Prayer formulated by H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti on 1st April 2007

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In this cry is contained all that is present in our heart in an unrestrained way. There is inside the love, faith and hope that for so many years have been severely tested, but above all, our suffering is inside.

My God, I thank You, because once again you have given me Your presence and You have allowed me, little creature, to be able to speak to You with the pierced and wounded heart in my hand. Thank You Daddy God, for You willed to be called by us in such a familiar way. Thank you Jesus God, who became our brother by taking on our human nature. Thank You God the Holy Spirit, who with Your grace and gifts made us children of God, resembling the divine nature.

For the first time in many years, my One and Triune God, I do not pray to You for the Church and its difficult and countless problems. I do not pray to You for those who suffer, for the tormented and vilified children, sacrificed on the altar of selfishness and war; I do not pray to You for the mothers who suffer from seeing that their breast no longer has milk and their hands no longer have food to offer to their babies. I do not even pray to You for the sick and the poor, I do not pray for those who are part of the Third and Fourth World, always forgotten by the powerful and by the big men of the Church and the world. Today I pray to You for me, Your Bishop, and for the Victim who for the past thirty-six years has lived with me a continuous agony and a long ordeal. It seems, my Lord, that you have locked us up in Gethsemane and You allow us to walk only on the way leading to the cross. You tell us about the resurrection, but this dawn that sometimes seemed to begin, today has completely disappeared and a gloomy darkness is again harassing us and is all around us.

The creature must bow before its Creator. You taught us not to ask You questions and not to ask the "whys". Now, however, the human nature is severely tested, tired and suffering from this situation, also because it seems to never end; actually it gets worse day by day. I, as a son, take the liberty to ask You who is my Dad: "Until when my God, until when?" Don't You see that we can't take it anymore; don't You see that we have not even the strength to get up, to walk and to do the minimum as responsible for this community? My God, why is this cross never raised away from us?

Today, Palm Sunday, You make Your triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but You know, Oh Lord, that while I was holding You up and speaking to You, I was telling You that for me it is not a triumphant entrance, but it is a continuous walk along the road to Calvary. Just as You felt the weight of the cross on the Calvary, today I too feel strongly and sometimes oppressively the weight of supporting You. How can someone who is tired and exhausted support You, my God? Jesus, do You remember when tired, exhausted, hungry and thirsty you stopped by the Jacob's well and asked with a firm voice: "Give me to drink, I am thirsty"? Do you remember when, tired, you were walking the roads of Palestine and turning to God, Your Father, our Father, you said: "My God I am exhausted and tired, I can't take it anymore" and God the Father made a stick bloom at your feet on which You leaned to continue Your walk? But where is our stick? How many times I bow down to my feet but I don’t see it and cry: "Give me a stick to be able to go on!" and I cry to You: "Where are you My God!" Oh yes, I hear Your answer: "I am in your heart, I am with you and within you", but this, my Lord, I tell You frankly, is no longer enough for us. We need to physically feel Your strength regenerating us, Your peace cheering us up and your grace leading us to ever higher heights.

Oh Lord, I join the cry and lament of your Son: "Let this cup pass from me" and He added: "May your will be done". I say it too, but I am shaking. What is Your will, my Lord? Do we still have to continue to suffer and moan while, despite everything, we have always been faithful during these long and painful years? Why do You continue to treat in this way those who loved You and who made You loved, those who knew You and made You known? Do not reproach me, my God, if I speak to You in this way; You know that with the victim, with the heroine of suffering, we said: "Lord, it’s enough!" Do not take it as disrespect: enough with words and promises. Loosen the grip and I know that in this moment all Heaven is repeating with me: "Loosen the grip". But most of all, our Mother, the Mother of the Eucharist, she who is on our side, is beseeching You and weeping she is saying to You: “My God, Daddy God, my Everything looks at what situation your and my children have been driven to!"

Oh, I would never get up from here! It is so nice to be able to open my heart and confide all these worries to You! Do smile, my God, to our weakness, take care of our exhaustion. The nights are long and painful; the hours never really pass away. During the day, problems continually appear and anxiety and fear always keep us company.

Oh Lord, answer us and together with me this small, tired, weak, fragile community and the whole of Heaven are joining in my prayers and supplications. I know, many eyes are moistened with tears and all hearts throb next to mine and Marisa's, they too implore you: "My God, that's enough!" Even in their hearts there is often uncertainty, fear, fatigue. Of course, they have fewer reasons to be like that than we have, but they share the same tribulations with us. They see Marisa's seat always empty and notice the lines of suffering on the Bishop's face. How many times have young people and adults have swallowed tears, gritted their teeth; they shared neither thoughts nor exchanged reflections so as not to get infected, they almost ceased to think and reflect to avoid giving rise to so many doubts.

My God, see these children, small creatures, small flowers in this garden. You said it and I recognize it, they are here for the Victim and Bishop’s sufferings and prayers and I thank You. The marriages that were born under the banner of Your love and its members growing and living in love are the fruits of these sufferings, You said it and I thank You. The next marriages that are also being prepared are the result of the suffering and prayer of the Bishop and the Seer, You said it and I thank you. But, my Lord, I would also like to thank You so that a word may finally come from Your heart thus opening us to the joy of life, to the serenity of existence, to the peace that only You can give. And now my God give us Your blessing, Your comfort, Your grace and Your smile.

+ Claudio Gatti

Bishop ordained by God

Bishop of the Eucharist