Homily of H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti of March 3, 2007

1st reading: Dt 26:16-19; Psalm 118; Gospel: Mt 5:43-48

The microphone was on and you heard: "I am God the Father", but knowing that the message was addressed to Marisa and me, I had to turn it off. God the Father is very close to us in the harsh, difficult and suffered situations we are experiencing today. He has come to authorize Marisa, who has digestive problems, to feed again almost exclusively with the Eucharist, adding only light food that she can chew and digest. We thank God for this intervention made just to help her a little in an extremely tough and hard moment.

I ask you to pray for Marisa to be strong, because experience teaches me that in situations where nourishment is based mainly on the Eucharist, she feels the desire and will to eat other things too and therefore everything becomes more difficult. It might be difficult for us in the house when we eat, while she is staying in her room, but it is an aid to solve a situation that otherwise would be difficult to manage. God the Father reiterated that the big (and believe me He is not exaggerating) sufferings from Marisa are for those who suffer: the children, the sick, the elderly and those who experience wars and have nothing to blame.

The war causes not only material ruin and destruction, homes, buildings, schools, hospitals, but above all it destroys people. In fact, the man in war, allow me this expression, becomes an animal and perhaps even worse: cruelty bursts in violent forms humanly unconceivable, causing negative feelings: hatred, anger, resentment, bitterness and revenge. Marisa must suffer for these reasons, no longer for the Church priests and ministers. She will have to pray and suffer for one only, and you know who he is, but she will no longer have to do it for the others; it seems that even God has grown tired. There are many innocent people who are experiencing dramatic, difficult situations and pay for faults they are not responsible for. Then God, in His goodness, united to justice, is asking a few people, and especially Marisa, a total immolation for these disturbing realities. The world goes towards its total self-destruction, God is trying to stop its descent towards the deepest, most sad and worrying chasm. The Church is in the hands of mercenaries and now the dirt is in its entirety. God will clean it up and ask for the collaboration of some men of goodwill: you are among them, so wear the hat of an ecological operator, in a spiritual and positive sense. It is also good to play down a little because otherwise there would be nothing left but throw ourselves on the ground and say as Prophet Elijah: "I have had enough, Lord! Take my life" (1 Kings 19:4). Instead we must look forward; changes, unfortunately, take place through suffering, immolation and through abandonment to God, the higher and more total the abandonment is, the more costly it is.

Yes, pray for those who suffer, but I especially entrust Marisa to you; you have done it and you are already doing it, but I still ask for new prayers for her. After all, her life is devoid of joys, she is a bleating lamb slain on the altar, moaning for the suffering and blows; on the other hand, Our Lady was with her always very clear and sincere to the point to appear exaggerated: "Only in Heaven You will be happy". It is a hard and difficult mission, believe me, the most difficult I know in all the Church history, which I know quite well. There is nobody among the saints of the past and present, (I cannot speak of the future, I hope that there is no need of so much suffering) that suffer or suffered as much as she does. The tragedy is that all this suffering has lasted for years, for decades, it seems to never end. When in the past it seemed that it was ending, like a little boat sent back to the open sea and there, again, it was necessary to stand against the current to get closer to the goal: the Heaven. You have so many reasons to pray, the novena for the priesthood feast has not been recited and then I ask for the comfort of your prayers for me too. You know the reasons, maybe you are not aware of some situations, but enough to pray for me too. This is a reason for comfort. When suffering gets stronger, the struggle becomes more difficult and more energy is consumed; when we understand that we are at the end and must make an additional effort, if we realize that we are not alone, then hope and courage come back.

We offer this Holy Mass to God for all the intentions I have spoken about.