December 3, 1976

PASTORAL PRACTICE THAT SHOULD BE REVISED

Write, my son:

I, Jesus, am God; I am infinitely simple; I love simplification; I desire simplicity in souls, and I also desire simplicity in my Church and in its structures, many of which will be re-structured.

My son, for the local churches, or dioceses, three structures will be essential.

Indispensable structures that a holy pastor should construct for his Church

1.- A seminary in which are received the aspirants to the priesthood. It will be a place in which aspirants will be admitted by holy priests; they will be places in which they will be directed toward a profound piety and study, naturally in an atmosphere of great faith, without any materialistic conception, without laxity and without anarchy.

2.- The pastor, who has in his care the salvation of the flock entrusted to him, will need a group of priests very skillful in delivering and freeing souls who are the prey of the powers of evil, according to the precept given by Me to my Apostles: “Go ye and preach the Gospel, and cast out demons.”

The pastors of souls, who are now re-learning the Gospel, should be the very first in blessing those who are possessed; they will preside over this group of priests delegated for this duty. These priests should be among the best, animated by a spirit of faith, of piety and of mortification.

To this activity can be added religious teaching and the direction of a special school for spiritual directors.

3.- A necessary structure will also consist of a commission that will be in charge of the work of assistance; the members of this commission will be good and holy laymen; it will be directly presided by the Bishop, or through a person delegated by the Bishop, and none of its members will abuse the confidence placed in him, for to defraud the poor is a very grave sin, that will be punished by Me even in this earthly life.

Every structure is of worth, if the persons who form it are worthy. If a house is constructed with inadequate material or with a mixture lacking cement, it will collapse; therefore, the first great preoccupation of a pastor of souls will be to construct his church upon solid foundations and with materials that are resistant and good, that is, to surround himself with holy priests, and thus he will form a center of fermentation, capable of leavening and changing the whole mass.

A Bishop should do all this, if he wants to be consistent with his commission.

The grain of wheat is under the earth and it should die

What did I, Jesus, do at the beginning of my public life?

I chose my Apostles; and it was not by chance that I chose them. God never works by chance; he always works for a very precise purpose, and is never moved by petty calculations, as you men are with so much frequency; this lack of an upright intention leads pastors and priests off the right path.

O my son! many will be scandalized, and will not want to believe that an upright intention is lacking in pastors and priests, but how many acrobatics to rise in power; how many skillful maneuvers to reach eminent posts, without ever reflecting that, sooner or later, they will precipitate themselves into a vacuum!

My son, if the situation in my Church has reached such a great crisis, one should not think that it is imputable to a particular category; the faithful, the priests and the bishops, all have their part in this responsibility, in different measure and proportion.

My son, the hour has arrived; the grain of wheat is under the earth,' and it should die; an extremely weak, small plant will sprout forth, that in time will become strong and robust, and will bring forth an abundant harvest.

Speak out, my son; say that the hour is near. I have repeatedly told you that, since I desire all to be saved, all should know of it, and all should prepare themselves with penance and prayer, for if you are not converted and do not do penance, I tell you that you will all perish.

My son, love Me with greater intensity; offer yourself to Me with what you possess, with what you are.

I bless you, and with you I bless all those who love Me.