It was with great emotion and joy that the parish community of S. Maria Greca and the Little Children of the Divine Will welcomed the relics of St. Annibale Maria Di Francia at Luisa Piccarreta’s house. The relics were brought this morning at 10.00, almost recalling what happened when Luisa was still alive.
St. Annibale was linked to Luisa by a spiritual fraternal and sincere friendship that began in 1910 when Canon Maria di Francia met her for the first time. He went to her house after he became aware of the fame of spirituality that surrounded her.
For seventeen years, their spiritual friendship grew ever stronger, until the day of Father Annibale’s birth into heaven on June 1, 1927
"It is just great that our first meeting starts right here, where we gather, also where Father Annibale met and supported Luisa several times, celebrated Mass, prayed ..." With these words the Rogationist Father Angelo Sardone, who brought the relics with Father Filippo, began his talk and greeted all the faithful who were there to pay homage to the Saint from Messina.
Many times Father Annibale went to Luisa's house; and in his last years, the Archbishop of Trani appointed him Ecclesiastical Censor of Luisa’s writings. As he met her, the Divine Will penetrated more and more his soul and the more Father Annibale entered that spirituality, the more he became aware of the need to spread the writings:
“It is really necessary to make these writings known to the world now, and I believe they will do a great deal of good” he commented in a letter. In fact he immediately began to print the "Hour of the Passion" and worked hard to publish Luisa’s writings, but he left, however, unfinished the work because of his death.
The esteem that Father Annibalel placed in Luisa was reciprocated by the confidence that Luisa had for him. In fact, she was deeply impressed by the wisdom, prudence and holiness of Di Francia and always addressed him with words of gratitude: "The Lord will reward you greatly for the work of the Hour of the Passion, may it be one of the most beautiful gems that will shine above your head."
And when she learned the news of Father Annibale’s death she felt tortured because of suffering: she poured out in tears, but in the Fiat commended to Jesus that blessed soul:
“He was the only one left to me, to whom I could open my poor soul. How well he could understand me – it was to a saint that I would entrust myself, who had very much comprehended all the value of what Jesus had told me about the Divine Will… but - Fiat! Fiat! Fiat! everything ends down here.” (Vol.22 - June 1, 1927)
St. Annibale, a soul who was dear not only to Luisa but also to Jesus who granted him to shine in the Light of the Divine Will, in fact, in the same passage of the diary He comforted Luisa: “My daughter, courage, you must know that everything which that soul, so dear to Me, has done, all the knowledges he has known about my Will, have caused him to enclose as much light within his soul. So, each additional knowledge is a greater light that he possesses… Diving into the eternal light of his Creator, he found himself in the Celestial Fatherland, in which he will continue his mission about my Will, assisting everything himself, from Heaven.”
May these words be an encouragement for us to be aware of the great good that we acquire through the knowledge of the Divine Will. The example of St. Annibale could lead us to internalize them in our hearts so that, like Him, we can shine in the eternal Light of the Divine Fiat
With this hope we are preparing to experience this important week of spirituality, rich in teachings and moments of prayer that will end Saturday, February 10 with the consecration of our hearts and the entrustment of the entire community to the St Annibale.
Fiat!