Birthday of Mother Clelia, March 10
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
In this Jubilee year of hope, Blessed Clelia helps us to “trust and hope against all hope in the power of the Heart of Jesus”, especially when we feel discouraged, afraid and when we face temptations. (Mg., II pp. 142)
Day 1: March 7
Hope in the Face of Discouragement
When you feel so afflicted and abandoned, don’t become discouraged but remember that the God of consolations is near you, as is Jesus who has loved you so much as to die for your love, and who is watching you with a gentle and fatherly look of love; the Holy Spirit, the true Consoler of souls, is near you; that there is a more than motherly Providence who cares for you, who loves you so very much. I ardently desire that your heart will be consoled by these thoughts. (Spiritual Anthology p. 45 – Mg., I, p. 2)
Prayer
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.
(Pause)
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.
Day 2: March 8
Hope in the face of fear
Take care to preserve peace and tranquility of heart. Let the waves roar and pound against your boat and don’t be afraid; because God is there and thus, safety and holiness are too. (Spiritual Anthology p. 281)
Prayer
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.
(Pause)
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.
Day 3: March 9
Hope in the face of temptations
God sees us in our struggles, in temptations, in the trials of life and He is present to sustain us, to help us, to console us and to reward us if we are faithful and constant in praying and in fighting until we have won the victory. (Spiritual Anthology p. 52 – Mg., I, p. 89)
Prayer
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.
(Pause)
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.
Feast of Mother Clelia, November 20
Day 1 – November 11
Blessed Clelia Merloni is the Foundress of the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a woman of great ideals and a heart full of love:
“I, Sr. Clelia Merloni, promise Our Lord Jesus Christ to offer myself every morning in union with His Holy Wounds, to the Divine Father for the salvation of the entire world, and for the good and the deepening in holiness of my Congregation. I will adore Him in the hearts of all those who receive Him in the Most Holy Eucharist. I will thank Him for deigning to enter into so many hearts that are so ill-prepared to receive Him.” (Diary, p. 225)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 2 – November 12
Blessed Clelia Merloni was a woman of Prayer and Faith who deeply loved the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who imitated Him in Humility and Charity in a heroic way, and so asks all of us to live these virtues in imitation of the Lord.
“I feel within myself a great need for prayer, silence, recollection, and spiritual reading to nourish my poor spirit, but more than anything else, I feel a great hunger for Jesus.” (Diary, p. 81)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 3 – November 13
Blessed Clelia Merloni was “a woman of forgiveness.” This designation encompasses the entire lifestyle of a woman who, as “disciple and Apostle,” learned at the “school” of the Heart of Christ, the only true Master, to always forgive.
“Jesus whispers to my soul that works are the language of the heart; that from the fruits and not from the leaves do we know the goodness of a plant. He not only wants me to forgive from my heart all the wrongs received from my offenders, but to seek to do them as much good as I am able, especially to pray much for them, to compassionate with them and to excuse them, desiring that they too have a share in His heavenly glory.” (Diary, p. 192)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 4 – November 14
Blessed Clelia Merloni was a woman who, with limitless courage, chose to follow Christ, walking the way of humility, aware that by choosing this way she was choosing humiliations, annihilation, persecution, and misunderstandings of all kinds. She knew that this path had been trod by the Son of Man long before her…
“Jesus, walk before me; don’t ever let me refuse to follow in the footprints that You, O Jesus, have already laid out for me.” (Diary, p. 134)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 5 – November 15
Blessed Clelia Merloni was a woman who lived in the presence of God and everything she did, she did with love and dedication because she felt herself under the loving gaze of the Father who loves His children and rejoices in the practice of good.
“Let us impress deeply in our hearts this fundamental truth that wherever we may be, God is present to us. He is observing all our intentions and actions; not even a thought escapes His searching gaze. Even the most intimate secrets of our hearts are openly visible to Him. God sees us! Do we dare to sin under the eyes of God, of our Judge! God sees us! What an incentive and what a comfort in the practice of virtue!” (The Letters, Book 5, no. 6)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 6 – November 16
Blessed Clelia Merloni knew that opposites find perfect harmony; opposing tendencies were perfectly integrated in her. She knew the limits of her nature but did not fear to climb the highest peaks to find the Beloved of her life. She knew that she was never alone, that He journeyed with her, and that it was He who prepared her knapsack for the journey and everything for their “Divine wedding.”
“Jesus wants me to wear a new dress, which His love has prepared for me. He will prepare my dowry; I only have to accept it from His most holy Hands. When He wants to come and stay with my poor soul, it will have to be dressed in that humility that God wants of me. This is the meaning of how I am to dress: Everything in me has to be motivated by the spirit of humility.” (Diary, p. 185)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 7 – November 17
In her “knapsack” for the trip, Blessed Clelia Merloni knew she had to bring the “equipment” she needed to travel the road of asceticism, which would prepare her to encounter the Spouse for whom she longed: faith, prayer, the Eucharist, the rosary, self-denial, total surrender to Providence and to God’s will.
“Today I had the inspiration to keep my eyes fixed on God, because the more closely a soul is called to follow Him, the more it must mortify itself. Perfect self-emptying is the most essential condition to offer to God. You leave behind and never take back something that you strip away; you must give up bad habits, just as you give up worn-out clothing and never use it again.” (Diary, p. 185)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 8 – November 18
Blessed Clelia Merloni was aware that handing over her life for the conversion and salvation of sinners would cost her dearly. She would have to fight against the “visible and invisible forces” she names in her Diary. She also knew that, besides having to contend with her own human nature, she would have to face combat with the enemy of Christ’s Cross, who does not want souls to be saved.
“Let the winds of temptation rage, let all the visible and invisible enemies emerge, but I will no longer fear anything.” (Diary, p. 154)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Day 9 – November 19
Blessed Clelia Merloni was a woman who deeply loved the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This Heart became her model and source of inspiration. In His Crown of Thorns, she saw how much she also had to identify with her Beloved and take upon herself the suffering that He had reserved for her so that she could participate first in His Cross and then in His glory. She also saw in the Heart of Jesus the example of how much and in what manner she had to offer herself for the good of her brothers and sisters.
“To conquer oneself is the rule of the saints! This is the path that God has also marked out for me, the narrow way, a love for humiliation and crosses, a spirit of generosity, sacrifice, death to everything that is not God and that doesn’t lead my soul directly to Him.” (Diary, p. 111)
Prayer: O God, who granted the virgin, Blessed Clelia, to recognize in the heart of your Son the source of charity and forgiveness, through her intercession and example, grant that we may bear witness in the world to your tenderness towards those who are humble and to little ones. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
