FOR LOVE ALONE!

Chapter 15

THE “PUBLIC” LIFE  OF ALEXANDRINA

Alexandrina was chosen as co-redeemer. The salvation of souls consumed her wholly. She offered all her sufferings for this end.  But it is not enough: souls, to be saved, must turn towards Jesus in order to follow Him; they must know Jesus, in order to receive Him. Alexandrina, then, even though a paralytic enclosed between the four walls of her room, must approach souls to be able to communicate Jesus to them. Jesus wanted to transmit himself to souls through Alexandrina and prepared her for this.  On 13^th June 1947, then the feast of the S. Heart, in the ecstasy that followed that of the Passion, Jesus said to her:

I want everything that is mine to shine out from you.

I want your looks to have the purity of mine;

I want your lips to have the smile, the sweetness of mine;

I want your heart to have the tenderness, the charity and the love of mine.

In short, I want everything about you to imitate Me, I want you to be identical to Me.

I want all your body to be the Body of Jesus, another Christ. You are the new redeemer. S (13-6-47)

I want you to make the sacrifice of receiving all who come.   I have put you here for this. S (11-7-47)   

I want you to do what I would be doing today if I was walking through the world. Imitate me! Attract the multitude of souls I allow to come to you. Fulfil your mission. S (15-10-50)   

And how well she fulfilled it! She incited repentance, conversions. Jesus was to say to her:

Be sure that souls do not go, as they like to come close to you. S (7-5-54) 

The humble shepherd, “poor Alexandrina”, as she always signs herself, who desires nothing more than the solitude of her room in close retirement with Jesus, with its “three Loves” (the most Holy Trinity), must subject herself to endure a tide of people[1], of being flooded with requests and prayers, must dry the tears of many brothers!    

And also she had to receive expressions of gratitude which, instead of elating her, caused her suffering. 

I was very humiliated in seeing myself surrounded by so many people. But with words from Jesus I became stronger and repeated my offer to Him of all the humiliation. S (22-9-50)

Jesus insists on this form of the mission, of contact with souls, and Alexandrina is conscious of attracting a great many to Him. She uses the image of the “fisher of men” first used by Jesus referring to Peter.   

I do not know what I feel in my heart any more. It seems to me that there is Somebody inside it who, like the fishermen, lays out nets, and more nets, to trawl this immense world of souls. No matter how many nets he lets out of my heart, there are still more it has to lay out.  And what an infinite anxiety it is to catch all the souls, to fill the net!  

What a task, what incessant fatigue! (...) S (18-1-52) 

But her human nature is so weak! Sometimes she leaves to run after some small relief. 

(...) I wanted to retire alone into silence. The presence of people sometimes provokes such revulsion in me that it leaves me impatient.   My God, my God! My cross, my martyrdom! S (24-2-52)  

Jesus intervenes with encouragement:

My daughter, my daughter, you are a magnet that attracts; you do not cover the world, but your life covers the world. You preach with your suffering, your example. 

You are the beloved missionary of the Most High: it is in your bed of pain that you are the missionary you so want to be[2]. (vide Ch 1)  

Courage, my daughter, courage! (...) In everything you are like Me.  Speak, speak to the souls that approach you! It is a noble mission, a very noble mission, one that I have chosen for you. No one leaves here in the same state as he comes, even the most criminal and hardened of them. 

It is through you that I give myself, it is through you that I communicate myself to hearts. 

Come, my daughter, come to receive a drop of my divine Blood, divine life and food. You live the life of Jesus. You live with the Flesh and Blood of Jesus. 

O wonder! O enrapturing wonder! S (21-11-52)   

Alexandrina fears that all this “public life” distracts her from close contact with her “three Loves”. Jesus calms her: 

— My daughter, my beloved daughter, treasure, coffer of my riches! You are the treasure, you are the strong-box of everything that is mine: distribute my love, distribute my graces. Give, give so that they spread themselves throughout all humanity. Allow, allow souls to come close to you so that you receive them. Ensure, ensure that they fly throughout the entire world. Do not preoccupy yourself with silence. Speak, speak to souls. If you knew the good that is given to them through you! I created you, I created you for this, only for this.

Your anxiety for silence is silence. Trust, trust: I will not let you lose your union with Me. In speaking, doing my divine will, you live more united to Me than if you were alone in the deepest solitude. I have performed and I continue to perform in your soul the greatest wonders. 

— Be it, Jesus, as you want. Let it be done, my Love, as You say. I am your victim. If I was forever plunged in this abyss of love! … I would not fear the pain, I would not fear the cross. How different this abyss from that in which I live! 

— Courage, courage, my beautiful dove! It is the reward of your suffering, it is strength to suffer more, more, much more.  Come and receive a drop of my divine Blood. Our hearts have been united. I have commanded that it be this way. They are two in one alone. S (17-4-53)

Let us finish the chapter offering evidence that Alexandrina knows how to extract, from any event, a reason to make her heart gush with love. 

When receiving so many thousands of kisses from the people who approached me, I decided to offer them to Jesus, as if they were given to Him and that He accepted them as acts of love for the tabernacles, for the honour and glory of the most Holy Trinity and for our dear heavenly Mother, and in that way everything was turned to benefit for the visitors. S (4-12-53)