Homily of H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti of June 11, 2008
Listening to Christ calling the souls is terrible. I did not want the verses of the Resurrection to be read, for we are in full passion at this moment. A huge burden crashed and is crashing daily on the shoulders, already tired and exhausted, of a now fragile and worn body. I spoke to you about Abraham and I want to borrow the words of Jesus, when he said, "The queen came from the extreme regions to know Solomon." Here there is more than Solomon, I believe. Here there is someone who has had some more painful and terrible trials than those of Abraham, as it happened yesterday. It is not the time to talk, I talked so much, maybe too much. It is time to pray and to plead to God: this is why, even in contravention of a liturgical disposition, I wanted Jesus, present in the Eucharist host that bled, to be with us from the beginning. I well know that on the altar Christ is present in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity from the time of consecration, but this is the month dedicated to His heart and I wanted our hearts to turn right now to His own. To be martyrs and to have the palm of martyrdom you do not have to shed blood physically, there are many martyrs who, even though they have not poured a drop of blood, have been crushed, smashed, tormented by pain and suffering and it is human to say as Christ in Gethsemane: "Take this cup away from me". He drank it but after barely twenty hours he reached the Father. It may happen that God asks someone to drink the bitter chalice not one, but several times, and even if he makes him take small sips at different times, it is always the same chalice. With a difference: After drinking it, it can take weeks, months, years, decades and the situation remains the same. This is the time of prayer. It is useless for me to talk to you, I would only put bitterness in your hearts, you talk to Jesus instead, and whoever wants may come here, those who are able may kneel down, those who are not able may stand up and pray loudly. Just a few times I have asked you with so much insistence, almost begging, to be near, to be close to the seer and the Bishop. You know that Jesus fell more than three times before reaching the Golgotha, and this makes us happy because our falls, like Jesus’ falls, are so many and are falls of love, but the time comes when it is legitimate, it is human to ask God for help. That is why I ask you too to join us, and I am sure that also all of Heaven beginning with the Mother of the Eucharist, will ask God not for triumphs, which at this time we are not interested in, but for a bit of peace and serenity to be able to feel better. Jesus is present here, and if he wills, he can grant it, so let your heart speak, do not think of either syntax or grammar, let your heart speak, do not be afraid, do not be cowards.