Journeying With The Saints

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 279-284.

Christ's words today can cause us to feel uncomfortable. He talks about suffering and how much it can show that we love Him. This can be hard for us to hear, especially in a world that sees suffering as pointless and something to be utterly avoided. But, it is exactly Christ's suffering that helps us to recognize how much He loves us.

This week we are reading the 11th number from "Way to Inner Peace." Our topic for this week is about restoring stolen goods and Bishop Sheen is going to tell us the great story of Zacchaeus. It's very easy to look at rich people and judge them for having too much and being greedy. However, there's a flip side to this: Communism and Socialism can breed envy and jealously within people who are not wealthy. They can believe that they have a right to what was not earned by them.

Three points to think about are: Restitution, restoration, and honesty.

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 273-278.

There is so much to get out of today's readings. They are packed with all kinds of wisdom and good food for thought. We talk about Marilyn Monroe, asking others to call us out, suffering for the good of others, and angels. You just never know where her writings are going to take us!

Today's readings are from Notebook 1, numbers 270-272.

Sister Faustina gets laughed at by a stand-in confessor. It's not a laughter of joy but one of disbelief. It causes her to falter. This made me think of an essay I had read by a female author from the turn of the 20th century. It was an essay on the different reasons we laugh and how we laugh. It was a very thought-provoking essay. Not all laughs are equal. Some laughs can wound; some can lift the spirit.

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 sometimes, but we need to continue on with it. Don't give up!

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 stretched me.

The show today is sponsored by My Saint, My Hero. Please check them out at www.mysaintmyhero.com.

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 remember that God sees and that's all that matters.

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."

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.

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.

Three points to keep in mind: Goodness, guilty conscience, and repentance.