Homily of H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti of December 2, 2006

Saturday, 34th week in Ordinary Time
1st reading Apoc 22:1-7; Psalm 94; Gospel Lk 21:34-36

It is absolutely not a Holy Mass for the soul of a dead person, it is a Holy Mass we offer on the day of the third anniversary of Grandmother Iolanda's meeting with God. It is nice to speak in this way: an encounter with God that I wish for each of you when the time comes. Three years have passed since her first meeting with God, during this time, I must admit, I have better understood the spiritual greatness of grandmother Iolanda. This woman has lived on Earth for almost a century and despite the fact that I knew her very well, only after her encounter with God, He himself, through Our Lady, made us partakers of her greatness.

For some time I have been telling you to entrust and raise your prayers to grandmother Iolanda because I am sure it is God's will that this great little humble and simple woman will one day raise to the glory of the altars.

I am sure that her intercessory prayer to God has already obtained graces, but we wait for the great miracles that are needed by the ecclesiastical authority in order to be able to decide the beatification first and the canonization thereafter.

And God glorified her, entrusting her, as you have heard, with gifts and many missions. The last one, perhaps you do not know this one, I am talking about it for the first time, took place on the occasion of Benedict XVI trip to Turkey.

From the protagonists of these meetings, both on a political and religious level, there were triumphal tones and satisfied faces. Each of them self-attributed the credit for the success of the visit, during which no incident took place. This is the human reading, instead the reading of God is completely different. If no accidents ever took place, even if attacks were prepared, it is thanks to divine intervention. In fact, together with the delegation from the Vatican, the delegation from Turkey and that of our Orthodox brothers, a heavenly delegation was present.

Ten people, nine who came from Heaven and one who is still on Earth (the Seer Marisa), accompanied the papal procession all the time to avoid accidents. Present were Our Lady, St. Joseph, grandmother Iolanda, grandmother Iolanda's mother, Speranza, grandmother Iolanda's sister, Anna, Mons. Oscar Romero, killed while celebrating Holy Mass and, as I was told by God, has been praying a lot for me for some time; Also present were Don Giovanni Acristini, a fellow priest of mine in seminary who died very young due to a cancer, Don Enrico, parish priest of a village in South Tyrol where we went on vacation and who, when he learned of these apparitions, immediately believed, Don Puglisi, a Sicilian priest who was killed by the mafia and certainly, together with Mons Romero and others, has to be raised to the altars.

That is why no accident has occurred, but the newspapers do not write this and the news does not talk about it, but one day history will speak of this; It will be myself at the right time to proclaim that these interventions were the work of God, to exalt him, to give glory and all honor to God: this is the reason that will prompt me at the proper moment to talk about them. Thus it can be said: "My God, You assist us even if men do not notice it!" And who did God use? A bishop, three priests and then some simple creatures to whom the world has not given any importance but are great before God. This procession was not limited to staying in Turkey but, when the situation was quieter, it moved to assist other people in need, such as children, both in Brazil and India, at the opposite sides of the world. I tell you all this to glorify God and grandmother Iolanda was one of the greatest architects of this. On the other hand, you know, because you have been told, that on the occasion of the passage of millions of souls from purgatory to Paradise, grandmother Iolanda was always present. That's why we need to feel somewhat more relaxed. Today grandmother Iolanda has spoken, addressing words of love: "God has given me permission to speak. Hello to all my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I am your mom and grandmother. I am happy and I feel well in Heaven, but when I come to Earth and see so much misery, I suffer and feel bad. My dear sweet children and grandchildren, love each other, love each other. My dear grandchildren, raise your children properly, make sure that they are always good, respectful and above all they must not quarrel among themselves; they must love each other. I also pray for the small cenacle, for all the ladies who loved me. My love and my affection are directed to the Excellency, my Excellency, for whom I pray so much. (...) Whenever I come up and bow before God, I pray for him. Now there are other people, like his confreres and grandmother Speranza praying for all of you. You, from the cenacle, the small group of your Movement, love each other and try to love your Bishop. I, from the heights of Heaven, see you, pray for you and I am with you; be respectful of each other." (From the letter of God, December 2, 2006).

It is right, it is normal that grandmother Iolanda addressed words of love and affection to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and to the Bishop whom she certainly loved more than a son and was loved in return more than a mother. I would also like the community to invoke her and take an example from her and I am addressing in particular the women present here.

This is holiness: giving God and others the best of oneself in concealment and humbleness without recriminations, without gossip, without feeling envious, living a life like grandmother Iolanda: a life of service and openness to others, living while concealing all the good that was one. Here, I am addressing you women, from those who are gray haired to those a little younger, to the younger ones: make her the model of your life. Of course, we are lucky enough to have Our Lady as a model, she is our Mother and she will always be our Mother but I know the great esteem she has for Grandmother Iolanda. Our Lady is the first to enjoy and rejoice because we are talking about her and other simple souls like her.

As you well know, because I have already told you several times, grandmother Iolanda in Heaven does not need to be prayed for. When you celebrate a Holy Mass for a soul in Heaven, we give it graces, gifts, great merits and God determines the quantity. The Holy Mass is an immense, incalculable gift, however a soul in Heaven does not need it for itself, but for the others; therefore today I celebrate the H. Mass, you participate in the H. Mass for grandmother Iolanda and together we give her this great gift, which comes back to us through other graces, through extraordinary aids, through special supports. I address those who know they have relatives in Heaven: have Holy Masses celebrated not as a prayer for the dead, but as a gift. It is clear that every soul in Heaven has a particular bond with its own family and prays in a particular way for it; therefore open yourselves to hope, to certainty. Live and let’s live these days in anticipation; I don't know if you have heard the message that was uttered in a rather low voice, but Our Lady said: "Don't worry, when God tells me, I will come immediately", this is the hope we are living together with all the Heaven. It is not an exaggeration, but all of Heaven is praying for us and with us; Grandma Iolanda said this too, praying ceaselessly before God for our needs and to hasten the moment when, as Our Lady said several times, suffering and isolation will end. This feeling of loneliness from a human point of view will end and joy on Earth will begin in anticipation of the highest and most beautiful one in Heaven. Praised be Jesus Christ.