Blessed Giaccardo

+ BLESSED
GIACCARDO



It is July 14, 1917 and our holy Brother has moved from the Seminary to the much less palatial quarters of Fr. Alberione and his first helpers. There is a change of residence but no change in the 21-year-old's thinking as we can readily grasp when we read his self-judgment and his resolutions to do more and better for his Divine Master in this new situation.



The object of my spiritual action is humility: a life of humility; internal and external; toward God, toward others and toward myself. To feel my nothingness weighed down with misery and sin. I will seek to be hidden and I will seek humiliation and submission.


The example of humility is Jesus Christ. In the Host he is life and can communicate to me this life of humility. I want to transform myself into Jesus, to live his life and to be continually grafted onto him.


Humility is the first, the most beautiful, the most gentle and the most profound characteristic of Jesus' life. Because of it Jesus was God, accomplished his sublime mission so very well and became the model of every Seminarian and Priest and the source of priestly life. O Jesus, permit me to sink into your profound humility and live it! The more I divest myself of myself the more I become filled with God and if I succeed in making myself nothing, God will fill me with Himself. I will live as God, I will speak as God and I will be a more perfect, learned, holy and zealous priest. Humility is the foundation of my life and especially in this House. I will continue to concentrate my efforts on it and I will not rest until, through Mary, I can live the life of the humble Jesus.


And so I dedicate myself with all my strength, with all my heart and with all my life, to the humility of the heart of Jesus. It is a question of salvation, of mission, of eternal life. The memory of my past hurts me and disheartens. How will I keep my resolution? I am so weak, so listless, so thoughtless, so hasty? Jesus, I trust only in you. You love me, you gave me my vocation, my mission and you want to transform me into you. I have no trust in myself,but only in you and my Mother. But, founded on you, I believe I will succeed in making me humble as God wants so as to bring my mission to a close.


My transformation into Jesus through humility is the fruit of grace and of my own efforts, but most of all of grace. My personal efforts by themselves would get me nowhere. And so, first of all prayer, much prayer, the incessant prayer of this poor wretch which is yet confident and persevering. This is the fundamental thrust of my struggle and the more spirit of prayer I have, the more I will succeed. Prayer, the most effective means, is my principal means. It reaches its maximum point in Holy Communion and in the Visit during which I, the branch, will graft myself onto Jesus, the Vine, so as to receive his life and avail of the fruits of his acts of humility and his humble life.


Certainly, and I foresee it with sadness, the pride that is part of me will make me become vain and, time and time again, I will fail in humility. But I will not yield to proud discouragement. No. In my humiliation I will have recourse to Mary, the one who forms me. I-will tell her what I did wrong and I will trustfully ask her pardon. Mary will smile at me, will encourage me, and I - renewed in strength - will return to the struggle. The final triumph will certainly be mine and the kingdom of God will triumph. My Jesus, if I humble myself after my fault, I do not lose merits because the humiliation is equal to the good act I should have done.


The center of the spiritual struggle is confession. I will confess every week and see the confessor as my father, judge, maestro.


The particular examination will be the back-bone of my spiritual struggle and I will not skip it no matter what the reason, not even for one day. I will be faithful to the time required and I will see that it be effqctive. It is a source of humiliations but also of new and vital energy.


My resolution on humility, so fundamental in my life, has to be always my main concern. Habitual humble prayers,mortifications, and especially those that contradict my false self-esteem or my anxiety to be esteemed by others. I will see if I can mortify myself every day in this connection.


I also want to stir up in my life the effort to love humiliations even with my feelings because the heart is a very powerful element in the work of formation.


Moreover I want to learn to love the Lord with my heart, my emotions. I will read a Life of Jesus, see what the Saints thought about him, try to come close to him in Communion and in the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament. I will take as my motto: " What do Jesus and Mary desire at this time and how do they desire it from me?"


I will read back over these resolutions at least twice every month.


Mamma, totus tuus sum ego (= I am all yours) and I entrust these resolutions to you so you can help me to put them into practice.


Made at the feet of St. Paul in the Printing School, July 14, 1917

~Concord June 2011