June 19, 1978

THE GREAT MISSION OF THE CHURCH

Father Octavio, I am your sister Alice; write.

In these last days your communication with the Church Triumphant has been intense; many of the blessed have spoken to you, and have instructed you about the great mission of the Church in the world, and in the Church about the great mission of bishops and of priests, of guiding souls through the battle of life toward God.

Do you remember, brother, the vicissitudes of a famous general, who lived about two centuries ago? I speak of Napoleon. Imagine him seated at his worktable, surrounded by all his best generals and by his military experts, attentively studying the great plan of his expedition to Russia. In all those meetings they studied about the number of men with diverse weapons, the number of horses, carriages, the number of weapons, rifles, cannons, swords; the number of provisions that were needed to realize this great enterprise. They studied even the smallest details, and the different stages that they would travel, day by day; they tried to foresee all the reactions of their enemy; they calculated his movements, his capacity of resistance, his retreats and a vast number of details; they tried to provide everything; they did everything to prevent and avoid mistaken movements; they needed months to complete the elaboration of their plan of invasion.

This is what men do, my brother, for their human enterprises. Everything was considered: the nature of the terrain, the riverbeds that they had to cross, the direction of the winds. They planned the places where they would confront the enemy, and they tried to learn everything about him, by means of spies and diplomats.

Humanity and the Church: the people of God on the march

Brother, this is what men do during war.

Humanity and the Church are the “people of God” on the march, through the desert of earthly life; I said, through the desert. What else is the earth, except a horrid desert, compared to the heavenly fatherland? Is not humanity in its earthly march, continuously besieged by enemy forces and powers, the origin of all the evils that afflict it? Is not the enemy always lying in ambush, always ready to attack? And you, priests, with your pastors, how do you direct the defense of your soldiers?

What do your generals do, the bishops, to overcome in this, the most important of all wars?

Here are the causes of the present crisis! Here are the roots of its multiple, and incurable evils!

He who sows winds, harvests storms

Humanity and the Church can never impute to God their having been deprived of all the ordinary and extraordinary helps; just as the Hebrew people in their pilgrimage to the promised land had all helps. Human blindness is something truly incomprehensible, and that of the Christians, even more incomprehensible. This blindness is such that humanity, that suspects and guesses that it is traveling toward the precipice, does not have the will to react and save itself, and perhaps it does not even deserve a ray of light, for the light has been methodically and coldly rejected.

He who sows winds, harvests storms, and wind, much wind has been sown; the hurricane that will sweep away everything, is now approaching.

My brother, there is no time to lose. I know your mission; hasten the preparation of the fifth book; give it quickly to the publisher, without worrying about the eventual negative reactions. Forward; try to be more faithful to him, who loves you. Do not give credit to the judgments of the world, that are of no use and no value. Thirst for the glory of God and the salvation of souls and that alone be within your heart. These are the things that are of true value, and for which it is worth immolating oneself.

You should know that we await you, and during this wait we intercede, so that the blessing of God Almighty and of his Mother and ours, and that of St. Joseph, may descend upon you and upon all those who are dear to you.

Alice