The verdict
The archbishop of Braga
nominated a Commission to examine Alexandrina’s Case: Canon Molho de Faria,
president, and two other members.
Molho de Faria had already
visited Alexandrina and had been left with a good impression. On 2nd
March 1943 he had written a letter to Fr Pinho which included the following:
I very much
admired, and was pleased with, the letters of your spiritual daughter. I
admired above all the spirit of simplicity and total confidence in God. There is
such beauty and force in some matters of real theological difficulty that,
knowing from where they come, we cannot help but see clearly the finger of God.
There are still expressions and images of such delicacy and depth in conveying
certain desires and affections that we must admit in her the existence of the
highest feelings (...)
I believe that one day full
justice will be done (vide C G, Appendix I, 3: “Second report of the Fr
Umberto”, pp. 788, ss).
This Commission made a
superficial study: it did not even interrogate the spiritual director! It did
not read the writings of the person it was making the inquiry about. It accepted
local gossip: some envious women, two of whom were penitents of the Commission’s
president. When Alexandrina was asked if she knew why there was such hostility
shown towards her she answered:
— I have
resolved not to say anything… of not excusing myself.
The canon insisted:
— But it is
not the world that is interrogating you here, it is me. Please, know that
everything is in my hands!
— Rev.
Father, my life is in the hands of God. I promised Our Lord not to excuse
myself. Therefore I ask your Reverence not to insist.
It was the only contact of
the theologians had with the defendant! (C G, p. 154, in note)
How is it possible not to
recognize here the attitude of Jesus in front of Pilate?
Such a reply surely annoyed the
inquisitor and disposed him towards an adverse opinion.
On 16th January 1944
the Commission made its negative judgment!
Jesus allowed this extra squeeze
in the wine-press for that generous bunch of grapes that was his “biggest
victim”, as he often affirmed.
As for Canon Molho de Faria, we
must record here that he later studied the Case and in the diocesan Process, on
22nd May 1968, he testified:
I desire her beatification, if
her virtues are proven to be heroic. (...) At this moment I think that the
reputation which the Servant of God enjoys is the best possible reputation, and
merited. I insist that she is worthy of the honours of the altar. I know all
these things through personal knowledge and study.
(Summ, pp. 157, 159)
Consequences
On 25th June 1944 the
Archbishop of Braga sent out a circular letter, of which we transcribe some
points:
a) Be silent
on the alleged extraordinary facts attributed to the patient, or of which she
affirms herself the protagonist (...)
b) Recommend
that priests do not encourage, but rather oppose curiosity in a charitable way
(...)
c) This
recommendation is to be made to all our diocesan clergy (...)
d) Let the
parish priest of Balasar be informed that we put him in charge, in addition to
overseeing the above, of watching so that the patient and her house are not
importuned by troublesome visits made because of the alleged extraordinary
phenomena, to which a religious character is attributed.
Such measures stimulate the
gossip-fed defamation promoted by those people envious of what they see as well
as, though much against Alexandrina’s will, the exceptional position assumed by
her.
Alexandrina in a hurricane
Jesus, I am frightened. (...)
O, what a horror! Everything is storm. I hear the whistle of the winds, the echo
of terrible thunder, threats of destruction. Everything has fled in terror. And
I am alone (she has been without Fr Pinho since 1942 and still does not have
the help of Fr Umberto Pasquale, who will start to direct her in September
1944), in the centre of the sea, without a ship, without a helm, without a
light, ready to sink forever in the abyss.
Horror,
horror! The storm tears the clouds, Heaven opens and turns itself against the
earth. My God, my Jesus, what awaits me?
I deliver
myself into your most holy arms. (...) S (27-7-44)
Listen,
Jesus, my pain is almost killing me! (...) Pain that only Jesus is able to
understand!
With eyes
fixed on You, Jesus, the calumnies, the humiliations, the rejections, the
hatred, the indifferences have the sweetness of your love.
Let
everything come, O Jesus, may everything that You will come.
May my name
die, as I feel that my body and my soul have died, so that Your divine love
lives in hearts and your grace in souls! It is for this, my Beloved, that I let
myself be immolated. (...)
O, that I
may at least live hidden! O, how I would like to love You as much as I desire,
to be yours, my Jesus, in a way that I could not love you more.
But forgive,
O Jesus, forgive me: but life is not like this.
O, how many there are who do
not know anything about this (mystical) life, and they are saints! And me, my
Jesus, full of miseries! O, what longing for the years which have already
passed! So many colloquies I had with You, and nobody knew! I would give lives,
my Jesus, I would give worlds to live hidden!
Forgive me,
Jesus, I do not have the desire, I do not have the will. (...)
My God, what
a tremendous fight! Poor me without You! Jesus, heavenly Mother, save me! I am
your victim. O holy little Therese, holy Gemma, O Saint Joseph and all the
saints, my dear ones, save me! O Heaven, O Heaven, I rely on you!
Do not allow
me, my Jesus, ever to rest! Do not allow my lips ever to stop repeating: I love
You, Jesus, I am your victim!
May men give
me the sentence that they want, it does not matter. You give me, O Jesus, the
conqueror’s sentence and I am to love You and give souls to You! S (1-8-44)
Here a
slight nod to the requirements of nature surfaces, and is immediately rejected:
When I heard laughter around me, the laughter of someone who is enjoying huge
delight I felt, against my will, a longing to share in that delight.
My God, what
a misunderstood life! (...)
These
thoughts passed with the speed of lightning. And I felt thankful that I am able
to trade those joys for the love of Jesus. Jesus! Jesus is worthy of everything.
Souls, Souls!
This thought
vibrated inside me. It lit firm desires to walking among thorns, bathed in
blood, only in blood.
It gave me a
clear knowledge of what Jesus is and of what the world is. (...) Some hours
passed. The night advanced, it was well advanced. Everything in the house was
at rest: only my pain, my tremendous fight continued.
Jesus did not leave her without
his help, when it was necessary.
Jesus came
suddenly; He wrapped me in flames of love. (...) Jesus, by my side, said to
me:
— Your pain,
my daughter, your martyrdom pulls out of Satan’s claws the souls that he stole
from Me in a great rage. (...)
Courage, the
storm passes. Receive grace, receive love and the Holy Spirit’s light. (...)
Shortly
afterwards, in a sweet peace, I fell asleep. S (10-8-44)
Also there appeared a campaign
against her in certain newspapers! Fr Umberto Pasquale in the Diocesan Process
wrote:
She also
suffered a good deal from articles that had been written about her in
periodicals. (Summ, p. 291)
Thorns were directed at her from
various directions:
Oh, how many
thorns wound this heart that already exists only to suffer!
It is from
the depths of my soul that I ask for pardon of You for those who so cruelly
wound me. I am wounded by those who have the least cause to wound me; but also I
behave thus with You: my good Jesus, forgive me! S (22-1-45)
At the end of April 1945,
invoking the Sacred Heart, she said:
Always be my
strength and allow me to enter in your divine Heart with all those that are dear
to me, so that you will reward them for me, giving to them all your graces and
all your love.
Allow me to
enter with all the priests, so that they learn from your divine Heart and be
like You.
Allow me to
enter with all the sinners, so that they may be converted and not offend You any
more.
Allow me to
enter with all those who have offended me, so that You may forgive them and also
forgive me.
Allow me to
enter with the entire world, so that it may all be saved, and by entering your
divine Heart it will no longer run into danger. S (27-4-45)
In October of the same year, in
a colloquy with Jesus, Alexandrina asked:
Make my heart similar to yours.
For your love I want to forgive all. For your love and for the love of souls I
accept these thorns that so deeply wound my head during every hour of the day.
S (24-10-45)
|