An encounter between Heaven and Earth

A fortnight before Easter, the Lord surprised us with Monica's departure towards the Father's house; she's a sister aged 25, from St. Joseph Pastoral Center, Cordoba, Argentina. We knew her illness was serious, we had accompanied her through difficult moments of her health, but Jesus wanted to give us an Easter at her side.

At Monica's last meeting with her community, this text was announced: «You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your being… and your neighbour as yourself» (Lk 10:27). When she shared with us that day, among other things she expressed synthetically:

"… I was able to tell the Lord that I no longer impose any conditions on Him: now the only thing that matters for me is to do what you want, to do your will, Jesus. I no longer want to be a good girl, I want to be saint! And I am happy for that…"

Her sharing was like a victory song. It filled us with life. When the enconter finished, the Word was: «But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that this extraordinary power does not belong to us, but to God» (2 Cor 4:7).

Four days later Monica was in hospital. God's providence allowed her to confess and take Communion on that Thursday. Some time later she looked at me, as if words were not necessary, and told me: "Lili, prepare a nice farewell for me at the Seat". I knew well what she was talking about, we had already talked about this moment, and how she wanted us to say goodbye to her: with songs, with prayers, with simplicity and coloured little flowers, at the Seat of the Movement which had been a place of so many meetings for her, with God and her community. In any case a joke occurred to me:

— Moni, are you thinking of moving to another Pastoral Center and you want the farewell?

— I'm leaving for the Center of Heaven —she said, and no more explanations were needed. I realized that the moment of her departure was near, and she knew this well enough. In a few hours her condition became much worse, and she was taken to the intensive care unit.

On Friday evening she received the Holy Unction. She could not talk, but she was conscious. She recognized Fr. Walter and Jesus crucified, in a picture. After having read the Word, Walter told her: "Through your selflessness Monica, a lot of sheep are going to return to the Lord's flock". She nodded, while tears ran down his face, tears of pastoral love allied to Jesus, her Master.

Saturday was a day of prayer and sorrow. In the evening the doctors informed us about the seriousness of her state; she was unconscious, but I felt that I had to talk to her. I knew that in some way she could listen to me, so I came closer to her and said: "Moni, it's done. You have already fought till the end. Now jump! The Father is receiving you. Come on!" I kissed her forehead and left. I asked the Lord for a Word, and I read: «Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit» (Jn 12:24). I didn't know that it was the Gospel that Sunday. Twenty minutes after that, we were told she had had a respiratory arrest and some moments later she left.

Monica used to tell me that she found it hard to obey, but Jesus gave her the grace of being «obedient until death» as she had so much asked for.

The farewell to Monica was just as she had wished for. In the place of her community meetings, full of simplicity and God's presence. In deep unity, her own family and her family from The Movement of the Word of God. Songs and prayers followed one another. A great peace and presence of God reigned around. Many people expressed they had received graces of healing, liberation, faith enlivening. Her face, serene and beautiful, attracted our attention; she was dressed for a party, in fact our sister was leaving for a GREAT CELEBRATION.

On Sunday morning we had a beautiful ecumenical prayer of praising, together with the Pastor of the Evangelical Church to which her mother belongs. Another of Monica's dreams, the unity of all Christians. "Shall we be able to pray together sometime?" she asked me one day. "Here, perhaps, but in Heaven, surely", I answered.

And the moment of the burial arrived. We lived through that moment as an encounter between Heaven and Earth. Many of us perceived the closeness of the Lord and the Saints. We all had the certainty that the doors of Heaven had already opened for our sister.

The Lord gave Monica a pastoral heart and a heart of disciple. And He wanted to give us the sanctity of our sister so that we can say to the world: It is possible to live the Gospel; it is possible to be saint!

Monica's Passover became prolonged in our Easter, which bloomed out in selflessness, conversions and decisions for the Gospel from many brothers, particularly from many young people for whom she had offered her life.

We know that surrendering one's life cannot be improvised; it is being matured step by step. This is one of many letters Monica wrote to the Father along her way:

Cordoba, 12/01/98. Year of the Holy Spirit.

Abba, from my prayer in Gethsemani I want to seal my covenant with you, with your Father's heart, in the image of my Master I want to tell you: "here I am to do your will".

In my heart I have a mixture of fear and confidence. My happiness is to do your will. Nothing will ever be able to separate me from your Love. You will be my Father and I will be your daughter, and even if my life leaves me in doing this, I want to seal this alliance. I want to be yours, all yours, only yours. I want to be saint.

May this eternal alliance burn inside me so much that I no longer can keep to myself your love, your Word, your wonders.

Father, I love you, and my heart has no doubts about that. I am yours, that is my answer and my choice. I am available. I want to live love and selfsurrender. To associate with you for the salvation of men. To raise your Word on high. To live in brotherly alliance. To take prayer and Eucharist as my food. To take Mary as Mother and model.

Give me the grace. I feel the calling to live this. Love. Alliance with the Father, through the Son, by action and grace of the Holy Spirit.

Moni

Lili Guita in 2009

Lili Guita
Cristo Vive Aleluia!
Nº 123, p. 26 (2000)

© The Movement of the Word of God, a Roman Catholic pastoral community of disciples. This testimony was originally published by the Word of God's Publishing House and can be reproduced on condition that its origin is mentioned.