Journeying With The Saints

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 266-269. Sister Faustina writes about a difficult prayer session. She has to give it a go for three hours until she finally starts to feel graces. Our faith life will require this same kind of perseverance. Not every prayer time is going to be great, there are going to be times at Mass when we struggle through it, praying the Rosary can be difficult so...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 261-265.  Sister Faustina has made it Vilnius, the next stop for her. Things are different and she has to learn to embrace new changes. It can be hard to embrace change; we often want to go back to the familiarity and comfort of what we've left behind. I relate this to all the new chapters I've had as a military spouse and how each move has grown and s...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 255-260.  Sister Faustina is getting ready to leave Vilnius. She is stepping out on the next part of her journey. One thing she talks about is the desire to "hide from people's eyes whatever good" she does. We struggle with doing this. As humans, we desire pats on the back and cheers for the good works that we do. It can feed our ego. But, we need to r...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 251-254.  Sister Faustina says that when she walked into a chapel, God's presence enveloped her. Isn't that so true about our Catholic Churches? When we go in, because Christ is physically present, we are enveloped by Him. It's so magnificent. How blessed we are to be able to go spend time with Him where an "hour passes like a minute."   

This week we are reading the 10th number from "Way to Inner Peace." This week we will focus on the parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke. The focus will be on the elder son in the story. While he did everything right, yet he had no joy in his heart.  He couldn't rejoice in the repentance of his brother which is an attitude that many of us take with those trying to turn back to God. ...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 246-250.  Sister Faustina is a disciplined woman and I admire that. If we want to have a fruitful and wonderful relationship with Christ, we must be disciplined people. This is very hard to do in our world which encourages self-indulgence and instant gratification. But, a life without disciplined becomes weak-willed.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 241-245.  Sister Faustina desires to be helpful, to refrain from speaking about others behind their back, defending people's good names, rejoicing in the success of others, and praying for those that humiliate us and being thankful they give us that chance. Whew, boy, I struggle with so many of these. We talk about why today.  The show is sponsored by...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 239, starting at May 1, 1933 and through to the end of 240.  We read about Sister Faustina taking her vows today. She has a powerful prayer. We are going to pray it ourselves making it relatable to our current times.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 234-239. Stopping at May 1, 1933.  Does God find Heaven in our hearts like He finds in Sister Faustina's heart? For this to be true, God must be our number one priority. Realizing that our spouses or children aren't to be our number one priority can make us recoil. It sounds harsh to not put those loved ones first. It is important to remember that when...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 229-233.  Sister Faustina is getting ready to take her perpetual vows and she's all a flutter, just like a new bride. I think it's a good idea to talk about what vows are and how powerful they are. Vows made to or made with God as a witness bind us in a supernatural way to the one with who we make the vow. It's a shame that we don't take vows seriously...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 225-228. Sister Faustina gives us a list today of things that she struggles with, some of her sins. They seem so minor to things that many of us struggle with, but I think her list gives us good things to reflect on and evaluate where can get better in these areas. I know that they are definitely areas that I can work on and get better.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 220-224.  There's a lot of people, even Catholics, that don't believe the reality of the Blessed Sacrament. "It's too much," we say. But, who are we to limit God? If we believe in the Resurrection, the many miracles of Christ, and all the miracles God worked through other people, why is the changing of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ t...

This week we are reading the 9th number from "Way to Inner Peace." Bishop Sheen is going to talk about one of our most beloved parables from the Gospel of Luke--the Good Samaritan. As a kid, I had a Little Golden Book about the Good Samaritan. It was a story I could understand, even as a kid. It's a great story and it's one we all know. It will be the basis for our readings this week where we hear...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 214-219.  Sister Faustina comes full circle. She is back in Cracow where she entered the novitiate. Now, she is getting ready to take her perpetual vows. This got me thinking about my spiritual journey. What if we could look back and see where we took our first steps in our spiritual life? It's good to think about and see all the graces that God poured...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 209-213. How do we combat the drab life? Is the answer self-love and focus on entertainment? Nope. Sister Faustina shares with us that the key to living a lively faith is to not totally focus on yourself. This is contrary to what the world teaches. I would, also, add that gratitude and wonder help to make us see each day with child-like eyes.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 202-208. Have you ever thought about your sacrifices are like flowers thrown at Christ's feet? So, often, we think our sacrifices have to be huge to matter, but this isn't true. Even small sacrifices are sweet to Christ. I tell my story of being at Calvary and sticking my hand down the hole that Christ's cross was stuck in. Would you believe that where...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 196-201.  Christ's words today are a little confounding. As I sat and thought about what He said to Sister Faustina what came into my mind was The King and I . Using a very imperfect analogy, I use a scene from The King and I to explain my understanding of Christ's words. Maybe I was inspired or maybe I just needed to talk about my favorite musical. Lo...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 190-195.  Sister Faustina is willing to toil, suffer, and sacrifice for souls that needs help. In fact, she desires to do so. I can't say that I'm one of those people that desires to toil and suffer for people outside my family and friend circle. But, what if it saved a soul? Are we willing to suffer for other souls? It's a hard question to ask.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 182 (starting at Christmas Eve) to 189.  Christ gives Sister Faustina one of the comforting prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet in our readings today. I love this prayer and it always calms my soul so much. Something we have to remember is that when trying to bring people to Christ, His mercy is what we must focus on. People need to know how much Chris...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 180-182.  What do you do with souls that vex you? One of the hardest things to do is deal with them in a charitable way. Sister Faustina shares a short account of another sister that is trying to vex her. Sister Faustina handles it with great grace. I relate a story where I struggled with someone that vexed me and it took me a long time to learn to han...

This week we are reading the 8th number from "Way to Inner Peace." This week's topic is all about how perfection is not automatic. There's no pill we can take; no quick fix that will produce perfection within us. No, it takes a willingness to attain the ideal us--the person God created us to be. This will require sacrifice and suffering but it is worth it. We learn about the process of perfection...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 176-179.  We do not worship a distant or aloof God. We worship a God that desires to be close to us in intimate relationship. It doesn't matter if we feel worthless, miserable, unworthy, or pitiful, Christ wants to shower mercy on us and heal us. He wants us to come to Him rather than turn away. Trust in His mercy.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 170-175.  The closer we grow to Christ, the more Satan is going to work to make us stumble in our walk towards Christ. Satan doesn't need to worry about souls sunk in sin, they are right where he wants them. Make no doubt that as we strive for holiness, Satan will become obsessed with making us doubt ourselves. Pay him no mind and stay close to Christ...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 164-169 . Day 50! Whoop, whoop! It's so important for us to remember that if God asks something of us or if He sets a mission before us, He will help it to happen. If we are open to His Will, He will remove road blocks and snares for us so that we may accomplish what He has asked. That doesn't mean it will be easy, but it does mean He will be there wit...

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 160-161, skip 162, and then start back up at 163.  We get a beautiful prayer to Mary today. I highly encourage marking this page and returning to this poetic prayer to Mary on feast days for Our Lady. The last part provides a great examination of our faith life with regards to mercy towards others. I can tell you right now, I don't do a very good job o...