An open door to the throne of God

[Rich]

An open door to the throne of God
Scripture: Matthew 23:13-22

God opened heaven to Jacob, not only to give him a place of refuge and
peace, but to offer him the blessing of dwelling in intimate
friendship with the living God. God spoke to Jacob and renewed the
promises which he had made to his grandfather Abraham and his father
Isaac, and now to Jacob and his descendants. God promised not only to
bless and protect Jacob, but to make him and his descendants a
blessing to all the nations as well. When Jacob awoke he exclaimed:
"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God
and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17). God opened a door for
Jacob that brought him and his people into a new relationship with the
living God.

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13 October – Blessed Alexandrina/of Balazar Maria da Costa

(1904-1955)
Laywoman, Victim Soul, Mystic, Salesian Co-operator – best known as
Blessed Alexandrina of Balazar was a Portuguese mystic and victim
soul, member of the Association of Salesian Cooperators, who was born
and died in Balazar (a rural parish of Póvoa de Varzim). Alexandrina
left many written works, which have been studied mainly in Italy by
Father Umberto Pasquale. On 25 April 2004 she was declared Blessed by
St Pope John Paul II who stated that “her secret to holiness was love
for Christ”.

Alexandrina Maria da Costa was born on 30 March 1904 in Balasar,
Portugal. She received a solid Christian education from her mother and
her sister, Deolinda and her lively, well-mannered nature made her
likeable to everyone. Her unusual physical strength and stamina also
enabled her to do long hours of heavy farm work in the fields, thus
helping the family income.

When she was 12, Alexandrina became sick with an infection and nearly
died, the consequences of this infection would remain with her as she
grew up and would become the “first sign” of what God was asking of
her – to suffer as a “victim soul”.

The consequences of sin:
When Alexandrina was 14, something happened that left a permanent
imprint on her, both physically and spiritually – it gave her a
face-to-face look at the horror and consequences of sin.
On Holy Saturday of 1918, while Alexandrina, Deolinda and a young
apprentice were busily sewing, three men violently entered their home
and attempted to sexually violate them. To preserve her purity,
Alexandrina jumped from a window, falling four metres to the ground.

Her injuries were many and the doctors diagnosed her condition as
“irreversible” – it was predicted the paralysis she suffered would
only get worse. Until age 19, Alexandrina was still able to “drag
herself” to church where, hunched over, she would remain in prayer, to
the great amazement of the parishioners. With her paralysis and pain
worsening, however, she was forced to remain immobile and from 14
April 1925 until her death – approximately 30 years – she would remain
bedridden, completely paralysed.

Alexandrina continued to ask the Blessed Mother for the grace of a
miraculous healing, promising to become a missionary if she were
healed. Little by little, however, God helped her to see that
suffering was her vocation and that she had a special call to be the
Lord’s “victim”. The more Alexandrina “understood” that this was her
mission, the more willingly she embraced it.

She said: “Our Lady has given me an even greater grace, first,
abandonment, then, complete conformity to God’s will, finally, the
thirst for suffering”.

Mission to suffer with Christ:
The desire to suffer continued to grow in her the more her vocation
became clear, she understood that she was called to open the eyes of
others to the effects of sin, inviting them to conversion and to offer
a living witness of Christ’s passion, contributing to the redemption
of humanity.

And so it was that from 3 October 1938 until 24 March 1942,
Alexandrina lived the three-hour “passion” of Jesus every Friday,
having received the mystical grace to live in body and soul Christ’s
suffering in his final hours. During these three hours, her paralysis
was “overcome” and she would relive the Stations of the Cross, her
movements and gestures accompanied by excruciating physical and
spiritual pain. She was also diabolically assaulted and tormented with
temptations against the faith and with injuries inflicted on her body.

Human misunderstanding and incredulity were also a great cross for
her, especially when those she most expected would “assist” her –
members and leaders of the Church – were adding to her crucifixion.
An investigation conducted by the Curia of Braga resulted in a
circular letter written by the Archbishop which contained a series of
“prohibitions” regarding Alexandrina’s case. It was the result of a
negative verdict made by a commission of priests. In addition and by
way of spiritual comfort, after her spiritual director, a Jesuit
priest who had helped her from 1934 to 1941, stopped assisting her, a
Salesian priest, Fr Umberto Pasquale, came to her aid in 1944.

Nourished only by the Eucharist:
On 27 March 1942, a new phase began for Alexandrina which would
continue for 13 years and seven months until her death. She received
no nourishment of any kind except the Holy Eucharist, at one point
weighing as few as 33 kilos (approximately 73 pounds).

Medical doctors remained baffled by this phenomenon and began to
conduct various tests on Alexandrina, acting in a very cold and
hostile way towards her. This increased her suffering and humiliation
but she remembered the words that Jesus himself spoke to her one day:
“You will very rarely receive consolation… I want that while your
heart is filled with suffering, on your lips there is a smile”.

As a result, those who visited or came into contact with Alexandrina
always found a woman who, although in apparent physical discomfort,
was always outwardly joyful and smiling, transmitting to all a
profound peace. Few understood what she was deeply suffering and how
real was her interior desolation. Fr Pasquale, who stayed close to
Alexandrina throughout these years, ordered Alexandrina’s sister to
keep a diary of her words and her mystical experiences.

In 1944, Alexandrina became a member of the “Union of Salesian
Cooperators” and offered her suffering for the salvation of souls and
for the sanctification of youth. She kept a lively interest in the
poor as well as in the spiritual health of those who sought out her
counsel.

“Do not offend Jesus anymore!’:
As a “testimony” to the mission to which God had called her,
Alexandrina desired the following words written on her tombstone:
“Sinners, if the dust of my body can be of help to save you, come
close, walk over it, kick it around until it disappears. But never sin
again, do not offend Jesus anymore! Sinners, how much I want to tell
you…. Do not risk losing Jesus for all eternity, for He is so good.
Enough with sin. Love Jesus, love Him!”.

Alexandrina died on 13 October 1955. Her last words: “I am happy,
because I am going to Heaven”. … Vatican.va

In Ireland there is an Alexandrina Society that spreads knowledge of
her life and teachings. The aims of the Society are 1) To spread
devotion to Alexandrina and make her known, 2) To pray for the
conversion of sinners, 3) To pray for Priests and acknowledge any
favours received, 4) To pray for members’ intentions. Amen.

https://anastpaul.com/2019/10/13/


Saint Quote:
"No one can master the intellect unless he himself is mastered by the
Spirit. For the intellect is uncontrollable, not because it is by
nature ever-active, but because through our continual remissness it
has been given over to distraction and has become used to that."
--St. Gregory of Sinai.

Bible Quote:
You shall make an altar of earth unto me, and you shall offer upon it
your holocausts and peace offerings, your sheep and oxen, in every
place where the memory of my name shall be: I will come to thee, and
will bless thee. [25] And if thou make an altar of stone unto me, thou
shalt not build it of hewn stones: for if thou lift up a tool upon it,
it shall be defiled. [Exodus 20:24-25] DRV

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Through Thee, to Us, Our Saviour Came
To Our Lady of the Rosary
By St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)

Through thee, to us, our Saviour came,
Through thee, to Him, we fain would go.
Our lives are marred by wrong and shame,
Yet, confidence in thee we know.
The friendship thou dost give to all
Who love thy name, shall ever be
Assurance thou wilt hear our call,
Sweet Lady of the Rosary!

Thou art our Strength upon the way,
Our Morning Star, to cheer and guide;
Our Beacon Light to show the day,
And lead us to the Saviour’s Side;
A Comforter in ev’ry pain
We find, O Mother blest, in thee,
And seek we, never, thee in vain,
Fair Lady of the Rosary!

Thy praises, Mary, we would sing,
And all our faculties employ,
That unto thee our hearts might bring
A glory-crown of love and joy.
Bless thou each humble effort made
In thy regard and grant that we,
May by thy influence be swayed,
Our Lady of the Rosary!