Padre Raschi

What is this mystery? Everyone speaks of the apocalypse without even knowing where it starts from. It is a book of colossal depth concerning great mysteries that I have however been able to examine quite closely with the help of a great friend, who is now dead, a great Saint who will be glorified one day; the great Don Ruotolo who had endless culture and cleverness, a great musician, a great painter, a great man of letters, a great orator, but above all a very humble and great Saint. A curious episode of what humility is made of. I remember him one day while he was crossing Naples with two heavy bags, one in each hand; he was walking with a kind of stoop under their weight and I said:
"Don Ruotolo what are you doing? Give them to me, I’ll give you a hand..
"No, otherwise I’ll lose my balance…eh... no, no..."
And I had to go with him to the Basilica of the Holy Spirit. He went in with these heavy bags, left them in the sacristy and then went to preach just in the Church of the Basilica. I wanted to have a look at these bags; they were full of stones. Before preaching, that man did any kind of penance. I noticed that his shoes had no soles but he didn’t want to show he was barefoot and so under his clothes he had a pair of shoes, with no soles underneath; it was a painful way of walking through an unpleasant way and so on.
All this to tell you that he was a man who lived out of humble resources, of great humiliations in front of God and with these penances, and he had some heavier ones, he gave value to His word, his Spirit and his spiritual greatness which was, I dare say, limitless.(OMISSIS)

		EXTRACT FROM THE HOMILY OF 11 February 1979 FATHER RASCHI TALKS ABOUT HIS FRIENDS … Why are the Saints? Yes, there are the Saints. At least I had the good fortune to know them. But not all have this luck? It is all, all. I have challenged the time, right time, I tried to help me as I could, maybe I made a trip, sometimes with the opportunity of my work, and also and above all, for example, I visited the famous Padre Pio da Pietrelcina, who is now dead: Santo. I went to a charity, where there was so much love and mercy and I went to see Don Sterpi. The confusion of Don Orione. It is a saint. I am so up to my initiative, perhaps like crazy because I then turned like a madman “... what goes around Father Raschi ...” Who thought that did the tourist, who thought he did the rest of the holidays and I went to look for these creatures from all sides: in the mountains, in the plains, where I found. I remember how many times have risen by Friar Ave Maria, which is being the cause for beatification: Santo. How often have recourse to Mother Speranza, the renowned founder of the Sanctuary of Jesus Crucified, the Merciful Love of God and I could be with you and talk about how it should be. I was, so that I, as a Mother Giovanna, the founder of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so dell'Immacolata. Sante, Sante large but because I have found some of the bishops and Cardinal to consult them: To consult these souls. ... I went. But there is. But I was moved. Like all running for a game of football, from one city to another, to see if it's the nice organization staff, friendly staff who wins, or is the other, and so on. Like others go to a “first”, a representation is a “first” which goes, whatever, on the canvas of the cinema or theater, and so on. Like others go to see a landscape, are to see a tourist area, a beautiful environment, and so on. Go.
	EXTRACT FROM THE HOMILY OF 24th DECEMBER 1979 ATHER RASCHI TALKS ABOUT HIS FRIENDS
Padre Pio
Padre Pio	Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. I think it was on the first of February, or perhaps the second, in 1946 that I first met him. The weather was freezing, the road was covered in ice, and even on the Bus I encountered people who had joyful stories to tell about their experiences with Padre Pio at confession. I entered the Church, but there were very few people on account of the great cold and the icy road conditions. The superior who met me there told me to go up into the Choir because Padre Pio was praying there. I went up and saw the beloved Father in prayer. So I myself went about 3 or 4 meters from him so that I could pray as well. Padre Pio and I had never seen each other before, yet Padre Pio turned to me and said "Father Raschi, you aren't afraid to disturb my are you? We have always loved each other, we love each other even now, and we are in fact one and the same thing: moreover, if you want, I will help you".
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta	OMISSIS) Only one hour ago I was just reading a great book known only to a few people or even almost to nobody; yet it is on the market; it’s a colossal book, one only volume written by a great mystic who had been an invalid for a long time, but by God’s grace and privilege, God the same as Christ, dictated this book. I assisted her before the hour of her death together with a great Archbishop who was crying touched by emotion saying that on that day the world was losing the greatest mystic Saint of our times: Maria Valtorta, an extremely intelligent, disciplined and strong woman; a great creature that only God could have prepared. Well, I was just reading, I had already read a lot of times even with Her, but I was just reading a striking sentence; Our Lord was telling this creature that the three quarters of mankind were enslaved by the beast. So, only one quarter belonged to the Spirit. . (OMISSIS)
Madre Speranza
Madre Speranza	During my first visit with the venerable Mother Speranza, (Hope), while she was looking at the structure for the Sanctuary of Collevalenza, she took me by the hand and I asked her "You wouldn't happen to be Mother Speranza, would you?" She said she was indeed Mother Speranza, and she invited to me into her reception room where she recounted to me the marvellous history of the Holy Cross. Then she said to me: You too must build a Sanctuary for the Madonna". When she saw that I reacted with interest to such an idea, she added by way of warning: "Yes! But I warn you that you will have everyone as your enemy: the cardinal Archbishop your own Father Superior, your own Provincial head, as well as the clergy, the other friars, and the Curia; I'll give you a word of advice, just between us". "Put the Hierarchy ahead of the completed (realised) fact".
	What is this mystery? Everyone speaks of the apocalypse without even knowing where it starts from. It is a book of colossal depth concerning great mysteries that I have however been able to examine quite closely with the help of a great friend, who is now dead, a great Saint who will be glorified one day; the great Don Ruotolo who had endless culture and cleverness, a great musician, a great painter, a great man of letters, a great orator, but above all a very humble and great Saint. A curious episode of what humility is made of. I remember him one day while he was crossing Naples with two heavy bags, one in each hand; he was walking with a kind of stoop under their weight and I said: "Don Ruotolo what are you doing? Give them to me, I’ll give you a hand.. "No, otherwise I’ll lose my balance…eh... no, no..." And I had to go with him to the Basilica of the Holy Spirit. He went in with these heavy bags, left them in the sacristy and then went to preach just in the Church of the Basilica. I wanted to have a look at these bags; they were full of stones. Before preaching, that man did any kind of penance. I noticed that his shoes had no soles but he didn’t want to show he was barefoot and so under his clothes he had a pair of shoes, with no soles underneath; it was a painful way of walking through an unpleasant way and so on. All this to tell you that he was a man who lived out of humble resources, of great humiliations in front of God and with these penances, and he had some heavier ones, he gave value to His word, his Spirit and his spiritual greatness which was, I dare say, limitless.(OMISSIS)
Don Dolindo Ruotolo
Frate Ave Maria
Frate Ave Maria		Brother Cecilio, Capuchin friar then still living, sent word for me from Giliana's place that he would be in Milan for a few days. I left from Genova, and when he arrived from Giliana's place, he said to me "Father Raschi, the Holy Virgin told me you are an instrument of Mary". Brother Ave Maria, whose cause for beatification is being discussed, was the blind head of the Romiti of Don Orione. He had a close friendship with Giliana and one day he was rejoicing that he had been with me when I had founded the Sanctuary. Turning to Giliana he said "You will see in Paradise how happy you will be, Giliana, and then you will hear the Angel Singing". Don Sterpi, the cofounder along with the Blessed Padre Orione, was a comfort and a moral aid to me. Twice a year he sent me 500 lire with a note in which he always insistently repeated the same phrase: "Dear Father Raschi, I send you this miserable offering of 500 lire. It is a poor offering, but it's all that I can give. Don't get discouraged! Your work is truly the God's work". Saint Leopoldo Mandic, whom I had the great luck to have as my confessor since I was a novice, and it was him who saved me.
Don Leopoldo Mandic