Prayer formulated by H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti on 29th June 2007

This is the prayer that H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti, Bishop ordained by God, formulated spontaneously before the Eucharist that bled on the occasion of the closing of the Social Year 2006-2007.

All of us, reverently, adore You and, together with the angels and saints in Heaven, we sing Holy, Holy, Holy. To you we want to sing the praises because you are our Dad, our Brother, our Friend and guest in our soul. To you we raise our tired hearts, and perhaps just because they are tested, do not have a regular heart rhythm. You know better than we do, because You created us, that when breathlessness, fatigue and suffering overcome us, the organ that suffers first is the heart and we, as we feel part of Your heart, suffer with You and for You. I wish to thank You, Daddy God, for each of us. If we're here, if we keep coming here, if we firmly believe in Eucharistic miracles and Trinitarian theophanies, if we read carefully your letters and we try to put into practice the teachings contained in them, and if we, despite everything, believe in this episcopate that You wanted and that today is celebrated and greeted, Oh my God, the merit is Yours. During this year, sometimes, the uncertainty, the temptation and desire to leave and forsake everything was in our hearts, but you have triumphed again because we shouted "Help Us oh Lord", and here we are again. You know that we were tested for allegiance and testimony, we had to fight, beginning from within our families, and while it is true that no Prophet is accepted in his home, it is also true that those who gather around the prophets, in turn, will not be accepted in their homes, and this is what we found and experienced. Worries, tension and suffering merged and I think these flowers on which You, Jesus the Eucharist, went past, are part of everything that we had to test, in addition to suffering, and that now we offer to You. Thank you for the reason to be here, and I, as pastor, have to thank You for the loyalty they have shown, for the time being, the few little sheep You have entrusted me, in the expectation that this flock may increase, for I hear, as You said to Peter, Your words ringing in my mind: "feed my sheep, feed my lambs". We loved Your Word, we kept it with loving care, we pondered it; freshly and actual You have presented it and it flourished from my mouth to enter the heart of those who listened. With Paul we can say: "I preach Jesus, Jesus crucified" which is the same as saying: "I'm preaching Jesus the Eucharist". Next to me, by my side, I felt You Jesus, the presence of the Mother of the Eucharist, Saint Joseph and grandmother Jolanda. You assured me they would have always helped and supported me, but the best thing is that You entered within me and the result, at the time of consecration, was as a whole with You, and the same happened during catechesis and when explaining Your Word. For this, Oh Daddy God, Brother God, Friend God, I have to thank You and I am humbly grateful. This does not mean that I do not recognize also the exhaustion I see in my brothers, but I feel it strongly and overbearing in me and Marisa. It is an exhaustion that is putting us in an increasingly difficult situation. You also helped us in this condition, by removing some big problems from Marisa and giving me the gift of that renewed youthfulness that You only can give. We know that even if You help us a lot, we are not exempted from trials and sufferings and then, with humility, I say: "Lord we are really tired". It is a physical and moral fatigue. You only can give us new strength and new energy. I think I can say that, at every celebration of March 9, or at every celebration of June 29, each of the people present thought and wished, in their heart, to be the last of the sorrowful mysteries that we would have experienced. We hope that next year we can start saying the glorious mysteries. Daddy God, when we say hurry up, this is exactly what we mean. We have no doubt about You, we are sure of Your interventions but, believe me, we are tired of waiting and waiting, we look around us, we try to sharpen our eyes and stretch it out further away from us. It's true, we feel You closer and closer. In fact, these priestly and Episcopal ordinations You wanted me to realize in Your name and for Your intervention, in my humble opinion, make us understand that the moment is approaching. My Lord, we ask You to speed it up, not because we want to place ourselves in a position of triumph, but because I'm afraid, by waiting so much, not everybody will succeed to arrive at the time You have established. And now, Daddy God, Brother God, Friend God and sweet guest of our soul, One and Triune God, give us Your blessing, give us more relaxed and happy days, make in such a way that those bursts and those joyful moments, almost overwhelming, may return in this home. If they will return it will be just because of You. Sometimes, the only pleasant and serene laughter I hear are those of children. Oh thank You, for You have sent many of them in this community, another is leaving, others will hopefully arrive because whenever we see children, I think God is with us. This is proof of His presence in our midst. Thank you, God, for giving us these adorable children because they are helping us and, perhaps, they make us experience the only joyful and happy times of the day. And now, my Lord, we are waiting for You to tell us something and, if it is according to your plan, give us a gift. Today is the Bishop’s feast You ordained and, believe me, I am waiting like a child for Your gift, wrapped in Your love, bound by Your blessing and, within it, there is something beautiful, good and pleasant for me and for my brothers. If it is not be possible at present, we will wait for the opportunity You have established. My God, may everything go for Your glory, in Your honor, for the revival of the Church and for the salvation of souls. Now, in addition to the blessing for my community and all the people, and there are many of them, united with us in the world, and we have continuous documentation of it, please, my Lord, do bless, encourage and support my bishops and priests. For Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Claudio Gatti

Bishop ordained by God

Bishop of the Eucharist