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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 third, 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 recognize your presence within our souls, and to seek you with perseverance and trust. Help us to surrender completely to your divine will, accepting both consolations and sacrifices with love. May we become attentive to your voice and faithful to the mission you entrust to us through Christ our Lord. Amen. In his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter three, verses sixteen to seventeen, Saint Paul writes Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person, for the temple of God which you are is holy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraph two sixty five By the grace of baptism, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light. 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. Today's reading invites us to seek Jesus within the depths of our own souls. Louisa writes After I listened to Holy Mass and received communion, my loving Jesus made himself seen within my heart. Then I felt I was going outside of myself, but without Jesus. I saw my confessor, and since he had told me, Our Lord will come after communion, and you will pray to him for me. As I saw my confessor, I said to him, Father, you told me that Jesus was going to come, but he is not come. He said to me, It is because look well, for he is in your interior. I went about looking within me, and I saw the feet of Jesus, which had come out from within my interior. Immediately I grabbed them with my hand and I pulled Jesus out. I hugged all of him, and in seeing him with the crown of thorns on his head, I removed it from him and I placed it in the hand of the confessor, telling him to drive it onto my head. And so he did. But no, as hard as he tried, he could not manage to make even one thorn penetrate. I said to him, Do it harder. Don't be afraid that I might suffer very much, because as you see, there is Jesus here that gives me strength. But as much as he tried, it all turned out impossible. Therefore he said to me, I am not strong enough for this. It is into bones that these thorns must penetrate, and I don't have the strength to do. So I turned to my sweet Jesus and saying, You see how Father does not know how to put it on? Do it yourself a little bit. And so Jesus stretched out his hands, and in one instant he made all those thorns penetrate into my head, to my unspeakable pain and contentment. After this, the confessor and I together prayed to Jesus that he would pour his bitternesses into me, so as to spare people the so many scourges which he is pouring over them, as he seemed to do today, since hail was ready to come down, not too far from us. And the Lord, to condescend to our prayers, did pour a little bit. Moreover, since I continued to see the confessor, I began to pray to Jesus for him, saying to him, My good and dear Jesus, I pray you to give grace to my confessor, to make him all yours, according to your heart, and to give him corporal health also. You have seen how he cooperated both in relieving your head from the thorns and in having you pour. If he could not manage to drive the thorns into my head, it wasn't for the purpose of not relieving you, nor was it his will, but because he did not have enough strength to do. Therefore, because of this also you must answer him. So tell me, O my soul and only good, will you make him be well both in the soul and in the body? Jesus would hear me, but would not answer me. I would pray him with greater solicitude, saying This morning I will not leave you, nor will I stop praying, if you do not give me your word that you will grant what I ask for him. But Jesus would not say a word. Then all of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by people. They seemed to be sitting around a table, eating, and there was also my portion. Jesus told me. My daughter, I am hungry. And I give you my portion. Aren't you happy? And Jesus? Yes, but I do not want to be seen. And I Well then I will pretend that I take it for myself, and without letting others notice, I will give it to you. And so we did. After a little while, standing up and drawing his lips near to my face, Jesus began to play something like the sound of a trumpet from his mouth. All of those people turned pale and trembled, saying among themselves What is this? What is this? Now we die. I said to him, Lord, my Jesus, what are you doing? How is this? Up until now you did not want to be seen, and now you start playing. Be quiet, be quiet. Don't make people scared. Don't you see how they are all frightened? And Jesus This is nothing yet. What will happen when all of a sudden I will play even louder? They will be caught by such fear that many will lose their lives. And I My adorable Jesus, what are you saying? You always go there that you want to do justice. But no mercy mercy on your people, I pray. So Jesus assumed his sweet and benign look, and I, continuing to see the confessor, began to importune him again, and Jesus told me I will make your confessor like a grafted tree, in which the old tree can no longer be recognized, either in the soul or in the body. And as a pledge of this, I have placed you in his hands as victim so that he may take advantage of it. One of the most beautiful lessons in this passage comes at the very beginning. Louisa believes Jesus has not come after communion, but her confessor tells her look well, for he is in your interior. When she searches within, she discovers that Jesus has been there all along. How often do we do the same thing? We look for God in extraordinary signs, powerful emotions, or visible answers to prayer. Yet Jesus frequently waits for us in the sanctuary of the soul. Through baptism and especially through holy communion, He dwells within us. The challenge is not that He is absent, it is that we do not always recognize His presence. This reading also reveals the depth of Louisa's love. She willingly accepts suffering if it can console Jesus and help spare others from harm. While we are not all called to the same mystical experiences, we are all called to unite our daily crosses to Christ. Every inconvenience, disappointment, illness, sacrifice, or hidden act of charity can become an offering when placed in the divine will. Another amazing aspect of the reading is Louisa's persistence in prayer. She intercedes for her confessor with determination and trust. She refuses to stop asking Jesus for blessings upon him. This teaches us the value of praying for our priests, spiritual leaders, families, and friends. Intercessory prayer is an act of love that participates in God's work of grace. Finally, Jesus speaks of making the confessor like a grafted tree. A grafted tree receives new life from the stock into which it is joined. This image points us toward life in the divine will. The more we surrender our human will and allow ourselves to be united with God's will, the more His life flows through us. Gradually, the old self gives way to the new life of Christ. Our thoughts, desires, and actions become transformed by His grace. Today, let us remember that Jesus is closer than we imagine. He is present within us, inviting us to seek Him, love Him, and allow His divine will to become the life of our soul. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, hidden within our souls, open our eyes to recognize your presence. Too often we search for you in distant places while you wait quietly within us. Teach us to enter the silence of our hearts and discover the treasure of your love. We thank you for the gift of holy communion, and for the grace that allows us to become living temples of your presence. May every communion deepen our union with you and strengthen our desire to live completely in your divine will. Jesus, we offer you our sacrifices, crosses, and daily struggles. Unite them to your own sufferings for the salvation of souls and for the triumph of your kingdom. Teach us to pray for others with perseverance and confidence, never growing weary of interceding for those you place in our lives. Graft us ever more deeply into your divine will. Let your life flow through us so completely that the old self fades away and your likeness shines forth in everything we do. We abandon ourselves entirely into your loving hands and trust in your perfect plan. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. Jesus reminds us that He dwells within us and invites us to seek Him with trust, perseverance, and love. Until tomorrow, stay in His will, and your faith will be made anew.