Catechesis

Fra Elia’s catechesis, ever more profound, always different, always apparently full of simple teachings, but which in reality are not simple, they engraved in our hearts allowing us to take another step forward. They seemed such obvious things that he never thought about them yet….

Some catechesis proposed during the meetings of January, February and March 2003

When we will be in front of the Lord, He will not ask us how many sins we have committed (otherwise no one would be saved), but he will ask us what we have done in our earthly life. He will ask us what we have done with our talents. We all have a mission, which is to do good. Have we given to others all the good that we have received? Have we used our talents for our mission?
Unfortunately, sin no longer hurts us even if it destroys us… Heart-to-heart help is needed to recover people who need help… I’m sending my Guardian Angel. We invoke the help of our Guardian Angel. We must help each other, with words, with example and above all with prayer…
Our effort is to recover the lost sheeps… Even those angry with the Lord because they don’t know that God corrects those He loves and scourges anyone He recognizes as a son… Unfortunately, sometimes faith depends on the exaltation of the character… Priest, charismatic… the Christian life is love, pain, growth, effort and even joy. Tell the young… They must know everything… Be prepared for life.

“One must not cry… One must not despair over one’s pain… One must react to form new positive energies, so strong as to eradicate evil… Our sadness, our desperation consume the energy of prayers which must serve the common good… You complain to God because you ask for the magic wand… and ask Him to solve your daily problems by not accepting life’s trials… Have you ever said: “Lord, do with me what you want… You know better than me what is needed to make another step towards you”… It’s not Him who punish you by sending illnesses or misfortunes… He loves you! We are the ones who get them with our behavior!… Health is also the ability to live in the right way… All of us can learn how to work, but very few people learn how to live… Life is wisdom, joy, love, friendship, beauty… Life is what we have chosen ourselves with our free will… and the present evidences serve us to understand, mature, convert our hearts to get closer to God. Do you realize how many times have you already been pardoned? It wasn’t luck…They are graces wanted for you by the Lord.

….and then there was the catechesis of Fra’ Elia: “I like to bless you and deliver you… the Lord tells me to act as an intermediary to bring you to him. I am but a means. For you please. I do novenas every day. When I see people who are not well in front of me, I feel bad.
Sometimes, however, my Angel warns me that that person is lying… ‘Send her away’, he tells me. Everyone can come to me… but don’t ask me to solve the problems between husband and wife. It’s the two of them who have to argue with each other… not the mothers-in-law, fathers and mothers… and I can only pray. We have to untangle the skein of our life… with his help. When the husband chooses us and we say yes, why do we want to flee at the first heel? Is this love or pride? The family is in crisis because there is no longer the will to live it according to God’s will!… We no longer know how to live the life of grace in marriage!… Now let us pray for conversion and so that families don’t fall apart. I want them united for the good of the children. Love one another as I have loved you, says the Lord… and remember the forgotten souls in the Holy Rosary… for a few months you will not see me because my journey must continue towards other paths… but even if I am not there, go to the nearest church, Jesus is there waiting for you”.Fra’ Elia was very sweet and wonderful as always.

From my notes (Fiorella Turolli) I also read that Fra’ Elia continued to receive dozens and dozens of phone calls. One afternoon, I don’t remember on what occasion, I was able to hear one from a rather clever little girl who wanted to set a trap for him.
And Fra’ Elia replied: “… we are fragile… life is a gift… however we cannot throw ourselves among wolves… why don’t you go to school anymore?… We don’t play actors on the phone… why didn’t I answer you?… Why not I have time to answer to no one… I only like to pray for souls… you are wrong, I am not a Friar Soothsayer!”.

Another phone call: “… are you a mother angry with God?… And shouldn’t the Lord be angry with you?… Is your child in prison?… Perhaps he is paying for something he has done… don’t worry… we must let God’s will be done and not will of man…”.

And then again the annotation of a part of the catechesis transcribed in a hurry and unfortunately I don’t know where:
“… to those who love their own nothingness, God will manifest himself… but we must open our hearts… we can choose… live with, or in, or for the Lord and die for the Lord… or remain ‘known’, who, unlike the ‘wise’, they are those who believe they can live without the need for divine intervention… imbued only with human culture and convinced of their extreme ability to solve everything. The wise man, on the other hand, has understood true wisdom, that is, the intuition of the existence of God who is one with him… and submits to his will… and his life flows united to him… with humility, forgiveness, love, sharing… this is the only way to get to him… understanding tomorrow is not needed today…”.

Sardinia

We must learn to ask… God grants everything for us, except the wrong things, those that are useless for our growth. Our Guardian Angel acts as a bridge. Ask him for help too. We often ask for the wrong things, which are useless… but if we ask for our real needs, I’m sure God will grant grace for us!
If graces don’t come, it’s not because God doesn’t want to give them, but because we behave in such a way as to reject them. In the end we give up, but Jesus never refused anything to anyone.

We are the ones who point the finger at Him and say that the Lord has forgotten us… especially when something goes wrong or when we don’t feel good. Generally we turn to Him only when we need help, but we never say: ‘Thank you Lord for everything You give me… I’m available… do with me what you want’!
Jesus wishes to interact with us, to be with us in the midst of people, in families, to participate in our lives, but we reject him every day and think that he could guide our lives for the better… We are always worried about food, work, health etc… but if the Lord thinks of the little birds, the blade of grass and the lilies in the field, do you think He is not concerned with our daily needs? The Lord tells us: ‘You must think that God is a father and loves you’. Have faith, trust in Him.
The relationship with life must be lived in a different way… in peace and serenity, because God thinks of each one of you. The Lord loves us every day, forgives us every day and doesn’t leave us alone for even a day.

Just two years ago, after many second thoughts, the Lord forced me to go to a monastery to make my rules… He helped me, he guided me… now I will never deny Him again! He has never cheated on me! Do you know what the Lord wants from you? That you are only responsible for your talent! Follow your path and you will see it is full of light. Go ahead as far as the Lord accompanies you.
You must also pray for those who harm you because the Lord makes you stronger than evil itself. There are those who say: ‘I have hell at home… I don’t get along… I get confused… I don’t have time to talk… much less to pray’. But if you have health, don’t you have the grace of God? The rest is only the fruit of your work… without the help of God, which you have never sought!”.

Civitavecchia: catechesis during the first mass

“Know how to forgive, know how to forgive! It’s heavy for me too! Pride must fall if you want to be children of God and receive communion. Don’t mock the Lord with your pride! Our life seems never ended… but everything has an goal… In tribulation we have the growth of our mind and soul… but pride prevents us from seeing and moving forward. The Lord heals cancer in a minute and we don’t know how to heal pride! Is it easier to heal from cancer or pride? Surely it is easier to heal a cancer. Do you see this flower? (he took a beautiful branch of flowering oleander that someone handed him). It’s beautiful… feel how it smells… (and made the people sitting in the front row smell it)… that’s what I do with it… and with a very quick gesture he threw the flower on the ground and trampled it in feigned anger. A murmur of disappointment rose from the assembly. You are more saddened by a flower than by your brother, whom you don’t want to forgive just out of pride!”

Touscany

“And you, have you lit a candle in your heart? A candle that can make you see God who is everywhere? I know that sometimes you feel alone and often everything goes wrong… so who are you talking with? With friends, neighbors or fortune tellers? But if that candle was always burning in you, you could see God who loves you and who does not abandon you.
The Lord said to the Apostles: “Go and bring souls to the house of God, sow, speak… bring them to me! It will be Me who transform their hearts.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors… remember that we will be forgiven as we will be able to forgive our brothers. Forgiving means forgetting and moving on. If the candle stays lit in our heart, the Lord takes us by the hand and guides us.
We must turn to him in our solitude! He is always with us and accepts us with strengths and weaknesses, consoles us. How many times have we abandoned Him? He always waits for us, while we only look for him in case of need. You must transmit God’s love to your neighbors, take the children to church which is the house of God… If you are unable to love and forgive, come to church, look for the Pastor who will explain and will help you understand.
He speaks in the name of the Lord. All together we form a great prayer of union like a river of lava that runs fast towards God… everything is God’s grace.

Messina: catechesis at the Jesuit convent

Suddenly Fra Elias left the group, ran up to a gentleman not far away and with a worried air said to him, “You need to have an operation right away because during the operation you just underwent they left a piece of gauze inside you that could cause an infection.”
Naturally the astonished people present came out and told everyone what had happened, so that Elia’s fame quickly made the rounds of the city, causing more people to flock to him. And so Fra Elia was not able to come out of his room at 10:00 a.m., as planned, to hear friar Umile’s catechesis but he was literally held captive by untold numbers of people until the time of the evening Mass.

During the Holy Mass Fra Elia was invited by Brother Umile to invoke aloud prayers of healing and so he prayed: “Lord, caress these your sons and daughters who are sick and who offer you their pain. Only You can! Caress this fruitless belly, these numb arms and legs, only You can….” And so on, mentioning various illnesses and various people present, while in a religious silence the motionless people joined him in a growing prayer. After the Holy Mass some people went to the altar to give testimony of healing, express their joy and thank the Lord.

Malta

“God has given us the gift of praying and especially the gift of praying for others. We lay our hand on our brother and pray for him. Also for our brothers and sisters who have harmed us. Let us surrender ourselves to true love: I surrender myself to you, O Lord, not to our desires, but to your holy will. In every day that dawns, the sun is a prayer to God. It is He who is with us every day of our lives. The first apostles were God’s watchmen, and so today’s young people must imitate them. Jesus said, ‘I don’t call you servants, friends, fellow travelers, but my children’… we should leave here with a commitment to also be God’s sentinels, light of the world and salt of the earth… because those who follow Jesus will be like the salt that gives flavor and like the light that comforts… How do we meet Jesus? Prayer, the holy rosary, are a means…Jesus meets in his church and in the faces of the hungry, the needy, the sick. Remember that the help you give them will be as if it were done to Him… Peace and good to all.”

After a catastrophe, mothers, torn by grief, cry out: Where are you, O Lord? Why have you forsaken us? The poor desperate, annihilated people disown or rebel against him, accusing him of cruelty. God, where are you? Why have you allowed all this? Where are you? Where are you?
God is there with them and, He walks with them, touches them, attends them and weeps with them. The Lord loves us, he does not judge us, he forgives us even before we ask him. The Lord knows our real needs and wants to help us. It is we, who do not understand Him, who do not want Him, who forget Him! And so we go astray, causing our own evil. It is we with our ambitions create all this. It is impossible to solve everything by ourselves without divine intervention! Let us try to rely completely on God, who is above all Father to us, and we will be amazed to see the changes.

Today the world is invaded by too many dark shadows; it is dominated by the forces of evil. The Good, unfortunately, is still unable to win. See the proliferation of family quarrels, the multiplication of suicides, murders, wars. The laws of the universe, nature itself, demand the dazzling light of perfection, balance, justice, love.
God Himself is every law, every perfection, faultless and limitless, that is, wisdom, power, mercy and infinite love. Everything comes from Him and everything returns to Him. How can we, His frightened little children, judge His work? I imagine the world as a large room invaded by the black smoke of a fire. Doors and windows are closed and the people in the room are suffocating. If someone could open a window, letting air and light in, they would probably still make it in time to save themselves. Now God is rearranging the universe, and it occurs to me that MAYBE, in order to defeat the terrible darkness, which is enveloping us, God, purest spirit, has allowed a purest regenerating light to penetrate into them–the light of the innocent! It is only my thought. I cannot interpret God. But I think that in this super-evolved and super-mancipated world, but also on the very dangerous and unstoppable trail of moral decadence, God could not send His Son back to save us once again!

Milan: Fra’ Elia’s words after Mass

Why does it take a disease to change? You have to change first! Today a sick lady told me that now, she is closer to the church… Why not see the truth first? The truth is always before our eyes, but our hearts are closed, distracted… and so many mistakes are always made. If we approached God we would be enlightened and with enlightenment we would learn to forgive and be happy…but we have too many reservations!

Think of Mary’s heart! She raised her son as a most precious jewel… This is how we should raise our children… The Lord loves us… but what about us? If we do not get the graces from him, we remain disappointed and lose faith. Perhaps we do not remember that we denied him before? Do we not remember when we ignored him or forgot him? The Lord does not send us chastisements, but it is we, who bring them upon ourselves with our pride, the presumption that we can do everything without him. We, frightened as hell, want to heal … without reflecting that when the sea is stormy then comes the calm. If we don’t confess how do we get to Him? The Shepherd is here waiting for you … why don’t you come to reconcile with Him and be happy? It is so simple…

Teach your children the gospel from an early age. Create in them the curiosity to know. Teach them the love of Jesus, inculcate in them the desire to know and love Him. Children are joy like these fragrant flowers…but sometimes they don’t smell…Now instead kids are taught freedom…They want the keys to the house too early and parents allow. Why are the stadiums full and the churches empty? Whose house is this? If you don’t bring the children how do they know that this is their house, the house of Jesus?

We all seek peace… and we look for it elsewhere… We always give thanks even to those who hurt us… We always give thanks for everything the Lord gives us, even in the most difficult trials… He knows what is good for us… It is our duty and right as Christians to pray for everyone, even for those, whom we do not know… as He did with His Apostles

Naples

TELL ME: WHY ARE YOU HERE? Choral answer: FOR YOU! – Fra Elia disappointed: congratulations! AND THE LORD IS NOT IMPORTANT?… He is here waiting for you all along, at least one hour on Sundays… this sanctuary should always be as full as it is today! Yet he fills you with graces, even though you do not realize it and say you were lucky!
….Why are you afraid of death? Let us try to sow the good in order to reap the fruit. Let us not toil to seek only material goods, for there is the Lord who, in all seasons, gives us that, which we need! Let us remember that one day, who knows where and who knows when, He will call us and we must be ready. How? By saying to Him: – Here we are O Lord, may Your will always be done, never mine.

Thou art perfect and I am not, and I know that this life of mine is only passing through to return to Thee, home – Away with our fears…our sorrows…let us not think of sickness, of death that is nothing but the journey home…we must be happy to return to Him who loves us, forgives us and waits for us. How many of us, at each departure, manage to say, -Thank you, O Lord, because you called him/her to you!? Thank You for all You have done for him/her and for us! if You still leave him/her here on earth, we thank You for Your mercy. Make of us what Thou wilt… – I recommend you to pray also for all those, whom you do not know, for those who are far from God… he wants union and peace for families! Pray for the Pope, the good Shepherd, who gives good advice to all.”

Francavilla Fontana – during the August holidays

THE BLASMY – Fra Elia seated on a bench, squeezed between his closest friends and all the others crouched all around in absolute silence, began to entertain us by starting with the great plague represented by blasphemy. Very naturally and in hushed tones, he asked us if we had not sometimes happened to swear, senselessly, against the Lord. “Why do you degrade yourselves?”
Whenever, by an act of blind pride, you offend God, you still kill His son, because you deny the love, which He was able to give us.” “BLASPHEMY ATTRACTS GOD’S CHASTISEMENTS, DISEASES, MISFORTUNES. Because of blasphemy come to the earth famines, earthquakes, plagues and wars. Blasphemy causes people to lose important graces that were about to come.”

Blasphemy does not reason and those who reason do not blaspheme. Unfortunately, even children listen and learn to blaspheme. They do it for fun, even when they go to school on the bus-they often blaspheme.
Dear friends, one day we will have to give an account to God for everything–let’s think about it while there is still time. And if we hear others blaspheming, let’s not be ashamed to intervene, helping them understand how much harm they do….” Someone then took the floor, justifying that blasphemy could simply be an angry imprecation without any intention, someone else instead said that blasphemy stems from a rebellion against the Lord who allows injustice and misfortune.

And Fra Elia, deeply disappointed by these responses, as if he himself had been wounded in the heart, continued, “The Lord does not want your suffering, the Lord does not judge us by taking revenge with pain and sickness! Sometimes we behave like exiles who still insist on wielding one strength: pride! Unfortunately, many of us are still rebellious souls, a crack in the harmony of Heaven, and we don’t realize that we remain confined in our petty, petty competitive wars, generating resentment, jealousy, discord, betrayal, unhappiness–the opposite of what God wants. Our mission is joy — and to bring joy — and the closer we come to him, the more we can enjoy it.

If we fail to understand that we are all God’s instruments, that we are here for his glory and not our own, and that he has given us this earthly experience, NOT to accumulate treasures, but to gain heavenly treasures, WE WOULD NOT BE INVASED BY DISEASES that are a kind of rebellion of the soul, of not remembering and mistakes made in forgetfulness of God. We should all say to ourselves, I want to learn, I want to understand, I am, and finally I forget, I forgive and I love…”

Zug (Switzerland)

Pray also for those people we don’t know, for our enemies, priests, abandoned souls. There is so much to do as children of God, as servants of God! It is part of our task, but always remember that in this task there is and always will be God’s grace!

Today is the day of the sick, all of us, those who are between life and death, those who are praying, that their loved ones will be saved. Let us join them and God will hear us. Charity is part of our duties. God gives us all the graces we desire, if they serve the good of our souls and all the Lord’s flock. We learn to forget, to forgive, to love one another. Let us ask for His help: if we want it, He will change our hearts.”

In silence meditate on today’s day: those in hospitals, in their homes — all sick! The possibility of sickness is within us–there are those who develop it and those who do not. There are those who leave earlier and there are those who leave later. We never expect it.

It is not the Lord, who sends us diseases: the Lord does not chastise. He does not chastise even a dog. He loves us. We think of hospitals, where there are babies, the puppies of God’s flock. We think of their families, who are tribulating along with them. And, in the tribulation, we hope they find light and peace.

We, as soon as we get sick, go into confusion. The Lord does not want this for us. He embraces us and waits for us. He wants us for Him. He never judges! He always forgives us. Today from Fr. Carlo’s window I saw so many kids skating… the Lord’s house was there, just a stone’s throw away, waiting for them… But they didn’t know… Why don’t the parents help them understand? The Lord wants us here, in His house. We are his children! We have the right as Christians to know that God wants us and waits for us here, at least one hour a week! Whose responsibility is it if the churches are empty?

When I saw those kids, I felt like picking them up — and if I had stayed longer, I would have! I would have even gone to the bars… It’s your turn to do it! Remember, the Church belongs to everyone, the responsibility belongs to everyone! Look, only one young girl is here, on the altar — and she is an altar girl! The Lord will enlighten her. And where are the other kids? Model yourselves on Christians and not models! Let’s choose a rich road full of love! “

Imploration of Fra’ Elia before the Blessed Sacrament

Lord Jesus, we pray to you for all your children, present and not present. Watch over them, guard them, enlighten them–only you can!
Protect and guide the young people, who do not come to your house…think of them…only you can!
Listen to all those, who are asking you for grace… they are afraid… they are suffering and do not know where to turn anymore… only you, with your grace and gentleness, can help them! Hail Mary…
Lord Jesus, we entrust to you all the sick in the hospital…the doctors are uncertain…intercede for them. Touch them, enlighten them! Only you can!
Lord Jesus, help this weak mother, who often loses her patience–it is not her and you know it! Look at this son, who hides, because he is afraid. Help him–only you can!
Lord Jesus, give strength to Priests, give discernment to young people for vocations, move hearts, banish doubts and darkness. Give us all strength and increase our faith, making us partakers at the heavenly table. Glory to the Father

Wigratzbad (Germany)

The Lord says, how many things have been said of me and never written down, never heard, but forgotten and denied. But perhaps you do not yet know me.
Yet I am always here, in this house that is also your house. You pass by and do not enter … the door of My heart is always open, but you do not want to enter for a reconciliation with yourselves! You think that you know everything more than Me, that you solve everything without Me, but you do not succeed… and when you are sick, in tribulation you do not know what to do, erring, you give room to soothsayers, to those who predict your future… and this is because you do not know Me.
But remember: if the water of the sea foams and then disappears, if the leaves move in the wind, it is only because I want it. How can man do all this without Me? If you seek Me, do not fear, it will be I, always I who will favor the encounter with Me!

You can deny Me as long as you want, you can flee wherever you want, you can ignore Me as long as you want, but remember that at the end of time there will be an encounter with Me, and I will be the One to give you peace, the peace you have never found, from beginning to end. Everything is My merit.
You, who do not want war, manifest against all abuse, why can’t you talk to your wife and quarrel with your brother over a yard of land? Why can’t you forgive? Begin to forgive, the first step toward the light.”

Frankfurt (Germany)

The next morning, when Fra Elia, serene and smiling, Interpreter Thomas (and I) entered the large hall designated for the meeting, we found Father Klein and his boys already neatly seated in their seats, with pen and notebook, ready for their serious questions.
After introductory greetings, Father Klein asked to begin the meeting with a beautiful song of praise. Then, against all expectations, Fra Elia addressed the students in the most informal tone in the world, expressing sincere interest in their way of life, their habits, their expectations. If ever there had been any apprehension, it surely dissipated immediately because, without realizing it, they all started chatting together, asking each other a wide variety of questions, as if Fra Elia was an ordinary high school student and in fact he was behaving like them!

Paris

Love one another…give freely without expecting gratitude…be humble. Thank the Lord every day…thank you my God for what you help me to understand…Many of you are suffering from so called incurable ailments…do not be afraid…the Lord is greater than science…Pray, “Lord, remove from me this dark shadow…you have told me ask and it will be given to you…therefore I stand here before you.” IF OUR FAITH IS GREAT, IT OVERCOMES EVERYTHING! But if faith begins to waver, depression takes over. Once you enter the labyrinth you cannot get out. Learn not to look back — move on — life goes on. Why don’t depressed people go to hospitals, to resuscitation rooms to see those who are fighting for life?… So they can understand that they are better off, that life is a gift from God… We learn to pray with sincerity… prayer is not words learned by rote… one must not have a heart of stone… He wants us here in His home, in our home, in everyone’s home… And He wants us to learn to forgive ourselves.

Indonesia: Summary of Fra Elia’s catechesis

All of us are God’s instruments, we just need to want it and accept His will. He has not promised us goods on earth, but He has promised us the most beautiful thing: to welcome us one day and be beside Him forever. Meanwhile, as God’s children, we must love and respect each other in His Grace.
If we desire Him, He will come and stay with us. The means of talking with Him is prayer.

Prayer is not a job, it is not a sacrifice but a praise to God…it is like daily bread, it is a desire for the Lord and a bond with Him.
He holds us in the palm of His hands and cradles us. Too bad we sometimes do not understand this.
In institutions and hospitals, seriously ill people lie while we have the best place: here praying together! We are here for them too! Lord help our brothers and sisters!
We need to open the door of the heart and say: besides eating and drinking I want to live in you, my Lord, I want to glorify you as long as you take me with you. I am ready at all times and I thank You.

Let us pray: My God, You who know, see, guide and enlighten us, give me grace for the suffering, the lonely, the abandoned. Even the wicked and the imprisoned are Your children and I do not want to judge them.
Help also my family and those who do not yet know You.
I know that in life there is inevitably suffering and sickness but we must accept life as it is. Let’s say “yes” to the Lord. Is it so difficult to say, “Lord do what You will with me?” Let us strive to carry our cross with faith and a little good will…let us be strong, let us face problems with serenity knowing that God is with us.
“Ask and it will be given to you” does not mean asking the Lord for a magic wand to fix all our things. It is not God who sends sicknesses to punish us. Pain is part of our baggage, and in acceptance we draw closer to Him