. Francis de Sales for knowledge; St. Aloysius, St. John Berchmans and St. Stanislaus Kostka for purity; St. Francis Xavier, St. Peter Claver, St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Blessed Pierre Chanel for apostolic zeal, etc. I would also recommend special devotion to the saints not often remembered. A father, a mother, an acquaintance … these too can be saints. This is what we think – and there is some truth in it.
Finally we must imitate the saints. They are models worthy of imitation; their lives and virtues present remarkable variety. Here on earthy they encountered trial and temptation; they too had their defects but with God’s grace they became saints. Let us join with St. Augustine and say to ourselves: “If these men and women, why not me?” If these men and women in the same state of life could become saints why cannot I? This is what we should learn from the feast of All Saints.
Let us turn our thoughts to the saints, to honor, imitate and have recourse to them. Let us recognize what they tell us from heaven. Although they are totally happy if there was something else they could still desire it would be more virtue, more zeal, etc. Some of the saints were such successful missionaries and religious. And we alas fall far short. We must forge ahead; we must live the life of heaven!
Let us ask the saints to speak to us: we will listen and do what they say. The Church has us venerate a multitude of saints; through their intercession a shower of blessings will descend upon us. The memory of the saints lasts for all eternity. Let us set our sites high. Lift up your hearts.
All Souls
84. In the creed we proclaim the “communion of saints” and it is a dogma of faith. The Church militant, the Church suffering and the Church triumphant are three branches of the same plant, three provinces of the same kingdom, three classes of citizens in a single city, etc. Death does not destroy this union. St. Paul wrote that we made up a single body in Jesus Christ and each one of us is a member of that body (Cf. Romans 12,5).
You know that purgatory exists and the communion of saints exists there too. According to Sts. Thomas and Bonaventure to pray for the dead is an act of love of God and our neighbor. Works of charity, public and private prayer, sacrifices, almsgiving – these are all ways to benefit the dead. But the main way is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The dead always benefit from the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar.
We must pray intensely for the souls in purgatory – especially for missionaries. Our Constitutions prescribe prayers to be said when they die. We should also pray for our dead benefactors. This is a sacred duty of gratitude. What could we have accomplished without them? Among these benefactors we must remember Msgr. Demichelis who gave us our first motherhouse; his sister who gave us the house in Rivoli; and the Engineer Felizzati, a professor of mathematics at the university, who wanted to be a missionary. When he died at the age of 42 he named me his heir. I was against this but he insisted: “Let me die in peace.” There is also Abbot Nicholis di Robilant and so many others… From heaven they see all in God; they know what we need and will inspire and help us.
Nor should we forget our deceased brothers and sisters. We pray for them each day – especially at Mass. It is a beautiful thing when we say in community, “Let us remember the anniversary of the death of our brother or sister …” We must all pray for them. Everything we do in the community will benefit them. Our community consists living and dead members – this bond will never be broken, not even in heaven.
Recently I made a pilgrimage on foot to the cemetery all alone. I went first to the chapel but the Blessed Sacrament wasn’t there; I then set out on my pilgrimage. I didn’t stop to look at the impressive monuments, I began on the right at the tomb of Don Ignazio Viola who said Mass so beautifully. Then I went to the tomb where the body of St. Joseph Cafasso once rested – it is no longer there. I seemed to read on the tombstone: “He is not here” (Cf. Matthew 28,6). Many priests from the Little House of Cottolengo are there including the theologian L. Guala – he delighted in working for the glory of God. I spoke to him and asked him to inspire me. Then I went to the grave of Canon G.M.Soldati, the rector of the seminary when I was a student there. I said a few words to him and we came to an understanding. Then I passed by the graves of Mrs. De Luca, the Visitation, Blessed Sacrament and St. Joseph Sisters and then stopped at Msgr. Demichelis’ grave and said: “When I see you again in heaven will you be pleased with the use I have made of your property?” I stopped and spoke to him for a while. Then I went to the grave of Abbot N. di Robilant who was so calm and cheerful throughout his long illness. Finally after passing by the bishops I took the tram back home.
All Souls is not a sad day for me. It is a day of joy – I would hesitate to tell this to others but I’m sure you understand.
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[1] To describe those who lived their lives ignoring the principles of the faith Allamano used the expression “too human a spirit.” In view of the sensitivity and mode of expression used by present-day anthropologists Allamano’s thought would be better expressed with “too earthly a concept of life.”