Hello, I'm Father Joe Roche of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.

Thank you for joining us as we continue with our year-long journey, reading the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska from beginning to end.

Today we take up from where we left off, beginning with Diary Entry Number 997.

This evening, when I heard the hymn, Good Night, Holy Head of my Jesus,

on the radio, my spirit was suddenly swept away to God's mysterious bosom, and I knew in what

the greatness of a soul consists and what matters to God, love, love, and once again love.

And I understood how all that exists is saturated with God. And such a love of God

inundated my soul that I am at a loss to describe it. Happy the soul that knows how to love unreservedly,

for in this lies its greatness. Today I took part in a one-day retreat. When I was at the last

conference the priest was speaking of how much the world needs God's mercy, and that this seems to be a special

time when people have great need of prayer and God's mercy. Then I heard a voice in my soul.

These words are for you. Do all you possibly can for this work of my mercy. I desire that my mercy be worshipped,

and I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation,

that is, recourse to my mercy.

My heart rejoices in this feast.

After these words, I understood that nothing can dispense me from the obligation which the Lord demands from me.

Last night I was in such pain that I thought it was the end.

The doctors could not diagnose what the sickness was.

I felt as if my entrails had been torn to shreds, but after a few hours of

such sufferings, I am all right. All this is for sinners. Let your mercy descend upon them,

O Lord. In the terrible desert of life,

O my sweetest Jesus,

...