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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 twenty eighth, nineteen oh five, volume six. Let us begin in the will and name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord Jesus, quiet everything within me that competes for my attention. Draw me beyond distraction and self concern into the freedom of belonging entirely to you. Give me a heart that listens, a will that responds, and the grace to receive whatever you desire to accomplish in me today. May my life become more available to your love and more attentive to your presence. Amen. A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, chapter three verses sixteen through nineteen. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you, in accord with the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraph two thousand and eight. The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace. The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man's free acting through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man's merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit. Before we listen to today's entry from Louisa, ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to recognize how quietly Christ may be inviting you into deeper communion with him. Louisa writes This morning on coming, my adorable Jesus made me see his most lovable heart. Something like many shining threads of gold, of silver, and red colored were coming out from within it, and it seemed that they were forming a net which thread after thread bound all human hearts. I remain enchanted on seeing this, and he said to me, My daughter, with these threads my heart binds to itself all the affections, the desires, the heartbeats, the love, and even the very life of the human hearts, which are similar to my human heart in everything, except mine is different in sanctity. And having bound them, as my desires move from heaven, the thread of desires excites their desires. If the affections move, the thread of affections moves their affections. If I love, the thread of love excites their love, and the thread of my life gives them life. Oh what harmony between heaven and earth, between my heart and the human hearts. But only those who correspond to me can perceive this, while those who reject me with the effectiveness of their wills perceive nothing, and render vain the operations of my human heart. There is a difference between being near Jesus and becoming available to Jesus. We can pray every day, attend mass faithfully, receive the sacraments, read Scripture, and sincerely desire holiness, and still reserve certain interior rooms for ourselves. Perhaps we keep control over our plans. Perhaps we protect an old resentment. Perhaps we insist upon being understood. Perhaps we quietly tell God, You may enter here, Lord, but not there. Yet Christ does not seek merely to occupy a place in our lives. He desires communion. Saint Paul prays that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith, and that we may know a love surpassing knowledge. Christianity, then, is not simply the improvement of human behavior. At its deepest level, it is participation in the life of Christ. This is why the catechism calls the heart our hidden center, the place of decision and encounter. Much of our spiritual life is decided there before anyone sees the result. Consider how many ordinary moments contain a hidden consent. Someone disappoints you. And before speaking, you can surrender the hurt to Christ. An unexpected problem interrupts your plans. And before a frustration takes possession of you, you can say, Jesus, I receive this moment with you. You feel prompted to encourage someone, forgive someone, remain silent, make a sacrifice or pray. And something within you answers Yes. These small interior permissions matter. Living in the divine will begins to touch daily life precisely here, not as an escape from ordinary responsibilities, but as a deeper surrender within them. We allow Jesus to shape our response. We stop treating our will as an independent kingdom and begin offering it to Him as a place where His grace may reign. And notice what happens. Holiness becomes less about constantly watching over ourselves and more about remaining attentive to Christ. That changes everything. Instead of asking only Am I doing this correctly? We begin asking Jesus, what do you desire here? Instead of measuring our spiritual progress, we begin occupied with loving Him. Instead of trying to manufacture holiness, we give the Holy Spirit room to sanctify us. Perhaps the most important offering you make today will be invisible to everyone else. No one will applaud it. No one may even know it happened. But Jesus will know and sometimes an entire life of holiness turns upon these quiet moments when the soul simply gives God permission. Let us pray. Jesus, I adore you within the deepest place of my soul. There are parts of me that surrender easily, and others that still resist your touch. I place them all before you. When my plans are interrupted, remain with me. When my emotions become restless, steady me. When I'm tempted to insist upon myself, teach me the freedom of yielding to you. Holy Spirit, make my heart attentive to your smallest inspirations. Give me the courage to answer promptly, generously, and peacefully. Father, I surrender my human will to you. Let your divine will reign within my thoughts, choices, words, work, relationships, joys and sacrifices. Jesus, dwell in me so deeply that loving you becomes the quiet center from which everything else proceeds. May my hidden yes become an act of love offered entirely for your glory. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. Until tomorrow, stay in his will, and your faith will be made anew.