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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, august fifth, nineteen oh one, volume four. 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 every grace that helps us see ourselves as you see us. Remove whatever blinds us to your presence, your truth, and your loving guidance. Grant us humble hearts that welcome your gentle corrections and willing spirits that embrace every opportunity to grow in holiness. May every sacrifice offered with love draw us more deeply into the life of your divine will, where our thoughts, words, and actions become a continual offering of praise. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. A reading from the gospel according to Matthew, chapter six, verses twenty two and twenty three. The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness, and if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be? The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in Paragraph fourteen thirty. Jesus' call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works sack cloth and ashes, fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false. However, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance. Today, we're invited to consider how God gently purifies the heart so that we may recognize his presence more clearly. Louisa writes. As I was in my usual state, my blessed Jesus was delaying in coming. I felt I was dying for the pain of his privation, when all of a sudden, he came and told me My daughter, just as the eyes are the sight of the body, so mortification is the sight of the soul. Therefore, mortification can be called eyes of the soul and he disappeared. One of the greatest gifts God gives us is not merely the ability to observe the world around us, but the grace to perceive life through the light of eternity. Many people can see outward events, yet remain unaware of what God is accomplishing within their souls. The spiritual life is not measured by what we notice with our physical senses, but by the clarity with which we recognize God's loving action in every circumstance. Growth in holiness often requires letting go of habits, comforts, opinions, or attachments that quietly compete with God's place in our lives. These moments are rarely pleasant, yet they become invitations rather than punishments. The Lord is never interested in taking something away without replacing it with something infinitely greater, his own life dwelling more fully within us. Living in the divine will means allowing Jesus to reshape not only our actions but also the way we perceive reality. Instead of asking, why is this happening to me? We begin asking, Lord, what are you teaching me through this? That single change of perspective transforms trials into opportunities for grace. Every inconvenience can become an act of love. Every disappointment can become an offering. Every hidden sacrifice can become a seed planted for eternity. The world may overlook these quiet victories, but heaven treasures them because they are united with the perfect love of Christ. This is why surrender is so powerful. When we stop insisting on our own way, we discover a remarkable freedom. We're no longer driven by pride, fear, or the need to control outcomes. Instead, we begin walking in confidence that the Father is directing every step for our good and his glory. Ask yourself today, what attachment keeps me from seeing God's hand more clearly? Is there a comfort I cling to? An opinion I refuse to surrender or a fear that clouds my trust? Offer it to Jesus without hesitation. Even the smallest act of loving self denial united to his divine will becomes an eternal act because it is no longer ours alone. It becomes his life living within us. May our prayer today be simple. Lord, help me to see with a heart that belongs entirely to you. When our vision is purified by love, every ordinary moment becomes another opportunity to glorify the Father and hasten the coming of his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, you know every corner of my heart and every place where I still cling to my own way instead of yours. Give me the courage to surrender whatever prevents me from loving you with an undivided heart. Teach me to welcome every grace that draws me closer to holiness and to embrace each day as an opportunity to live in your divine will. May my thoughts reflect your wisdom. My words reveal your charity, and my actions bear witness to your presence. May everything I do bring glory to the Father and hasten the coming of your kingdom. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. Until tomorrow, stay in his will, and your faith will be made anew.