| 
       The Holy Mass 
      Explained 
      to Catalina by Jesus and Mary 
 
      Catalina 
      Rivas of Cochabamba, Bolivia, who now dwells in Mérida, Yucatán, México. 
      She is said to receive Messages from Jesus, Mary, and the angels. She has 
      the approval of her Bishop, René Fernández Apaza, who has given his 
      imprimatur to her Messages. The following text is the reproduction of 
      booklet, “The Holy Mass,” in which Our Lord and Our Lady explain to 
      Catalina what is really going on during the Mass in the spiritual realm, 
      and how we should be more concentrated on the great mysteries that are 
      taking place. 
      Bo. Daniel Gagnon, 
      OMI, of the Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Archdiocese of 
      Mexico, wrote about this book: “I do not find anything against the faith 
      or the customs of the Church. It is not my function to confirm its 
      supernatural 
      
      character; nevertheless, I recommend it for its spiritual inspiration.” 
 
      The 
      testimony of Catalina In a marvelous 
      catechesis, the Lord and the Virgin Mary have been instructing us first on 
      how to pray the Rosary, that being to pray it with our hearts, and 
      meditate and enjoy the moments when we encounter God and our Blessed 
      Mother. They have also instructed us on the way to make a good confession 
      and, in this document, a teaching on what happens during the Holy Mass and 
      how to live it with our hearts. 
      This is 
      the testimony that I must and want to give to the whole world, for the 
      greater Glory of God and for the salvation of all of those who want to 
      open their hearts to the Lord. It is also given so that many souls 
      consecrated to God will rekindle the fire of their love for Christ, some 
      of whom are the owners of the hands that have the power to bring Him to 
      our world so that He can become our nourishment. It is also given for 
      others so that they break lose of the “routine practice” of receiving Him, 
      and relive the amazement of their daily encounter with Love. And it is 
      given so that my lay brothers and sisters from the entire world live the 
      greatest Miracle with their hearts: the celebration of the 
      Eucharist. It was the vigil of 
      the Annunciation, and the members of our group had gone to the Sacrament 
      of Reconciliation. Some of the ladies of the prayer group had not been 
      able to do it, and so they left their reconciliation for the next day 
      before the Mass. When I arrived at 
      church the next day, a little bit late, the Archbishop and priests were 
      already coming out of the sacristy.  The Virgin Mary 
      said with Her soft and feminine voice that sweetens one's soul: 
      “Today is 
      a day of learning for you, and I want you to pay close attention because 
      of what you will witness today. Everything that you will experience today, 
      you will have to share with all of humanity.” I was deeply moved 
      without understanding why, but I tried to be very attentive.  
       The first thing I 
      noticed was a choir of very beautiful voices that was singing as if it was 
      far away. For moments the music came closer and, then, it went further 
      away like the sound of the wind. The Archbishop started 
      Mass and, when he reached the  
      Penitential Rite, the Blessed Virgin 
      said: 
      “From 
      the bottom of your heart, ask the Lord to forgive your faults that have 
      offended Him. In this way, you will be able to participate worthily in 
      this privilege of assisting at the Holy Mass.”  
      I 
      thought for a fraction of a second: “Surely I am in a state of grace of 
      God; I went to confession last night.” She answered:
       
      “Do you think that since last 
      night you have not offended the Lord?  Let Me remind 
      you of a few things. When you left to come here, the girl who helps you 
      approached to ask you for something  
      and, as you were late and in a hurry, 
      you did not answer her in a very nice way. There was a lack of charity on 
      your part, and you say, you have not offended God...? 
      “While 
      on the way here, a bus crossed over your lane and almost hit you. You 
      expressed yourself in a very non-advisable way against that poor man, 
      instead of saying your prayers and preparing yourself for Mass. You have 
      failed in charity and lost your peace and patience. And you say you have 
      not hurt the Lord? 
      “You 
      arrive at the last minute when the procession of the celebrants is already 
      coming out to celebrate the Mass...  and you are 
      going to participate without previous preparation...” 
      I replied, “All right, my Mother, say 
      no more to me. You do not have to remind me of more things because I am 
      going to die of 
      
      
      grief and 
      shame.” 
      “Why must you all 
      arrive at the last moment? You should have arrived earlier to be able to 
      pray and ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit that He may grant you a 
      spirit of peace and cleanse you of the spirit of the world, your worries, 
      your problems, and your distractions so as to enable you to live this so 
      sacred a moment. However, you arrive almost when the celebration is about 
      to commence, and you participate as if it is an ordinary event, without 
      any spiritual 
      
      preparation. Why? This is the greatest of Miracles. You are going to live 
      the moment when the Most High God gives His greatest gift, and you do not 
      know how to appreciate it.” 
      This was 
      enough. I felt so bad that I had more than enough 
      
      
      to ask for forgiveness from 
      God. It was not only for the offenses of that day, but also for all the 
      times that, like so many other people, I had waited for the priest to 
      finish his homily before entering the Church. It was also for the times 
      that I did not know or refused to understand what it meant to be there, 
      and for the times that perhaps my soul was full of more serious sins, and 
      I had dared to participate in the Holy Mass. 
 
      How 
      different was that Gloria! Suddenly I saw myself in a far off place full 
      of light, before the Majestic Presence of the Throne of God. With so much 
      love I went on thanking Him, as I repeated: “For your immense Glory we 
      praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we give You glory, we give You 
      thanks, Lord, God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.” And I recalled 
      the paternal face of the Father, full of kindness. “Lord Jesus Christ, 
      only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away the sins of 
      the world...” And Jesus was in front of me, with that face full of 
      tenderness and Mercy... “For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the 
      Lord, You alone are the most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit...”, 
      the God of beautiful Love. He, Who at that moment, caused my whole being 
      to tremble... And I asked: “Lord, 
      deliver me from all evil spirits. My heart belongs to You. My Lord, send 
      me Your peace so that I can gain the finest benefits from the Eucharist 
      and that my life may produce the best fruits. Holy Spirit of God, 
      transform me, act within me, guide me. Oh God, give me the gifts that I 
      need to serve you better!”   The moment of the
       
      Liturgy of the 
      Word 
      arrived, and the 
      Virgin Mary made me repeat: “Lord, today I want to listen to Your Word and 
      produce abundant fruit. May Your Holy Spirit clean the interior of my 
      heart so that Your Word grows and develops in it, purifying my heart so 
      that it may be well disposed.”   Our Lady said:
       
      “I want you to be attentive to the 
      readings and to all of the homily of the priest. Remember that the Bible 
      says that the Word of God does not return without bearing fruit. If you 
      are attentive, something from all that you heard will remain in you. You 
      should try to recall, all day long, those Words that left an impression on 
      you.  
      Sometimes it may be two verses, other times the reading of the 
      entire Gospel, or perhaps only one word. Savor them for the rest of the 
      day, and it will then become part of you, because that is the way to 
      change one's life, by allowing the Word of God to transform you. 
       
      “And 
      now, tell the Lord that you are here to listen, that you want Him to speak 
      to your heart today.” 
      Once again I thanked 
      God for giving me the opportunity to hear His Word. 
      And I 
      asked Him for forgiveness for having had such a hard heart for so many 
      years, and for having taught my children that they had to go to Mass on 
      Sundays because it is commanded by the Church, and not for love and the 
      need to be filled with God. I had attended so many 
      Eucharistic Celebrations mostly out of obligation and, because of this, I 
      believed I was saved. But I did not live it and, much less, did I pay 
      attention to the readings or to the priest's homily! How much pain I felt 
      for so many years of needless loss because of my ignorance!  How superficial 
      is our attendance at the Mass when we go only because someone is getting 
      married, or for a funeral Mass, or because we have to be seen by society! 
      How much ignorance about our Church and the Sacraments!  How much waste 
      in trying to instruct and enlighten ourselves about the things of the 
      world, which in a moment can disappear, leaving us with nothing and, at 
      the end of our life, not serve to extend a minute to our existence!  
      However, we know nothing of that 
      which will give us a little of heaven on earth and, afterwards, eternal 
      life. And we call ourselves cultured men and women! 
       A moment later the
       
      Offertory 
      arrived, and the Holy 
      Virgin said:  
      “Pray like this: (and I 
      repeated after Her)  
      Lord, I offer all that I am, all that I have, 
      all that I can. I put everything 
      into Your Hands. Build it up, Lord, with the little thing that I am. By 
      the merits of Your Son, transform me, God Almighty. I petition You for my 
      family, for my benefactors, for each member of our Apostolate, for all the 
      people who fight against us, for those who commend themselves to my poor 
      prayers. Teach me to lay down my heart as if on the ground before them so 
      that their walk may be less severe. This is how the saints prayed; this is 
      how I want all of you to do it.” 
      Thus, 
      this is how Jesus asks us to pray, that we put our hearts as if on the 
      ground so that they do not feel its severity, but rather that we alleviate 
      the pain of their steps. 
       Suddenly some 
      characters, whom I had not seen before, began to stand up. It was as if 
      from the side of each person present in the Cathedral, another person 
      emerged, and soon the Cathedral became full of young, beautiful people. 
      They were dressed in very white robes, and they started to move into the 
      central aisle and, then, went towards the Altar. Our Mother said: “Observe. They are the Guardian 
      Angels of each one of the persons who are here. This is the moment in 
      which your guardian angel carries your offerings and petitions before the 
      Altar of the Lord.”   At that moment, I was 
      completely astonished, because these beings had such beautiful faces, so 
      radiant as one is unable to imagine. Their countenance was very beautiful 
      with almost feminine faces; however, the structure of their body, their 
      hands, their height were masculine. Their naked feet did not touch the 
      floor, but rather they went as if gliding. That procession was very 
      beautiful. Some of them were 
      carrying something like a golden bowl with something that shone a great 
      deal with a golden-white light. The Virgin Mary said: “They are the Guardian Angels of 
      the people who are offering this Holy Mass for many intentions, those who 
      are conscious of what this celebration means. They have something to offer 
      the Lord.” 
      “Offer 
      yourselves at this moment; offer your sorrows, your pains, your hopes, 
      your sadness, your joys, your petitions. Remember that the Mass has 
      infinite value. Therefore, be generous in offering and in 
      asking.” Behind the first 
      Angels came others who had nothing in their hands; they were coming empty 
      handed. The Virgin Mary said:  
      “Those are the angels of the 
      people who are here but never offer anything. They have no interest in 
      living each liturgical moment of the Mass, and they have no gifts to carry 
      before the Altar of the Lord.”  
      At 
      the end of the procession came other angels who were rather sad, with 
      their hands joined in prayer but with their eyes downcast.  “These are 
      the Guardian Angels of the people who are here, but do not want to be, 
      that is to say, of the people who have been forced to come here, who have 
      come out of obligation, but without any desire to participate in the Holy 
      Mass. The angels go forth sadly because they have nothing to carry 
      to  
      the Altar, except for their own 
      prayers.” 
      “Do not sadden your Guardian 
      Angel.  Ask 
      for much, ask for the conversion of sinners, for peace in the world, for 
      your families, your neighbors, for those who ask for your prayers. Ask, 
      ask for much, but not only for yourselves, but for everyone else. 
       
      “Remember that the offering which 
      most pleases the Lord is when you offer yourselves as a holocaust so that 
      Jesus, upon His descent, may transform you by His own merits. What do you 
      have to offer the Father by yourselves? Nothingness and sin. But the 
      offering of oneself united to the merits of Jesus, that offering is 
      pleasing to the Father.” 
      That sight, that procession was so beautiful that it would be 
      difficult to compare it to another. All those celestial creatures bowing 
      before the Altar, some leaving their offerings on the floor, others 
      prostrating themselves on their knees with their foreheads almost touching 
      the floor. And as soon as they arrived at the Altar, they would disappear 
      from my sight. The final moment of the  Preface 
      arrived, and when the assembly said,
       “Holy, 
      Holy, Holy”, suddenly everything that was behind the celebrants 
      disappeared. Behind the left side of the Archbishop, thousands of Angels 
      appeared in a diagonal line, small angels, big angels, angels with immense 
      wings, angels with small wings, angels without wings. As the previous 
      ones, all were dressed with tunics like the white robes of the priests or 
      altar boys. Everyone knelt with their hands united in 
      prayer, and bowed their heads in reverence. Beautiful music was heard as 
      if there were many choirs with different voices, all singing in unison 
      together with the people: Holy, Holy, Holy... The moment of the Consecration, 
      the 
      moment of the most marvelous of Miracles had arrived. Behind the right 
      side of the Archbishop appeared a multitude of people also in a diagonal 
      line. They were dressed in the same tunic, but in pastel colors of: rose, 
      green, light blue, lilac, yellow, in short, in different and very soft 
      colors. Their faces were also brilliant, full of joy. They all seemed to 
      be the same age. You could note (I can't say why) that they were people of 
      different ages, but their faces looked the same, without wrinkles, happy. 
      They all knelt down as well at the singing of  “Holy, 
      Holy, Holy Lord...” Our Lady said:  
      “These are all the Saints and the Blessed of Heaven, 
      and among them are the souls of your relatives who already enjoy the
      Presence of God.” Then I saw Her, exactly to the right of the 
      Archbishop, a step behind the celebrant. She was suspended a little off 
      the floor, kneeling on some very fine, transparent but, at the same time, 
      luminous fabric, as crystalline water. The Holy Virgin, with hands joined, 
      was looking attentively and respectfully at the celebrant. She spoke to me 
      from there, but silently, directly to the heart, without looking at 
      me: 
      “It surprises you to see Me 
      standing a little behind Monsignor [the Archbishop],
       
      does it not? This is how it should 
      be... With all the love that My Son gives Me, He has not given Me the 
      dignity that He has given the priests of being able to perform the daily 
      Miracle with My hands as they do with their priestly hands. Because of 
      this, I feel a deep respect for priests and for the miracle that God 
      carries out through them, which compels Me to kneel here behind 
      them.” 
      My God, how much dignity, how much 
      grace the Lord pours over the priestly souls, and neither we, nor perhaps 
      some of them, are conscious of this.  
 Before the Altar, there appeared some shadows of people in a gray 
      color with their hands raised. The Holy Virgin said:  “These are the 
      blessed souls of Purgatory, who await your prayers to be 
      refreshed. Do not stop praying for them. They 
      pray for you, but they cannot pray for themselves. It is you who have to 
      pray for them, in order to help them depart so that they can be with God 
      and enjoy Him eternally. 
       
      “Now you now see it; I am here all 
      the time. People go on pilgrimages, searching for the places where I have 
      appeared. This is good, because of all the graces that they will receive 
      there. But during no apparition, in no
       
      other place, am I more present 
      than during the Holy Mass. You will always find Me at the foot of the 
      Altar where the Eucharist is celebrated; at the foot of the Tabernacle, I 
      remain with the angels because I am always with Him.” 
      To see that beautiful countenance 
      of the Mother at that moment of the words “Holy, Holy, Holy...” as well as 
      all the others with their radiant faces, with hands joined, awaiting that 
      miracle which repeats itself continuously, was to be in Heaven itself. And to think there are people who 
      can, at that moment, be distracted in conversation. It hurts me to tell 
      you, many men, more than women, stand with their arms crossed, as if 
      paying homage to the Lord as one equal to another. The Virgin Mary said: 
      “Tell all people that never is a man 
      more manly then when he bends his knees before God.” The celebrant said the words of the Consecration. 
      He was a 
      person of normal height, but suddenly, he began to grow, becoming filled 
      with light, a supernatural light between white and gold that enveloped him 
      and grew very strong around the face. And because of it, I could not see 
      his features. When he raised the Host, I saw his hands, and on the back of 
      his hands, he had some marks from which emanated a great deal of light. It 
      was Jesus! It was Him Who was wrapping His Body around the celebrant, as 
      if He were lovingly surrounding the hands of the Archbishop. At that 
      moment, the Host began to grow and became enormous, and upon it the 
      marvelous face of Jesus appeared looking at His people. 
      By 
      instinct, I wanted to bow my head, and Our Lady said:  “Do not look 
      down. Look up to view and contemplate Him. Exchange your gaze with 
      His, and repeat the prayer of Fatima: Lord, I 
      believe, I adore, I trust, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do 
      not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love You. Forgiveness 
      and Mercy... Now tell Him how much you love Him, and pay your homage to 
      the King of Kings.” 
       
      I 
      told it to Him, and it seemed as if I was the only one He was looking at 
      from the enormous Host. But I learned that this was the way He gazed at 
      each person, with love to the fullest. Then I lowered my head until I had 
      my forehead on the floor, as did all the Angels and the Blessed from 
      Heaven. Perhaps for a fraction of a second, I wondered how Jesus was 
      taking on the body of the celebrant and, at the same time, He was inside 
      the Host. And as he lowered the Host, it returned to its normal size. 
      Tears ran down my cheeks; I was unable to let go of my astonishment. 
      Immediately, the Archbishop said the words of the Consecration of 
      the wine and, as the words were being said, lightning appeared from the 
      heavens and in the background. The walls and ceiling of the church had 
      disappeared. All was dark, but for that brilliant light from the 
      Altar. 
      Suddenly, suspended in the air, I saw Jesus crucified. I saw Him 
      from the head to the lower part of the chest. The cross beam of the Cross 
      was sustained by some large, strong hands. From within this resplendent 
      light, a small light, like a very brilliant, very small dove, came forth 
      and flew swiftly all over the Church. It came to rest on the left shoulder 
      of the Archbishop, who continued to appear as Jesus because I could 
      distinguish His long hair, His luminous wounds, and His large body, but I 
      could not see His Face. Above was Jesus crucified, His head fallen upon His right shoulder. 
      I was able to contemplate His face, beaten arms and torn flesh. On the 
      right side of His chest, He had an injury, and blood was gushing out 
      toward the left side, and toward the right side, what looked like water, 
      but it was very brilliant.  
      They were more like jets of light coming forth towards the 
      faithful, and moving to the right and to the left. I was amazed at the 
      amount of blood that was flowing out toward the Chalice. I thought it 
      would overflow and stain the whole Altar, but not a single drop was 
      spilled.   
      At 
      that moment, the Virgin Mary said:  “This is 
      the miracle of miracles. I have said to you before that the Lord is not 
      constrained by time and space. At the moment of the Consecration, all the 
      assembly is taken to the foot of Calvary, at the instant of the 
      crucifixion of Jesus.” Can anyone imagine that? Our eyes cannot see it, but we are all 
      there at the very moment that they are crucifying Jesus. And He is asking 
      for forgiveness to the Father, not only for those who killed Him, but also 
      for each one of our sins:  
      “Father, forgive them, because they know not what 
      they do.” 
      From that day on, I do not care if the world thinks I am crazy, but 
      I ask everybody to kneel and try to live, with their heart and with all 
      their sensibility that they are capable of, this privilege that the Lord 
      grants us. When we were going to pray the  Our 
      Father, the Lord spoke for the first time during 
      the celebration, and said:  
      “Wait, I want you to pray with the deepest profundity 
      which you can summon. At this moment, bring to mind that person or persons 
      which have done you the greatest harm during your life, so that you 
      embrace them close to your bosom, and tell them with all your heart: `In 
      the Name of Jesus, I forgive you and wish you peace. In the Name of Jesus, 
      I ask for your forgiveness and wish my peace.' If the person is worthy of 
      that peace, then the person will receive it, and feel better for it.  If that person is not capable of 
      opening up to that peace, then peace will return to your heart. But I do 
      not want you to receive nor offer peace when you are not capable of 
      forgiving and feeling that peace in your heart first. 
       
      “Be careful of what you 
      do,” continued the Lord,  
      “you repeat in the Our Father: 
      forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. If 
      you are capable of forgiving but not forgetting, as some people say, you 
      are placing conditions upon the forgiveness of God. You are saying: You 
      forgive me only as I am capable of forgiving, but no more.” 
       
      I 
      do not know how to explain my pain, at the realization of how much we can 
      hurt the Lord. And also how much we can injure ourselves by holding so 
      many grudges, bad feelings and unflattering things that are born from our 
      own prejudices and over-sensitivities. I forgave; I forgave from the 
      heart, and asked for forgiveness from all the people whom I had hurt at 
      one time or another, in order to feel the peace of the Lord. The celebrant said, “...give us peace and unity...” and, then, “the peace 
      of the Lord be with all of you.” 
      Suddenly, I saw that among some (not all) of the people who were 
      embracing each other, a very intense light placed itself between them. I 
      knew it was Jesus, and I practically threw myself to embrace the person 
      next to me. I could truly feel the embrace of the Lord in that light. It 
      was Him Who embraced me giving me His peace, because in that moment, I had 
      been able to forgive and remove from my heart all grief against other 
      people. That is what Jesus wants, to share that moment of joy, hugging us 
      and wishing us His peace. 
      The moment of the celebrants' Communion arrived. There I once again 
      noticed the presence of all the priests next to the Archbishop. When he 
      took Communion, the Virgin Mary said: 
      “This is the moment to pray for 
      the celebrant and the priests who accompany him.  Repeat together 
      with Me: `Lord, bless them, sanctify them, help them, purify them, love 
      them, take care of them, and support them with Your Love.  Remember all 
      the priests of the world, pray for all the consecrated 
      souls...' Dear brothers and sisters, that is the moment in which we should 
      pray for them, because they are the Church as we, the laity, are also. 
      Many times we, the laity, demand so much from the priests, but we are 
      unable to pray for them, to understand that they are human, and to 
      comprehend and appreciate the solitude that many times can surround a 
      priest.   
      We 
      should understand that the priests are people like ourselves and that they 
      need to be understood, to be cared for. They need affection and attention 
      from us because they are giving their life to each one of us, as Jesus 
      did, by being consecrated to Him. 
      The Lord wants the people of the flock that God has entrusted to 
      the priest to pray and help in his sanctification. Someday, when we are on 
      the other side, we will understand the marvels that the Lord has done, 
      giving us priests who help us to save our souls. The people began to leave their pews on their way to 
      Communion.  The great moment 
      of the encounter had arrived. The Lord said to me:  “Wait a 
      moment; I want you to observe something...” 
      An interior impulse 
      made me raise my eyes towards the person who was going to receive 
      Communion on the tongue from the hands of the priest.    
      I 
      should clarify that this person was one of the ladies from our group who 
      the previous night was unable to go to confession, but this morning was 
      able to do so before the Holy Mass. When the Priest placed the Sacred Host 
      on her tongue, a flash of light, like a very golden white light, went 
      right through this person, first through her back, then surrounding her 
      from the back, around her shoulders, and then her head. The Lord said: 
      “This is how I Myself rejoice in 
      embracing a soul who comes with a clean heart to receive Me.” 
      The tone of voice of Jesus was 
      that of a happy person. 
      I 
      was astonished to see my friend return to her pew surrounded by light, 
      embraced by the Lord. I thought of the marvel that we miss so many times 
      by going to receive Jesus with our small or large offences, when it should 
      be a feast. 
 
      Many times we say that there are no priests to whom to go to 
      confess at any given moment. But the problem is not about confessing at 
      each moment, but the problem resides in our ease of falling into evil 
      again.  On the other hand, in 
      the same way that we make an effort to search for a beauty parlor, or men 
      search for a barber when we have a party, we have to also make an effort 
      to seek a priest when we need to remove all that dirt from ourselves. We 
      must not have the audacity to receive Jesus at any moment with our hearts 
      full of ugly things. When I went to receive communion, Jesus told me:
       “The Last 
      Supper was the moment of the greatest intimacy with My own.  During that hour of love, I 
      established what could be thought of as the greatest act of lunacy in the 
      eyes of men, that of making Myself a prisoner of Love. I established the 
      Eucharist.  I wanted to remain 
      with you until the end of the centuries because My Love could not bear 
      that you remained orphans, you whom I loved more than My 
      life.” 
      I 
      received that Host which had a different flavor. It was a mixture of blood 
      and incense that inundated me entirely. I felt so much love that the tears 
      ran down my cheeks without me being able to stop them.   When I returned to my seat, while kneeling down, the Lord said:
       “Listen...” A moment later, I began to 
      hear the prayers of the lady who was seated in front of me and who had 
      just received communion. What she said, without opening her mouth, was more or less like 
      this:  
      “Lord, remember that we are at the end of the month, and I do not have the 
      money to pay the rent, the car payments, nor the children's school. You 
      have to do something to help me... Please, make my husband stop drinking 
      so much. I cannot bear any more his being intoxicated so often, and my 
      youngest son is going to repeat the year again, if you do not help him. He 
      has exams this week... And do not forget our neighbor who must move. Let 
      her do it right away.  I 
      cannot stand her anymore, etc., etc.” Then the Archbishop said:  “Let us 
      pray,” and obviously all the congregation stood 
      up for the final prayer. Jesus said in a sad tone:  “Did you 
      take note of her prayer? Not a single time did she tell Me that she loves 
      Me.  Not a single time did she 
      thank Me for the gift that I have given her by bringing down My Divinity 
      to her poor humanity, in order to elevate her to Me. Not a single time has 
      she said: thank You, Lord. It has been a litany of requests, and so are 
      almost all of those who come to receive Me.” 
       
      “I have died for love, and I am 
      risen. For love I await each one of you, and for love I remain with you... 
      But you do not realize that I need your love. Remember that I am the 
      Beggar of Love in this sublime hour for the soul.”  
      Do 
      you all realize that He, Love, is begging for our love, and we do not give 
      it to Him? Moreover, we avoid going to that encounter with the Love of 
      Loves, with the only love who gives of itself in a permanent 
      oblation. When the celebrant was going to give the
       blessing, 
      the Holy Virgin said:  “Be 
      attentive, take care... You do any old sign instead of the Sign of the 
      Cross. Remember that this blessing could be the last one that you will 
      receive from hands of a priest. You do not know when, leaving here, if you 
      will die or not. You do not know if you will have the opportunity to 
      receive a blessing from another priest. Those consecrated hands are giving 
      you the blessing in the Name of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, make the Sign 
      of the Cross with respect, as if it was the last one of your 
      life.” How much we miss in not understanding and not participating every 
      day at the Holy Mass! Why not make an effort to begin the day a half hour 
      earlier and run to the Holy Mass and receive all the blessings that the 
      Lord wants to pour over us?   
      I 
      am aware that, because of their obligations, not everybody can attend 
      daily Mass, but at least two or three times a week. So many avoid Mass on 
      Sundays with the smallest excuse, that they have a child, or two, or ten, 
      and, therefore, they cannot attend Mass.  How do people manage when they 
      have other important types of commitments? They take all the children, or 
      take turns and the husband goes at one hour and the wife another, but they 
      carry out their duty to God. 
      We 
      have time to study, to work, to entertain, to rest, but WE DO NOT HAVE 
      TIME, AT LEAST ON SUNDAY, TO GO TO THE HOLY MASS. Jesus asked me to remain with Him a few minutes more after Mass had 
      finished. He said: 
      “Do not leave in a hurry after Mass 
      is over. Stay a moment in My company and enjoy it, and let Me enjoy 
      yours...” 
       “Lord, truly, how much time do You stay with us after Communion?”
       
       
      I 
      suppose that the Lord must have laughed at my silliness, because He 
      answered:  
      “All the time that you want to have Me with you. If 
      you speak to Me all day long, offering Me some words during your chores, I 
      will listen to you. I am always with you. It is you who leaves Me. You 
      leave the Mass, and the day of obligation ends. You kept the day of the 
      Lord, and it is now finished for you. You do not think that I would like 
      to share your family life with you, at least that day.” 
      “In your homes, you have a place 
      for everything and a room for each activity: a room to sleep, another to 
      cook, another to eat, etc. Which place have you made for Me? It should not 
      be a place where you only have an image, which collects dust all the time, 
      but a place where at least five minutes a day the family meets to give 
      thanks for the day and for the gift of life, to ask for their needs of the 
      day, to ask for blessings, protection, health. Everything has a place in 
      your homes, except Me.”  
      “Men plan their day, their week, 
      their semester, their vacations, etc. They know what day they are going to 
      rest, what day they will go to the movies or to a party, or visit 
      grandmother or the grandchildren, the children, their friends, and to 
      their amusements.  
      How many families say at least once a month: `This is the day for 
      our turn to go and visit Jesus in the Tabernacle,' and the whole family 
      comes to talk to M<%18>e<%0>? How many sit down in front of Me 
      and have a conversation with Me, telling Me how it has been since the last 
      time, telling Me their problems, the difficulties they have, asking Me 
      about what they need, making Me part of these things? How many 
      times? 
      “I know everything. I read even 
      the deepest secrets of your hearts and minds.  But I enjoy 
      your telling Me about your life, your letting Me participate as a family 
      member, as your most intimate friend. Oh, how many graces does man lose by 
      not giving Me a place in his life!”  
      When I remained with Him that day and on many other days, He 
      continued to give us teachings. Today I want to share with you this 
      mission that He has entrusted to me.  
      Jesus said: 
      “I wanted to save My creature, 
      because the moment of opening the door to Heaven has been impregnated with 
      too much pain...”  
      “Remember that not even one mother has fed her child with her own 
      flesh. I have gone to that extreme of Love to communicate My merits to all 
      of you.  
      “The Holy Mass is Myself 
      prolonging My life and My sacrifice on the Cross among you. Without the 
      merits of My life and My Blood, what do you have with which to come before 
      the Father? Nothing, misery and sin... 
      “You should exceed in virtue the 
      angels and archangels, because they do not have the joy of receiving Me as 
      nourishment like you do. They drink a drop from the spring, but you that 
      have the grace of receiving Me, you have the whole ocean to 
      drink.” The other thing that the Lord spoke about with pain concerned people who 
      encounter Him out of habit, of those who have lost their awe of each 
      encounter with Him. That routine turns some people so lukewarm that they 
      have nothing new to tell Jesus when they receive Him. He also said that 
      there were so many consecrated souls who lose their enthusiasm of falling 
      in love with the Lord, and have made their vocation an occupation, a 
      profession to which nothing more is given, except that which is demanded 
      of one, but without feeling... Then the Lord spoke to me  about the 
      fruits that must come from each Communion that we take. 
      It does happen that there are people who receive the Lord daily 
      but do not change their lives. They spend many hours in prayer and do many 
      works, etc., but their life does not go on transforming, and a life that 
      does not transform cannot bear true fruits for the Lord. The merits we 
      receive in the Eucharist should bear the fruits of conversion in us and 
      fruits of charity toward our brothers and sisters.  
       
      We 
      the laity have a very important role in our Church. We do not have the 
      right to be silent, because the Lord has sent us out, as all the baptized, 
      to go forth and announce the Good News. We do not have the right 
      to absorb all this knowledge and not share it with others, and to allow 
      our brothers to die of hunger when we have so much bread in our 
      hands.  
       
      We 
      cannot watch our Church crumble as we stay comfortable in our parishes and 
      homes, receiving and receiving so much from the Lord: His Word, the 
      homilies of the priests, the pilgrimages, the Mercy of God in the 
      Sacrament of Reconciliation, the marvelous union with the nourishment of 
      Communion, the talks of preachers. 
      In 
      other words, we are receiving so much and we do not have the courage to 
      leave our comfort zone and go to a jail, to a correctional institution, to 
      speak to the neediest. To go and tell them not to give up, that they 
      were born Catholic and that their Church needs them there, suffering, 
      because their suffering will serve to redeem others, because that 
      sacrifice will gain for them eternal life.   
      We 
      are not capable of going where the terminally ill are in the hospitals, 
      and by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, helping them with our prayers 
      during that time of struggle between good and evil to free them from the 
      snares and temptations of the devil. Every dying person has fear, and just 
      taking their hand and talking to them about the love of God and the marvel 
      that awaits them in Heaven next to Jesus and Mary, next to their departed 
      ones, gives them comfort.   The hour in which we currently live does not allow us to be 
      indifferent. We must be an extension of the hands of our priests and go 
      where they cannot reach. But for this, we need courage. We must receive 
      Jesus, live with Jesus, nourish ourselves with Jesus.   
      We 
      are afraid to commit ourselves a little more, and when the Lord says, 
      “First seek the Kingdom of God, and 
      the rest will be added onto you,” He says it all, brothers and 
      sisters. It means to seek the Kingdom of God, by all possible means and 
      with all means, and to open your hands in order to receive EVERYTHING in 
      addition! This is because He is the Master Who pays the best, the only One 
      Who is attentive to your smallest needs. Brothers, sisters, thank you for allowing me to carry out the 
      mission that was entrusted to me, that of having these pages reach you. 
      The next time you attend Holy Mass, live it. I know the 
      Lord will fulfill for you His promise that “your Mass will never again be 
      the same.” And when you receive Him, love Him! 
      Experience the sweetness of feeling yourself resting against the 
      folds of His side, pierced for you in order to leave you His Church and 
      His Mother, to open for you the doors to His Father's House. Experience 
      this so that you are able to feel for yourself His Merciful Love by means 
      of this testimony, and try to reciprocate with your childlike love. 
      May God bless you this Easter. 
      Your sister in the Living Jesus, Catalina Copyright © 
      2004 by The Great Crusade of Love and Mercy. All rights 
      reserved. This booklet is published in coordination with  The 
      Apostolate of the New Evangelization. Translated from the April 
      2003 Revision of the original Spanish edition, published in Merida, 
      Mexico. Permission is granted to reproduce this booklet in its entirety 
      with no changes or additions and as long as the reproduction and 
      distribution is done solely on a not-for-profit basis. This document is available at no cost online, and can be downloaded 
      and printed from the following Web Sites: in English at: 
      www.greatcrusade.org and Spanish at: www.grancruzada.org  
       For information on ordering printed copies of this booklet and 
      other books and videos, please write to: The Great Crusade of Love and 
      Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 857, Lithonia, Georgia 30058 USA, or visit the 
      ministry's Internet Site at: www.loveandmercy.org.  
       
 This article was published in the 
      August-September, 2005 issue of “Michael”. 
       
  |