His Excellency Archbishop Leonardo D’Ascenzo

ARCHBISHOP of TRANI - BARLETTA – BISCEGLIE

TITULAR of NAZARETH

161st Anniversary of the Birth and Baptism of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta

HOMILY¹

Church of Santa Maria Greca

 Corato – April 23, 2026

With this celebration, we commemorate the 161st anniversary of Luisa Piccarreta’s birth. And we do so during this Mass by experiencing such a beautiful and significant moment: a moment of prayer, as the Eucharist is. It is a moment of prayer in which we wish to express, as was clearly stated in the invitation to participate in this moment of prayer, our gratitude to God for having given us Luisa’s life.

Let us, then, embrace the teaching of God’s Word, as presented to us in this liturgy, in this Mass.

We have heard two readings. The first reading places us in direct relationship, in direct connection, with the very heart of the life and writings of Luisa Piccarreta, namely, living in the Divine Will, in the Divine Volition.

The first reading recounts the experience of Philip, to whom an angel revealed God’s will in these precise words: “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This road is deserted. This is the first instruction that Philip receives from the angel. So, Philip got up and set out. I do not know what our reaction would have been in that situation. “Go to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza—it is deserted.” What would one do on a deserted road? Why set out at all?

Here we see something very important.

Following God’s Will begins with a relationship of trust. It means entrusting oneself to God—trusting Him completely—because He can only will what is good for me. He desires fullness of life for me and for those whom He places along my path. It is from this foundation of trust that the effort to understand, to accept, and to put God’s Will into practice flows—even when it may be difficult or remain beyond my understanding.

In any case, God’s Will always surpasses my capacity to understand. God’s Will is the Will of the Almighty, the Will of the One who is infinite. I am a creature, and I understand only what I am able to understand. Yet I am certain that I can trust God. And so I entrust myself and set out on a journey, for reasons unknown to me, down a deserted road.

Philip set out, and behold, there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, an official of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, in charge of her treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.  Then the Spirit said to Philip—this is a second message that makes the first a little clearer, though still not fully understandable—“Go over and join that chariot.” For what purpose? Philip continues to trust, and so he responds and lives out this Will of God. Then the rest of the story unfolds—but this is not the moment to examine every detail. What I want to emphasize is this: the heart of Luisa Piccarreta’s life and writings is the very heart of God’s revelation in Scripture, addressed to all of us. It is the heart of the life of every disciple of Jesus. But it must begin with this trust and abandonment to God, whom we know as our Father, who desires our good. Thus we live His Will—His Divine Will—whether we understand it or not, even when it remains completely obscure to us, because it is always for our good.

Today’s Gospel is Jesus’ invitation to enter into the Trinitarian relationship—the relationship He shares with the Father. It is Jesus’ invitation to live the mystical dimension, a dimension that is an experience for every person, for every believer. The mystical experience is not reserved for a select few; rather, the mystical dimension is an integral part of the spiritual life.

The mystical dimension is a dimension of the spiritual life, of the life of a disciple of Jesus, of every disciple of Jesus. It is not an extraordinary experience reserved only for a select few: it is for everyone. The mystical dimension is the dimension of the spiritual life insofar as it is union with God. Jesus reminds us that God is already at work, even before we set out to seek Him or come to know Him: He is already at work—a God who draws us to Himself, who desires to reveal Himself to us and to give us the truth of life. And whoever allows themselves to be drawn to God, whoever allows themselves to be guided by His Divine Will, encounters Jesus. They encounter Jesus, who gives Himself in the consecrated Bread and Wine. For the consecrated Bread and Wine are the real presence of Jesus: His Body, His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity.

And thus, we can participate in eternal life.

This is what tonight’s Gospel teaches us. But take note: eternal life is not something that will concern us someday—as we say, hopefully as late as possible—when the time comes to pass from this life to the next through death. Rather, eternal life is participation in the life of the Eternal One. By encountering Jesus, by participating in the Sacraments, by receiving the Eucharist, this participation is already possible now. Already in this life, we can share in the life of the Eternal One. We can encounter and experience eternal life. This is the mystical dimension that belongs to everyone. It is offered to all: participation in the life of the Eternal One.

Let us now continue this celebration of Mass by drawing inspiration from Luisa’s life and her writings. In our prayer this evening, let us ask the Lord to help us, like Philip, to entrust ourselves to Him, to trust in Him, and to follow His Will—to live in the Divine Volition—because there is no other way.

We must not consider this as something extraordinary. This is the normal life of every disciple of Jesus: to live in the Divine Volition, to trust and entrust ourselves to what the Lord, step by step, has in His heart for each of us along the journey of our earthly life. Let us also ask God for the grace to live the mystical dimension of our lives, which is participation in the life of the Eternal One. And how do we participate in the life of the Eternal One? Through the Eucharist—by welcoming Jesus truly present in the consecrated Bread and Wine.

May all this become ever more the normal, everyday reality for each one of us. Otherwise, we would lose something extraordinarily beautiful—and we would squander our lives.

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1 Transcribed from the original address

 (Translation from Italian by Antonella Bucci)

 Download: https://www.luisapiccarretaofficial.org/download