FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, 1996 5:00 P.M.
…this is why I always say: Evangelization, because this is what we all need, People of God, to secure our daily lived faith with clear and concise order of ideas, to not make mistakes and stumble – so to speak in Spanish –.
We must be firm defending our Christian rights because if we are Catholics, believers, if we come from Christ – thus we are Christians – we must have a clear mind to know how to discern the Gospels and the content of the continuous birth of my Lord.
Every year it is the wonderful proof that He gives us with his birth, so we can be born to a new, spontaneous, natural, simple, clear, understandable life with the concepts of the Church, the Mother Church, because she is our Mother and we must feel supported by her, supported with her warmth, love, and human solidarity that our Pontiff in these times, John Paul II, offers us, as well as our priests, all the religious, all those who come from Christ, because they left their homes, they left their families, they left it all to surrender to the Church, to Jesus Christ, to the living Jesus because Christ lives, lives in each one of us.
So He may truly live calm, serene; and I say serene, because He really suffers when he sees us insecure in our convictions, and we must be sure, and free from the bonds of the world of sin, from annoying situations, and from the formulas men of the world want to use – the majority are mistaken –. Therefore, we have the Sacred Bible where all the situations in the life of all our ancestors are described, from Abraham to these times.
So, I would tell you… of course, I do not have the culture, the preparation, I am a poor woman like any other, but I infinitely love my Lord, it is a feeling that I do not have any possible expression to describe, because it is so great that it does not fit in my heart, and this is the love I feel for you, the love I feel for all the innocent children of the world, the patients, the sad ones, the forsaken, for those who do not have human warmth.
Therefore, my struggle; therefore, my great love, so some can rest on my lap. Because when they come to me I feel that Jesus comes to meet them with indescribable sweetness, and Mary too, at his side, with such infinite tenderness that only she knows how to give.
So – as father said – let us prepare ourselves, let us prepare ourselves, let us prepare ourselves to meet with the Lord on December 24 and the year to come, in order for our soul, heart, mind, spirit, all our being to be filled with joy, filled with God.
Brothers, my children and my little ones, I invite you to pray, to pray for all the nations of the world so there may be peace and unity, so there may be harmony in all homes, families, so we may love one another, so we may learn to bear and help each other constantly without feeling tired of hearing others telling us… O I am tired; I cannot go on any longer! Last night I could not go on, I was tired, I went to bed at 4:00 in the morning, because I have to pray, I cannot go to bed without praying, I must pray, and early this morning I was wide-awake, people began to arrive later, and then I no longer had the time to sleep anymore. I do not want you to say, “O Mrs. Maria Esperanza is showing off!” No.
The thing is that we need willpower for doing things, human docility before the presence of the Lord, before the logical thing of that life of Christ that is, was, and continues to be our life, his life in ours to assay our faith, our human condition helping us grow spiritually.
Because I tell you, my children, you can have all the wealth of the world, the power, and people working; but no, that is not what it is about. It is Jesus who we bear within ourselves, the wealth of Christ who is a wonderful gift, who has no comparison because He is the Son of God, of the Eternal Father. Because the Father is who rules and governs the world, He is owner of the world, the Power of all powers, and He fashioned that Son at his own image and likeness, He is part of his life, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit blowing over each one of us to meet with us, and in this meeting we receive all that light, all that splendor of new life that subtly comes like something so clear, so soft, so tender that it communicates to you, warmth, a soft breeze, intense but respectful love that barely touches you. How beautiful, my God!
I say: Lord, man continues with egoism, with small Earthly things. And sometimes it hurts, but I must be strong and strengthen myself with that love of Christ to not consider the things of life, let us say, the unpleasant things. Let us think about the beautiful things, the gorgeous things, the sky, the morning; in these days snow came. How pretty! I felt like a little girl watching it. O my God, such beauty, Lord!
Let us turn into small children; if we pretend we are great, we do nothing, I have told this to my children, nothing, it is that inner thing that makes you see and touch everything that seems incredible, and at least slightly touch with clearness and clarity what only God can give us.
Let us be very subtle in our things and clear in our concepts. I tell you this, because we must read the Sacred Bible from Abraham on, I would say, I admire Abraham, David: strong, robust, with his horses. In short, history is so beautiful, it is so beautiful that you make a way into it, and it penetrates you making your life more beautiful, more splendid, and I say: What have I done? I know nothing, I am so poor, my God, but it makes you vibrate, it makes you grow, you feel strengthened, and despite the trials you have and despite anything, He makes you even stronger.
Someone told me in these days, “O Mrs. Maria Esperanza, you like to suffer!” That is what you think, – I said – I am happy. “The thing is that you take every problem as your own.” No, because when I live your problem, I believe that the Lord works both in you and in me, the steps that we must give, so the problem may disappear. That is love, it is love.
We must love although we are not loved in return, it does not matter that they do not like us, no, it does not matter; you must go on happily, content, strong. Life is so beautiful! Life is so splendid! God gives us such warmth, and it is this touch that I bare inside!
Well, Lord, here I am, here I am to serve You, love You, and make You be acknowledged by all your children on Earth. In short, Lord, I am a small ant, but there is love in this ant, and there is part of You, Lord, we are part of You.
Here, this is a banquet, to see that all of you are going to receive the Lord, that you are going to communicate with Him, because He inspires us with his graces, He inspires us and He gives them to us. Sometimes we do not know how to solve problems, and suddenly, if you collect your thoughts, pray, go to Holy Mass and you feed yourself with his Body, that Body fills you with supernatural life, all your nervous system, your human nature, your blood, your cells, everything begins to walk better, to function better.
You should know it is not necessary to eat so much, to do so many things… To eat, well, it is necessary to eat. I also ask them to do sacrifice over there, not great things either, people must be normal, be balanced because if you go way to high you fall and hit yourself.
So, you have to be in a normal world, perhaps, you lead your life with God in one way, but in the world you must be like everyone, the majority. Because why are you going to show off, that you are more in favor? No, no, no; let us be normal, let us be fair, let us be concrete in our actions and defined in the way we live, because life is very beautiful.
The beauty of today, of yesterday, was him healing the sick with his hands, with his humility, and patience; everyone has his beautiful and splendid things. It is not necessary, my God, to think that one is great, no, it is simpleness. Not because you get dressed and you believe that you are way up there, no, no. Think that you are wearing a gown that covers you, and when They cover you, it is your Lord to free you from a world anesthetized by the serious problems that are happening and He wants to free us.
It was beautiful for me last night, very beautiful, but at the same time painful. Do you know why? Because sometimes I want to disappear from the world and people. I felt like a scared little girl, but it is then when God gives me the strength to face that world, if it likes me or not, if it applauds me or not, if it says that I know or I do not. No, it is not my interest to know much, I want to know the small things that are those things that God gives me, those things that He teaches me, those things that He wants me to know… not to be an instructed, and mysterious person, no.
We have something that is going to instruct us, that will continue instructing us, and that has instructed us during all our lives, during all generations: the Sacred Bible, the Holy Bible. Every Christian has to have that book on his night-table and read it in the mornings. In the mornings, rah! Wherever you open, it the Lord is speaking to you, Forgive me, but the first thing that a human being must do is kneel down and thank God everyday, and immediately open the Bible to praise the Lord on his knees with his head on the ground, and immediately rise and see what the Lords wants to say to him, what do you have to do during that day, how are you going to behave.
So, brothers, it is hard, I do not want to give lectures, I feel ashamed with father, but I speak and say the things that I feel, the things that are born spontaneously and naturally, not carefully elaborate from the books or anything, no, no; simple.
Well, father, I thank you for the opportunity you have given me, because I want that luxuriant and fresh youth to truly conceive the idea that if Christ lives among us, they will be able to follow Him announcing Him every year when December the 24th comes, an unforgettable date for all Christians of the world, for all true Catholics.
So, my gratitude for your humility, because humility is needed to tell me, “Speak, Mrs. Maria Esperanza.” Those things are details, things that I am grateful for, they are better than the best gift of the world, because my heart longed, deep within my soul longed to say: Jesus, I wish I could proclaim You, Lord.
December the 24th is coming and many think about the vacation and the enjoyment. I want them to think about You, we are not going to make a fuss about the food at home, and about the Christmas tree. No, no, first your manger, your nativity set with your Mother and Saint Joseph so poor in that small cave. However, all the angels, all the shepherds, and all the animals came to adore You, Lord, with the Maggie. Such beauty! Such a great picture when I think about it! The humility of an innocent and perfect child, because He is the work of the Father, Jesus de Nazaret.
Well, forgive me. I am talking too much, it is enough, but I am grateful.
May God keep you, and bless you. Continue to be firm, strong, and very clear in all your convictions. This is the importance of a priest, never going this or the other way, no; with your personality.
He also has a great spirit of humility, patience and of surrender to his mission. We all have a mission and we must fulfill it. Some are good for some things and others for other things… but we all are useful, we all must serve.
So, I thank you all very much for having the patience of listening to me.
Father, thank you, and may God bless you. Especially the thought of Mass on our anniversary on December 8th. I will remember you so, and I will have you all in mind. It will be as if I am seeing you. I will project this picture so we all may live another beautiful day like this one here during Holy Mass. I will make myself present when Mass is said over there… that I am here, because these are the things I thank, what is born spontaneously and naturally, this is what I like, not great things; but rather small ones that touch the heart. And for the person to be firm, with conditions; people who have truly been touched by God for a great mission, the missionaries of the love of Jesus Christ on Earth. Thank you, Father.
(Applause.)
