"Your Faith Anew!"

"Disappearing Into God's Will"

David Russell

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June 19, 1899 – Volume 2

Luisa writes,

Yesterday, having gone through a day of purgatory because of the almost total privation of my highest good, and because of the many temptations that the devil put in me, it seemed to me I committed a lot of sins. Oh, God, what pain, to offend God!

This morning, as soon as I saw Jesus, immediately I said to Him: ‘Good Jesus, forgive me for the many sins I committed yesterday’; and I wanted to tell Him all the evil I felt I had done. Interrupting me, He said to me: “If you make yourself disappear, you will never commit sins.”

I wanted to continue to speak, but Jesus, making me see many devout souls and showing He did not want to hear what I wanted to tell Him, began again to speak: “That which most displeases Me about these souls is their instability in doing good. One little thing, one disappointment, even one defect, is enough; and while that is the time in which it is more necessary for them to cling more to Me, they become irritated, they get disturbed, and they neglect the good which they had started. How many times I have prepared graces to give to them, but in seeing them so unstable, I have been forced to hold them back.”

Then, knowing that He did not want to hear anything of what I wanted to tell Him, and seeing that my confessor was not well in the body, I prayed at length for him, and I asked Jesus various questions, which it is not necessary to say here. And Jesus, benignly, answered everything, 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. 

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If you want your dream to be, build it slow and surely. Small beginning greater and heartfelt work grows purely.

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Welcome. 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 nineteenth, 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 of perseverance in doing good. When we are tempted to discouragement, self condemnation or instability, help us remain firmly united to you. Teach us to forget ourselves and to trust completely in your mercy, so that your divine will may reign in every thought, word, and action. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul writes chapter six verses nine and ten. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap a harvest if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, and especially to those who belong to the family of the faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in Paragraph twenty ninety three. Faith in God's love encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with sincere love to divine charity. The first commandment enjoins us to love God above everything and all creatures for Him and because of Him. In Paragraph twenty ninety it is written Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God. It is also the fear of offending God's love and of incurring punishment. As we continue our journey through the book of Heaven, let's remain attentive to the truths Jesus reveals through Louisa, allowing these lessons to deepen our understanding of life in the divine will. Today's passage reveals the stability that comes from trusting God rather than focusing on ourselves. Louisa writes Yesterday, having gone through a day of purgatory because of the almost total privation of my highest good, and because of the many temptations that the devil put in me, it seemed to me I committed a lot of sins. Oh God, what pain to offend God. This morning, as soon as I saw Jesus, immediately I said to him, Good Jesus, forgive me for the many sins I committed yesterday and I wanted to tell him all the evil I felt I had done. Interrupting me, he said to me, If you make yourself disappear, you will never commit sins. I wanted to continue to speak, but Jesus, making me see many devout souls and showing he did not want to hear what I wanted to tell him, began again to speak. That which most displeases me about these souls is their instability in doing good. One little thing, one disappointment, even one defect is enough, while that is the time in which it is more necessary for them to cling more to me, they become irritated, they get disturbed, and they neglect the good which they had started. How many times I have prepared graces to give them, but in seeing them so unstable I've been forced to hold them back. Then, knowing that he did not want to hear anything of what I wanted to tell him, and seeing that my confessor was not well in the body, I prayed at length for him, and I asked Jesus various questions, which it is not necessary to say here. And Jesus, benignly, answered everything, and so it ended. This brief passage contains a deep lesson about living in the divine will. Louisa is troubled by temptations and fears that she has offended God. Many sincere souls can relate to this experience. We examine ourselves, become aware of our weaknesses, and sometimes become discouraged by what we see. Yet Jesus immediately redirects her attention. Rather than allowing her to dwell on herself, he says, If you make yourself disappear, you will never commit sins. Jesus is not telling Louisa to ignore her faults. Rather, he is teaching her that excessive focus on self can become an obstacle to union with God. The more we become absorbed in our own failures, fears, and imperfections, the less room there is for confidence in His mercy and action. Living in the divine will means shifting the center of our lives away from ourselves and toward God. It means trusting that He is working even when we feel weak. Instead of becoming trapped in discouragement, we place our attention on His goodness, on His providence, and His desire to sanctify us. Jesus then speaks about instability. He laments that many devout souls begin doing good but abandon it when difficulties arise. A disappointment, a criticism, a temptation, or a personal failure becomes enough to derail their progress. How relevant this is today. We begin a prayer routine and then stop because we become distracted. We make resolutions and abandon them after a setback. We strive for holiness and become discouraged when we discover our weaknesses. Jesus teaches that those moments are precisely when we should cling more firmly to him. Perseverance is not proven when everything goes well, it is proven when we continue despite struggles. For those seeking to live in the divine will, consistency matters. Daily acts, daily prayer, daily surrender, and daily trust formed the foundation of a life united to God. Even when we feel little progress, every act of fidelity invites new graces. Today, let us resolve not to be discouraged by our imperfections. Let us acknowledge them, entrust them to Jesus, and move forward with confidence. The divine will is not lived by the strongest souls, but by the most trusting souls, those who keep returning to God no matter what they face. Let us pray. Jesus, you know how often we become discouraged by our weaknesses and distracted by our failures. You see the fears that trouble our hearts and the temptations that seek to draw us away from you. Teach us to disappear into your divine will. Help us to stop measuring everything by our own strength and to begin trusting entirely in yours. Give us stability in doing good. When disappointments come, keep us faithful. When temptations arise, keep us peaceful. When we stumble, help us rise quickly and continue forward with confidence in your mercy. May we never abandon the good you have inspired in us. Instead, may we persevere with patience, trusting that every act done in your will has eternal value. Jesus, take our minds, our hearts, our desires, and our wills. Let your divine will become the life of every act we perform. May we remain steadfast, faithful, and peaceful in your presence, always trusting in your love. We ask this in the will and name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. The lesson of today's reading is simple but powerful. Do not become discouraged by your weaknesses. Remain faithful, persevere in doing good, and place your trust completely in God. Until tomorrow, stay in His will, and your faith will be made anew.