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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 twenty eighth, nineteen hundred, volume three. Let us begin in the will and name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Heavenly Father, in times of trial and uncertainty, grant us the grace to remain faithful and trusting in you. When we experience darkness, confusion or the feeling of your absence, help us to cling to your divine will with confidence. Remove every mask of self reliance, pride, and fear, and teach us to abandon ourselves completely into your loving care. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter twelve verses eight to ten, Saint Paul writes Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong. The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraph two seven three four. Filial trust is tested. It proves itself in tribulation. The principal difficulty concerns the prayer of petition for oneself or for others in intercession. Some even stop praying because they think their petition is not heard. Here two questions should be asked. Why do you think our petition has not been heard? How is our prayer heard? How is it efficacious? As we continue our journey through the book of Heaven, may the words of Jesus speaking through Louisa enlighten our minds and lead us to a fuller understanding of life in the divine will. Today Louisa's entry invites us to trust God even when his presence seems hidden. Louisa writes This morning, as I was highly afflicted because of the privation of my loving Jesus, I saw him for just a little, and he said to me, My daughter, how many masks will be unmasked in these times of chastisements? In fact, these present chastisements are nothing but the predisposition for all the chastisements which I manifested to you during the course of last year. As he was saying this, in my interior I said, If the Lord continues to behave the way he is behaving, that since he wants to send chastisements he does not come. He does not share his pains with me and treats me with unusual manners. Who would be able to endure? Who will give me the strength to remain in this state? And Jesus, answering my thought, added an act of compassion. And so do you want me to suspend your state of victim for a little while and to resume it later? As he said this, I felt such confusion and bitterness, for it seemed to me as if with that proposal the Lord was driving me away from himself that I was unable to say either yes or no, also in order to hear what obedience decides. So, without waiting for my word, he disappeared from me, leaving me as though a nail was stuck into my heart, thinking that Jesus was rejecting me. The pain was so great that I did nothing but shed bitter tears. This passage reveals a significant spiritual lesson about trust during times when God seems absent. Louisa is not suffering because she has lost faith. She is suffering because she loves Jesus so deeply. Her greatest pain is not physical hardship, but the feeling of separation from the one she loves. Jesus begins by speaking about masks being unmasked. Often, trials reveal what lies hidden within the human heart. When life is comfortable, we may think our trust in God is strong. But when prayers seem unanswered, when suffering persists or when God's presence feels distant, the true condition of our soul becomes visible. Trials do not create weakness, they uncover it so that God can heal it. In Louisa's case, Jesus allows her to experience a painful test. He proposes suspending her state of victimhood for a time. To many people this might seem like a relief, but Loisa experiences it as a wound because her deepest desire is not comfort. It is union with Jesus. Her response shows that authentic love seeks the beloved more than personal consolation. Living in the divine will requires this same disposition. We often feel close to God when prayer is sweet and consoling. Yet the divine will invites us to remain faithful even when we feel nothing. The value of our love is not measured by emotions, but by fidelity. Jesus never abandoned Louisa. Though hidden, he remained present and attentive to every movement of her heart. The same is true for us. During spiritual dryness, disappointments and uncertainties, God may seem silent, but he is often accomplishing his deepest work within the soul. The masks Jesus mentions can also be our attachment to our own expectations. We may want God to act according to our plans and timing. The divine will gently removes those attachments so that our trust rests in God alone. Today, if you're carrying a cross, experiencing discouragement or wondering where God is, remember that faith grows strongest when it is exercised in darkness. Continue your acts in the divine will. Continue praying, loving and trusting. The Lord who seemed absent to Louisa was actually drawing her closer to himself. He is doing the same for us. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, in moments when your presence seems hidden, give us the grace to trust you completely. When our hearts are troubled and our prayers seem unanswered, help us to remember that you are always near. Remove every false mask within us, every fear, attachment, self reliance, and hidden pride. Purify our intentions so that we seek not merely your gifts, but you alone. Jesus, teach us to love you as Louisa loved you, desiring union with you above every earthly comfort. When trials come, help us to accept them as opportunities to grow in faith and abandonment to your divine will. May every joy and sorrow, every consolation, and every dryness become an offering united with your holy will. Let our confidence rest not in what we feel, but in your unfailing love. We place our hearts, our families, our work, and our future into your hands. May your divine will reign within us and guide every thought, word, and action. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. God often does his deepest work when his presence seems hidden. Let us remain faithful, trusting that every trial can draw us closer to his divine will and purify our love for him. So until tomorrow, stay in his will, and your faith will be made anew.