Journeying With The Saints

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 466-470.

Let's have fun talking about God's Creation today. Sister Faustina stares out her window and looks at the heavens. The stars and moon cause her heart to burn with adoration for God. It is so good to marvel at creation and it helps us grasp at the mind of God. I give you a few of my favorite places in creation that I have seen. Share yours!

This week we are reading the 16th number from "Way to Inner Peace." Bishop Sheen is going to talk about the reasons why mental cases are increasing in our modern world. Though he wrote this some 60+ years ago, it is as pertinent today as it ever was. It is important that we ask questions as to why mental cases are increasing. We can't help people if we don't understand the source of the problem.

Three points to consider: Self-will, discipline, and superiority complex.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 456-465.

The readings are a little bit longer today, but Sister Faustina is on a three-day retreat and I wanted to keep a flow of thought. The speaker speaks about God's goodness--one of His greatest attributes. Many people--believers and non-believers--struggle with fully believing in God's goodness. Lots of people who have experienced deep pain have a hard time accepting that God is good.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 450-455.

Till our last breath, our lives have purpose and meaning. No matter our age, no matter our place in life, we can fight the good fight against evil and work to save souls. When I was in college, I cleaned house for a retired couple that had forgotten that their lives had purpose and meaning. Sister Faustina's writings reminded me of them.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 445-449.

One line from Christ in today's readings gets me fired up. When we look around at the present state of things, there is a real desire to just hunker down and keep our Catholic Faith to ourselves. While things may look bleak, we were made for times such as this. This is our fight and we must have courage. In the present state of things, there is little joy or happiness; it is up to us to bring the Good News of Christ. It's a little longer today, but I felt we needed a pep talk. :)

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 440-444.

Sister Faustina's confessor talks to her about the three degrees of accomplishing God's Will. The first degree is following rules and statues of our faith. The second one is listening to internal inspirations and finding a way to heed the call. I share a story of a time when I got a big internal inspiration from God, but I ignored it.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 435-439.

Does Sister Faustina's writings seem heavy to you? I read an article that said Sister Faustina's Diary may not be good for people that struggle with scrupulosity. Sister Faustina does have a tendency to second guess herself and to feel that she is just the worst sinner out there. If you struggle with scrupulosity know that you aren't alone. God may have chosen St. Faustina to deliver this message because she so greatly needed to understand Christ's mercy.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 429-434.

I think fear is one of the most crippling things plaguing our world today. Everyone is afraid of something and that fear has caused us to draw in on ourselves. I'm not immune. Sister Faustina writes about how she is frightened by the greatness of what God is asking her to do. When it comes to spiritual matters, we can't let fear control us and keep us from heeding God's call.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 424-428.

Sister Faustina has a vision of a soul that was in front of the judgment seat of God. Many wounded souls were coming to bear witness to how they were treated by the newly judged soul. It wasn't a pretty sight. There are so many wounded souls walking around about us and it is imperative that we pray for people and, also, that we are aware of those around us.

This week we are reading the 15th number from "Way to Inner Peace." This week is all about our moods and dispositions. Do you have a pessimistic attitude or an optimistic one? I tend towards pessimism and it's something that I have to constantly check myself on. As Bishop Sheens teaches, too often our moods come from allowing ourselves to revolve around our external circumstances. What we must learn is to have our external circumstances revolve around us. We must learn that we have control over how we respond to negative events in our lives.

Three points to think about: Dispositions, control, and excuses.