"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!"
"Obedience, Mercy, and Trust"
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June 17, 1899 – Volume 2
Luisa writes,
It continues always in the same way, but this morning especially, I have done nothing but argue with my dear Jesus: He wanted to keep sending the hail, as He did in these past days, and I did not want it. But then, in the middle of this, it seemed that a thunderstorm was getting ready, commanding the demons to destroy several places with the scourge of hail. At that very moment, I saw the confessor calling me from afar, giving me the obedience to go and put the demons to flight, so that they might not do anything. As I went out to go there, Jesus came to meet me, making me draw back. I said to Him: ‘Blessed Lord, I can’t – it is obedience that called me, and You know that You and I must surrender to this virtue, without being able to oppose it.’
And Jesus: “Well then, I will do it for you.” And so He commanded the demons to go to places farther away, and not to touch, for now, the lands belonging to our town. Then He said to me: “Let us go.” So we came back – I into my bed, and Jesus beside me. As we arrived, Jesus wanted to rest, saying that He was very tired. I stopped Him, saying to Him: “What is this sleep that You want to have now? And then, a beautiful obedience You had me do! – You want to sleep. Is this the love You have for me, and the way You want to content me in everything? Do You want to sleep? Sleep then, as long as You give me your word that You won’t do anything.’
Being sorry for my discontent, He told me: “My daughter, yet, I would like to content you. Let us do it this way: let us go out together again, in the midst of people, and let us see who are those who need to be punished because of their wicked actions – who knows whether, at least under the scourge, they might surrender. And then, those whom you want, those who need less to be punished, and whom you don’t want to be punished, I will spare.”
And I: ‘Lord, I give You thanks for your highest goodness in wanting to content me, but in spite of this I cannot do what You are telling me; I do not feel the strength to put my will in chastising any of your creatures. What would be the torment of my poor heart in hearing that that person or that other has been chastised, and I have put my will in it. May it never be – may it never be, O Lord.’ Then, the confessor came to call me into myself, and so it ended.
– 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 purely.
SPEAKER_00Welcome. 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, june seventeenth, 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, grant us the grace to trust your wisdom even when we do not understand your ways. Teach us humility, obedience, and confidence in your loving providence. May our hearts remain united to your divine will, seeking mercy for all souls, and surrendering every desire into your hands, through Christ our Lord. Amen. In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul writes Who are you to pass judgment on someone else's servant? Before his own master he stands or falls, and he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraph twenty seven forty. Jesus' prayer makes Christian prayer an efficacious petition. He is its model. He prays in us and with us. As we continue our journey through the book of Heaven, let us remain attentive to the truths Jesus reveals through Louisa, allowing these lessons to deepen our understanding of life in the divine will. In today's reading, Louisa intercedes for others while learning to entrust judgment and mercy entirely to God. Louisa writes It continues always in the same way, but this morning especially. I have done nothing but argue with my dear Jesus. He wanted to keep sending the hail, as he did in these past days, and I did not want it. But then, in the middle of this, it seemed that a thunderstorm was getting ready, commanding the demons to destroy several places with the scourge of hail. At that very moment I saw the confessor calling me from afar, giving me the obedience to go and put the demons to flight, so that they might not do anything. As I went out to go there, Jesus came to meet me, making me draw back. I said to him, Blessed Lord, I can't. It is obedience that called me, and you know that you and I must surrender to this virtue without being able to oppose it. And Jesus Well then I will do it for you. And so he commanded the demons to go to places farther away and not to touch for now, the lands belonging to our town. Then he said to me, Let us go. So we came back, I into my bed and Jesus beside me. As we arrived, Jesus wanted to rest, saying that he was very tired. I stopped him, saying to him What is this sleep that you want to have now? And then a beautiful obedience you had me do? You want to sleep? Is this the love you have for me? And the way you want to content me in everything? Do you want to sleep? Sleep then, as long as you give me your word that you won't do anything. Being sorry for my discontent, he told me My daughter, yet I would like to content you. Let us do it this way. Let us go out together again in the midst of the people, and let us see who are those who need to be punished because of their wicked actions. Who knows whether at least under the scourge they might surrender? And then those whom you want, those who need less to be punished, and whom you don't want to be punished, I will spare. And I Lord, I give you thanks for your highest goodness in wanting to content me. But in spite of this I cannot do what you are telling me. I do not feel the strength to put my will in chastising any of your creatures. What would be the torment of my poor heart in hearing that that person or that other has been chastised, and I have put my will in it. May it never be, may it never be, O Lord. Then the confessor came to call me into myself, and so it ended. This passage reveals a beautiful tension between justice and mercy. Louisa sees the possibility of chastisements, yet her heart instinctively moves toward mercy. Again and again she pleads for souls, for her town, and for those who might suffer. Her desire is not punishment, but salvation. What stands out is her profound humility. Jesus offers her the opportunity to participate in deciding who might be spared and who might require correction. Yet Louisa refuses. She recognizes that such judgments belong to God alone. She does not trust her own perspective. Instead, she entrusts everything to the wisdom of Jesus. This is an important lesson for those seeking to live in the divine will. We often encounter situations where we think we know what should happen. We may look at others and conclude that they deserve certain consequences, or that God should act in a particular way. Yet living in the divine will means surrendering our limited judgments and allowing God to govern all things according to his perfect wisdom and love. Notice also the role of obedience. When the confessor calls, Louisa immediately acknowledges the authority of obedience. Even Jesus affirms this virtue. Throughout the Book of Heaven, obedience is repeatedly shown as a safeguard for the soul. It protects against self will and keeps the soul securely aligned with God's designs. Another beautiful aspect of the reading is Louisa's compassion. She cannot bear the thought of consenting to another person's suffering. Her heart reflects something of the heart of Jesus Himself, who desires the salvation of every soul. While God may permit trials for the conversion of souls, his ultimate purpose is always love and redemption. For us, the practical application is simple. Pray for others, intercede for those who struggle. Ask for mercy rather than judgment. When faced with circumstances we cannot understand, place them in the hands of God. We do not need to control outcomes. We do not need to carry the burden of deciding what others deserve. Living in the divine will means saying, Lord, you know all things. Your justice is perfect. Your mercy is perfect. I entrust everything to you. In that surrender, the soul finds peace and becomes an instrument through which God's mercy can flow into the world. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, how often we want to understand everything and direct the course of events according to our own thoughts, yet you invite us to trust your wisdom above our own. Teach us the humility of Louisa, who desired mercy for all, and refused to place her own judgment above yours. Give us hearts that intercede rather than condemn, hearts that pray rather than complain, hearts that trust rather than control. May we embrace your holy obedience and recognize it as a gift that protects us from self will. Help us to surrender our opinions, fears, and desires into your hands, confident that you govern all things with perfect justice and perfect love. Jesus, we place our families, our communities, and the whole world within your divine will. May your mercy triumph in every soul willing to receive it, and may we become faithful instruments of your peace, trusting you completely in all things. We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. Let us seek to live each day in humble obedience, confident that his will is always guided by perfect love. Until tomorrow, stay in his will, and your faith will be made anew.