Homily of H.E. Mons. Claudio Gatti of March 25, 2006

Annunciation of Our Lord
1st reading Is 7:10-14, 8:10; Psalm 39; 2nd reading Heb 10:4-10; Gospel Lk 1:26-38

Together with you I will try to make a comparison and you will see that there are many similarities between the mystery of the Incarnation in Mary’s womb, which begins with the Annunciation of the angel and then ends with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and the rebirth of the church. Now perhaps you will feel a little at a loss, but, after my explanation, you too will understand very clearly what I have been meditating before. If I am not mistaken, the rebirth of the Church was also the intention of the second pilgrimage we made to the thaumaturgic place at Fonte San Lorenzo.

Now imagine two blank pages in front of you: at the beginning of the first page you place the pregnancy of Jesus in Mary’s womb and at the beginning of the second the rebirth of the Church. Let's see what the multiple analogies are. Mary knew, from the first moment of her conception, so before the angel announced it to her, that she would become the Mother of God and we too knew that the Church would be reborn, as has always been announced to us. In fact, Marisa and I knew that the Lord had called us precisely to fulfill this mission which was announced to us many years ago. Just as Our Lady did not know when the Word of God would be incarnated in her most pure womb, so neither Marisa nor myself did not know when the rebirth of the Church would begin in God's plan (In August 1972, Our Lady asked Claudio and Marisa to leave for Lourdes. In the sanctuary grotto Our Lady told them that God had called upon them for an important mission: "It is a mission concerning the whole Church and the whole world... you are free to accept or refuse, but remember: very much you will suffer" Ed.)

Initially, when the angel sent by God to Mary to proclaim the announcement, he is standing up and at the precise moment when Mary pronounces the "fiat" the Word of God is incarnated in her womb and this first sanctuary, this first tabernacle is offered to the adoration of the angel who gets down on his knees. Equally, as far as we are concerned, we can indicate the exact beginning of the rebirth of the Church with the first Eucharistic miracle (the first Eucharistic miracle took place on September 14, 1995. Ed.) followed by others. In fact, I have always explained to you that all the works of God, even if they take place in a small, confined environment, with simple and humble people, have an effectiveness that reaches distant lands and populations despite not having an external resonance spread by mass media.

The moment when the Son of God incarnates, the world begins to light up with the presence of Christ and this presence that begun in Mary's womb is overcoming and pushing away the darkness. This light is radiated by a beacon that is Mary and is spreading beams of light coming right from her womb where the Son of God is present. In the first months of Mary's pregnancy no one notices it, not even her beloved spouse, but God's action is already unfolding.

The same is true for the rebirth of the Church, everything happened in humility, in silence but it is such an effective and powerful reality that it is beginning to bring about changes throughout the world. When the Eucharistic miracles began, the masses, the multitudes did not grasp the efficacy of God's action, in fact, those in the Church who had to recognize them as authentic refused and fought them because, unfortunately, they were in the darkness.

A few months later, Mary's pregnancy is revealed. As I have always said, I do not like to talk about the "doubt of St. Joseph" because he never doubted the chastity of his beloved wife but rather the "incomprehension of St. Joseph". In fact, his eyes notice a reality that cannot be hidden and he knows he is not responsible for it but he never thought that Mary had been adulterous and is now baffled. He is unable to give an explanation, he takes refuge in prayer and God finally, having pity on him, sent the angel who explained how things really stand. For us too, the rebirth of the Church is now beginning to have outward manifestations that are captured in the triumph of the Eucharist and in the triumph of the Mother of the Eucharist, even in places that were refractory to the announcement of the rebirth of the Church. There is the beginning of conversion of priests, bishops and cardinals and this is the manifestation that God's work is going on. As Mary showed her womb, which by now housed the Son of God, equally the rebirth of the Church is showing positive signs for which we can say that the situation is actually evolving through the conversion of those who will be the shepherds of the true and authentic Church.

Among all those thousands of people who have converted, you have heard today that there is a group of twenty-five who will have particular responsibilities and among these there are already cardinals, bishops and priests who will have to be ordained bishops; this means that the rebirth starts to show signs as Mary's motherhood began to be visible.

Today the rebirth of the Church has not yet been completed, in fact the Lord still asks our sister for immolation, sacrifice and suffering, so that these signs can multiply and mature. As the pregnancy ended with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the rebirth of the Church will also end with the election of the future Pope; this means that the Church has been reborn from the top and descending to the base, this divine life will enter souls, it will bring God into consciences, it will restore the Eucharist to everyone and love will truly be the most widespread and preached virtue.

You know how Christ's birth took place: he came out of Mary's most pure womb in no way infringing the delicate sign of her physical virginity. The Church will also know this outpouring of light and grace by which there will truly be, as Christ said, one flock and one shepherd.

This is what I have been meditating on since listening to the letter of God brought by Our Lady, until I began to celebrate the H. Mass. These thoughts, like horses, were galloping in my mind and in my heart, so I had to try a little bit to sort them out to form pairs, quite beautiful I think, that are galloping.

I hope you have understood the meaning of what I have told you; take it as another gift from God which was given to me and I too share with you. Now you can understand why initially the feast of the Mother of the Eucharist was set just on March 25, the day of the Annunciation, because behind there were all these realities on which we had not reflected but in any case began to be alive and throbbing and that at the right moment we would have understood.

As everyone is awaiting Christmas preparing with joy, so all those who are good and honest await this powerful manifestation, this grandiose outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church, so that it can be renewed "in capite et in membris" at the top and at the base. It will certainly come, Our Lady confirmed it again today, but we still have the last stretch of road, the most tiring, the most painful, the most suffered. Only if we are united, if we lean on each other, if we form a single heart that is raised up to God pleading with him continuously, will we speed up the rebirth of the Church. Prayers must not only continue but intensify with this intention.

Today I entrust this intention to you all in a particular way: to pray for the rebirth of the Church as I have already entrusted my future to your prayers. Today I renew my trust so that I can truly be an instrument in God's hands to achieve what God wanted and decided since eternity and that we know of.

This unknown reality is now known, it is a beloved reality for which we absolutely must not stop praying and suffering but, above all, we must not cease to love the Eucharist so that everything develops according to God's plans.

Let man no longer dare oppose God's plans, but every knee of those who truly love God, Christ, and the Eucharist may genuflect and adore Him in silence.

As the angel knelt in front of Mary who had Jesus in her womb, so too our knees may genuflect before the Eucharist. In fact, the same Christ who was in Mary's womb will soon be present in the Eucharist as always is in the tabernacle, but he is also inside the hearts of those who want to live in God's grace, enlightened by the light of the Holy Spirit.

Praised be Jesus Christ.