"Your Faith Anew!"
Your Faith Anew! exists to help souls grow in their knowledge of the Catholic Faith, strive to remain in a state of grace, and encounter the transforming joy of the Gospel. Its mission is simple yet eternal: to save souls, glorify God, and become saints.
Hosted by David Russell, this daily reflection podcast draws deeply from Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta—especially The Book of Heaven—guiding listeners into a deeper understanding of living in the Divine Will.
David is the author of four spiritually rich works: Magi Theology: The Essence of Illusion, The Little Magician – Discovers Bigger and Better, Our Pilgrimage with the Pilgrim Virgin, and his newest release, Our Mother in the Divine Will. With a lifelong fascination for the mystical, David discovered a profound connection between the art of illusion and deeper spiritual realities—an insight that inspired both his theological and children’s writings. His work Magi Theology received both the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from the Diocese of Knoxville.
In 2010, David was introduced to the writings of Luisa Piccarreta, which deeply resonated with his own spiritual insights. This encounter helped shape the foundation of his ministry.
In 2017, he founded the Your Faith Anew! prayer and study group to help Catholics rediscover and fall in love with their Faith. At the heart of his message is this conviction:
“The Catholic Faith prepares us to receive the Gift of Living in the Divine Will—and this Gift enables us to live our Faith in a divine manner most pleasing to God.”
Join us daily as we seek not only to understand our Faith—but to live it fully, joyfully, and in union with the Divine Will.
Song: Buddy Comfort - vocals and guitar from the album, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", www.buddycomfort.com
"Your Faith Anew!"
"Straws Over Love: Distractions that Diminish Grace"
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April 16, 1899 - Volume 2
Luisa writes,
While I was in my usual state, Jesus invited me to go around to see what creatures were doing. I said to Him: ‘My adorable Jesus, this morning I don’t feel like going around and seeing the offenses that they give You. Let us stay here, the two of us together.’
But Jesus insisted that He wanted to go around, and so, to make Him content, I said to Him: ‘If You want to go out, let us rather go inside some churches, because the offenses they give You are fewer there.’ And so we went inside a church, but there also He was offended – more than in other places; not because more sins are committed in the churches than in the world, but because those are offenses given by His dearest ones, by the very ones who should lay down their soul and body to defend the honor and the glory of God. This is why they reach His adorable Heart more painfully. I could see devout souls who, because of bagatelles of no importance, did not prepare well for Communion. Instead of thinking of Jesus, their minds were thinking about their little disturbances, about many trifles, and this was their occupation. How Jesus pitied them, and how much pity they themselves aroused! They paid attention to so many straws, to so many specks; but then, they didn’t so much as glance at Jesus.
Jesus said to me: “My daughter, how these souls prevent my Grace from pouring into them. I do not look at trifles, but at the love with which they come to Me; yet, they make an exchange: they pay more attention to straws than to love. But while love destroys the straws, with many straws love cannot increase even a tiny bit; rather, it is decreased. But what is worse about these souls is that they get so disturbed, and they waste much time. They would like to spend entire hours with their confessors to talk about all these trifles, but they never get down to work with a good and courageous resolution, in order to root those straws out. What should I tell you then, o my daughter, about certain priests of these times? One can say that they operate almost satanically, reaching the point of making themselves idols of souls. Ah, yes! It is by my sons that my Heart is pierced the most, because if the others offend Me more, they offend the members of my body; but my own offend Me in my most sensitive and tender parts, deep into my inmost Heart.” Who can say the torment of Jesus? In speaking these words He was crying bitterly. I did as much as I could to compassionate Him and repair Him, but while I was doing this, Jesus and I, together, withdrew into my bed.”
– Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta
Buddy Comfort – vocals and guitar from the album, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, http://www.buddycomfort.com, words and music by Donovan Leitch.
If you want your dream to be, build it slow and surely. Small beginning, greater and heartfelt work grows pure.
SPEAKER_02Welcome, this is David Russell and Your Faith Anew, Daily Reflections Guiding You to Live in the Divine Will. Today's reflection is from the Book of Heaven by the servant of God, Louisa Picaretta, april sixteenth, eighteen ninety nine, volume two. Let us begin in the will and name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Heavenly Father, you who see not as man sees, but look into the depths of the heart. Grant us the grace to love you with simplicity and purity. Free us from distractions that pull us away from your presence, especially in the moments when we are closest to you. Teach us to value love above all things, so that our souls may be open to receive the fullness of your grace. Amen. Saint Luke writes in his gospel chapter ten verses forty one to forty two. Martha, Martha You are anxious and troubled about many things. One thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in Paragraph twenty seven seventeen. Contemplative prayer is silence, the symbol of the world to come, or silent love. Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches. They are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In today's passage, Jesus reveals how easily the soul can lose the simplicity of love by becoming entangled in small distractions, even in the holiest places. What matters most is not perfection in details, but the purity of love with which we come before him. Louisa writes While I was in my usual state, Jesus invited me to go around to see what creatures were doing. I said to him, My adorable Jesus, this morning I don't feel like going around and seeing the offenses that they give you. Let us stay here, the two of us together. But Jesus insisted that he wanted to go around, and so to make him content, I said to him, If you want to go out, let us rather go inside some churches, because the offenses they give you are fewer there. And so we went inside a church. But there also he was offended more than in other places, not because more sins are committed in the churches than in the world, but because those are offenses given by his dearest ones, by the very ones who should lay down their soul and body to defend the honor and the glory of God. This is why they reach his adorable heart more painfully. I could see devout souls who, because of bagatils of no importance, did not prepare well for communion. Instead of thinking of Jesus, their minds were thinking about their little disturbances, about many trifles, and this was their occupation. How Jesus pitied them, and how much pity they themselves aroused. They paid attention to so many straws, to so many specks, but then they didn't so much as glance at Jesus. Jesus said to me, My daughter, how these souls prevent my grace from pouring into them. I do not look at trifles, but at the love with which they come to me. Yet they make an exchange. They pay more attention to straws than to love. But while love destroys the straws, with many straws love cannot increase even a tiny bit. Rather, it is decreased. But what is worse about these souls is that they get so disturbed and they waste much time. They would like to spend entire hours with their confessors to talk about all these trifles, but they never get down to work with a good and courageous resolution in order to root those straws out. What should I tell you then, O my daughter, about certain priests of these times? One can say that they operate almost satanically, reaching the point of making themselves idols of souls. Ah, yes, it is by my sons that my heart is pierced the most. Because if the others offend me more, they offend the members of my body, but my own offend me in my most sensitive and tender parts, deep inside my inmost heart. Who can say the torment of Jesus? In speaking these words he was crying bitterly. I did as much as I could to compassionate him and repair him, but while I was doing this, Jesus and I, together, withdrew into my bed. This passage cuts deeply and very personally. Jesus is not speaking about the openly sinful world. He's speaking about those who are close to him, those who are in church, those who receive him. And what is the problem? Not grave sin. Not rejection, but distraction. He calls them straws. Tiny things, insignificant concerns, interior disturbances, small anxieties. And yet, these straws accumulate to the point that they block grace. This is a deep spiritual principle. Grace flows where love is simple. But when the soul becomes tangled in itself, its thoughts, its worries, its self-examination, it becomes closed, not by sin, but by preoccupation. Jesus makes it clear, I do not look at trifles, but at the love with which they come to me. This is a correction for many devout souls. We can spend time analyzing ourselves, rehearsing imperfections, worrying about whether we are worthy, and in doing so, we forget to love. We look at the straws instead of looking at him. And in the divine will, this becomes even more important. To live in the divine will is not to become hyper-focused on oneself, it is to become absorbed in God. Love simplifies. The divine will simplifies. The enemy complicates. Come to him with love. Stay with him in love. Let love burn away the straws. Because one act of pure love in the divine will does more than hours of distracted devotion.
SPEAKER_01Let us pray.
SPEAKER_02O Jesus, my love, how often I've approached you with a divided heart. Not because I did not love you, but because I allowed so many small things to take your place. You who look only at love, teach me to come to you simply. Strip away my distractions, my anxieties, my excessive concern with myself. Let my soul become quiet before you, not empty, but full of love. In your divine will, I place every thought, every worry, every disturbance, so that they may be consumed in your light. Let nothing remain in me that distracts me from you. Give me the grace to fix my gaze on you alone, especially in the moments when you come to me, in prayer, in silence, in the Eucharist. May my love be simple, my heart undivided, my soul always open to receive the fullness of your grace.
SPEAKER_01Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today.
SPEAKER_02Jesus reminds us that it is not the big things that most often separate us from Him, but the small ones, the straws we carry into prayer, into mass, into communion. Let today be a return to simplicity. Let today be a return to love. Fix your gaze on Him and let everything else fall away. Until tomorrow, stay in His will, and your faith will be made anew.
SPEAKER_00If you want your dream to be, build it slow and sure. Great Heart out.