If you've ever wanted to read through St. Faustina's Diary but felt a little intimated by it, this is the podcast for you. St. Faustina was a Polish nun who received special private revelations from Christ over the course of many years. She took these communications and wrote them down into a diary. Christ stressed to her His desire to pour forth His Divine Mercy on souls. The goal of this podcast is to go through the diary prayerfully and reflectively throughout the year. Each day, there will be a 10-12 minute reading with a short reflection. Follow along as we dive into the mystic revelations of Christ's Divine Mercy.
st faustina, eucharist, diary, mercy, jesus, thank, love.
Listeners of A Year With St. Faustina that love the show mention: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 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!
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'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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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, 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.