"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!"

"The Grace to Become"

September 26, 2026 • David Russell

0:00 | 14:30

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

September 26, 1899 – Volume 2

Luisa writes,

This morning, as my adorable Jesus came, He carried me outside of myself, o my greatest sorrow I saw Him from behind, and as much as I prayed Him but to let me see His most holy face, it was impossible. In my interior I kept saying: ‘Who knows whether it is because of my oppositions against the obedience to write that He does not deign to show His adorable face.’ And while saying this, I cried. After He let me cry, He turned around and told me: “I take your oppositions into no account, because your will is so identified with Mine, that you cannot want but what I Myself want. So, though it is repugnant for you, at the same time you feel drawn to do it as by a magnet; therefore, your repugnances serve for nothing else but to render the virtue of obedience more embellished and bright. This is why I ignore them.”

Afterwards, I looked at His most beautiful face, and in my interior I felt an indescribable contentment; and turning to Him, I said: ‘My most sweet Love, if I take so much delight in looking at You, what must it have been for our Queen Mama, when You enclosed Yourself in Her most pure womb? What contentments, how many graces did You not give Her?’ And He: “My daughter, the delights and the graces that I poured into Her were such and so many, that it is enough to tell you that what I am by nature, our Mother became by grace; more so, since She had no sin, and therefore my grace was able to lord freely within Her. There is nothing of my Being which I did not give to Her.”

At that instant, I seemed to see our Queen Mother as if She were another God, with this difference alone: that in God this is His own nature, while in Mary Most Holy it is acquired grace. Who can say how stupefied I was left; how my mind was lost in seeing a portent of grace so prodigious? So, turning to Him, I said: ‘My dear Good, our Mother had so much good because You let Yourself be seen intuitively. I would like to know: how do You show Yourself to me – by abstractive or by intuitive sight? Who knows whether it is even abstractive at all.’ And He: “I want to make you understand the difference that passes between one and the other. In the abstractive, the soul contemplates God, while in the intuitive she enters into Him and obtains graces – that is, she receives within her the participation in the Divine Being. How many times have you not participated in my Being? That suffering, which seems almost natural in you; that purity by which you reach the point of feeling as if you did not have a body, and many other things – have I not communicated this to you when I have drawn you to Myself intuitively?”

Ah, Lord, it is so true! And I – what thanks have I rendered You for all this? What has been my correspondence? I feel blushing at the mere thought of it. But, O please! Forgive me, and let it be known, in Heaven and on earth, that I am an object of your infinite mercies.

– 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, september twenty sixth, 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 the noise within us, and make our hearts receptive to your grace. We bring you no accomplishments to admire, only ourselves to receive your love. May everything we are become available to you, so that your life may bear fruit in us. Amen. A reading from the second letter of Saint Peter, chapter one verses three and four. His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and power. Through these, He has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in Paragraph four six zero. The Word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature, for this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of Man, so that man, by entering into communion with the Word, and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God. For the Son of God became man so that we might become God, the only begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in His divinity, assumed our nature, so that He made man, might make men gods. As we listen today, let us open our hearts to the astonishing generosity of what God desires to accomplish within the soul. Louisa writes This morning, as my adorable Jesus came, he carried me outside of myself. Oh my greatest sorrow I saw him from behind, and as much as I prayed him but to let me see his most holy face it was impossible. In my interior I kept saying, Who knows whether it is because of my oppositions against the obedience to right that he does not deign to show his adorable face? And while saying this I cried. After he let me cry, he turned around and told me, I take your oppositions into no account, because your will is so identified with mine, that you cannot want but what I myself want. So though it is repugnant for you, at the same time you feel drawn to do it as by a magnet. Therefore, your repugnances serve for nothing else but to render the virtue of obedience more embellished and bright. This is why I ignore them. Afterwards, I looked at his most beautiful face, and in my interior I felt an indescribable contentment. And turning to him I said, My most sweet love, if I take so much delight in looking at you, what must it have been for our Queen Mamma when you enclosed yourself in her most pure womb? What contentments? How many graces did you not give her? And he My daughter, the delights and the graces that I poured into her were such and so many, that it is enough to tell you that what I am by nature our mother became by grace, more so, since she had no sin, and therefore my grace was able to lord freely within her. There is nothing of my being which I did not give to her. At that instant I seem to see our Queen Mother as if she were another god, with this difference alone, that in God this is his own nature, while in Mary Most Holy it is acquired grace. Who can say how stupefied I was left? How my mind was lost in seeing a portent of grace so prodigious. So, turning to him I said My dear good, our mother had so much good because you let yourself be seen intuitively. I would like to know how do you show yourself to me? By abstractive or by intuitive sight? Who knows whether it is even abstractive at all? And he I want to make you understand the difference that passes between one and the other. In the abstractive, the soul contemplates God. While in the intuitive she enters into him and obtains graces, that is, she receives within her the participation in the divine being. How many times have you not participated in my being? That suffering, which seems almost natural in you that purity by which you reach the point of feeling as if you did not have a body? And many other things. Have I not communicated this to you when I have drawn you to myself intuitively? Ah Lord, it is so true. And I what thanks have I rendered you for all this? What has been my correspondence? I feel blushing at the mere thought of it, but oh please, forgive me and let it be known in heaven and on earth that I am an object of your infinite mercies. There is a breathtaking phrase in Saint Peter's second letter. We are called to become partakers of the divine nature. The church has never understood this to mean that we cease being creatures or somehow become God by nature. The distinction between creator and creature always remains. And yet Christianity dares to proclaim something almost unbelievable. Through grace, God truly shares His divine life with us. That is why salvation is much greater than simply becoming a better person. Jesus did not come merely to improve our behavior. He came to give us life. At baptism, something real happened within us. Sanctifying grace was given. We became adopted children of the Father, temples of the Holy Spirit, members of Christ. And throughout the Christian life, God continues his work of sanctification, drawing us more deeply into communion with Himself. The saints sometimes called this divinization or deification. Saint Athanasius expressed it boldly. The Son of God became man so that man might become God, not by nature, but by participation in divine life. And here we touch something important about living in the divine will. The spiritual life is not primarily an attempt to imitate Jesus from a distance. Grace makes possible something far more intimate. Christ living in us and we living in Him. Our human will is not destroyed. God does not erase our personality or freedom. Rather, grace perfects nature. The more freely we surrender ourselves to God, the more completely His life can shape our choices, desires, thoughts, and actions. Consider the Blessed Virgin Mary. Everything in her came from God. Yet grace found in her an extraordinary openness. Her greatness points entirely toward Him. She shows us what the human person can become when grace is welcomed without reserve. And perhaps this protects us from one of the great mistakes of the spiritual life. Believing holiness is something we manufacture. It is received. Our part is real. We pray, we obey, we repent, we choose, we persevere. But underneath everything is grace. God acts first. The Christian life therefore becomes less about anxiously asking, How holy have I become? And more about offering ourselves to Jesus again and again. Here I am. Whatever you wish to give, let me receive. Whatever you wish to accomplish, let me cooperate. Whatever you desire to live in me, let my will say yes. And then grace can do what human effort alone never could. Let us pray. Jesus, I adore you as my Lord and my God. Everything good begins in you. Thank you for the grace of baptism, for the gift of your Holy Spirit, and for calling me into communion with your own divine life. Keep me from trusting only in my own strength. I give you my will, my freedom, my thoughts, my desires, and all that this day will contain. May your grace find room within me. Jesus, live your life in me, and teach me to receive each moment in your divine will. Amen. Thank you for joining your faith anew today. Until tomorrow, stay in his will, and your faith will be made anew.