EPHESIANS 4:10-13
“The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
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PICCARRETA:
July 10. “Patience, my child, dear Jesus wants to make you mature more in sanctity, and His Divine Volition wants to hasten Its life in your soul.”
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BOH VOL 14 June 11, 1922
The natural life symbolizes the spiritual life.
I was thinking to myself: “How is it that the spiritual life also undergoes so many changes? While one is convinced that this will be his life, then, when he least expects it, he is flung somewhere else, dragging along who knows how many painful consequences which make the heart bleed. One can say that, because of the so many changes one undergoes, it is a continuous martyrdom.‟
And my sweet Jesus, moving in my interior, told me: “My daughter, indeed the spiritual life must be a continuous
martyrdom, because it must be similar to the first and greatest of Martyrs – Myself. And if it were not so, it cannot truly be called spiritual life, but larva and shadow of it.
Then, it is necessary that it undergo various changes; this, in order to make it reach the proper stature, and to render it noble, beautiful and perfect. If the human nature itself, which is less important, undergoes who knows how many changes in order to reach the proper stature, much more so the spiritual, which is more important than natural life, and superior to it. Even more, the natural life symbolizes the spiritual life.
Observe now: how many changes does the natural life go through? It is conceived inside the maternal womb, and there it remains for as long as nine months in order to form the little body; and when it is formed, it is forced to come out. If it wanted to remain inside, it would die, because it would lack the space to grow, and so it would suffocate, jeopardizing its life and that of the mother.
Now, if this conception were formed outside of the maternal womb, who would provide the blood and the heat to form the little body? Moreover, since the members are extremely tender, the air itself would kill it. How much care is not needed with the little newborn? Heat, cold, and even the constraints of the maternal womb can be deadly for him – and therefore swaddling clothes, cradle, milk…. If one wanted to give him some other food, the little one would not know how to chew it, and so his life would be put in danger. But then the time also comes when he becomes capable of taking food; the swaddling clothes are removed, and he learns to take a few steps. Do you see? We are still at his infancy, and he has already gone through three changes.
Now, what would one say if this little one, seeing himself placed on the ground so as to take the first step, in fear of being snatched from the arms of his mama, screamed, cried, and refused to have any of it? One would feel sorry for him, because in the arms of his mama he would never become a man; without motion he would not become strong nor developed.
Now, let us come to the true spiritual life. It is conceived in my womb; my Blood, my love and my breath form it. Then I feed it at my breast; I swaddle it with my graces. Then I continue by making it walk with my truths. However, my design is not to form a child to play with – but a copy fully similar to Myself. And this is why changes occur – for nothing other than to let it reach a mature age and give it all those privileges and prerogatives which true spiritual life contains. Otherwise, it would remain like a baby in swaddling clothes who, instead of forming my honor and my glory, would form my sorrow and dishonor.
But how many are those who remain only newborn, or at most swaddled. Very few are those who work together with Me to become a copy of Myself.”
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PRAYER OF THE DAY:
“My Jesus, let us pray together, let us enter into the immense sea of Your Will so that nothing may come from me which is not plunged in It. The thought, the word, the heartbeat, the work, the step – everything must take place in Your Will; so that for each thing I do in It, I may take one more possession and acquire a greater right.”
Adapted from
BOH VOL 14 Oct. 6, 1922