Blessed James Alberione

St. Paul

2010-01-10T06:29:00.000+01:00

Saint Paul's conversion begins in humility. He turns to God in his nothingness:
"What do you want me to do?"
Prayerful humility is the nourishment and root of his conversion;
persevering humility is what completes it.

Holiness

2010-01-07T04:09:00.000+01:00

Real holiness is to be found specifically in conformity to God's will and in complete self-abandonment.

Jesus Master

2010-01-05T04:07:00.000+01:00

May Jesus be the master of the house;
loved, listened to, followed and always looked upon as Way, Truth, Life.
May the Virgin Mary be the Mother of the household.
Grow more in knowledge, imitation and love of Saint Paul.

Epiphany

2010-01-03T00:27:00.000+01:00

Englightened by God, the Magi began to understand that not human greatness or pomp elevate us, but humility. They understood the teaching of the Child: he wanted them to be humble and simple.

Prayer Life

2010-01-02T07:46:00.001+01:00

Prayer life is the building block of every structure: from the material to the intellectual. It is so for the apostolate as for the sanctification of the individual.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

2010-01-01T15:03:00.001+01:00

Mary is true Mother of the Church and of every grace-filled person. It is her task to englighten us, strengthen us and guide us to Jesus Christ.

2009-08-05T18:25:00.000+02:00

The choice of a lesser sacrifice will result in a lesser reward.

Thought for the Day

2009-08-01T18:21:00.000+02:00

Saint Thomas notes that to take delight in the word of God, in a spirit of faith, prepares for the vision of God in heaven. It is a necessary and decisive step.

2009-07-31T18:26:00.000+02:00

The tendency to laziness, or at least to a lack of attention and to sluggishness in our work is called sloth. The slothful person seeks to avoid all effort and whatever requires toil. Work preserves us from many vices, as well as from useless or bad thoughts.

Christmas

2008-12-25T04:35:00.000+01:00

"Peace to men!" That all may walk to the manger, as the shepherds and the Magi, in search of Jesus... And may Mary, who today "nobis edidit Salvatorem" (has given us the Saviour), be proclaimed blessed by every generation.

Holiness

2008-12-10T07:38:00.001+01:00

Authentic holines is only and always gospel holiness. Those who have a true spirit of poverty acquire more easily the spirit of prayer and the desire for heaven.

Gospel

2008-12-09T07:40:00.000+01:00

Pray that the Gospel be read and meditated upon by individuals because it is especially here that recollection helps in penetrating well the divine thought and for the heart, to give birth to resolutions.

Advent

2008-11-29T07:34:00.000+01:00

Advent is preparation for Christmas. Come Christmas, Jesus will open to men His school: school of truth, school of sanctity, school of love. All of us need this Master who for us makes Himself way, truth and life.

Mission Sunday

2008-10-19T08:22:00.001+02:00

The Day of the Missions has this purpose: that the Gospel may reach every nation, every individual, every family and may inspire the laws, the school, the editions. That it may become therefore the rule for every man and for all mankind.

Guardian Angel

2008-10-02T16:59:00.001+02:00

Have a deep and tender devotion to the Guardian Angels. They will teach you the supreme wisdom of seeking God's kingdom in all things such that you will have constant nostalgia for their homeland.

Guardian Angel

2008-10-01T16:53:00.001+02:00

When a young man is fervent in his soul and spirit, he can be very sure to have special protection from Mary in his life. He will have special assistance from his guardian angel and particular communications from Jesjs. His mind will be more enlightened, his will stronger and his heart more bent towards God.

Glory to God and Peace to men

2008-06-12T04:15:00.001+02:00

Jesus came to earth with this program, and this program He passed on to us: to glorify God and to bring peace to men, that is, to bring them the truth, justice and grace. This means being apostles.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

2008-05-30T06:42:00.000+02:00

St. John remarks that to hasten death the solders broke the legs of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus. "But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at once blood and water poured out" (Jn 19:33-34).

The Lord changed this act of offence by His enemies into an instrument of grace for all. They wanted to insult Jesus to the extreme, but Jesus wanted to give us the greatest proof of love, opening to us the way to heaven.

By faith and humility, we can find our way to the Heart of Jesus better than the steel spear has done.

The Heart of Jesus is humble and welcomes all those who are small, poor and humble. To them He opens His Heart.

The Heart of Jesus is all goodness and mercy; it beckons all to Him: let us have confidence in Him.

The Body and Blood of Christ

2008-05-25T02:30:00.000+02:00

Four are the purposes of the institution of the Eucharist:

To adore Jesus present in this sacrament,
To thank Him for all the gifts, especially for the institution of the Eucharist,
To satisfy and make reparation for all the forgetfulness, coldness, ingratitude towards and sacrileges against the Eucharist,
To pray that the Holy Mass, Communion, Visit to the most Holy Sacrament be held in great honour by all.

In the gospel, Jesus promised this Sacrament. "For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in him. The living Father sent me, and because of Him I live also. In the same way whoever eats me will live because of me. This, then, is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread that your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live for ever."

Let the Total Person Proclaim the Lord

2008-05-21T02:37:00.002+02:00

Lord,
That I see with Your eyes.
Taht I speak with Your tongue.
That I hear only through Your ears.
That I enjoy only what You relish.
That my hands be Yours.
That my feet be Your footprints.
That I pray Your prayers.
That I treat others as You treat them.
That I celebrate as You immolate Yourself.
That I may be in You and You in me to such an extent that I disappear.

Grant that my tongue may be used to sing to God for all the time, my heart may be used to love Him, that I, the most misearable and wretched, may be used to proclaim: "I am the Good Shepherd" and "I want mercy".

To the Most Holy Trinity

2008-05-17T16:25:00.002+02:00

Divine Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul,
I adore You,
I thank You,
I love You!
And through the hands of Mary most Holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself entirely to You for life and for eternity.

To You, Heavenly Father,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as Your son/daughter.

To You, Jesus Master,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as your brother/sister and disciple.

To You, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself as "a living temple"
to be consecrated and sanctified.

Mary, Mother of the Church and my Mother,
who dwells in the presence of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live, through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life may be
a "glory to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit."
Amen.

Purity

2008-05-12T04:05:00.000+02:00

Purity is not the first virtue, but it is called the beautiful virtue because one who possesses it is also humble, charitable, believing, etc.

Understood as chastity, purity means to be pure of every thought, sentiment, word, or action against the beautiful virtue.

La Purezza

2008-05-12T02:32:00.000+02:00

La purezza non è la prima virtù, ma è chiamata la bella virtù, perché chi ha la purezza è anche umile, ha la carità, la fede, ecc.

La purezza, presa come castità, è l'essere mondi da ogni peccato di pensiero, sentimenti, parole, azioni contro la bella virtù. Le suore sono le seguaci della Madonna, la prima nel mondo che practicò la verginità, ispirata dallo Spirito Santo.

Spirito Santo

2008-05-11T02:33:00.000+02:00

Discende lo Spirito Santo sopra Maria SS. e gli Apostoli, ed essi rimangono illuminati; e in essi "vive" un'anima nuova, un nuovo coraggio; sentirono la responsibilità e l'universalità del loro apostolato, la responsabilità delle anime, la santità che si consegue nell'apostolato stesso.

Holy Spirit

2008-05-11T02:22:00.000+02:00

The Holy Spirit descends on Mary Most Holy and on the Apostles and they become enlightened; they receive a new soul and a new courage; they felt the responsibility and universality of their apostolate, their responsibility for souls and the sanctity that is achieved in the apostolate itself.

Feast of Mary Queen of the Apostles

2008-05-10T03:54:00.003+02:00

The feast of the Queen of the Apostles was established on the first Saturday after the Ascension by the Sacred Congregation of Rites at the request of the Pallotine Fathers. Mary initiated her mission as Queen of Apostles in the Cenacle. She gathered the Apostles together, she comforted them, and assisted them in prayer. Together with them she hoped, desired and prayed; with them her petitions were heeded and she received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

The Gift of Wisdom

2008-05-09T04:17:00.001+02:00

The Holy Spirit gives us 12 fruits, listed by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians and infuses in the soul the 7 gifts. The soul truly possessed by the Holy Spirit thinks, operates, prays and speaks in Jesus Christ; and almost makes the voice and language of Jesus Christ.

The devotion to the Holy Spirit will obtain for us heavenly wisdom, the taste of the things of God.

Il Dono Della Sapienza

2008-05-09T03:56:00.002+02:00

Lo Spirito Santo ci dona i dodici frutti elencati da san Paolo nella lettera ai Galati e infonde nell'anima i sette doni. L'anima veramente posseduta dallo Spirito Santo pensa, opera, prega, parla in Gesù Cristo; e quasi si fa voce e lingua di Gesù Cristo.

La devozione allo Spirito Santo ci otterrà la Sapienza celeste, il gusto delle cose di Dio.

Il Dono Del Timore di Dio

2008-05-08T12:34:00.003+02:00

Il dono del timore di Dio ci allontana dal peccato e ci induce a rispettare la giustizia di Dio, la sua maestà e la sua bontà; a comprendere e ad eseguire la sua volontà con spirito soprannaturale. Ci allontana dal peccato e ci apre l'accesso alla divina maestà, alla divina bontà: ci apre la porta per avvicinarci a Gesù, a Maria nostra Madre.

Il Timor di Dio deve allontanarci dal peccato in avvenire, con una volontà ferma di fuggire le occasioni e di prendere i mezzi. Non scherziamo e non inganniamo noi stessi in queste cose! Se non si adoperano i mezzi, i buoni desideri saranno inefficaci.

The Gift of the Fear of God

2008-05-08T05:16:00.001+02:00

The gift of the fear of God keeps us far from sin and leads us to respect the justice of God, His majesty and His goodness; as well as to understand and execute His will with supernatural spirit.

Go Light Your World

2008-05-07T08:51:00.002+02:00

Il Dono della Pietà

2008-05-07T04:32:00.003+02:00

Il dono della pietà mette nell'anima nostra l'inclinazione, la facilità ad onorare ed amare Dio come nostro Padre e a rimettere in Lui ogni nostra confidenza filiale. Quindi il dono della pietà è qualche cosa di più che la semplice virtù della religione: è come l'anima della stessa religione e delle stesse practiche devote che noi dobbiamo fare.

Nella pietà noi amiamo il Signore come nostro Padre e amiamo i figli di Dio come nostri fratelli.

Sentire la bontà del Padre; sentirci figli docili, affezionati a questo Padre.

The Gift of Piety

2008-05-07T04:25:00.001+02:00

The gift of piety puts in our soul the inclination and the ease to honour and love God as our Father and to submit to Him all our filial confidence.

Il Dono della Scienza

2008-05-06T05:57:00.006+02:00

Il dono della scienza è una luce soprannaturale dello Spirito Santo, la quale ci mostra come la verità di fede è degna di essere creduta, di essere accettata anche per motivi ricavati dall'ordine naturale, e ci porta a sollevarci dalle cose della terra verso Dio, il cielo.

Le creature, anche mute, parlano a chi ha il dono della Scienza. Il fiorellino che si apre al mattino, l'uccello che canta, il mare immenso, le montagne imponenti e tutto quello che si svolge e si è svolto nella storia: tutto ci parla di Dio, di quel Dio sapientissimo il quale si è proposto, creando, di manifestare quello che egli è, perché la creazione è una rivelazione, e beato chi sa leggere nel libro della creazione.

Gift of Knowledge

2008-05-06T05:55:00.004+02:00

The gift of knowledge is a supernatural light of the Holy Spirit that shows us how the truth of faith is worth believing and accepting even for motives taken from the natural order, and leads us to lift ourselves from earthly things to God, to heaven.

Il Dono della Fortezza

2008-05-05T16:08:00.005+02:00

Il dono della fortezza è una virtù permanente che lo Spirito Santo comunica alla nostra volontà per vincere gli ostacoli che ci allontanerebbero dalla practica della virtù. Esso investe specialmente la nostra volontà e la rende robusta per operare il bene.

The Gift of Fortitude

2008-05-05T16:05:00.004+02:00

The gift of fortitude is a permanent virtue that the Holy Spirit communicates to our will to overcome the obstacles that would move us away from the practice of virtue. It especially invests our will and makes it strong to do good.

Il Dono del Consiglio

2008-05-04T16:00:00.002+02:00

Il dono del consiglio è un lume dello Spirito Santo con il quale l'intelligenza pratica vede e guida nei casi particolari ciò che bisogna fare e i mezzi che bisogna usare... Questo dono, giorno per giorno, ci deve illuminare a scegliere ciò che piace a Dio e a lasciare ciò che dispiace a Dio.

The Gift of Counsel

2008-05-04T15:58:00.002+02:00

The gift of counsel is a light of the Holy Spirit by which the practical intelligence sees and guides in particular cases what must be done and the means that must be used... From day to day this gift must enlighten us to choose what pleases God and to set aside what displeases Him.

The Gift of Intellect

2008-05-03T15:14:00.004+02:00

The gift of intellect enlightens us by radiating a brilliant, penetrating and extraordinary light on the meaning of the revealed truths and giving us the certainty of the true sense of the word of God.

I DONI DELLO SPIRITO SANTO

Il dono dell'intelletto ci illumina spargendo una luce viva, penetrante, straordinaria sul significato delle verità rivelate e dandoci la certezza del vero senso della parola di Dio.

Thoughts

2008-04-24T17:05:00.001+02:00

Let your thoughts be elevated! Thoughts about God! Thoughts about things that are the fulfillment of God's will... Let your mind be busy with holy things, things that refer to God's will.

Pensieri

2008-04-24T17:01:00.005+02:00

Pensieri elevati! Pensieri a Dio! Pensieri alle cose che sono il compimento della volontà di Dio... La mente sia occupata in cose sante, di volontà di Dio.

Prayer an Expression of our love for God

2008-04-11T16:44:00.002+02:00

True piety takes hold of the entire being and leads it to love God. It is the fulfilment of the first commandment: "Love the Lord with the mind, heart and will".

The soul that unites itself to God has but one aspiration: love!

All the prayers of such a person are an expression of love, even if there are requests for temporal goods; these are made only if they lead to the glory of God. At the root of all one's prayers there is but one request: love!

If one adores, it is for love,

If one gives thanks, it is for love,

Asking pardon for sins is also out of love.

Pensa il Bene

2008-04-07T08:48:00.001+02:00

God Dwells in Us and We in God

2008-03-30T16:17:00.003+02:00

Day by day our participation in the life of God and of Jesus Christ becomes more and more abundant: God lives in us and we in God. God lives in us in the unity of nature and in the Trinity of Persons.

And God is at His creative best, gifting us with a supernatural organism which perfects the natural one, rendering us capable of living a life similar, though not equal, to His, a God-like life.

He works in our total being and in all our faculties, and on a divine impulse, He makes us His cooperators. In this way, the day is filled with merits: we live in Him, He in us.

Jesus Christ lives in us not only as God, but also as God-man: He is the head of the mystical body. We are His members. From Him we receive dynamism and life.

Let us walk with the suffering Christ

2008-03-21T05:00:00.002+01:00

Jesus, Divine Master:

Let Your unchanging patience be mine,
May Your crown of thorns obtain for me humility of heart,
Your scourging be my purity and mortification,
Your agony be a model for mine,
the wounds on Your feet guide all my steps,
the foolishness of Your cross gain me true wisdom.
Your resurrection make my resurrection glorious,
and may I be crucified totally with You, and in everything may Your will be done in me.
May Your merits be mine and Your virtues be for me way, strength, mercy and eternal life!
(from Blessed James Alberione's personal notebook, 1933)

Think Positively

2008-03-11T15:13:00.002+01:00

The sure method is the positive method. Overcome evil with good (St. Paul). Nurture thoughts of truth, order, justice towards God, neighbour, self; towards the past, present and future.

A mind filled with the good has no place for the evil; just as to empty a bottle of air, fill it with water.

To remove darkness from a room the use of broom and dustpan achieve nothing. Instead, light a lamp and darkness vanishes instantly.

Control the Mind

2008-02-29T16:55:00.004+01:00

Ideas lead to action. This is a natural law working in us, for or against us. Ideas are the beginning of all actions, external and internal. Control of mind is a fundamental necessity. The mind can never be free of its travelling companion: the thoughts. It is the thoughts that make demands and dominates.

External factors can have some influence, but they are by themselves amoral. Man's life is above all intellectual. One's most intimate friends are one's thoughts.

The very same thing brings harm to some and benefits to others: for example temptations, sufferings and misfortunes. It all depends on one's thoughts. The same pain leads one to despair while for another it may be an occasion for renewal and joy.

Ideas influence judgement, judgement arouses feelings, feelings determine internal and external actions. The greatest battles are fought in the mind. Here all our energies have to be concentrated.

The Cross and penance

2008-02-27T11:20:00.002+01:00

Lent introduces us to the devotion to the crucified Christ. The Divine Master from the cross teaches us more by example than by words. He is truly the Master because the other masters only teach, but Jesus, besides teaching, goes before us giving us example.

Lent should lead us to the practice of penance. It has four aspects:

First: to become conscious of the evil done;

Second: to review our life and sins and to consider ourselves to be sinners, though forgiven;

Third: to make sincere resolutions to avoid faults and dangerous occasions that we can and should avoid;

Fourth: be willing to make reparation.

Reparation, for example, to make fervent communions in the place of cold communions;

making reparation for dissipation with greater recollection;

making reparation for sin above all with the practice of charity.

Festa della Cattedra di S. Pietro, apostolo

2008-02-22T04:25:00.002+01:00

Abbiamo da pregare che la parola del Papa sia ricevuta con l'animo, con lo spirito, con la docilità, con la semplicità di un bambino. Per credere ci vuole umiltà. Ora, il secolo nostro è tanto pieno di orgolio. Ed ecco perché contraddice o, almeno, non ascolta, non riceva la parola del vicario di Gesù Cristo.

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

2008-02-22T04:17:00.004+01:00

We need to pray so that the word of the Pope may be received with the attitude, the spirit, the docility and the simplicity of a child. In order to believe, humility is needed. Now, our century is so full of pride. That's why it contradicts or at least does not listen to and receive the words of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Will-power and prayer for progress

2008-02-11T09:45:00.000+01:00

When we come to settle accounts with God and with others year after year, we must find ourselves to have advanced a little, to have made some progress.

Progress means walking, taking some steps. To take steps we need our feet. Now the two feet we need to move and make progress are first, the will, second, prayer.

Will means to be resolute, to be determined, to have the disposition to give all the energies and strength of the heart.

Good will is shown when one makes efforts to correct oneself, to subdue pride, to curb ambition; to control the feelings of the heart.

In this spirit one seeks counsel, requests for correction from those one lives with, asks for help, especially to point out the way to progress.

Sanctify the Present Moment

2008-02-04T16:15:00.000+01:00

The past is past, what has been, has been, we cannot change it, we can only be grateful for the graces received and be humble and sorry for the lack of correspondence to grace. Therefore let us balance our accounts by means of penance and confession.

The future is not in our hands. We don't even know if we would be alive to see the evening of today.

Truly what we have is the present moment. Sanctify the present moment. And the sactification of the present moment is this: to make resolution for the future.

At this moment what the Lord expects from us is that we make resoluations, which are acts of love of God. It can happen that we may fail to be faithful to them. Nevertheless the acts of love have been made. If they are strong and if we are able to put them into practice, certainly so much the better. In that case there is an increase of merit. However, a desire to do good, a desire to love God is already a meritorious act.

Christ Perfects the Human Person

2008-01-29T02:09:00.000+01:00

Jesus Christ is the divine and the unique Master. Firstly, because He is Truth itself, the essential and eternal Truth; He is the Word that the Father generated in eternity. Secondly, He is the Way and Life. In Christ, the human person has the greatest and supernatural development.

The Christian life is destined to the vision of God in heaven: in the vision of love and joy. Faith obtains the vision; believe to see. "Without faith it is impossible to please God."

The nobility of the human person comes from his intelligence by which he is the image and likeness of God. Man gives his greatest homage to God by subduing his mind and using it wisely to know Him and the things at the service of the Lord.

The Master wants the Whole of a Person

2008-01-19T14:34:00.001+01:00

Jesus wants to live in us! Our being, so to say, has to disappear, that is, our thoughts have to disappear so that His thoughts may become ours

Jesus should live in our mind. Our desires and feelings have to disappear because Jesus wants to replace them with His and implant His heart in us. Our entire will has to disappear, all our evil tendencies, all our actions that are too human, because Jesus wants to put His will in us.

In these three things consists the true love of God. It is an illusion to think that only few sentiments of the heart will do. Everything is needed:

* The mind of Jesus Christ
* the will of Jesus Christ.

The Master is the Way to Perfection

2008-01-15T02:58:00.000+01:00

The great need of a person is to make a gift of one's total self to the Lord. Without realising, we keep too many things for ourselves.

We make loud declarations of love. But when self-love rears its head, one realises clearly that God is not yet the absolute Master of our hearts.

Even on a good day we do many things for ourselves rather than for Jesus Christ.

The fact that the actions we perform are good may give us the illusion; but there is a big gap between performing good deeds and performing meritorious acts; often self-will, some secret ambitions, our selfish motives, etc., poison the holy things we do.

Only that which is done for the Lord will be rewarded by the Lord.

Jesus is Way, Truth and Life

2008-01-08T15:17:00.000+01:00

A person following Jesus Christ gives God perfect worship:

of the mind: faith;

of the will: submission;

of the heart: love.

Know, serve and love God.

a) God is Way, Truth and Life in Himself.

b) Wanting to manifest His glory and to make others participate in His bliss, He presented Himself as the Way, Truth and the Life.

c) That is, in His Son He made and makes four manifestations: in creation, in revelation, in the Church and in heaven.

d) Thus Jesus must be considered Master, Way, Truth and Life.

From the act of creation to glorification in heaven there is only one straight line, a unique style, one plan of action.

Jesus is the unique Master, perfect and eternal: both by title and by nature.

Know Jesus ever Better

2008-01-03T07:32:00.000+01:00

As Way, Truth and Life, Jesus is the unique Master, as the Gospel says.

Unique Master, because He teaches us with His sublime doctrine.

Unique Master, because He precedes us with His example.

Unique Master, because He gives us grace, both to believe the doctrine and to act, to follow and imitate Him.

There cannot be another Master who gives and confers grace, that is the supernatural life. Besides, there is no other Master who gives a doctrine which is His own.

A Year of Grace

2007-12-31T14:03:00.000+01:00

Thanksgiving. This year witnessed a continuous shower of divine gifts. This year was, from the part of the Lord, a series of continuous blessings on humanity and on each person.

God, who wishes all to be saved, wants the kingdom of Jesus Christ established on earth and to live in everyone. He preserved life, directed the events, and made everything converge to Jesus Master and to the Church.

To everyone He sent spiritual blessings, some known, and some unknown.

From the blessings received springs the duty of gratitude.

Reparation. From my part: how did I correspond to the blessing of the Lord? The Lord wanted to communicate Himself to me. In Him is all good and every blessing of eternal life. Often, perhaps, I may have not welcome His truth, holding on to my ideas and views and so I might have remained in culpable ignorance. Have I done always God's will? Have I always welcomed His graces?

For all the good done, a lively thanks.

For all the acts of ingratitude, a deep act of humiliation.

It's Christmas

2007-12-25T00:53:00.000+01:00

Thanks be to God!
May Baby Jesus place his tiny hands over your head
and fill your soul with light, comfort and joy.

The first cradle that Jesus found one earth was the immaculate heart of Mary:
It was the first crib:
a pure heart
a pious heart
a humble heart
a religious heart.

May your heart be like this
and then it will be a beautiful crib for Jesus.
-- Blessed James Alberione

Like St. Joseph, be faithful to Mary

2007-12-17T08:32:00.000+01:00

Joseph's devotion to Mary is above all the devotions of all other saints just as his glory now in heaven is above all other saints.

Know, imitate, love, pray to and preach about Mary. This is according to the divine will and the teaching of the Church, and in the spirit of veneration of St. Joseph.

Mary Brings Us Closer to Jesus

2007-12-16T08:29:00.000+01:00

Mary brings us closer to Jesus as she gave him to the shepherds, to the Magi and offered him in the temple. This is her highest mission: to give Jesus here on earth and in heaven, "after this exile show unto us Jesus".

The three conditions for approaching the crib are the three dispositions of the heart we wish to have when we receive Holy Communion:

1) great innocnece, a beautiful soul.
2) great faith, united with love.
3) trust, that is, approach it with hope for us and for the human race.

Feast of Blessed James Alberione

2007-11-25T14:56:00.000+01:00

On 26 November 1971, Servant of God James Alberione, the Founder of the Pauline Family, died in Rome just one hour after his holiness Pope Paul VI visited him, brining him the consolation of his apostolic blessing.

In July 1936, James Alberione confessed: "Truly I belong to Jesus Christ with all my powers, everywhere, in all places.

Contemplating rather than meditating on Jesus Christ and striving to discover myself, I have a double mission.

The first is concerning my being: though by nature and grace I am nothing, however, sin has made me horribly deformed.

The second is a heavenly one about Jesus Master, the beloved of the Father, the merciful redeemer in whom we have to be incorporated and by him I have to live as a Christian, a religious and a priest.

Like Peter, I have wept, hoped, prayed and loved; my trust however is greater than all my humiliations".

(A Year with Ven. James Alberione, 2000, St. Paul, India)

The Key of Life

2007-11-17T02:09:00.000+01:00

Life essentially is a preparation for eternity: a preparation that is free and supernatural. However, many don't care about it. Be prepared for our eternity:"Man goes to his eternal home" (Ecc. 12:5).

Preparation:

Of the mind, because the paradise is vision of God.

Of the will, paradise being the confirmation of the highest good, God;

Of the heart, heaven being a joy;

Of the body, which is destined to resurrection and to other glorious gifts and the satisfaction of righteous desires.

The preparation of the mind takes place through faith; the preparation of the will is done by observing the commandments and in general by doing God' will; the prepartion of the heart is done by means of grace and by growing in it; the preparation of the body by keeping it subdued to reason and to faith and by mortifying what is illicit.

One Family

2007-11-02T14:06:00.000+01:00

The communion of saints is one of the most consoling dogmas of our religion. The souls in purgatory, the blessed in heaven and we form just one family which receives everything from Jesus Christ, the Head.

This is the foundation for our charity towards the dead and of the concern which the struggling Church and the victorious Church have for the suffering souls in purgatory.

In the human body the activity of one part, for example, of the eye or of the hand, benefits the entire body. For the eye does not see only for itself but for the whole body. Thus all the good in the mystical body of Christ benefits each single member and the whole body.

The Path to Heights

2007-10-30T14:00:00.000+01:00

Move forward daily with faith and generosity!

Not that the way is easy nor that the roads are smooth. Rather, they will be descending and sloping roads that climb up, paths ascending to the summit.

And to reach the summit one must climb and struggle and even if at times there are some falls, get up, and Jesus is still there.

The psalm says if you love the Lord, even when you are about to fall, the Lord's hand will uphold you lest you should get hurt (cf Psalm 90:12).

The picture the psalm draws is gracious! The Lord puts his hand beneath you so that you may not get hurt.

Yes, when one walks supported by the hand of Jesus, one does not fall at all.

Balance and Harmony

2007-10-22T08:38:00.000+02:00

Today, the Church commemorates Blessed Timothy Giaccardo, the first Pauline priest and the first Blessed in the Pauline Family.

Timothy Giaccardo generously corresponded with Providence with regard to the apostolate. It would be very edifying to read the articles he wrote in Gazzetta di Alba, which he edited for some time to see his keen observations on certain issues, which at that time were not at all clear. He knew how to follow the right path, how to be balanced without being dejected or enthusiastic.

He corresponded with Providence regarding material things. He paid almost scrupulous attention to keeping account of the smallest things and to time and would serve the Institute and the apostolate.

You know how much he loved his confreres, how holily he loved the sisters. And we think his wish in heaven would be that each one of us become holy.

Discernment before Decision

2007-10-15T05:48:00.000+02:00

From things that are morally indifferent, take only that much which helps you; leave out what does not help. Don't be addicted to anything, neith to food nor to rest; but make a wise regimen with regard to what is good for health.

Some amount of mortification is profitable so that the spirit can have sufficient freedom and control over the flesh. Don't be concerned about human esteem; instead fear the judgement of God. A word of approbation from God is infinitely more valuable than the esteem of all human beings whose praise is often spurious.

So too with health: if we have abundance of health, we can do great things for the glory of God; but when we are in poor health, we have to learn to mortify our grand desires, even if they are about very holy things. We should know how to realize them or leave them with a holy indifference in the will of God.

There are things that truly help us: make use of them as much as possible.

Mysteries of the Rosary

2007-10-10T17:02:00.000+02:00

The first 5 mysteries of the Rosary (joyful) are meant to check the desire of the eyes, that is, avarice: the Family of Nazareth lived in very humble poverty. In the following five mysteries (sorrowful) is checked the desire of the flesh, because through them we consider the passion and death of the Saviour. Considering in the last five mysteries (glorious) heavenly things, all earthly honours lose their importance.

I primi cinque misteri del Rosario servono a rintuzzare la concupiscenza degli occhi, ossia l'avarizia: la Famiglia di Nazaret visse in umilissima povertà. Nei successivi cinque misteri viene rintuzzata la concupiscenza della carne, poiché in essi si considera la passione e la morte del Salvatore. Considerando negli ultimi cinque misteri le cose celesti, perdono importanza tutti gli onori terreni.

The Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary

2007-10-07T03:48:00.000+02:00

It is useful that we learn to recite the rosary with devotion, that is, with intelligence and love.

The meditation on the mysteries: In every mystery one can find and meditate on a truth, which the Church teaches, then a moral and ascetical lesson, thirdly a particular grace to be prayed for.

For example, in the first joyful mystery we have

a fundamental truth: the mystery of the incarnation.

a moral lesson: Mary's humility in accepting the responsibility.

Grace: obedience to the divine will and the grace to accept well the graces to correspond to God' will.

Here we have a truth to meditate upon, a lesson to be learned and a grace to be prayed for. So with all the other mysteries.

The rosary is a short course of theology if it is considered in all its joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries. It is a summary of catechism and theology and can be also called therefore: A short theology of Jesus and Mary.

The Guardian Angels

2007-10-02T16:12:00.000+02:00

The guardian angel has the duty of enlightening, protecting, guiding and praying for the person entrusted to him.

The angel enlightens him by inspiring; by disposing the mind to receive the truths of faith, to penetrate them, to love them, to think and judge according to them.

The angel protects him from dangers of soul and body. Numerous are the assaults of the deomn from which our good guardian angel defends us; he continuously strengthens our spirit to stand strong against the dangers of the environment and of the senses.

The angel guides a young person in his vocation, supports him in his weaknesses and lifts up the fallen, goes before and points out to every person the way to paradise.

The guardian angel prays for the one entrusted to him, for his family and parish. He prays during life and at the moment of death.

The Visit to the Most Holy Sacrament

2007-09-28T06:59:00.000+02:00

The visit to the Most Holy Sacrament is to honour the Eucharist as the throne of grace apart from the holy Mass and Communion. It is the antechamber to heaven, it is the yearning and the preparation for the heavenly vision. It is grace, light and comfort.

The Eucharistic Visit: an encounter with Jesus

2007-09-21T14:12:00.000+02:00

I like the following writings of our founder on the Eucharistic Visit:

The Visit is an encounter of our total being with Jesus.
It is the creature meeting his Creator.
It is the disciple being with the Master.
It is the sick with the Doctor of souls.
It is the poor having recourse to a rich Person.
It is the thirsty drinking from the Spring.
It is the weak presenting themselves before the All-Powerful.
It is the tempted seeking a safe Refuge.
It is the blind seeking the Light.
It is a friend visiting a true Friend.
It is the lost sheep sought out by the divine Shepherd.
It is the disoriented heart finding the Way.
It is the foolish discovering Wisdom.
It is the spouse with the Spouse of the soul.
It is nothing meeting the All.
It is the afflicted finding the Consoler.
It is the youth receiving orientation for life.

Assumption of Mary

2007-08-13T10:29:00.000+02:00

The most holy Virgin arose with the qualities of a glorious body: resplendent, agile, spiritual and immortal. In the resurrection of Christ and Mary, we also have a pledge of our own resurrection.

L'Assunzione della B.V. Maria

La Vergine santissima risorse con le doti del corpo glorioso: splendore, agilità, sottigliezza e immortalità. Noi pure, nella risurrezione di Cristo e di Maria, abbiamo un pegno della nostra risurrezione.

For me to Live is CHRIST

2007-08-02T08:08:00.000+02:00

The work of perfection is that which is made every day, that is, that daily growth into the perfect man in mind, will and heart.

PER ME IL VIVERE E' CRISTO

Il lavoro di perfezione è quel farsi di ogni giorno, ossia quel quotidiano crescere in uomo completo: nella mente, nella volontà, nel cuore.

Break...

2007-07-19T18:33:00.000+02:00

This blog will not be updated temporarily until beginning of August. Hope you will continue to support and visit. Thank you.

Prudence

2007-07-10T12:11:00.000+02:00

Prudence is a supernatural light, but exercising it, walking in this divine light, requires a vigorous spirit, an apostolic courage nourished and sustained by apostolic faith counting on God, characteristic of apostles.

Luce soprannaturale è la prudenza; ma il suo esercizio, il camminare in questa luce divina, richiede un vigore d'animo, un coraggio apostolico alimentati e sostenuti da una confidenza apostolica, da un contar su Dio, da apostli.

San Paolo Apostolo

2007-06-30T14:58:00.000+02:00

Saint Paul Apostle, so adaptable in his apostolate, will always be a living, ever present and effective example. Study Saint Paul of his time and study Saint Paul who is always uptodate.

San Paolo apostolo, tanto malleabile nel suo apostolato, sarà un esempio sempre vivo, attuale ed efficace. Studiare san Paolo che è antico, studiare san Paolo che è sempre moderno.

Centenary of Priestly Ordination

2007-06-29T11:52:00.000+02:00

Today, as the Church celebrates the feast of Her two great pillars--Sts. Peter and Paul, the whole Pauline Family remembers the centenary Priestly Ordination of our founder, Blessed James Alberione--he was ordained as a priest on 29 June 1907 with the clergy of Alba.

Thoughts from our Founder:

Saints Peter and Paul arrived in Rome. The former appearing as a fisherman, the latter as a chained prisoner. But they had the mandate of the word, Jesus Way, Truth and Life in the soul, the single motive to win the disciples for the Divine Master. They won Rome and the world.

Living and Beneficent Light

2007-06-27T14:18:00.000+02:00

Let us open our eyes to see the light and splendor that Saint Paul transmits: he is a living and beneficent light, a light that is warm and life generating. In fact, he is at the same time doctrine and example, both in his virtue and his apostolate.

Apriamo gli occhi a vedere lo splendore di luce che san Paolo tramanda: è luce viva e benefica, luce calda e generatrice di vita. Egli, infatti, è insieme dottrina ed esempio, tanto nella virtù come nell'apostolato.

The Eucharist

2007-06-24T15:53:00.000+02:00

Let us take advantage of the school of the Eucharist: here the divine Master teaches us with His example. While He teaches those things that we must learn, He gives the capacity to understand and to make docile the will for action.

Approfittiamo della scuola dell'Eucaristia: qui il Maestro divino ci ammaestra col suo esempio. Mentre insegna le cose che dobbiamo imparare, infonde la capacità di capire e rende docile la volontà ad agire.

L'Apostolo Paolo

2007-06-09T22:25:00.000+02:00

L'apostolo Paolo - che poté con verità affermare: "Vive in me Cristo", e che parlava, operava, scriveva in Cristo - seppe rendere e interpretare in modo mirabile il Vangelo secondo le necessità dell'ambiente: greco, romano, ebraico; e secondo le condizioni degli uditori: semplici, colti.

The apostle Paul who could in truth affirm: "Christ lives in me", and who spoke, worked and wrote in Christ, knew how to translate and interpret in a wonderful way the Gospel according to the needs of the place: Greek, Roman, Hebrew; and according to the condition of his hearers: simple or learned.

The Gospel

2007-06-07T15:15:00.000+02:00

The Gospel is always the same in its principles and it is light for all times, places and persons. But its applications go according to the spirit and method of Saint Paul: in other words, adapted to the time, place and persons to whom it is being proposed.

Il Vangelo è sempre uguale nei principi; ed è la luce per ogni tempo, luogo, persona. Ma le applicazioni vanno secondo lo spirito ed il metodo di san Paolo: adatte, cioè, al tempo, ai luoghi e alle persone cui si propone.

TUTTO IO FACCIO PER IL VANGELO

2007-06-03T15:22:00.000+02:00

Il Vangelo oggi si applica al tempo e alle persone di oggi, secondo i luoghi ove si predica. E va predicato integralmente, quale ce lo ha rivelato Gesù Cristo e ce lo propone la Chiesa.

"I DO ALL FOR THE GOSPEL"

Today the Gospel is applied to the time and persons of today, according to the places where it is preached. And it should be preached integrally just as Jesus Christ has reveals it and the Church proposes it to us.

Regina sacratissimi rosarii

2007-05-31T08:45:00.000+02:00

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary

What is Mary's coat of arms that shows her as queen? It is the rosary. With the rosary she deigned to appear to all people and with the rosary she accomplished and accomplishes in mankind the greatest miracles.

Lo stemma di Maria è la corona del rosario. Col rosario si degnò di apparire a tutti gli uomini, col rosario operò ed opera nell'umanità i più grandi prodigi.

Regina virginum

2007-05-30T08:45:00.000+02:00

Regina dei Vergini

Per due principali motivi noi possiamo degnamente salutare Maria santissima "regina dei vergini": per l'amore sommo che ella portò a questa prerogativa [alla virtù della verginità] e per la somma perfezione con cui risplendette in essa per tutta la sua vita. Oh, se sapeste la preziosità del tesoro che tiene in cuore un giovane puro! Egli tiene una virtù di inestimabile valore, meraviglia degli uomini, invidia degli angeli, delizia di Dio.

Queen of Virgins

For two main reasons can we worthily greet Mary most holy as "queen of virgins": for the supreme love that she had for this prerogative [i.e. virginity] and for the great perfection with which it is shown in her all her life. If only you knew the value of the treasure that a pure youth holds in his heart! He possesses a virtue without price, a wonder to men, an envy to the angels, a delight to God.

Regina Confessorum

2007-05-27T22:44:00.000+02:00

Queen of Confessors

Confessors are they who profess a continuous confession of faith, whose works they practice in a heroic way. Turning reverently our thoughts to Mary, we see shining more than ever the light of faith in her. We see that she confesses this faith with a perpetual and true confession, with the most heroic actions that can never be given. We must therefore recognize that Mary surpasses all the confessors and therefore unanimously proclaim her to the Church as "queen of confessors".

Confessori sono coloro che professano una confessione continua della fede, di cui praticano le opere in modo eroico. Volgendo riverenti il nostro pensiero a Maria, scorgeremo splendere più che mai in lei il lume della fede; vedremo questa fede essere da lei confessata con una confessione perpetua e vera, con operere le più eroiche che mai si possono dare. Dovremo allora riconoscere l'eccellenza di Maria sopra tutti i confessori e perciò stesso unanimemente proclamarla alla Chiesa "regina dei confessori".

Festa della Regina degli Apostoli

2007-05-26T08:45:00.001+02:00

Quale fu la sublime missione di Maria? Dare al mondo quel Bambino da tanto tempo aspettato. E qual è l'ufficio degli apostoli? Lo stesso: predicare il Vangelo e chiamare gli uomini dalle tenebre alla luce della verità. Dunque, perché non chiameremo Maria "regina degli apostoli", mentre più di tutti arse in lei lo zelo della gloria di Dio e della salute delle anime, che è appunto la virtù degli apostoli?

Feast of Queen of the Apostles

What was the sublime mission of Mary? To give to the world that long-awaited Child. And what is the task of the apostles? The same: to preach the Gospel and to call all people from darkness to the light of truth. Hence, why shall we not call Mary "queen of the apostles", if in her, more tan everybody, burned zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls which is the virtue of the Apostles?

Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!

Consoler of the Afflicted

2007-05-23T22:41:00.000+02:00

We are bound to bear countless evils that often disturb that little bit of well-being which we could enjoy and remind us very well that we must not search our happiness here. This is the numerous multitude of life's afflictions. The afflicted person asks for consolation. Let us run to Mary in our afflictions. Mary's consolation is a true and lasting consolation.

Consolatrix afflictorum

Noi dobbiamo sottostare ad una moltitudine innumerabile di mali che ben sovente ci intorbidano quel po' di benessere che pur si potrebbe godere e che assai bene ci ricordano come non dobbiamo cercare quaggiù la nostra felicità. E' questa la moltitudine svariata delle afflizioni della vita. L'afflitto domanda consolazione. Accorriamo a Maria nelle nostre afflizioni. La consolazione di Maria sarà una consolazione vera e duratura.

Stella Matutina

2007-05-22T15:10:00.000+02:00

Perché mai fu così simboleggiata Maria? Con ogni ragione. La stella mattutina appare sul mattino, e Maria santissima apparve nel mondo non nella notte delle tenebre in cui gemeva il genere umano prima della nascita del Mesia, ma mentre quelle tenebre eran prossime a sparire. La stella mattutina precede immediatamente il sole quale gentile messaggera che conduce il sovrano. Maria ha preceduto il sole di giustizia Gesù, che ha introdotto nel mondo essendogli stata vera Madre.

Morning Star

Why was Mary ever symbolized in this way? There is every reason. The morning star appears in the morning and Mary most holy appears in the world not during a night of darkness wherein the human race was groaning before the birth of the Messiah, but while that darkness was about to disappear. The morning star immediately precedes the sun like a kind messenger that leads a king. Mary preceded the sun of justice Jesus whom she introduced into this world since she was his true Mother.

Tower of Ivory

2007-05-19T15:20:00.001+02:00

To say that Mary is a "tower of ivory" is like saying that she is a strong refuge and high, secure and invincible, to which can seek protection all who want to preserve the candor of their soul.

Dire che Maria è una "torre d'avorio" è come dire che ella è un rifugio forte, alto, sicuro, invincibile a cui possono ricoverarsi tutti coloro i quali vogliono conservare il candore della loro anima.

Rosa Mystica

2007-05-15T21:19:00.000+02:00

Chi non coglie volentieri dal giardino una rosa per ammirarne la bellezza e gustarne la fragranza? Cerchiamo di rendere la nostra anima simile a Maria: procuriamo di conservarle e accrescerle la bellezza con lo stare lontani dal peccato; diamole il colore vermiglio con la nostra devozione e pietà e con la carità fraterna; il nostro buon esempio sia la fragranza dell'anima nostra e la nostra fortezza faccia in modo che le spine debbano essere a noi non di danno, ma di ornamento.

Who does not willingly pick up a rose in the garden to admire its beauty and enjoy its frangrace? Let us try to make our soul similar to Mary's. Let us see to it that we preserve and increase her beauty by staying away from sin. Let us color her vermilion by our devotion and piety and by our fraternal charity. Let the fragrance of our soul be our good example and may the thorns of our strength not cause us harm but be an ornament.

Singular Vessel of Devotion

2007-05-14T21:22:00.000+02:00

Mary most holy was not only devoted, but she was the singular Vessel of devotion. Devotion means to consecrate onself to the service of God. She is completely consecrated to God in her soul, in her body, in her material possessions and therefore in her mind, heart and desires. Truly a Vessel, a garden of singular devotion in which nothing is lacking and everything shines that can beautify the highest and most sublime piety!Maria santissima non solo fu devota, ma addirittura fu il Vaso insigne di devozione. Devozione significa consacrarsi al servizio di Dio. Ella è completamente consacrata a Dio nell'anima, nel corpo, nei beni materiali; e quindi nella mente, nel cuore, nei desideri. O Vaso veramente, giardino di devozione insigne, in cui nulla manca, in cui tutto risplende quanto può decorare la più alta e sublime pietà!

Causa Nostrae Laetitiae

2007-05-12T18:56:00.000+02:00

Causa della nostra gioia. La letizia, di cui è causa Maria, ci tocca da vicino; entra in noi, anzi è tutto quello che può desiderare il nostro cuore; letizia proporzionata, letizia desiderata; letizia piena e, più di tutto, letizia che appartiene proprio a noi, letizia nostra.

Cause of our Joy. The joy that Mary causes affects us closely. It enters us, is all that our heart can desire indeed; a measured joy, a desired joy; a full joy and, more than everything, a joy that belongs truly to us, our joy.

Virgo potens

2007-05-11T21:35:00.000+02:00

Mary's power is a quality entirely in relation to us and closely affects us. We have many needs:

-- temporal needs like health, peacefulness, natural goods;

-- spiritual needs like intelligence, inspiration for hte will, strength to overcome temptations and to hurdle difficulties, etc.

These things do not come from ourselves but we have them from God. This therefore makes for the power of Mary most holy: in the power of intercession that she has before God to ask for us all those things that we need.

La potenza di maria è una qualità tutta relativa a noi, che ci tocca da vicino. Noi abbiamo tante necessità:

-- necessità temporali di salute, di quiete, di beni naturali;

-- necessità spirituali di lume all'intelletto, di ispirazione alla volontà, di forza per vincere le tentazioni e per superare le difficoltà, ecc.

Queste cose non le abbiamo da noi medesimi, ma le abbiamo da Dio. Ecco dunque in che consiste la potenza di Maria santissima: consiste appunto nella forza di intercessione che ella ha presso Dio ad impetrarci tutte queste cose di cui abbiamo bisogno.

Mater admirabilis -- Mother Most Admirable

2007-05-08T22:49:00.000+02:00

Maria santissima è Madre ammirabile in se stessa, poiché mentre è Madre è anche Vergine. Fra le perfezioni che sono sparse nelle creature ve ne sono di quelle che, secondo il corso della natura, non possono essere unite in una medesima persona, quali sono appunto la maternità e la verginità. Ebbene, quello che la natura non può, in Maria lo fa l'onnipotenza divina; e ciò che a noi pare impossibile, avviene in Maria per privilegio di grazia.

Mary most holy is an admirable Mother in herself, because while she is a Mother she is also a Virgin. Among the perfections that are given to creatures thre are those that according to the course of nature cannot stay in the same person, like exactly the motherhood and virginity. Well, what nature cannot do, divine power does in Mary. What appears to us as impossible takes place in Mary through a privilege of grace.

Mater Purissima

2007-05-04T23:08:00.000+02:00

In our Pauline Agenda, there is a thought of the Founder or Can. Chiesa each day. For the month of May, we were given explanations of the invocation of our Lady of Loreto. I would like to take this opportunity to share each one for this month. Remember well that Can. Chiesa had great influences in the life of Blessed James Alberione.

Conserving one's soul pure in every thought is a privilege rather than just a virtue. Mary most holy not only conserved her soul pure of every flaw of sin, but she kept it immaculate such that it can be considered not only pure, but most pure, pure in an absolute and superlative degree. When can a soul be said to be truly pure in itself? When its mind and heart are pure; its thoughts are pure; its desires and affections are pure.

Conservare illibata l'anima da ogni pensiero è un privilegio anziché solamente un atto di virtù. Maria santissima non solo conservò illibata l'anima sua da ogni neo di colpa, ma talmente la conservò immacolata che non solo può dirsi pura ma purissima, pura in grado superlativo assoluto. Quand'è che un'anima può dirsi veramente pura in sé medesima? Quando ha puri la mente e il cuore; quando puri sono i pensieri; quando puri sono i desideri e gli affetti.

Pensieri del Ven. Francesco Chiesa* Sulle Litanie Lauretane

2007-05-02T14:35:00.000+02:00

La prima invocazione con cui ci rivolgiamo a Maria nelle Litanie lauretane è questa: Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis. Diciamola con tre sentimenti:

1) con sentimento di ammirazione, intendendo lodare ed ossequiare Maria per l'eccellenza della sua santità,

2) con sentimento di profonda uniltà, riconoscendo la nostra immensa distanza da Maria;

3) con sentimento di sincero amore, desiderando e stimando anche noi sopra ogni cosa la santità.

* per oltre un quarantennio, guida illuminata e peterno sostegno al Giacomo Alberione, il quale lo ammirò e lo percepì come "una forma distinta di vita sacerdotale, su cui modellarsi".

THOUGHTS OF THE VEN. FRANCESCO CHIESA*

ON THE LITANY OF LORETO

The first invocation that we make to Mary in the Litany of Loreto is this: Santa Maria, ora pro nobis. We say it with 3 sentiments:
1) of admiration, intending to praise Mary for her surpassing sanctity
2) of deep humility, acknoledging the great distance between us and Mary
3) of sincere love, we desiring and esteeming sanctity above all things.

* had been an enlightened guide and paternal support for more than 40 years to Blessed James Alberione, who admired him and saw him as "a distinguished form of priestly life upon whom to model oneself." He gave an explanation of the Litany to our Lady of Loreto in the month of May 1902/3 in Alba to the seminarians, of whom James Alberione was among them.

Presence of the Mother of God -- Presenza della Madre di Dio

2007-05-01T23:13:00.000+02:00

Since traditionally the month of May is dedicated to Mary, Mother of God, we begin this blog with Blessed James Alberione's relationship with and teaching on her.

Founder of an apostolic Family, Fr. Alberione felt the presence of the Mother of God aboveall in her apostolic appointments and invited his congregations to revere her under the title "Queen of the Apostles". He proposed the most profound visions on the Virgin-Mother, parting from the considerations of her as Queen of the Apostles: bearer of the integral Christ, thus highest example of "apostolate".

There is nothing more valuable to be given this poor, proud world than Jesus Christ. Mary gave the world grace in Jesus Christ and continues to make this offerings for all time. She is the universal mediatrix of grace and in this role is our mother. The world had need of Jesus Christ, Way, Truth, and Life. Mary gives him now through apostles and apostolates which she inspires, forms, assists and crowns in fruitfulness.

Presenza della Madre di Dio

Fondatore di una Famiglia apostolica, don Alberione ha sentito la presenza della Madre di Dio soprattutto nell'ordine dei suoi impegni apostolici e ha invitato le sue Congregazioni a venerarla sotto il titolo di "Regina degli Apostoli". Ha proposto le più profonde visioni sulla Vergine-Madre, partendo dalla considerazione di lei come Regina degli Apostoli: portatrice del Cristo integrale, quindi esempio sommo di "apostolato".

Nessuna più grande ricchezza si può dare a questo mondo povero e orgoglioso che Gesù Cristo. Maria diede al mondo la grazia in Gesù Cristo; continua a offrirlo nei secoli. Ella è mediatrice universale della grazia, e in quest'ufficio è madre nostra. Il mondo ha bisogno di Gesù Cristo, Via, Verità e Vita. Maria lo dà per mezzo degli apostoli e degli apostolati, che Ella suscita, forma, assiste e incorona di frutti e di gloria in cielo.