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 178.

Today we are beginning the third probation. All three of us met at Mother

Margaret's as the other sisters were having their probation in the Navitian. Mother Margaret began

with a prayer, explained to us what the third probation consists of, and then spoke on how great is the grace

of the perpetual vows. Suddenly I began to cry out loud. In an instant, all God's grace

appeared before the eyes of my soul, and I saw myself so wretched and ungrateful toward God.

The sisters began to rebuke me, saying,

why did she break out crying? But Mother Margaret came to my defense, saying that she was not

surprised. At the end of the hour, I went before the blessed sacrament, and like the greatest

and most miserable of wretches, I begged for his mercy that he might heal and purify my poor soul.

Then I heard these words. My daughter, all your miseries have been consumed in the flame of my love,

like a little twig thrown into a roaring fire. By humbling yourself in this way, you draw upon yourself and upon other

souls an entire sea of my mercy. I answered, Jesus, mold my poor heart, according to your

divine delight. Throughout the third probation, it was my duty to help the sister in the vestry.

This duty gave me many occasions to practice virtues. Sometimes I had to take linen to certain

sisters three times, and still one could not satisfy them. But I also came to recognize the great virtues of some sisters

who always asked for the poorest things from the vestiary.

I admired their spirit of humility and mortification.

During Advent, a great yearning for God arose in my soul. My spirit rushed toward God,

...