The Holy Mass
Explained
to Catalina by Jesus and Mary
Catalina
Rivas of Cochabamba, Bolivia, who now dwells in Mérida, Yucatán, México.
She is said to receive Messages from Jesus, Mary, and the angels. She has
the approval of her Bishop, René Fernández Apaza, who has given his
imprimatur to her Messages. The following text is the reproduction of
booklet, “The Holy Mass,” in which Our Lord and Our Lady explain to
Catalina what is really going on during the Mass in the spiritual realm,
and how we should be more concentrated on the great mysteries that are
taking place.
Bo. Daniel Gagnon,
OMI, of the Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Archdiocese of
Mexico, wrote about this book: “I do not find anything against the faith
or the customs of the Church. It is not my function to confirm its
supernatural
character; nevertheless, I recommend it for its spiritual inspiration.”
The
testimony of Catalina In a marvelous
catechesis, the Lord and the Virgin Mary have been instructing us first on
how to pray the Rosary, that being to pray it with our hearts, and
meditate and enjoy the moments when we encounter God and our Blessed
Mother. They have also instructed us on the way to make a good confession
and, in this document, a teaching on what happens during the Holy Mass and
how to live it with our hearts.
This is
the testimony that I must and want to give to the whole world, for the
greater Glory of God and for the salvation of all of those who want to
open their hearts to the Lord. It is also given so that many souls
consecrated to God will rekindle the fire of their love for Christ, some
of whom are the owners of the hands that have the power to bring Him to
our world so that He can become our nourishment. It is also given for
others so that they break lose of the “routine practice” of receiving Him,
and relive the amazement of their daily encounter with Love. And it is
given so that my lay brothers and sisters from the entire world live the
greatest Miracle with their hearts: the celebration of the
Eucharist. It was the vigil of
the Annunciation, and the members of our group had gone to the Sacrament
of Reconciliation. Some of the ladies of the prayer group had not been
able to do it, and so they left their reconciliation for the next day
before the Mass. When I arrived at
church the next day, a little bit late, the Archbishop and priests were
already coming out of the sacristy. The Virgin Mary
said with Her soft and feminine voice that sweetens one's soul:
“Today is
a day of learning for you, and I want you to pay close attention because
of what you will witness today. Everything that you will experience today,
you will have to share with all of humanity.” I was deeply moved
without understanding why, but I tried to be very attentive.
The first thing I
noticed was a choir of very beautiful voices that was singing as if it was
far away. For moments the music came closer and, then, it went further
away like the sound of the wind. The Archbishop started
Mass and, when he reached the
Penitential Rite, the Blessed Virgin
said:
“From
the bottom of your heart, ask the Lord to forgive your faults that have
offended Him. In this way, you will be able to participate worthily in
this privilege of assisting at the Holy Mass.”
I
thought for a fraction of a second: “Surely I am in a state of grace of
God; I went to confession last night.” She answered:
“Do you think that since last
night you have not offended the Lord? Let Me remind
you of a few things. When you left to come here, the girl who helps you
approached to ask you for something
and, as you were late and in a hurry,
you did not answer her in a very nice way. There was a lack of charity on
your part, and you say, you have not offended God...?
“While
on the way here, a bus crossed over your lane and almost hit you. You
expressed yourself in a very non-advisable way against that poor man,
instead of saying your prayers and preparing yourself for Mass. You have
failed in charity and lost your peace and patience. And you say you have
not hurt the Lord?
“You
arrive at the last minute when the procession of the celebrants is already
coming out to celebrate the Mass... and you are
going to participate without previous preparation...”
I replied, “All right, my Mother, say
no more to me. You do not have to remind me of more things because I am
going to die of
grief and
shame.”
“Why must you all
arrive at the last moment? You should have arrived earlier to be able to
pray and ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit that He may grant you a
spirit of peace and cleanse you of the spirit of the world, your worries,
your problems, and your distractions so as to enable you to live this so
sacred a moment. However, you arrive almost when the celebration is about
to commence, and you participate as if it is an ordinary event, without
any spiritual
preparation. Why? This is the greatest of Miracles. You are going to live
the moment when the Most High God gives His greatest gift, and you do not
know how to appreciate it.”
This was
enough. I felt so bad that I had more than enough
to ask for forgiveness from
God. It was not only for the offenses of that day, but also for all the
times that, like so many other people, I had waited for the priest to
finish his homily before entering the Church. It was also for the times
that I did not know or refused to understand what it meant to be there,
and for the times that perhaps my soul was full of more serious sins, and
I had dared to participate in the Holy Mass. It was a feast day, and the Gloria was to be recited.
Our Lady said:
“Glorify and bless with all your
love the Holy Trinity, in your acknowledgement of being one of Its
creatures.”
How
different was that Gloria! Suddenly I saw myself in a far off place full
of light, before the Majestic Presence of the Throne of God. With so much
love I went on thanking Him, as I repeated: “For your immense Glory we
praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we give You glory, we give You
thanks, Lord, God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.” And I recalled
the paternal face of the Father, full of kindness. “Lord Jesus Christ,
only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away the sins of
the world...” And Jesus was in front of me, with that face full of
tenderness and Mercy... “For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the
Lord, You alone are the most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit...”,
the God of beautiful Love. He, Who at that moment, caused my whole being
to tremble... And I asked: “Lord,
deliver me from all evil spirits. My heart belongs to You. My Lord, send
me Your peace so that I can gain the finest benefits from the Eucharist
and that my life may produce the best fruits. Holy Spirit of God,
transform me, act within me, guide me. Oh God, give me the gifts that I
need to serve you better!” The moment of the
Liturgy of the
Word
arrived, and the
Virgin Mary made me repeat: “Lord, today I want to listen to Your Word and
produce abundant fruit. May Your Holy Spirit clean the interior of my
heart so that Your Word grows and develops in it, purifying my heart so
that it may be well disposed.” Our Lady said:
“I want you to be attentive to the
readings and to all of the homily of the priest. Remember that the Bible
says that the Word of God does not return without bearing fruit. If you
are attentive, something from all that you heard will remain in you. You
should try to recall, all day long, those Words that left an impression on
you.
Sometimes it may be two verses, other times the reading of the
entire Gospel, or perhaps only one word. Savor them for the rest of the
day, and it will then become part of you, because that is the way to
change one's life, by allowing the Word of God to transform you.
“And
now, tell the Lord that you are here to listen, that you want Him to speak
to your heart today.”
Once again I thanked
God for giving me the opportunity to hear His Word.
And I
asked Him for forgiveness for having had such a hard heart for so many
years, and for having taught my children that they had to go to Mass on
Sundays because it is commanded by the Church, and not for love and the
need to be filled with God. I had attended so many
Eucharistic Celebrations mostly out of obligation and, because of this, I
believed I was saved. But I did not live it and, much less, did I pay
attention to the readings or to the priest's homily! How much pain I felt
for so many years of needless loss because of my ignorance! How superficial
is our attendance at the Mass when we go only because someone is getting
married, or for a funeral Mass, or because we have to be seen by society!
How much ignorance about our Church and the Sacraments! How much waste
in trying to instruct and enlighten ourselves about the things of the
world, which in a moment can disappear, leaving us with nothing and, at
the end of our life, not serve to extend a minute to our existence!
However, we know nothing of that
which will give us a little of heaven on earth and, afterwards, eternal
life. And we call ourselves cultured men and women!
A moment later the
Offertory
arrived, and the Holy
Virgin said:
“Pray like this: (and I
repeated after Her)
Lord, I offer all that I am, all that I have,
all that I can. I put everything
into Your Hands. Build it up, Lord, with the little thing that I am. By
the merits of Your Son, transform me, God Almighty. I petition You for my
family, for my benefactors, for each member of our Apostolate, for all the
people who fight against us, for those who commend themselves to my poor
prayers. Teach me to lay down my heart as if on the ground before them so
that their walk may be less severe. This is how the saints prayed; this is
how I want all of you to do it.”
Thus,
this is how Jesus asks us to pray, that we put our hearts as if on the
ground so that they do not feel its severity, but rather that we alleviate
the pain of their steps.
Suddenly some
characters, whom I had not seen before, began to stand up. It was as if
from the side of each person present in the Cathedral, another person
emerged, and soon the Cathedral became full of young, beautiful people.
They were dressed in very white robes, and they started to move into the
central aisle and, then, went towards the Altar. Our Mother said: “Observe. They are the Guardian
Angels of each one of the persons who are here. This is the moment in
which your guardian angel carries your offerings and petitions before the
Altar of the Lord.” At that moment, I was
completely astonished, because these beings had such beautiful faces, so
radiant as one is unable to imagine. Their countenance was very beautiful
with almost feminine faces; however, the structure of their body, their
hands, their height were masculine. Their naked feet did not touch the
floor, but rather they went as if gliding. That procession was very
beautiful. Some of them were
carrying something like a golden bowl with something that shone a great
deal with a golden-white light. The Virgin Mary said: “They are the Guardian Angels of
the people who are offering this Holy Mass for many intentions, those who
are conscious of what this celebration means. They have something to offer
the Lord.”
“Offer
yourselves at this moment; offer your sorrows, your pains, your hopes,
your sadness, your joys, your petitions. Remember that the Mass has
infinite value. Therefore, be generous in offering and in
asking.” Behind the first
Angels came others who had nothing in their hands; they were coming empty
handed. The Virgin Mary said:
“Those are the angels of the
people who are here but never offer anything. They have no interest in
living each liturgical moment of the Mass, and they have no gifts to carry
before the Altar of the Lord.”
At
the end of the procession came other angels who were rather sad, with
their hands joined in prayer but with their eyes downcast. “These are
the Guardian Angels of the people who are here, but do not want to be,
that is to say, of the people who have been forced to come here, who have
come out of obligation, but without any desire to participate in the Holy
Mass. The angels go forth sadly because they have nothing to carry
to
the Altar, except for their own
prayers.”
“Do not sadden your Guardian
Angel. Ask
for much, ask for the conversion of sinners, for peace in the world, for
your families, your neighbors, for those who ask for your prayers. Ask,
ask for much, but not only for yourselves, but for everyone else.
“Remember that the offering which
most pleases the Lord is when you offer yourselves as a holocaust so that
Jesus, upon His descent, may transform you by His own merits. What do you
have to offer the Father by yourselves? Nothingness and sin. But the
offering of oneself united to the merits of Jesus, that offering is
pleasing to the Father.”
That sight, that procession was so beautiful that it would be
difficult to compare it to another. All those celestial creatures bowing
before the Altar, some leaving their offerings on the floor, others
prostrating themselves on their knees with their foreheads almost touching
the floor. And as soon as they arrived at the Altar, they would disappear
from my sight. The final moment of the Preface
arrived, and when the assembly said,
“Holy,
Holy, Holy”, suddenly everything that was behind the celebrants
disappeared. Behind the left side of the Archbishop, thousands of Angels
appeared in a diagonal line, small angels, big angels, angels with immense
wings, angels with small wings, angels without wings. As the previous
ones, all were dressed with tunics like the white robes of the priests or
altar boys. Everyone knelt with their hands united in
prayer, and bowed their heads in reverence. Beautiful music was heard as
if there were many choirs with different voices, all singing in unison
together with the people: Holy, Holy, Holy... The moment of the Consecration,
the
moment of the most marvelous of Miracles had arrived. Behind the right
side of the Archbishop appeared a multitude of people also in a diagonal
line. They were dressed in the same tunic, but in pastel colors of: rose,
green, light blue, lilac, yellow, in short, in different and very soft
colors. Their faces were also brilliant, full of joy. They all seemed to
be the same age. You could note (I can't say why) that they were people of
different ages, but their faces looked the same, without wrinkles, happy.
They all knelt down as well at the singing of “Holy,
Holy, Holy Lord...” Our Lady said:
“These are all the Saints and the Blessed of Heaven,
and among them are the souls of your relatives who already enjoy the
Presence of God.” Then I saw Her, exactly to the right of the
Archbishop, a step behind the celebrant. She was suspended a little off
the floor, kneeling on some very fine, transparent but, at the same time,
luminous fabric, as crystalline water. The Holy Virgin, with hands joined,
was looking attentively and respectfully at the celebrant. She spoke to me
from there, but silently, directly to the heart, without looking at
me:
“It surprises you to see Me
standing a little behind Monsignor [the Archbishop],
does it not? This is how it should
be... With all the love that My Son gives Me, He has not given Me the
dignity that He has given the priests of being able to perform the daily
Miracle with My hands as they do with their priestly hands. Because of
this, I feel a deep respect for priests and for the miracle that God
carries out through them, which compels Me to kneel here behind
them.”
My God, how much dignity, how much
grace the Lord pours over the priestly souls, and neither we, nor perhaps
some of them, are conscious of this.
Before the Altar, there appeared some shadows of people in a gray
color with their hands raised. The Holy Virgin said: “These are the
blessed souls of Purgatory, who await your prayers to be
refreshed. Do not stop praying for them. They
pray for you, but they cannot pray for themselves. It is you who have to
pray for them, in order to help them depart so that they can be with God
and enjoy Him eternally.
“Now you now see it; I am here all
the time. People go on pilgrimages, searching for the places where I have
appeared. This is good, because of all the graces that they will receive
there. But during no apparition, in no
other place, am I more present
than during the Holy Mass. You will always find Me at the foot of the
Altar where the Eucharist is celebrated; at the foot of the Tabernacle, I
remain with the angels because I am always with Him.”
To see that beautiful countenance
of the Mother at that moment of the words “Holy, Holy, Holy...” as well as
all the others with their radiant faces, with hands joined, awaiting that
miracle which repeats itself continuously, was to be in Heaven itself. And to think there are people who
can, at that moment, be distracted in conversation. It hurts me to tell
you, many men, more than women, stand with their arms crossed, as if
paying homage to the Lord as one equal to another. The Virgin Mary said:
“Tell all people that never is a man
more manly then when he bends his knees before God.” The celebrant said the words of the Consecration.
He was a
person of normal height, but suddenly, he began to grow, becoming filled
with light, a supernatural light between white and gold that enveloped him
and grew very strong around the face. And because of it, I could not see
his features. When he raised the Host, I saw his hands, and on the back of
his hands, he had some marks from which emanated a great deal of light. It
was Jesus! It was Him Who was wrapping His Body around the celebrant, as
if He were lovingly surrounding the hands of the Archbishop. At that
moment, the Host began to grow and became enormous, and upon it the
marvelous face of Jesus appeared looking at His people.
By
instinct, I wanted to bow my head, and Our Lady said: “Do not look
down. Look up to view and contemplate Him. Exchange your gaze with
His, and repeat the prayer of Fatima: Lord, I
believe, I adore, I trust, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do
not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love You. Forgiveness
and Mercy... Now tell Him how much you love Him, and pay your homage to
the King of Kings.”
I
told it to Him, and it seemed as if I was the only one He was looking at
from the enormous Host. But I learned that this was the way He gazed at
each person, with love to the fullest. Then I lowered my head until I had
my forehead on the floor, as did all the Angels and the Blessed from
Heaven. Perhaps for a fraction of a second, I wondered how Jesus was
taking on the body of the celebrant and, at the same time, He was inside
the Host. And as he lowered the Host, it returned to its normal size.
Tears ran down my cheeks; I was unable to let go of my astonishment.
Immediately, the Archbishop said the words of the Consecration of
the wine and, as the words were being said, lightning appeared from the
heavens and in the background. The walls and ceiling of the church had
disappeared. All was dark, but for that brilliant light from the
Altar.
Suddenly, suspended in the air, I saw Jesus crucified. I saw Him
from the head to the lower part of the chest. The cross beam of the Cross
was sustained by some large, strong hands. From within this resplendent
light, a small light, like a very brilliant, very small dove, came forth
and flew swiftly all over the Church. It came to rest on the left shoulder
of the Archbishop, who continued to appear as Jesus because I could
distinguish His long hair, His luminous wounds, and His large body, but I
could not see His Face. Above was Jesus crucified, His head fallen upon His right shoulder.
I was able to contemplate His face, beaten arms and torn flesh. On the
right side of His chest, He had an injury, and blood was gushing out
toward the left side, and toward the right side, what looked like water,
but it was very brilliant.
They were more like jets of light coming forth towards the
faithful, and moving to the right and to the left. I was amazed at the
amount of blood that was flowing out toward the Chalice. I thought it
would overflow and stain the whole Altar, but not a single drop was
spilled.
At
that moment, the Virgin Mary said: “This is
the miracle of miracles. I have said to you before that the Lord is not
constrained by time and space. At the moment of the Consecration, all the
assembly is taken to the foot of Calvary, at the instant of the
crucifixion of Jesus.” Can anyone imagine that? Our eyes cannot see it, but we are all
there at the very moment that they are crucifying Jesus. And He is asking
for forgiveness to the Father, not only for those who killed Him, but also
for each one of our sins:
“Father, forgive them, because they know not what
they do.”
From that day on, I do not care if the world thinks I am crazy, but
I ask everybody to kneel and try to live, with their heart and with all
their sensibility that they are capable of, this privilege that the Lord
grants us. When we were going to pray the Our
Father, the Lord spoke for the first time during
the celebration, and said:
“Wait, I want you to pray with the deepest profundity
which you can summon. At this moment, bring to mind that person or persons
which have done you the greatest harm during your life, so that you
embrace them close to your bosom, and tell them with all your heart: `In
the Name of Jesus, I forgive you and wish you peace. In the Name of Jesus,
I ask for your forgiveness and wish my peace.' If the person is worthy of
that peace, then the person will receive it, and feel better for it. If that person is not capable of
opening up to that peace, then peace will return to your heart. But I do
not want you to receive nor offer peace when you are not capable of
forgiving and feeling that peace in your heart first.
“Be careful of what you
do,” continued the Lord,
“you repeat in the Our Father:
forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. If
you are capable of forgiving but not forgetting, as some people say, you
are placing conditions upon the forgiveness of God. You are saying: You
forgive me only as I am capable of forgiving, but no more.”
I
do not know how to explain my pain, at the realization of how much we can
hurt the Lord. And also how much we can injure ourselves by holding so
many grudges, bad feelings and unflattering things that are born from our
own prejudices and over-sensitivities. I forgave; I forgave from the
heart, and asked for forgiveness from all the people whom I had hurt at
one time or another, in order to feel the peace of the Lord. The celebrant said, “...give us peace and unity...” and, then, “the peace
of the Lord be with all of you.”
Suddenly, I saw that among some (not all) of the people who were
embracing each other, a very intense light placed itself between them. I
knew it was Jesus, and I practically threw myself to embrace the person
next to me. I could truly feel the embrace of the Lord in that light. It
was Him Who embraced me giving me His peace, because in that moment, I had
been able to forgive and remove from my heart all grief against other
people. That is what Jesus wants, to share that moment of joy, hugging us
and wishing us His peace.
The moment of the celebrants' Communion arrived. There I once again
noticed the presence of all the priests next to the Archbishop. When he
took Communion, the Virgin Mary said:
“This is the moment to pray for
the celebrant and the priests who accompany him. Repeat together
with Me: `Lord, bless them, sanctify them, help them, purify them, love
them, take care of them, and support them with Your Love. Remember all
the priests of the world, pray for all the consecrated
souls...' Dear brothers and sisters, that is the moment in which we should
pray for them, because they are the Church as we, the laity, are also.
Many times we, the laity, demand so much from the priests, but we are
unable to pray for them, to understand that they are human, and to
comprehend and appreciate the solitude that many times can surround a
priest.
We
should understand that the priests are people like ourselves and that they
need to be understood, to be cared for. They need affection and attention
from us because they are giving their life to each one of us, as Jesus
did, by being consecrated to Him.
The Lord wants the people of the flock that God has entrusted to
the priest to pray and help in his sanctification. Someday, when we are on
the other side, we will understand the marvels that the Lord has done,
giving us priests who help us to save our souls. The people began to leave their pews on their way to
Communion. The great moment
of the encounter had arrived. The Lord said to me: “Wait a
moment; I want you to observe something...”
An interior impulse
made me raise my eyes towards the person who was going to receive
Communion on the tongue from the hands of the priest.
I
should clarify that this person was one of the ladies from our group who
the previous night was unable to go to confession, but this morning was
able to do so before the Holy Mass. When the Priest placed the Sacred Host
on her tongue, a flash of light, like a very golden white light, went
right through this person, first through her back, then surrounding her
from the back, around her shoulders, and then her head. The Lord said:
“This is how I Myself rejoice in
embracing a soul who comes with a clean heart to receive Me.”
The tone of voice of Jesus was
that of a happy person.
I
was astonished to see my friend return to her pew surrounded by light,
embraced by the Lord. I thought of the marvel that we miss so many times
by going to receive Jesus with our small or large offences, when it should
be a feast.
Many times we say that there are no priests to whom to go to
confess at any given moment. But the problem is not about confessing at
each moment, but the problem resides in our ease of falling into evil
again. On the other hand, in
the same way that we make an effort to search for a beauty parlor, or men
search for a barber when we have a party, we have to also make an effort
to seek a priest when we need to remove all that dirt from ourselves. We
must not have the audacity to receive Jesus at any moment with our hearts
full of ugly things. When I went to receive communion, Jesus told me:
“The Last
Supper was the moment of the greatest intimacy with My own. During that hour of love, I
established what could be thought of as the greatest act of lunacy in the
eyes of men, that of making Myself a prisoner of Love. I established the
Eucharist. I wanted to remain
with you until the end of the centuries because My Love could not bear
that you remained orphans, you whom I loved more than My
life.”
I
received that Host which had a different flavor. It was a mixture of blood
and incense that inundated me entirely. I felt so much love that the tears
ran down my cheeks without me being able to stop them. When I returned to my seat, while kneeling down, the Lord said:
“Listen...” A moment later, I began to
hear the prayers of the lady who was seated in front of me and who had
just received communion. What she said, without opening her mouth, was more or less like
this:
“Lord, remember that we are at the end of the month, and I do not have the
money to pay the rent, the car payments, nor the children's school. You
have to do something to help me... Please, make my husband stop drinking
so much. I cannot bear any more his being intoxicated so often, and my
youngest son is going to repeat the year again, if you do not help him. He
has exams this week... And do not forget our neighbor who must move. Let
her do it right away. I
cannot stand her anymore, etc., etc.” Then the Archbishop said: “Let us
pray,” and obviously all the congregation stood
up for the final prayer. Jesus said in a sad tone: “Did you
take note of her prayer? Not a single time did she tell Me that she loves
Me. Not a single time did she
thank Me for the gift that I have given her by bringing down My Divinity
to her poor humanity, in order to elevate her to Me. Not a single time has
she said: thank You, Lord. It has been a litany of requests, and so are
almost all of those who come to receive Me.”
“I have died for love, and I am
risen. For love I await each one of you, and for love I remain with you...
But you do not realize that I need your love. Remember that I am the
Beggar of Love in this sublime hour for the soul.”
Do
you all realize that He, Love, is begging for our love, and we do not give
it to Him? Moreover, we avoid going to that encounter with the Love of
Loves, with the only love who gives of itself in a permanent
oblation. When the celebrant was going to give the
blessing,
the Holy Virgin said: “Be
attentive, take care... You do any old sign instead of the Sign of the
Cross. Remember that this blessing could be the last one that you will
receive from hands of a priest. You do not know when, leaving here, if you
will die or not. You do not know if you will have the opportunity to
receive a blessing from another priest. Those consecrated hands are giving
you the blessing in the Name of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, make the Sign
of the Cross with respect, as if it was the last one of your
life.” How much we miss in not understanding and not participating every
day at the Holy Mass! Why not make an effort to begin the day a half hour
earlier and run to the Holy Mass and receive all the blessings that the
Lord wants to pour over us?
I
am aware that, because of their obligations, not everybody can attend
daily Mass, but at least two or three times a week. So many avoid Mass on
Sundays with the smallest excuse, that they have a child, or two, or ten,
and, therefore, they cannot attend Mass. How do people manage when they
have other important types of commitments? They take all the children, or
take turns and the husband goes at one hour and the wife another, but they
carry out their duty to God.
We
have time to study, to work, to entertain, to rest, but WE DO NOT HAVE
TIME, AT LEAST ON SUNDAY, TO GO TO THE HOLY MASS. Jesus asked me to remain with Him a few minutes more after Mass had
finished. He said:
“Do not leave in a hurry after Mass
is over. Stay a moment in My company and enjoy it, and let Me enjoy
yours...”
As a child, I had heard someone
say that the Lord remained with us for five or ten minutes, after
Communion. I asked Him at this moment: “Lord, truly, how much time do You stay with us after Communion?”
I
suppose that the Lord must have laughed at my silliness, because He
answered:
“All the time that you want to have Me with you. If
you speak to Me all day long, offering Me some words during your chores, I
will listen to you. I am always with you. It is you who leaves Me. You
leave the Mass, and the day of obligation ends. You kept the day of the
Lord, and it is now finished for you. You do not think that I would like
to share your family life with you, at least that day.”
“In your homes, you have a place
for everything and a room for each activity: a room to sleep, another to
cook, another to eat, etc. Which place have you made for Me? It should not
be a place where you only have an image, which collects dust all the time,
but a place where at least five minutes a day the family meets to give
thanks for the day and for the gift of life, to ask for their needs of the
day, to ask for blessings, protection, health. Everything has a place in
your homes, except Me.”
“Men plan their day, their week,
their semester, their vacations, etc. They know what day they are going to
rest, what day they will go to the movies or to a party, or visit
grandmother or the grandchildren, the children, their friends, and to
their amusements.
How many families say at least once a month: `This is the day for
our turn to go and visit Jesus in the Tabernacle,' and the whole family
comes to talk to M<%18>e<%0>? How many sit down in front of Me
and have a conversation with Me, telling Me how it has been since the last
time, telling Me their problems, the difficulties they have, asking Me
about what they need, making Me part of these things? How many
times?
“I know everything. I read even
the deepest secrets of your hearts and minds. But I enjoy
your telling Me about your life, your letting Me participate as a family
member, as your most intimate friend. Oh, how many graces does man lose by
not giving Me a place in his life!”
When I remained with Him that day and on many other days, He
continued to give us teachings. Today I want to share with you this
mission that He has entrusted to me.
Jesus said:
“I wanted to save My creature,
because the moment of opening the door to Heaven has been impregnated with
too much pain...”
“Remember that not even one mother has fed her child with her own
flesh. I have gone to that extreme of Love to communicate My merits to all
of you.
“The Holy Mass is Myself
prolonging My life and My sacrifice on the Cross among you. Without the
merits of My life and My Blood, what do you have with which to come before
the Father? Nothing, misery and sin...
“You should exceed in virtue the
angels and archangels, because they do not have the joy of receiving Me as
nourishment like you do. They drink a drop from the spring, but you that
have the grace of receiving Me, you have the whole ocean to
drink.” The other thing that the Lord spoke about with pain concerned people who
encounter Him out of habit, of those who have lost their awe of each
encounter with Him. That routine turns some people so lukewarm that they
have nothing new to tell Jesus when they receive Him. He also said that
there were so many consecrated souls who lose their enthusiasm of falling
in love with the Lord, and have made their vocation an occupation, a
profession to which nothing more is given, except that which is demanded
of one, but without feeling... Then the Lord spoke to me about the
fruits that must come from each Communion that we take.
It does happen that there are people who receive the Lord daily
but do not change their lives. They spend many hours in prayer and do many
works, etc., but their life does not go on transforming, and a life that
does not transform cannot bear true fruits for the Lord. The merits we
receive in the Eucharist should bear the fruits of conversion in us and
fruits of charity toward our brothers and sisters.
We
the laity have a very important role in our Church. We do not have the
right to be silent, because the Lord has sent us out, as all the baptized,
to go forth and announce the Good News. We do not have the right
to absorb all this knowledge and not share it with others, and to allow
our brothers to die of hunger when we have so much bread in our
hands.
We
cannot watch our Church crumble as we stay comfortable in our parishes and
homes, receiving and receiving so much from the Lord: His Word, the
homilies of the priests, the pilgrimages, the Mercy of God in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, the marvelous union with the nourishment of
Communion, the talks of preachers.
In
other words, we are receiving so much and we do not have the courage to
leave our comfort zone and go to a jail, to a correctional institution, to
speak to the neediest. To go and tell them not to give up, that they
were born Catholic and that their Church needs them there, suffering,
because their suffering will serve to redeem others, because that
sacrifice will gain for them eternal life.
We
are not capable of going where the terminally ill are in the hospitals,
and by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, helping them with our prayers
during that time of struggle between good and evil to free them from the
snares and temptations of the devil. Every dying person has fear, and just
taking their hand and talking to them about the love of God and the marvel
that awaits them in Heaven next to Jesus and Mary, next to their departed
ones, gives them comfort. The hour in which we currently live does not allow us to be
indifferent. We must be an extension of the hands of our priests and go
where they cannot reach. But for this, we need courage. We must receive
Jesus, live with Jesus, nourish ourselves with Jesus.
We
are afraid to commit ourselves a little more, and when the Lord says,
“First seek the Kingdom of God, and
the rest will be added onto you,” He says it all, brothers and
sisters. It means to seek the Kingdom of God, by all possible means and
with all means, and to open your hands in order to receive EVERYTHING in
addition! This is because He is the Master Who pays the best, the only One
Who is attentive to your smallest needs. Brothers, sisters, thank you for allowing me to carry out the
mission that was entrusted to me, that of having these pages reach you.
The next time you attend Holy Mass, live it. I know the
Lord will fulfill for you His promise that “your Mass will never again be
the same.” And when you receive Him, love Him!
Experience the sweetness of feeling yourself resting against the
folds of His side, pierced for you in order to leave you His Church and
His Mother, to open for you the doors to His Father's House. Experience
this so that you are able to feel for yourself His Merciful Love by means
of this testimony, and try to reciprocate with your childlike love.
May God bless you this Easter.
Your sister in the Living Jesus, Catalina Copyright ©
2004 by The Great Crusade of Love and Mercy. All rights
reserved. This booklet is published in coordination with The
Apostolate of the New Evangelization. Translated from the April
2003 Revision of the original Spanish edition, published in Merida,
Mexico. Permission is granted to reproduce this booklet in its entirety
with no changes or additions and as long as the reproduction and
distribution is done solely on a not-for-profit basis. This document is available at no cost online, and can be downloaded
and printed from the following Web Sites: in English at:
www.greatcrusade.org and Spanish at: www.grancruzada.org
For information on ordering printed copies of this booklet and
other books and videos, please write to: The Great Crusade of Love and
Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 857, Lithonia, Georgia 30058 USA, or visit the
ministry's Internet Site at: www.loveandmercy.org.
This article was published in the
August-September, 2005 issue of “Michael”.
|