Text of the Eucharistic adoration of September 14, 2014

Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Anniversary of 1st Eucharistic miracle (September 14, 1995)
Anniversary of taking the habit by the Bishop and signing of the Episcopal decree for the recognition of the apparitions of the Mother of the Eucharist (September 14, 1999)

Lord, at the beginning of this social year and on the occasion of this feast, we want to pray to You for all members of our community who experience their cross in a particularly painful way, both physically and morally, so You may give them whatever they need and may feel the warmth of the motherly mantle of the heavenly Mother. Help us to love You and do Your will, always.

Hymn: I surrender to your love

Under Your cross I open my arms,

I accept Your forgiveness, Your mercy,

I silently adore Your glory,

Your face that frees my heart

Refr. I surrender to your love Lord Jesus, I cannot stay away from You,

I surrender to your love Lord Jesus, in Your presence forever I will stay.

At the foot of the cross You visit my heart,

Give me Your peace, console my life,

I contemplate the majesty of Your glory

Your blood that heals the wounds

Refr. I surrender to your love Lord Jesus, I cannot stay away from You,

I surrender to your love Lord Jesus, in Your presence forever I will stay.

God does not like what is blatant, but loves privacy, discretion and meditation. All key events in the Church history took place under the eyes of a small number of people without power or influence according to the human point of view. Jesus’ birth took place in the presence of a few shepherds and some people of the local population; Christ’s death on the cross was attended by Our Lady, John the apostle and few women; even the Resurrection of the Lord had no eyewitnesses of the event.

Even this thaumaturgic place, called by God corner of Heaven, is attended by a small number of believers and from them do not emerge powerful or high-ranking people, humanly speaking. Here God has worked wonders: Trinitarian Theophanies, Marian apparitions, great Eucharistic miracles, our Bishop’s episcopal ordination received directly from God, the holy door, all of them took place here. Every work of God has always been greeted with joy, silence and concentration, as we have been taught. “This is a temple of Jesus the Eucharist, here we come just to pray, to love, there is nothing else. Those who are coming in this place must come to love, pray and do inner silence”. (Letter of God, September 14, 1998).

The first Eucharistic miracle took place in the same style, everything was done with sobriety and concentration. The Lord has worked, during the procession, almost with discretion, none had been warned or prepared. From the Bishop’s account: “On the 14th, in fact, while the faithful were gathered in prayer, Marisa was waiting at the beginning of the stairs sitting in the wheelchair. Holding the Cross, I went to the beginning of the procession, going towards Marisa. When I was a few yards away from her, I saw her getting up without any outside help and walk towards the Cross, following, as she would tell me later, a precise order from Our Lady. Marisa kisses Jesus on the front and, according to her, she saw a particle spilling from the side. As I was holding the Cross, did not see this “spill”, but soon after I saw the particle on Marisa’s left palm. Although it wasn’t for me the first time I witnessed this phenomenon, the emotion was equally strong. The surrounding people realized that the host was visible and reacted with awe and wonder, as witnessed by the available movie”. Yet, from that first great Eucharistic miracle that men of the Church insist to ignore, began the triumph of the Eucharist, one of the most important events not only in the Church history, but of all mankind.

“God has chosen this thaumaturgic place. Jesus came here silently without much confusion. He does not need confusion, fanaticism, the sound of trumpets. You are just a few compared to all mankind, but God has chosen you”. (Letter of God, January 1, 1998).

Lord, we can’t thank you enough for taking us here, on Your path, allowing us to share the wonders You have worked in this place. Thank you for letting us meet two creatures full of love we feel we are missing so much, but they are always nearby together with Your and our Mother. Thanks to them we have a better knowledge of You, source of our salvation; always make us worthy of all this.

Hymn: Our glory is the cross

Refr. Our glory is the cross of Christ, in it the victory,

The Lord is our salvation, life and resurrection.

There is no greater love than he who gives his life,

O cross, you give life and shine with immortal glory.

Refr. Our glory is the cross of Christ, in it the victory,

The Lord is our salvation, life and resurrection.

O tree of life, which are exalted as an ensign,

Lead us to the goal, o powerful sign of grace.

Refr. Our glory is the cross of Christ, in it the victory,

The Lord is our salvation, life and resurrection.

You teach all wisdom and confound any foolishness,

Love we contemplate in you, life we receive from you.

Refr. Our glory is the cross of Christ, in it the victory,

The Lord is our salvation, life and resurrection.

“In your life look at the cross, do not go inattentively past it almost without stopping or giving it a look, for it is there that you find the One who is amazing us for the love He gave us. Love it, look at it often, talk to the cross and then your days will be brighter and you will feel stronger because just as from the cross on the famous September 14, 1995 the Eucharist was released, so from the cross love and the grace of God are continually being released” (Homily, September 14, 2008). This great teachingthat our Bishop left us is hinting at what should be the right attitude toward the cross: nosadness, fear or discomfort, but joy, amazement and above all love. The cross is the immenselove of God for each of us, the instrument through which God elected to save us and all wecan do is to be grateful. For Jesus it meant the highest and most meaningful point of Hisservice done for the love to His Father. As we read in the comment to the sixth station of theCross drafted by His Excellency Mons. Claudio Gatti “a single drop of his blood would have sufficed as it has infinite value enabling us to be saved”, instead, our Lord wanted to give all ofHimself, with unspeakable suffering, without sparing any part of his body, to free us from thedeath of sin. For this, very often in the letters of God, Jesus defines the feast of the Exaltationof the Cross as “great, boundless, full of joy” (Letter of God, September 14, 2004).

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Mt 10:38). All men fear the cross, the fear of suffering is inherent in our nature, but Jesus asks us to reach out and embrace the cross, for it is only by accepting all of it that everything will be easier. That is why the Lord is encouraging us: “Whoever takes up his cross and hugs and kisses it, will be helped by me to carry it” (Letter of God, September 14, 1998).

“I told you this so you may find peace in Me. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world!” Jesus spoke these words when was close to his passion; He left theapostles with the certainty to be in peace, despite the difficulties of life. This is only possiblethanks to a deep union with Him. When the world, with its brutality, leaves you breathless,or when life with its trials seems to overwhelm us, right at that moment we must understandthat we can hope in Jesus even if against any hope, as our beloved spiritual parents did. Theyreally represent a very great example on how to love God above everything, how we canembrace the cross above all human understanding and to live the suffering above ourstrength and natural capacity.

The cross also bears fruits of new Christians: Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also”. (Jn 15:20).

The cross also brings with it a great consolation that is hope of future glory, Paul says: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”(Rom 8:18). The suffering which St. Paul is referring in his letter to the Romans is a prolificsuffering, which is aimed at achieving an eternal reality, comparable to the labor pains of apregnant woman. Now it’s understandable when our sister Marisa quipped, as to play down,during intense pain that did not allow her to mask the pain she felt. In those moments, whenthe Bishop, worried and in constant prayer, would ask her how she was feeling, she repliedwith an unexpected laugh, saying: “I’m giving birth!”

Hymn: sign of unity