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 Kavalska from beginning to end.

Today we take up from where we left off, beginning with diary entry number 1548.

January 30, 1938, one-day retreat. The Lord gave me to know during

meditation that as long as my heart beats in my breast, I must always strive to spread the

kingdom of God on earth. I am to fight for the glory of my creator. I know that I will give

God the glory he expects of me if I try faithfully to cooperate with God's grace. I want to live in the

spirit of faith. I accept everything that comes my way as given me by the loving will of God, who sincerely

desires my happiness. And so I will accept, with submission and gratitude, everything that God

sends me. I will pay no attention to the voice of nature and to the promptings of self-love.

Before each important action, I will stop to consider for a moment what relationship it has

to eternal life and what may be the main reason for my undertaking it.

Is it for the glory of God, or for the good of my own soul, or for the good

of the souls of others? If my heart says yes, then I will not swerve from carrying out the given

action, unmindful of either obstacles or sacrifices. I will not be frightened into abandoning

my intention. It is enough for me to know that it is pleasing to God. On the other hand, if I learn that the

action has nothing in common with what I have just mentioned,

I will try to elevate it to a loftier sphere by means of a good intention.

And if I learn that something flows from my self-love, I will cancel it outright from the start.

In cases of doubt, I will not act, but will scrupulously seek

clarifications from the priests, and in particular from my spiritual director. I will not give

...