A Year With St. Faustina

Today's readings are from Notebook 4, numbers 1315-1317. We all know, as Catholics, that there are the corporal works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy. The spiritual works of mercy are a little intimidating because sometimes people don't like us offering those types of mercy. However, Christ is going to talk about the importance of performing spiritual works of mercy. I thought today would be a good refresher of the seven spiritual works of mercy. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 4, numbers 1318-1321. Milestone Day! We will finish up Notebook 4 today.  Christ wants for us to hand our misery over to Him. When we do, we will be transformed and God will create good out of that misery. It doesn't sound possible but it truly is. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1322-1324. We start Notebook 5 today and so, as is our usual custom when we start a new notebook, our day will be shorter. We will say the prayers at the beginning and then leave it at that. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1325-1329. Another ten days down! We will talk about sainthood today. Sister Faustina is going to talk about her desire to be a saint. I know that most of think that sainthood is for other people to do and not us. We don't see ourselves as saint material. But, that's just not true. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1330-1334. Let's talk about one of my favorite topics in Christianity--Angels! Two years back, I did a study on angels and shared a lot of my newfound knowledge with my followers. Sister Faustina is going to ask Christ a question about angels. So, I thought it would be fun to talk about them.  My Guardian Angel blog: https://catholicpilgrim.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=2250&action=edit

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1335-1340. I recently finished reading the "Scarlet Letter" with my daughter and when I went to do my podcast, part of our readings reminded me of the book. Struggling against our sins is not the problem. What is the problem is when we lack courage to confess our sins and fail to even try to struggle against them. It is not failure to struggle against sin and sometimes fall back into it. It is failure to just give yourself over to you sin and never even try. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1341-1344. Sister Faustina is going to talk about sickness and death. She's even going to envision her own death as she meditates on death. It got me thinking a lot of sickness and death and our absolute fear of both. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1345-1351. What happens in our life if all we see is our misery and never the mercy and love of Christ. Well, it makes for a very sad life. I had an interaction with a guy online about three years ago for an extended period of time. All he could see was his great misery and great sins. Try as I might, I could not get him to recognize Christ's mercy. He just couldn't see it.     

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1352-1359. I was once having a conversation with someone and they said to me, "Nobody is going to tell me how to live out Christianity. I decide for myself." That comment begged the question, "Nobody? Not even Christ?" In contrast, Sister Faustina gives the most perfect and appropriate response to our Christian Faith.  

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1360-1364. My son asked me the other day if I would want to live here on earth for a million years if I could. I told him that I wouldn't want to and he asked why. I told him that our goal is to get to Heaven someday. Sister Faustina talks today about what her destiny is and she knows it's to reach Heaven and become a saint. That is our destiny, too.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1365-1369. One of the things I love reading in this diary is how devoted Sister Faustina is to Christ. She tries so hard, she prays so hard, and she is always looking for ways to be better. Because of this, Christ has created a new life within her. It's tempting to look at her and say, "She seems like she's always been a saint. She doesn't struggle like the rest of us." But, don't be deceived, she's struggled in her own way. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1370-1374. Sister Faustina shares with us that from her earliest years she wanted to become a saint. I think sometimes we set the bar too low for our young people--meaning teenagers. We don't expect hardly anything from them and, yet, there is so much greatness and potential sitting inside them--especially at a time when they have so much energy and youthfulness about them. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1375-1381. I am the absolute worst at conversing with people when they are hot and angry. I just end up getting hot and angry, too. Sister Faustina, today, is going to have all kinds of things going on in the convent. She gets a visit from five angry men at the gate and she handles the situation very well. It's a good lesson in how to respond to people. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1382-1387. Another ten days down! Congrats! We will have more interesting scenes from the convent today. Sister Faustina is visited by a deceased sister in need of prayers. What we are going to focus most, though, are Christ's words. He comments that souls don't pay attention to Him and treat Him like "a dead object." 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1388-1393. The Catholic Church has seven sacraments. They are more than just nice symbolic ceremonies. They affect an actual change within us. The most perfect of all the sacraments is the Eucharist because it not only imparts grace but it is the actual communing with Christ in a physical way. Sister Faustina understands this completely. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1394-1400. Congratulations on making it through another 100 numbers! So, we are getting closer and closer to the end, so after today's readings, I'm going to talk about what's in store for next year. We are going to go over some "business" issues. Also, I'll discuss why it's important to read the writings of the saints.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1401-1405. Do you have the patience of Sister Faustina to carry on work for so many years, knowing the you may never see the fruits of your labor? She realizes that she will never see the fullness of all the work she has done. Yet, she still wants to do God's Will because she knows it will bless others. God often does not let us see the fruits of our labor and I think there are good reasons for it. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1406-1411. Have you ever felt abandoned by God? I'm willing to bet that many of us have felt that way. Even Christ, Himself, cries out from the Cross, "My God, My God, why have You abandoned me?" The very human side of Him felt the weight of the suffering and sin and He felt abandoned. But, the important thing to remember is that God never abandons us. He is always right there holding us together if we invite Him into our suffering. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1412-1416. Can you imagine saying the "Hail Mary" one thousand times each day for nine days? Today, we are going to read about how Sister Faustina does, in fact, just that. Count me as impressed. Our topics for today will be about Mary's Immaculate Conception and the Rosary. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1417-1422. Christians are often accused of being all faith and no science. Which is ridiculous seeing as hundreds of scientific discoveries have been found by people of faith. As Christians, we are free to follow both faith and science. Science is a tool given to us by God to understand the material world. However, Christ today is going to talk about the importance of having a deep faith in things that can't be seen. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1423-1427. I think one of the hardest things about being a Catholic today is when you have to hold the line and defend the teachings of the Catholic Church. They are not popular with the culture and even with some Catholics. It can be hard to be the only one, it seems, not relishing in everyone else's sin, as many in the culture do. Sister Faustina shares in some joy with another Sister when she knows that she shouldn't. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1428-1432. You are going to feel for Sister Faustina today. She is suffering greatly and the other Sisters around her are not being very compassionate or understanding. We will be talking about how we are not privy to all that is going on in someone's life. We need to realize that there may be inner turmoil going on that may explain why someone is acting a certain way. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1433-1436. Is God allowed to be angry? I have heard numerous people over the years talk about how it's wrong for God to ever be angry. "The Old Testament God is just an angry God." Sister Faustina is going to write a lot about God's anger in our readings today and she spells out exactly what God gets angry about. Hint: It's sin. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1437-1443. Parental warning: I will be talking about Santa today, so you may want to listen without young children around.  Congratulations on another 10 days down! So, it is Christmas Eve with Sister Faustina. Really focus on all the different emotions she goes through and her constant focus on God during this special time of year.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1444-1448. Most of our readings today are Christ's words. Really, really pay attention to what He is saying. He talks about how hard it is on Him when people are indifferent toward Him in Holy Communion. He greatly desires us to meet Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation so we can receive His mercy. He wants more than anything for us to receive His mercy and love. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1449-1452. So, it's the New Year! 1938. Where were you in 1938? If there are any of you listening alive at that time, let us know! If you think back all the way to the beginning, we really started on our journey with Sister Faustina back around 1926. We've come a long way with her and she has grown a lot. I'd like to hope that we have, too. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 453-1456. Boy, today's readings really convicted me. It's all about sickness and how we treat people when they are sick. It is often that we get upset and irritated when people tell us they are sick. And...we all become doctors, don't we? We all diagnose everybody and tell them that it's not real and all in their head. I don't respond well to people telling me they are sick and, so, I was super convicted by Sister Faustina's words. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1457-1461. Yesterday, Sister Faustina was very sick in her cell. She chose not to ask her confessor come to her cell for Confession because she's worried that the other sisters will murmur even more about her. They have been talking about her and viewing her as being lazy and not as sick as she claims to be. Jesus has something to say about her decision to deny herself Confession. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1467-1471. Thank goodness that on our Judgment Day it is only Christ that stands and judges us. He knows the big picture of our life. That doesn't necessarily mean that we won't get a judgment of Hell if we have mortal sin on our souls. However, we know that Christ will be a Just Judge. I'm grateful that people here on earth don't get to judge my soul because they don't have Christ's insight. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1472-1477. Sister Faustina is going to ask Christ for a greater intellect in order to better understand Him, which is the most perfect reason of all. However, it is often common that we want to have a greater intellect in order to puff up our own ego or make us the smartest person in the room. We need to make sure that if are seeking a great intellect that we are doing it for all the right reasons. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1478-1484. There is so much I wish to discuss from our readings today. However, I can't go on and on. Lol. We are going to focus on the fact that we should never burden anyone with living their faith life with the same devotional practices that we choose to practice. We need to make sure that we are allowing the Church to be the authority figure and not us. 

Today's reading is from Notebook 5, number 1485. We are getting ready to enter into a section of readings that are very different than anything we have read so far. So, I'm going to approach them in a different way. For the next couple of days, we are going to be reading conversations with God and a soul. They are so impactful that I don't want to ruin them with my thoughts afterwards. I just want you to put yourself in the place of the soul  and meditate on what Christ is saying. 

Today's reading is from Notebook 5, number 1486. DAY 300!!! Can you believe it?! Congratulations, Catholic Pilgrims! Again, today, is one of those different days. We will be reading a conversation between God and a despairing soul. I'm pretty sure this was the conversation my soul had with God back a long time ago. I will just be reading the conversation and then I will leave it at that. I encourage you to put yourself in the place of the soul.

Today's reading will be from Notebook 5, number 1487. Our readings today will be like the past two days. We will be reading a conversation between Christ and a soul. The soul is suffering and Christ works to get it to open up to Him. If you are  going through some deep suffering right now, I think you'll find today's readings comforting. 

Today's reading is from Notebook 5, number 1488. We have two more days of these conversations with Christ and a soul. They are different than anything else we've read. I hope you are enjoying them. They are very special readings. Christ will be speaking today to a soul striving for perfection. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, number 1489. This is our last day of reading these conversations with Christ and a certain soul. So, like the last couple of days, I will read the conversation and then leave it at that. Tomorrow we will get back into my reflections. Today, Christ is speaking to a perfect soul. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1490-1495. Things are back to normal today. We are a homeschooling family and so I have taught all three of my kids. Repetition is part of schooling. Sometimes, people just need to hear things over and over again before they get it. On Day 304, we have heard some repetitive things from this diary now. I invite you to not get impatient with the repetitions. We need to hear some of these things over and over again before our soul fully understands. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1496-1501. Congrats on finishing another hundred numbers! We are in the 1500s now.  Sneaky Satan shows up and tries with a number of different persuasions to try and tempt Sister Faustina away from spreading the message of Divine Mercy. We'll go over his common tactics.  At the end, I'll be revealing what we will be reading for next year's podcast!  

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1502-1507. With the advent of social media a lot changed in how we present ourselves. There is the opportunity to present the most spectacular parts of your life. But, I've noticed there is also a growing pressure to present your life as a "hot mess" to show "reality." Sister Faustina is going to disclose that she once tried to show that she had humility by displaying it with "excessive zeal." She realizes that she wasn't presenting the truth.  

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1508-1513. The message today is all about suffering. When someone is first diagnosed with something, we all rush to this person's aid. As time goes on, people drop off and some even seem annoyed that a person remains sick. Sickness can cause a lot of loneliness. Sister Faustina shares how much she suffering when people doubt her sickness, stop helping her during her sickness, or even forget that she is sick. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1514-1519. Our default setting as humans is to be impatient. If you take a moment to think about all the ways we are impatient it's quite a long list. Sister Faustina is going to be talking briefly about patience and how there is much power hidden in patience. She also talks about how patience leads to victory. We'll discuss what she means. 

Today readings will be from Notebook 5, numbers 1520-1524. We are going to have two sets of readings today. One set will be our normal readings from Sister Faustina. The other reading will be a letter that connects to Christ's words today. I'm going to be talking about hardened sinners. All of us have wondered at some souls, haven't we? We wonder how hardened sinners have conversions. And, yet, we know that somehow God finds a way to pierce their darkened souls. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1525-1530. Another ten days down! Good job! We are going to talk about pride and our judgment of others' souls and...our judgment of our own righteousness. Sister Faustina is going to have a couple of interactions with two different sisters. We are going to focus on one sister in particular that unjustly judges Sister Faustina. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1531-1536. We've seen before Sister Faustina be very down-hearted by the state of her country, Poland. Today, we will see her lament all the transgressions of her country and the state of her country's "soul." You may be listening and feeling down-hearted about the state of your country's "soul." If we care about our country and love our country we want it to be healthy and full of virtuous citizens. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1537-1542. Christ is going to share with us today how much His heart hurts when people are ungrateful for His love and blessings. We come to just expect God's blessings and mercy which in turn makes us ungrateful people. The only proper response to Christ's love and blessings is one of gratitude. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1548-1553. You know and I know, that we are reading the diary of a canonized saint. I don't think any of us question that. We've read so many wonderful things in this diary, but, today, Saint Faustina shows up. These writings, taken as a whole, are just undeniably the words of a Saint. I'm excited to read them with you. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1554-1557. We are going to talk about indelible marks that are left on our souls. There are three sacraments that leave permanent marks on our souls marking us as different things. Today, we learn from Sister Faustina that there is an additional indelible mark given to souls called to a higher degree of holiness. So, we will talk all about indelible marks and what they mean. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1158-1559. Sister Faustina is experiencing the Darkness of the Soul. We've seen her here before and she always finds her way out of it. However, this reminded me of a letter from the "Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis. Screwtape, a devil, talks about the Law of Undulation, meaning how a soul moves through peaks and troughs. It's during the troughs that a devil can really tempt a soul away from God. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1560-1565. We get some great advice today from Christ on how to fight temptations. Yesterday, Sister Faustina was fighting lots of temptations in our readings. Christ gives her some pointers, if you will. They are perfect pointers for all of us to follow. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1566-1570. We've all probably played that thought experiment where we ask what we would do if we only had a week or a day to live. Most people usually say that they would gather their loved ones around them and maximize their time with them. Sister Faustina is going to mention Christ's final coming. We are going to do that same thought experiment with the End Times. What would we do if we knew Christ was coming soon? 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, number 1571-1575. What is true humility? I think a lot of people are confused about what true humility really is. One thing that it is not is denying our talents and gifts from God. God gave them to us for a reason and we are to use them. Sometimes, people will be threatened by our talents and gifts. They may be threatened by our lives if we are striving for sainthood. This should never make us shy away from sainthood. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1576-1581. We are two days away from entering into the last notebook of the diary. I'm thrilled we have made it so far.  Our readings will be a little longer as we dissect Sister Faustina's litany of desires. I think these desires are ones that we should desire, as well. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 5, numbers 1582-1589. Another 10 days down! And today is the last day in Notebook 5.  We are going to go an a cool history lesson through ancient Turkey, which was called Asia Minor in the Bible. Sister Faustina writes about how Christ is fully man and fully God. This is called the Hypostatic Union and that doctrine of the faith was declared in 451 AD in...you guessed it--Turkey. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1590-1595. We enter into the last notebook today, Catholic Pilgrims. As per our custom, I will just read the prayer at the beginning. However, the prayer is very short, so I will read a few numbers past that. I won't be doing a reflection, though, so that you can just sit with the prayer and what Sister Faustina has to say. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1596-1601. Another 100 numbers down! The milestones seemed to be coming quicker and quicker.  Christ is going to say something that is absolutely heartbreaking. He says, "When I enter into certain hearts it's as if I enter into a Second Passion." We are not entitled to Holy Communion. It is a beautiful gift of love. We should approach with complete humility. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1602-1606. Have you ever thought about how much has been written about Christ? He has been the topic of thousands of books, papers, and scrolls, more than any other person in the history of the world. Nobody even comes close. There can be a tendency to reduce Christ down to just "one among many," or Social Justice Warrior Jesus, or Nice Guy Jesus. But, we must always remember, He is God and nothing less. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1607-1611. Whenever you are going through a trial, you always wonder why God won't make it end as soon as possible. Especially if you are praying for it to end soon. We can't understand what God is up to and it can lead to a lot of frustration. Sister Faustina's mission has had lots of trials. But, there are reasons for the trials and we'll discuss those reasons. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1612-1616. Christ is going to tell Sister Faustina that He needs her sufferings to rescue souls. She is going to go through some very difficult times. She's going to be very physically ill. Two Sisters come to her asking for her help when she dies. She's working really hard for others. We can use our sufferings to help others, as well. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1617-1624. We are entering into another Lent with Sister Faustina. Even though, we may not be entering into Lent right now, it's still an important Church season to talk about. It's important to reflect on the Lenten season before it occurs. We often wait till the last minute to think about it and that leaves us scrambling around trying to figure out what we want to do.

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1625-1629. I think in today's readings we find one of the hardest teachings of Christ--to love our enemies. Christ is going to talk to Sister Faustina about having great love for those who cause her sufferings and who hate her. If you are anything like me, you find that very difficult to do. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1630-1632. As I was reading through Sister Faustina's writings, I realized that it's just one big long prayer. As I tried to meditate on what I wanted to say afterwards, I couldn't think of anything to add. It needs no comment from me. Join with Sister Faustina in this powerful prayer. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1633-1636. As we've been reading through these past couple of days, Sister Faustina has been is talking a lot about the sufferings that she is going through. We are in the year 1938 and that's the year she does pass away. She died on October 5, 1938, so we still have more than half a year with her. We used to hear more about her work of getting the Divine Mercy message out to the world; now we mostly hear about her sufferings. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1637-1641. Every once in a while, I like to do a refresher course on here about different teachings or practices of the Church. That's not to say that you all listening don't know but it's always nice to brush up on different teachings. Sister Faustina is going to confession and she talks about how her spirit was struggling to give a good confession because she was feeling so bad. We'll talk about the disposition our soul should be in during confession. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1642-1646. Often times we look at our present situation in the world and think, "Man, this is the worst. There has never been a worst time. It looks like the end is near." Christ is going to talk to Sister Faustina about how the world is not as powerful as we often give it credit. We need to trust His plan. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1647-1651. Most of the time when we hear Sister Faustina talk about her sufferings, she is suffering all alone. Christ is there, obviously, but it's rare for the other Sisters to try to come and alleviate her sufferings. Suffering is hard enough but suffering alone is even more miserable. This reminded me of my maternal-grandmother and how she would often send me to visit those that were lonely. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1652-1654. Things will be done a little different today. We have four prayers to read. Before the start of each prayer, I'm going to give you an idea for a possible intention. You might want to stop the podcast and bring someone to mind to pray for. After reading the four prayers, we will be done for the day. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1655-1660. Now that we are so close to the end of our readings with this diary, you may be thinking of recommending it to someone. If someone would have handed this diary to me after I first became Catholic, I would have gotten nothing out of it. I wouldn't have been able to grasp many of the things she talks about. So, we are going to talk about the right person to recommend this diary to.  

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1661-1667. You know what this day means, Catholic Pilgrims? It means we only have thirty days left together, so basically just a month. But, we are going to make it a great thirty days.  We've been traveling with Sister Faustina through another Holy Week. I was wondering what the Apostles did on Holy Saturday. How did they deal with the letdown? 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1668-1673. Sister Faustina is going to receive letters from other sisters in other convents and they might take you aback. There's nothing malicious in their words, it's just interesting to hear how they talk to each other. Sister Faustina takes the letters in good spirit. We are going to talk about what makes a good friend. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1674-1677. Sister Faustina is getting moved to another place, a hospital, because of her sickness. We are going to go through each number we read and I'll highlight something that jumped out to me. In the last number, an angel says something that I really want to key in on. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1678-1681. There is a saying that says, "You only live once, so live it up!" I've actually heard someone say instead, "No, you only die once, but you live everyday." And so, everyday we should offer that day to God and do our best to follow His Will. I often tell my kids, "Don't live a life of regrets." Living a wild, reckless life isn't proof of really living. Sister Faustina shows us what it means to "really live." 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1682-1688. We are mostly going to hear from Christ and He has so many good things to say. After the readings, I want to take one particular part and just read through it slowly. Really listen to what Christ is saying and hopefully bring these things into your prayer life. These are all things that I know we can get better in. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1689-1693. Sister Faustina praises God as Creator today and I wanted to have some fun while talking about Creation. Creation is amazing and I'd like to share some of the things in Creation that blow my mind. I'm also going to recommend a 40-minute video for you and your family. It's a great video that shows the majesty of God's Creation.  How Great Is Our God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atUGBua2AzE

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1694-1699. My husband and I have been doing Lectio Divina together and the other night we were reading through Luke 3:1-6. Luke is laying out all the major players of the time in order to establish the historical reality of Christ's time here on earth. We got to talking about how God uses the most unlikely people to complete His missions here. Sister Faustina is one of those people. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1700-1705. Back when I was a teenager before I turned by back on God, I was extremely lukewarm in my faith. Even after I started to come back, I was still pretty lukewarm. I didn't want to totally immerse myself in God. Once, I converted to Catholicism, I realized that a lukewarm faith means nothing. Christ is going to talk about lukewarm souls. I will discuss the Seven Church of the Book of Revelation. To lukewarm Laodicea, Christ gives a stern warning.

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1706-1711. Sister Faustina is going to be talking about the Feast of the Ascension. I thought it would be a good time to give you a geography lesson on where the Ascension took place and how it relates to Jerusalem. What were the Apostles doing after the Ascension. It's a good time to meditate on this Mystery of the Rosary. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1712-1716. Because of the "Don't judge anything" movement that occurred several years ago, we've gotten to a point where we think we can't ever tell people that they are doing something sinful. It might make people feel bad and that's seen as the worst thing on earth. We think the most loving thing to do is to keep silent, tolerate sin, or even encourage sin. Sister Faustina is going to call someone out who is sinning and it's a loving act. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1717-1722. 20 more days to go! I apologize if the recording sounds a bit off, I didn't have my settings correct. Sheesh! It is common with human nature that we tend to look at other people's actions instead of looking at ourselves. We don't like to have a mirror in front of our face to see who we really are inside. If we ever get to the point where we think we don't have much work to do, well, we know we have much work to do.   

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1723-1728. We often read in the Gospels of how the Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus. They think they've come up with a clever trap and they'll catch Him saying something wrong. But, because He's God, they can't really ensnare Him. Sister Faustina is going to talk about the snares people set for her soul. This reminded me of some verses I recently read in Luke 7:31-35.

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1729-1734. I feel a little sad going through our readings today. You can really tell that Sister Faustina is fading away. We've been with her a long time now and she's been sick for a long time, but there's a resignation in her voice. You really get the sense that the end is near. I want to remind us all that we have found a great friend in Sister Faustina. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1735-1740. Confession was not one of the things that was hard for me to understand and accept when I was converting. Once I learned about it, I saw the need for it and the wisdom behind it. Sister Faustina is going to have a conversation with another Sister that is struggling with some temptations regarding Confession. We are going to discuss its importance and dispel some myths. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1745-1751. Only 15 more days to go! Today is much like yesterday. Sister Faustina will be praising God for very specific things. These are very beautiful praises to God. I want to just read them and sit with them. It's a little longer today as she will be praising God for three different things: For sending His Son, for the goodness of redeeming man, and for the beauty of the earth. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1752-1757. If you remember, a couple days back, Christ asked Sister Faustina to enter into a personal retreat with Him. We are starting that three-day retreat today. Christ is going to give her the things He wants her to meditate on. This will be the first day and the meditation is all about not being afraid. This is a message we frequently get in Scripture. It can be hard to live a life without fear and so are going to talk about that struggle. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1758-1766. There's so much packed in today's readings that I hardly know where to start. So, I narrowed it down to just one sentence. Christ is going to talk about feelings versus the will. I think this is wildly important to talk about in our day and age. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1767-1773. We are on the third day of this mini-retreat Christ has asked Sister Faustina to do with Him. He's going to talk a lot about love of neighbors; about how we should pray for them and sacrifice them. This took me down memory lane and I started thinking of all the neighbors I've had in my life. They really do make up the fabric of our lives and we are called into relationship with them in some capacity. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1774-1778. At the end of our readings today, Sister Faustina is going to declare her resolution. It's one we've heard before: To unite herself to Christ-Mercy. Christ is Mercy and He is love. We all need to unite ourselves to His Mercy everyday, over and over again. I hope that this diary has taught us this.  

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1779-1785. Only 10 more days to go! We have the conclusion of Sister Faustina's three-day retreat. Our topic today will be about drawing souls to Christ. Our lives should help and not hinder people from coming to Christ.  

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1786-1790. I know that many of you listening are going through a really bad time--a deep, deep suffering. I hope that you have found some comfort in relating to Sister Faustina through her suffering. Today, Christ has some comforting words for those that suffer. We are in the month of June with her and we won't leave the month of June with her. Her writings end in this month. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1791-1796. In the Catholic Church, we have seven Sacraments. But...we also have sacramentals. These are blessings, consecrations, or exorcisms. They are used to center our lives on Christ. We will use this time to talk about sacramentals and how we are to use them, as Sister Faustina talks about centering our lives on God. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1797-1803. We did it, Catholic Pilgrims. We have finished Notebook 6 and the meat of the diary. Let's just take some time today and relish in what we've accomplished.  Don't forget, though, that we have seven days still left together and a little bit more read from an additional little section on preparing for Holy Communion. So, don't think we are completely finished yet!

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1804-1807. Here at the very end of the diary is a short little section on Sister Faustina's preparation for Holy Communion. This is going to take us through the end of our year together. As I was reading through it today, I felt that we just need to spend this time with Sister Faustina. We don't need any words from me. Our readings will be short and I invite you to sit back and enjoy. 

Today's readings will be from Notebook 6, numbers 1808-1811. After today, only five days left.  Much like yesterday, we will just have a short reading and let Sister Faustina teach us in these last few days together. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1812-1816. Just like yesterday, let's just enjoy this special time with Sister Faustina as she talks about our most perfect Sacrament--Holy Communion. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1817-1821. Just like the past couple of days, this is going to be a super short day. We will have just a few readings, but again, I invite you to just soak in Sister Faustina's words on Holy Communion. 

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1822-1824. Only a few more days left, Catholic Pilgrims.  Again, today will be another short day. We are just letting Sister Faustina's words soak into us. 

Today's final readings are numbers 1825-1828. CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING THE DIARY! What a day! Thank you, God, for the gift of a wonderful year together reading Sister Faustina's Diary.  We have one more day left in the year and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with me. 

Today is the conclusion of our year together. I felt it was fitting to end this year by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. So, grab your rosary and let's send this amazing year off by praying the beautiful chaplet of mercy taught to us through this diary.  St. Faustina, pray for us!

I wanted to let you know that my main podcast now is called “Journeying with the Saints.” I found that I needed to condense my podcasts into one and not make a new podcast with each new saint reading. I'd encourage you to go find “Journeying with the Saints" wherever you listen to podcasts. Season One is St. Faustina's Diary, Season Two which we are about to finish up is reading through Venerable Fulton Sheen's book, "Way to Inner Peace," and Season Three is going to be starting soon. In Season Three we will be reading St. Teresa of Avila's book, "The Interior Castle."

Today's readings are from Notebook 6, numbers 1741-1744. For the next couple of days, Sister Faustina is going to be praising God for creating a certain thing. As we get close to the end of the diary, I feel we just need to hear more of her and less of me. I will read two parts today on praising God for creating angels and another part on creating mankind. I invite you to listen to them with a prayerful spirit.