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THE WAY OF SANCTIFICATION
(Extracts from the Book of Heaven by Luisa Piccarreta)
Compiled by Ann Ellison
April 11, 2020
THE TOMB
Dear Divine Will Family,
I wish each of you and all your families the Happiest, Holiest and Most Blessed Easter ever!! And this can be the best ever, if we see and strive to understand what God is doing is keeping us in a tomb of sorts. He is giving us so much time to grow much more intimately with Him and to read, read and read more to understand His Holy Will greater, so that our acts can be much more efficacious! This is very important at this time because the more efficacious our acts are, the more help we can be to lessen the severity of what is coming down the pike. And I don’t pretend to know, I just have a gut feeling, just like many others with whom I have spoken to lately.
But, what a blessing this time is for all of us. And it coinciding with Divine Mercy Sunday! What does that not tell you. We have a prime opportunity to bring greater glory to God, beg for His Kingdom to come, and help save many souls, etc., etc.
Please let us continue to study and learn as much as we can about the Divine Will, and I believe we will better understand He plans for us, our families, our towns and cities, our government, our country!
But, never forget the fiat! The most powerful and holy fiat, which moves the Heart of Jesus to do things we can’t even imagine!!
Much love and gratitude to all of you! Fiat always,
Ann Ellison
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Volume 11
July 4, 1912
In the Divine Will the soul must die to everything, as if sealed in a tomb and enclosed by love, to rise again to divine life. By thinking about herself, the soul slips away from the divine life.
This morning, after Communion, I was saying to my always adorable Jesus: “Look to what a state I have reduced myself! It seems as if everything runs away from me: suffering, virtues—everything!”
And Jesus said: “My daughter, what is this? Do you want to waste your time? Do you want to escape from your nothingness? Stay in your place—in your nothingness—so that the All may keep Its place in you. But realize that you must die completely in my Will—you must die to your sufferings, to your virtues—to everything. My Will must be the tomb of the soul. Just as nature is consumed in the tomb to the extent of disappearing completely, and by that consummation will rise again to a new and more beautiful Life, in the same way the soul, buried in my Will as in a tomb will die to her sufferings, to her virtues, to her spiritual goods, and will rise again to Divine Life in all things.
“Ah, my daughter, it seems as if you want to imitate the worldly, who seek what is temporal and passing and ignore the things of eternity. My beloved, why don’t you want to learn to live exclusively in my Volition? Why don’t you want to live the life of Heaven while still living on earth? My Will is Love, a Love that never dies. That is why my Will must be your sepulcher, and Love the stone which seals you in, giving you no more hope of getting out.
“Indeed, every thought that concerns oneself—even thoughts about one’s virtues—always spells gain for oneself and draws one away from the Divine Life. But if the soul thinks only about Me and what concerns Me, she draws the Divine Life within herself and, embracing that Divine Life, she rises above her human life, taking with her every possible good thing.”
Have we understood each other?
October 1914
I will add that one day I was doing the Hour when our heavenly Mama laid Jesus in the tomb, and I followed her closely to keep her company in her bitter desolation to offer her my compassion. I didn’t usually do this Hour—only once in a while—so I was debating whether I ought to do it or not. Blessed Jesus, all love, and as if begging me, told me: “My daughter, I don’t want you to omit it. Do it for love of Me, and in honor of my Mama. Know that each time you do it, my Mama feels as if she were personally repeating her life upon earth, and so you renew the glory and love that she gave Me on earth. I too feel as if my Mama had returned to earth again. I feel again her maternal tenderness, her Love and all the glory that she gave Me. So, I will treat you like a Mother.”
Then, He hugged me and I heard Him say to me, very softly: “My Mama, Mama;” and He whispered to me all that his sweet Mama did and suffered in this Hour; and I followed in her footsteps. Since then, I have never skipped that hour again, with the help of his Grace.
Volume 19
March 2, 1926
To Be Silent About the Truth of the Divine Will Makes a Tomb for the Truth, While the Proclamation of the Truth Forms a Resurrection.
I felt oppressed by a deep aversion to opening my soul to make known what blessed Jesus says to me. I would have liked to keep quiet forever so that nothing more would be known; and I complained to my sweet Jesus by saying to Him, “O if only You would tell me to say no more about what goes on between us! What an enormous burden You would free me from! How content I would be! Do you not see my great loathing—the effort that it costs me?”
But while I said this, my ever-beloved Jesus stirred within me and said to me: “My daughter, do you want to bury the light, the grace, and the truth so as to prepare a tomb for your Jesus? To be silent about the whole truth forms a tomb for the truth, while the word of testimony forms the resurrection of the truth. The word makes light, grace, and goodness arise. More than that, the word about the truth goes forth from the Supreme Fiat. The word had its divine sphere of action when, in the Creation, with the word Fiat, it made all creation go forth. I could have created the world even in silence, but I wanted to use the word “Fiat“ to give even the spoken word a divine origin; and, since I endowed it with creative power, whoever would use it to make known the things that concern Me would be able to communicate that truth to anyone who would have the good fortune to hear it. For you, then, there is an even stronger reason to speak—because most of the things that I say to you concern My Supreme Will. And this Fiat is not just the word that I spoke in the beginning of creation; it is truly that very Fiat that goes forth into the world as It did in Creation, and that wants to make known the immense benefits that My Will contains. My Will communicates so much power over all that I tell you about It that it suffices to form a new creation of My Will in your soul. Is this the blessing that you want for Me—that by your silence you want to make a tomb for My Will?”
At first His words left me astonished and deeply grieved, and I begged Jesus to give me the grace to fulfill His Most Holy Will; and, as if He wanted to comfort me, my beloved Jesus went out from within me, held me close to His Most Sacred Heart, and infused me with new strength.
At that moment, Heaven was opened, and I heard all of heaven in chorus, saying, “Gloria Patri et Filii et Spiritui Sanctu.” I do not know how, but I was moved to respond: “Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saeculi saeculorum. Amen.” But who can describe what took place? In the word “Patri” one could see the Creative Power that flowed everywhere, conserved everything, and gave life to all. The Father’s breath alone was enough to keep all that He had created whole, beautiful, and always new. In the word ”Filii” one could see all of the works of the Word renewed, ordered and wholly occupied in filling Heaven and earth, so as to give themselves for the good of all creatures. In the word “Spiritui Sancto” one could see all things being invested with a speaking, acting, and animating Love. But who can describe all that I saw? My poor mind felt immersed in the eternal beatitudes; and, to recall me to Himself, my adorable Jesus said to me:
“My daughter, do you know why you were moved to say the second part of the Gloria? Since you were in My Will, it was fitting for you to bring the earth to Heaven to give—in the name of everyone, in union with the Heavenly Court—that glory which never ends for ever and ever. Eternal things never come to an end: They find themselves only in My Will; and whoever possesses My Will finds himself in communication with Heaven. And he takes part in whatever they do in the celestial regions and in everything he finds himself acting in union with the blessed in heaven.”
July 29, 1926
I asked: “Tell me this, my Love: If all that You did was filled with the light of the Supreme Will, this Will is one, and It cannot be distinguished or separated from Its acts. In that case, Creation is no longer alone: It communes with Your acts—Your love and Your moans. But then the silence of the tomb that You spoke to me about another time—does not exist.”
And Jesus, all goodness, added: “My daughter you must know that as long as My Humanity remained on earth–and as long as the Sovereign Queen remained—there was no solitude or sepulchral silence. This is because by the power of the light of the Divine Will this Will is found everywhere and is expanded and diffused like light in everything. My Will was multiplied in all created things; and My act was repeated everywhere—because My Will was one. This is so true that all Creation gave sensible signs. This was true at My birth and, even more, at My death—to the point of darkening the sun, shattering the stones, and rending the earth—as if everything were weeping for its Creator-King. Things wept for Him Who had made them rejoice, Who had broken their solitude, and ended the silence of the tomb. And since they felt all the bitterness of so harsh a loss, they expressed their sorrow and wept, and they plunged back into their grief in silence and solitude. They did this because after I left the earth, there was no longer anyone who spoke in the light of My Will. There was no one who made an echo, or who made Creation speak and act.
“What happened to Creation was like what happens with certain metal instruments which trained musicians can use to convey the voice of the one who speaks or sings—and the instrument speaks, sings, cries, and laughs. But it can only do this though the power of the artist, by echoing his voice. And if the talent that produces that song is taken away, the instrument falls silent.”
Volume 21
March 24, 1927
A soul who possesses the Divine Will calls for Its acts. A soul rises again to Divine Life as many times as the number of acts that she does in God’s Will. Whoever does not abide in God’s Will becomes a thief at large in creation.
I was thinking to myself, “When I go around in the Supreme Will, following Its acts both in creation and Redemption, all things seem to speak to me and seem to have something to say about this admirable Will; yet, when I am busy doing something else, everything seems to keep silent, having nothing to say.”
In the midst of these thoughts, the light of the sun shone in my little room and pounded upon my bed with its beams. My whole being was filled with its light and warmth, and all of a sudden, a light went out from within me and plunged into the light of the sun. The two lights kissed and left me in a state of astonishment, and my sweet Jesus said to me:
”My daughter, how beautiful is My Divine Will, made present both in you and in the sun! Indeed, when the Fiat dwells in a soul, plunging into Its own acts, they gently kiss each other. Then, while one of the lights remains, the other light returns to its place, to carry out its work—a work which My own Will wanted.
”Now a soul who possesses My Will calls out to Its acts; and as they meet, they immediately recognize each other. This is why, when you go throughout creation or Redemption, all things speak to you. They are the acts of My Will which speaks to you through them. Indeed, it is right for a soul who possesses My Will to know the life of My Will which is one Act, although It seems to be divided and distinct in many created things and in many diverse and distinct acts. Now, a soul who possesses My Will should always be aware of all of God’s acts, if she wishes to form even one act in union with all the acts of My Will.”
Later, while I was following the acts which the Supreme Fiat had done in Redemption, I came to the time when my dear Jesus was rising again from the dead. Then I said, “Dear Jesus, I have followed Your steps with my ‘I love You’ even in Limbo, and I have asked all of its inhabitants to pray with me for the coming of Your Kingdom. Allow me now to impress my ‘I love You’ on the tomb of Your Resurrection. Just as Your Divine Will made Your Most Holy Humanity rise again both as the fulfillment of Redemption and as a new covenant to restore on earth to fulfill the Kingdom of the Fiat, so may my unceasing “I love You” follow all of the acts that You did in Redemption. And I call, I pray, and I implore that You make all souls arise from the tomb of the human will, so that your Kingdom may be established in the midst of creatures.”
Now, while I was saying this among other things, my beloved Jesus stirred within me and said to me:” My daughter, a soul rises again and again to Divine Life as many times as the number of acts that she does in God’s Will; and the more acts she does, the more the Divine Life grows in her heart, and the more complete becomes the glory of her resurrection. That is why the foundation, substance, light, beauty, and glory are formed by the very acts done in the Fiat. The more contact a soul has with My Will, the more she can give, beautify and expand My Kingdom.
“Moreover, a soul who has always lived in My Will—since My Will has had dominion over all the acts of the soul—shall possess the ever-new act of My Fiat. Indeed, not only will she receive from God a new and continuous act of beatitude, but by the power of My Will which she has possessed on earth, she shall possess the new act of beatitude within herself, springing up from within her and filling the whole heavenly fatherland. Indeed, there shall be such harmony between the new acts of God and the new acts of that soul, that together they shall form the most beautiful enchantment of the heavenly places. The wonders of My Will are eternal, yet ever new.”
April 16, 1927
Jesus: “My daughter, in the soul in whom My Will reigns in all Its fullness, moments of existence are centuries of the fullness of all blessings; yet, where My Will does not reign, centuries of life hardly contain moments of blessedness. And if a soul in whom My Will reigns should suffer humiliations, contradictions, and pains, these are like clouds that the wind of My Divine Fiat casts upon those who—to their own shame—have dared to touch the bearer of My Eternal Will.
After this, I was meditating on my Mamma’s sadness, when, sorrowful and heartbroken, she tore herself away from Jesus, leaving Him dead in the sepulcher. Then, I thought to myself: “How could She have had so much strength as to be able to leave Him in the tomb? It is true that He was dead, but It was always the Body of Jesus. How could Her motherly love not consume Her—rather than let Her take one step away from His lifeless Body? Her Heart must have been torn apart before his lifeless body. And yet I leave Him. What great heroism and courage She showed!”
But while I was thinking of this, Jesus stirred within me and said to me: “My daughter, do you want to know why My Mamma had so much strength? The secret of all her strength lay in her inward experience of the power of My Will. She lived on daily infusions of divine—not human—power, and that is why She possessed immeasurable strength.
“Even you must know that when My sorrowful Mama left Me in the tomb, My Will kept Her immersed in two immense seas: one of sorrow, and the other—much greater—of bliss and joy. And while the sea of sorrow gave Her every kind of martyrdom, the sea of joy gave Her every kind of happiness.”