Dear Brothers and Sisters, Fiat!
This Sunday, the Gospel (cf. Mt 25:1-13) indicates the condition that would allow us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and it does so with the parable of the 10 virgins: it is about those maiden brides who were designated to welcome and accompany the bridegroom to the wedding ceremony and, since at that time it was customary to celebrate the ceremony at night, the maiden brides were provided with lamps. The parable states that five of these maidens are wise and five are foolish: indeed, the wise ones have brought oil for their lamps, while the foolish have brought none. The bridegroom’s arrival is delayed and they all fall asleep. At midnight the bridegroom’s arrival is announced; at that moment the foolish maidens realize they have no oil for their lamps, and they ask the wise ones for some. But the latter reply that they cannot give them any because there would not be enough for everyone. Thus, while the foolish maidens go in search of oil, the bridegroom arrives; the wise maidens go in with him to the marriage feast and the door is shut. The five foolish maidens return too late; they knock on the door, but the response is “I do not know you” (v. 12), and they remain outside.
What does Jesus wish to teach us with this parable? He reminds us that we must be ready for the encounter with him. Many times, in the Gospel, Jesus exhorts keeping watch, and he also does so at the end of this narrative. He says: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (v. 13). But with this parable he tells us that keeping watch does not only mean not to sleep, but to be ready; in fact all the maidens are asleep before the bridegroom’s arrival, but upon waking some are ready and others are not. Thus, here is the meaning of being wise and prudent: it is a matter of not waiting until the last minute of our lives to cooperate with the grace of God, but rather to do so as of now. It would be good to consider for a moment: one day will be the last. If it were today, how prepared am I? But I must do this and that.... Be ready as if it were the last day: this does us good.
The lamp is a symbol of the faith that illuminates our life, while the oil is a symbol of the charity that nourishes the light of faith, making it fruitful and credible. The condition for being prepared for the encounter with the Lord is not only faith, but a Christian life abundant with love and charity for our neighbour. If we allow ourselves to be guided by what seems more comfortable, by seeking our own interests, then our life becomes barren, incapable of giving life to others, and we accumulate no reserve of oil for the lamp of our faith; and this — faith — will be extinguished at the moment of the Lord’s coming, or even before. If instead we are watchful and seek to do good, with acts of love, of sharing, of service to a neighbour in difficulty, then we can be at peace while we wait for the bridegroom to come: the Lord can come at any moment, and even the slumber of death does not frighten us, because we have a reserve of oil, accumulated through everyday good works. Faith inspires charity and charity safeguards faith.
On March 11, 1934 Jesus told Luisa that one who does not live in the Divine Will, casts It into loneliness and reduces It to silence. You must know that each creature is a new and distinct work that God has to do, and therefore new things to say. If she does not live in the Divine Will Jesus feels that that creature is far away from Him because her will is not inside His own, therefore, on her part, God feels lonely, hindered in His work; and if He wanted to speak, it is as if He wanted to speak to the deaf, to the mute. Therefore, one who does not live in the Divine Will is Jesus’ cross, she hinders His step, she binds His arms, she knocks down His most beautiful works; and Jesus, who is the Word – He is reduced to silence.
The soul in grace is the Temple of God; but when the soul lives in the Divine Will, God makes Himself Temple of the soul, and there is a great difference between the creature, Temple of God and God, Temple of the soul! The first is a temple exposed to dangers, to enemies, subject to passions; many times the Supreme Being finds Himself in these temples as in the temples of stone, unattended, not loved as He should; and the little lamp of her continuous love, which she should keep in homage to her God who dwells within her, without the pure oil is extinguished; and if – heavens forbid – she falls into grave sin, God’s temple collapses and is occupied by thieves, His enemies and hers, who profane it and make havoc of it
The second Temple – that is, God, Temple of the soul - is not exposed to dangers, the enemies cannot get close, passions lose life. In this Divine Temple, the soul is like the little Host that holds her Jesus consecrated within It, and with the perennial love that she draws, receives and feeds on, she forms the little lamp, alive, always burning, without ever becoming extinguished. This Temple occupies Its royal place, Its fulfilled Will, and It is God’s glory and His triumph.
And the little Host – what does she do inside this Temple? She prays, she loves, she lives of Divine Will, she substitutes for Jesus’ Humanity on earth, she takes His place of pains, she calls the whole army of Jesus’ works to form His cortege. Creation, Redemption – she holds them as her own and she commands over them, and now she places them around God like an army in act of prayer, of adoration, now like an army in act of loving Him and glorifying Him. But she is always at the head of them, doing whatever she wants the divine works to do; and she always concludes with her refrain, so very pleasing to God: ‘Your Will be known and loved, and may It reign and dominate in the entire world.’ So, all the yearnings, the longings, the interests, the cares, the prayers, of this little Host that lives in the Divine Temple, are for the Fiat to embrace all, put all the evils of creatures aside, and with Its omnipotent breath form Its place in the hearts of all, so as to make Itself life of each creature. One who does God’s Will is always occupied with God, and God is always occupied with her. Therefore, we should be very careful to let ourselves always be found in the Divine Will.