Sunday 29 May 2011

Forgive, my Jesus. What am I without You?


My God, my God, no light, no guide for me, without a priest to whom I can confide all. O Heaven, O Heaven, O Jesus, O Mother!
The pits had disappeared, but my ears still heard in the distance the sounds of the devil. I felt his anger. In this bitterness, and position of violence, a good while passed. If Jesus doesn’t help me, who can save me? O my God, it is for your love, and for souls. Then I heard Jesus:
- You didn’t sin, my daughter, you didn’t sin, trust, you have given me the greatest consolation, you have given me all the reparation you could possibly have given.
Look, daughter, your guardian angel, who looks after you, now receives the task of caring for you by changing your position when these battles make it necessary. Be cheerful, I'm with you!
I was in the usual position. And after a while, I began to feel that I still had that rich treasure that the devil had made me forget. My soul felt so much joy seeing the wealth that I possessed! And I wished to embrace the rich treasure, I wanted to kiss it. I felt the joy of a mother who, having lost her son, found him again.
I cannot tell the joy of my soul. I cannot tell the concern that this gives me, I'm always afraid that someone might rob me. I want to do everything, I want to suffer everything so that there is no danger.
Yesterday, without thinking, said something that Jesus seemed to dislike. I was very sad. I humbled myself before the Lord, I was embarrassed.
- Forgive, my Jesus. What am I without You?
This pain stayed with me the rest of the day and most of the night. At dawn, when doing my preparation for the coming of Jesus, I could not withstand the pain. I cried and cried. What great pain I felt for having hurt the Divine Heart of Jesus. I wanted a priest with holy absolution to cleanse my soul.
You Purify me, Jesus, You cleanse me. Oh, the pain I suffer for having seen You hated. I am alone with no comfort from the earth. I do not blame You. Forgive me, forgive me! I accept the pain I suffer for those who displease You, and for all who sin seriously without knowing it.
This pain continued throughout the day and I kept careful watch over my heart. I have an intense craving to have whole worlds, thousands of them, crying out: Love, love Jesus!
My God, I do not know if I’ll win, I do not know if I can endure so much suffering. I want to see You loved by everyone and not offended. I cannot bear to see You suffer.
O sin, sad sin, that so hurts Jesus! O Love, O my love, what kind of caresses have You got in store for me? I wait for them, I see them. I'm afraid. If they hurt me a lot, I love You. The greater the pain, with Thy grace, the greater my love. O Heaven, save me, help me!

Sentiments of the Soul, 18-12-1944

Saturday 28 May 2011

HYMN TO THE TABERNACLES


................... by Bld Alexandrina


 
On this hymn, Father Umberto Pasquale writes that it has “the rhythm of a psalm” and “it is dotted by poetical hastiness and is surpassed by Saint Francis of Assisi’s seraphic fervour”.
Father Mariano Pinho refers to it as “the precious praise chant, which reminds us of St. Francis’ Chant to the Sun or the Benedicite”. On the other hand, Mr and Mrs. Signorile, call it an amazing offertory chant: “Her (Alexandrina’s) inflamed, unrestrained love, overflowing from her full heart, bursts into an amazing Offertory Chant”.

Oh my Jesus, I want that each pain that I feel, each palpitation of my heart, each time that I breathe, each second of the hours that I pass, to be
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

I want that each movement of my feet, of my hands, my lips, my tongue, each time that I open my eyes or close them, each tear, each smile, each joy, each sadness, each tribulation, each distraction, contrariety or trouble, to be
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

I want that each letter of the prayers that I recite or hear to recite, all the words that I pronounce or hear to pronounce, that I read or hear to read, that I write or see writing, that I sing or hear to sing, to be
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

I want that each little kiss that I give in your holy images or in those of your and my beloved Mummy, in your saints, to be
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I want each little drop of rain that falls from the sky to the land, all the water contained in the world, offered drop by drop, all the sands of the sea and everything the sea contains, to be
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You the leaves of the trees, all the fruits that they may have, the little flowers offered petal by pe­tal, all the little grains of seeds and cereals in the world, and everything  contained in  the gardens, fields and mountains, I offer everything as
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You the feathers of the small birds, their own warbling the coats and the voices of all the animals, as
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You the day and the night, the heat and the cold, the wind, the snow, the moon, the moonlight, the sun, the sunset, the stars of the sky, my sleep, my dream, as
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You everything the world contains, all greatnesses, wealth and treasures of the world, everything which happens to myself, everything I use to offer to You, everything I can imagine, as
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, accept the sky, the land, the sea, everything, everything they have, as if everything was mine and of everything I could make use and offer You as
Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

My daughter, in whom is written all that is divine


- My daughter, unite your pain with mine, knead it into the love of my Divine Heart. I knead mine into yours. Love Me, you are loved by Me, you are safe full of riches, a repository of divine gifts.
My daughter, dear angel, your pain went to adorn the mantel and crown your Blessed Mother gave you. What light, what brilliance it was given! It is the pain of glory, it is the pain of salvation. It is the sea of ​​martyrdom, the sea of ​​immolation.
My daughter, heavenly garden of divine flowers, sweet meadow that grazes sinners, feed them with grace, purity and love. Keep them, guide them, divine shepherdess, shepherdess chosen by Jesus. Purify them, purify them for Me, guide them, drive them towards to my Divine Heart.
My daughter, mistress of the divine sciences, hold what was deposited in your heart by Me and My Blessed Mother eight days ago: it is the world, they are sinners. It is infinite value, it is my divine Blood. They are souls saved by your pain. This desire of wanting to guard, and not knowing how to, is torment that will consume you until your death, it will increase day by day.
My daughter, in whom is written all that is divine: in you they will learn to love, in you they will learn to suffer, in you they will learn to know how I communicate with souls. They do not know, they do not study what is written. This negligence of theirs causes so much hurt to my Divine Heart!
Have courage! Who suffers with me wins. How many tears of regret they will cry seeing that your name, now so disdained, is with Me and my blessed Mother on earth and will be glorified in heaven!
Come, my blessed Mother, come to comfort my, and your daughter, come and cover her with your caresses.
The Heavenly Mother came soon, took me to her bosom, hugged me with tenderness of love, kissed me, caressed me and told me:
- My daughter, queen chosen by Me and my divine Son, you will be in heaven on a throne by my side, and the side, of my Divine Son, as queen. I as Queen of Heaven and you as queen of earth.
- My Mother - Jesus said - feed her, give her your life, the life of the soul which she always lived, and the life of the body which she needs.
The Heavenly Mother began to breathe on me with her most holy lips joined to mine. I felt strong in soul and body. Jesus did the same, he breathed on me and caressed me. Then He continued:
- My daughter, with my Blessed Mother I am giving you that comfort that you should receive from men. When years ago I said I would be your director, I was referring to these times; it was not separate you from your director (Padre Pinho). Yes, I needed him in union with Me to guide you ant take you to the heights that divine my love requires. I already saw the cruelty and persecution of men.
Courage! Your name that you feel has been disparaged, soon will be talked of with respect, and praised along with mine.
- Thanks for ever, my Jesus. The more things You tell me the more miserable and wretched I feel before You.

Thy way, Mother of Jesus,
Gives me comfort to carry the Cross.
To carry the Cross in this bitterness,
Amid the darkness, in so much dryness.
O Mother of Jesus, give me your love,
To love your and my Lord with it!

Sentiments of the Soul, December 15, 1944

Thursday 5 May 2011

On the image of Our Lady of Conception in the Church of Balasar


On 9 October 1950, Fr Leopoldino reports the arrival of the sculptor José Ferreira Thedim in Balasar, from S. Mamede do Coronado. At first people might think he would be one of the many pilgrims, who came to visit Alexandrina, or he might have come and gather information for a new image of Our Lady of the Conception whose destiny was the parish church. Read about what the same journalist reported on the Immaculate Conception Day in 1952.


On the Immaculate Conception feast, in which a distinguished prior of the parish of S. Sebastião, Guimarães (the priest José de Jesus Ribeiro),  preached, a new statue of Our Lady was blessed , a generous and devoted gift from our emigrants in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The image is a lovely masterpiece, both in the art of sculpture and in painting, revealing the author’s skills, which honors his workshop. All the people praise him a lot”.

The Mother of God tramples the serpent under foot, as it is usual in such representations, and under her feet there lies a globe. The five shields intend to the fact that Our Lady of Conception is the patron saint of Portugal.

José Ferreira Thedim (1892-1971) was born in S. Mamede do Coronado, where he developed his art.
His father was a sculptor as well his siblings. The statues by Thedim excelled exuberance: he was the only one shaping, designing and making all this by himself. There was a special environment in the workshop: a silence that resembled a church.
In 1917 he was asked to carve the image of Our Lady of Fatima. Thedim was then introduced to Sister Lucia to collect data for his work, but he also gathered ideas from a Spanish book.
His work finished, with one meter and three centimeters from the pedestal to the skull, the image was sent to Fatima and blessed by the local priest in May 13, 1920 and placed in the Chapel of the Apparitions in June 13.
From then on Thedim’s work got known internationally, to such an extent that in 1931 he was awarded the title of Knight Commander by Pope Pius XI.
In 1947, the sculptor created the image of the Pilgrim Virgin, having met Sister Lucia once again.
His work is spread all over galleries, churches, monasteries and convents around the world.
His first images were made of cedar wood from Brazil, S. Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina States; it was a woody and colored material, with a distinctive smell and good for carving.
See also here.