SPEAKER_00 0:06

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

SPEAKER_01 0:25

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, july thirtieth, 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, thank you for inviting us into a life that is centered on you rather than distracted by the faults or failures of others. Purify our thoughts, our words and our intentions, so that our hearts remain fixed on your goodness. Help us treasure every grace you place before us, and respond with faithful obedience. May your divine will become the light that directs our thoughts, guards our speech, and forms us into true disciples of Christ. We surrender this day to you with confidence, asking that every moment bring greater glory to your name. Amen. A reading from the gospel according to Matthew, chapter seven verses one to five. Stop judging that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother Let me remove that splinter from your eye while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraph twenty four seventy eight. To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret in so far as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way. Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. With humble hearts let us receive today's book of heaven reading as an invitation to deeper holiness through interior vigilance. The Wisa writes It continues almost always in the same way. This morning, as Jesus transported me outside of myself, according to his usual way, we passed through the midst of many people, and the majority of them were intent on judging other people's actions without looking at their own. My beloved Jesus told me The surest means to be upright with one's neighbor is to not look at all at what they are doing, because looking, thinking and judging is all the same. Besides, by looking at his neighbor, one comes to defraud his own soul. Therefore it happens that he is not upright either with himself or with his neighbor, or with God. After this I said to him, My only good, it has been a while since you gave me even just a kiss. And so we kissed each other. Then, almost wanting to correct me, he added, My daughter, what I recommend to you is to preserve and cherish my words, because my word is eternal and pure as I am myself, and by preserving it in your heart and profiting from it, you will have your sanctification, and will receive an eternal splendor as recompense, which is produced by my word. By doing otherwise, your soul would receive a void, and you would remain my debtor. One of the battles in the spiritual life is not fought with dramatic temptations, but with ordinary thoughts, a passing criticism, an assumption about another person, a conversation that quietly becomes judgment. These often seem harmless, yet they slowly rob the soul of its peace. Every moment we spend measuring another person's heart is a moment we're not allowing God to transform our own. Living in the divine will teaches us to look first toward God. When our attention remains fixed on Him, we become less interested in evaluating others and more concerned with responding faithfully to His grace. We begin to realize that every soul is on a journey known perfectly only by the Father. What appears to us as a weakness may be the very place where God is performing his greatest work. The enemy delights in drawing our eyes outward because distraction weakens recollection. Jesus continually calls us inward, where his grace patiently shapes us into his likeness. The saints became holy not because they mastered the lives of others, but because they allowed God to master their own. Today's invitation is also a reminder to value every word God speaks to our hearts. Through sacred scripture, the teachings of the church, prayer, the sacraments, and the quiet inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Heaven continually pours out its treasures. These gifts are not meant merely to inspire us for a moment, but to become part of our daily lives. A truth received with love becomes a light that guides future decisions. A grace welcome today bears fruit for eternity. Ask yourself today, what occupies my thoughts most often? Am I examining my own heart before considering the actions of others? Do I cherish God's voice enough to put it into practice? May we leave today with a renewed desire to protect the interior sanctuary where God dwells, welcoming every grace he offers and allowing his word to bear abundant fruit in our lives. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, I enter into your divine will and place before you my mind, my heart, my words, and every thought that will arise today. Teach me to see others with the mercy you have shown me. Deliver me from criticism, pride, and every distraction that turns my attention away from your presence. Fill me instead with humility, gratitude, and a deep love for your truth. Help me treasure every grace you send and faithfully respond to every inspiration of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. May every thought you surrender to Christ become another opportunity for His divine will to reign more completely within your heart and through your life. Until tomorrow, stay in His will, and your faith will be made anew