"When Christ Becomes the Measure of Our Life" Artwork

"Your Faith Anew!"

Your Faith Anew! exists to help souls grow in their knowledge of the Catholic Faith, strive to remain in a state of grace, and encounter the transforming joy of the Gospel. Its mission is simple yet eternal: to save souls, glorify God, and become saints.

Hosted by David Russell, this daily reflection podcast draws deeply from Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta—especially The Book of Heaven—guiding listeners into a deeper understanding of living in the Divine Will.

David is the author of four spiritually rich works: Magi Theology: The Essence of Illusion, The Little Magician – Discovers Bigger and Better, Our Pilgrimage with the Pilgrim Virgin, and his newest release, Our Mother in the Divine Will. With a lifelong fascination for the mystical, David discovered a profound connection between the art of illusion and deeper spiritual realities—an insight that inspired both his theological and children’s writings. His work Magi Theology received both the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from the Diocese of Knoxville.

In 2010, David was introduced to the writings of Luisa Piccarreta, which deeply resonated with his own spiritual insights. This encounter helped shape the foundation of his ministry.

In 2017, he founded the Your Faith Anew! prayer and study group to help Catholics rediscover and fall in love with their Faith. At the heart of his message is this conviction:

“The Catholic Faith prepares us to receive the Gift of Living in the Divine Will—and this Gift enables us to live our Faith in a divine manner most pleasing to God.”

Join us daily as we seek not only to understand our Faith—but to live it fully, joyfully, and in union with the Divine Will.

Song: Buddy Comfort - vocals and guitar from the album, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", www.buddycomfort.com

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"Your Faith Anew!"

"When Christ Becomes the Measure of Our Life"

August 18, 2026 • David Russell

0:00 | 12:32

NEW AUDIOBOOK! "LIVING IN DIVINE WILL - Returning to the Purpose of Our Creation" click here

August 18, 1899 – Volume 2

Luisa writes,

This morning, as most loving Jesus came, I said to Him: ‘My beloved Jesus, I believe that everything I write is all nonsense.’ And Jesus: “My word is not only truth, but also light, and when a light enters a dark room – what does it do? It dispels the darkness, and makes one distinguish the objects that are in it, whether they are ugly or beautiful, whether there is order or disorder; and from the way that room is found, one judges the person that occupies it. Now, the human life is the dark room, and when the light of truth enters a soul, it dispels the darkness – that is, it makes her distinguish what is true from what is false, the temporal from the eternal, in such a way that she casts vices away from herself and places the order of virtues within her. In fact, since my light is holy - it is my very Divinity - it cannot communicate anything but sanctity and order, and so the soul feels light of patience, of humility, of charity and the like come out of herself. If my word produces these signs in you, why fear?”

After this, Jesus let me hear how He was praying the Father for me, saying: “Holy Father, I pray to You for this soul – let it be that she fulfill Our Most Holy Will perfectly in everything. Let it be, O adorable Father, that her actions be so conformed to Mine, that one might not be distinguished from the other, so that I may accomplish what I have designed upon her.” But who can say the strength I felt being infused in me by this prayer of Jesus? I felt my soul being clothed with such strength, that in order to fulfill the Most Holy Will of God I would not have cared suffering a thousand martyrdoms, if this were what He pleased. May the Lord be always thanked, who uses so much mercy with this poor sinner.

– Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta

Buddy Comfort – vocals and guitar from the album Brother Sun, Sister Moon, www.buddycomfort.com, words and music by Donovan Leitch.

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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 eighteenth, 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. Lord Jesus, draw us close to you. Quiet within us every voice that competes with yours. Free us from the judgments, fears, and desires that cloud our vision. Give us hearts that are teachable, peaceful, and ready to receive whatever you desire to give. May your grace penetrate the places within us that we guard too carefully. Make us attentive to your presence and generous in responding to you. And in everything, teach us to desire the Father's will above our own. Amen. A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, chapter four, verses twenty through twenty four. That is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth. The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in paragraphs sixteen ninety four incorporated into Christ by baptism. Christians are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus, and so participate in the life of the risen Lord. Following Christ and united with him, Christians can strive to be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love, by conforming their thoughts, words and actions to the mind which is yours in Christ Jesus, and by following his example. Let us listen now with a heart willing to be formed by Christ rather than merely informed about him Louisa writes This morning, as most loving Jesus came, I said to him My beloved Jesus, I believe that everything I write is all nonsense. And Jesus My word is not only truth, but also light. And when a light enters a dark room, what does it do? It dispels the darkness and makes one distinguish the objects that are in it, whether they are ugly or beautiful, whether there is order or disorder. And from the way that room is found, one judges the person that occupies it. Now the human life is the dark room, and when the light of truth enters a soul, it dispels the darkness. That is, it makes her distinguish what is true from what is false, the temporal from the eternal, in such a way that she casts vices away from herself and places the order of virtues within her. In fact, since my light is holy, it is my very divinity. It cannot communicate anything but sanctity and order, and so the soul feels light of patience, of humility, of charity, and the like come out of herself. If my word produces these signs in you, why fear? After this, Jesus let me hear how he was praying the Father for me, saying, Holy Father, I pray to you for this soul. Let it be that she fulfill our most holy will perfectly in everything. Let it be, O adorable Father, that her actions be so conformed to mine, that one might not be distinguished from the other, so that I may accomplish what I have designed upon her. But who can say the strength I felt being infused in me by this prayer of Jesus? I felt my soul being clothed with such strength that in order to fulfill the most holy will of God, I would not have cared suffering a thousand martyrdoms if this were what he pleased. May the Lord be always thanked, who uses so much mercy with this poor sinner. There is a profound difference between admiring Jesus and allowing Jesus to become the measure of our life. We can admire His patience while remaining impatient. We can praise His mercy while holding tightly to resentment. We can contemplate His obedience to the Father while continuing to arrange our lives according to our own preferences. Christian discipleship goes further. Saint Paul tells us that we have learned Christ. That's a striking expression. Christianity is not simply learning teachings about Jesus, it is learning Jesus Himself until his way of loving, choosing, forgiving, suffering, and trusting the Father begins to shape us from within. This is the work of grace. And grace often begins by revealing something we would rather not see. When Christ draws near, we begin to recognize attitudes that once seemed harmless. Pride becomes easier to notice. Resentment becomes uncomfortable. The excuses we have made for ourselves lose some of their power. Even good desires can be exposed as being mixed with self interest. That discovery is not a reason for discouragement. It can be evidence that God is drawing us closer. Imagine walking outside just before sunrise. At first, everything seems peaceful because much remains hidden. But as daylight increases, details emerge. What was indistinct becomes visible. The growing light didn't create what you now see. It simply enabled you to see more clearly. Something similar happens in the spiritual life. As Christ draws us closer to Himself, we become more aware of the distance between His love and ours. Yet precisely there, Jesus invites us not into anxiety, but surrender. He doesn't merely point toward holiness and tell us to reach it by ourselves, He gives us His grace. He shares His life with us. Through baptism we have been joined to Him, and through the Eucharist He continually nourishes that communion. Living in the divine will takes this surrender deeply into the ordinary moments of life. Instead of asking only Lord, what should I do? The heart gradually learns another prayer. Jesus, live this moment in me. My work can belong to you. My conversation can belong to you. My inconvenience can belong to you. My hidden sacrifice can belong to you. Even the smallest act can become a place of communion when it is freely surrendered to God. Holiness then becomes less about constructing an impressive spiritual life and more about allowing Christ to possess the life we actually have. Perhaps this is the invitation for today, not merely to imitate Jesus from a distance, but to give him room within us until gradually, quietly, beautifully, the Father begins to recognize in our lives something of his beloved Son. Let us pray. Jesus, I do not want merely to know about you. I want to belong to you. Enter the ordinary places of my life, the places no one sees, the choices no one applauds, the thoughts known only to you. May my thoughts, words, actions, joys, sacrifices, and prayers be united to you for the glory of the Father and for the coming of his kingdom. Jesus, I give you permission again today. Live your life in me. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. Until tomorrow, stay in his will, and your faith will be made anew.