Day 8 – Bringing Joy to Others – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 8 – Bringing Joy to Others – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart

From the Diary of St. Faustina, 1074 – Jesus speaks to Faustina:

“My daughter, I desire that you live very close to My heart. Meditate upon the love and mercy of your Creator. When you come to know Me more deeply, you will be able to bring much joy to others. Speak of My mercy to all, so that souls may be strengthened and comforted. Bring joy to the world through My mercy.”

St. Faustina lived her life close to the heart of Jesus, and through this intimacy, she was able to bring joy to others. Jesus invites us to do the same—when we come to know Him deeply and experience His mercy, we are filled with joy, which overflows to others. Reflect on your relationship with Jesus and how it affects those around you. Do you bring joy to others through your words and actions? As you grow closer to the heart of Jesus, may your life become a source of joy and strength for those who need to experience His mercy.

Prayer & Petition:
Lord, You call me to be a source of joy in the world by reflecting Your love and mercy. Teach me to live close to Your heart, so that my words and actions may bring comfort and strength to those around me. May I spread the joy of Your mercy wherever I go. St. Faustina, help me to be a bearer of joy to others, reflecting God’s love in all my interactions. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, through the intercession of St. Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy, I ask for the grace to live more fully in Your mercy. Help me to trust in You completely, to offer mercy to others, and to live in the joy of Your love. May St. Faustina guide me in my journey toward holiness, and may her prayers obtain for me the graces I most need. Amen.

St. Faustina, pray for us.

You find the entire 9-Day St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart tap here

You can find the Discerning Hearts “Chaplet of Divine Mercy” tap here

You find the Diary here

The Guardian Angels – St Bernard of Clairvaux from the Office of Readings – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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From a sermon of St Bernard of Clairvaux

He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. Let them thank the Lord for his mercy; his wonderful works are for the children of men. Let them give thanks and say among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. O Lord, what is man that you have made yourself known to him, or why do you incline your heart to him? And you do incline your heart to him; you show him your care and your concern. Finally, you send your only Son and the grace of your Spirit, and promise him a vision of your countenance. And so, that nothing in heaven should be wanting in your concern for us, you send those blessed spirits to serve us, assigning them as our guardians and our teachers.

  He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. These words should fill you with respect, inspire devotion and instil confidence; respect for the presence of angels, devotion because of their loving service, and confidence because of their protection. And so the angels are here; they are at your side, they are with you, present on your behalf. They are here to protect you and to serve you. But even if it is God who has given them this charge, we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need.

  So let us be devoted and grateful to such great protectors; let us return their love and honour them as much as we can and should. Yet all our love and honour must go to him, for it is from him that they receive all that makes them worthy of our love and respect.

  We should then, my brothers, show our affection for the angels, for one day they will be our co-heirs just as here below they are our guardians and trustees appointed and set over us by the Father. We are God’s children although it does not seem so, because we are still but small children under guardians and trustees, and for the present little better than slaves.

  Even though we are children and have a long, a very long and dangerous way to go, with such protectors what have we to fear? They who keep us in all our ways cannot be overpowered or led astray, much less lead us astray. They are loyal, prudent, powerful. Why then are we afraid? We have only to follow them, stay close to them, and we shall dwell under the protection of God’s heaven.

Let us pray.

Lord God,

in your all-wise providence you send angels to guard and protect us.

Surround us with their watchful care on earth,

and give us the joy of their company for ever in heaven.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 8 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 8 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff

Day 8: Compassion

St. Francis, your heart was filled with compassion for all people and creatures, for you saw in them the love of the Creator. You were moved by the sufferings of others and sought to ease their pain with the mercy of Christ. Your compassion extended even to the animals, for you recognized that they, too, were part of God’s creation. You remind us that we are called to be vessels of God’s compassion, showing His love to all those who suffer.

Let us pray:
St. Francis, servant of the poor and suffering, help me to see Christ in every person I meet, especially in those who are in need. Teach me to serve others with the same love and humility with which you served, knowing that in doing so, I am serving Our Lord. May I follow your example by living a life of charity, always seeking to bring the love of Christ to those who are most in need.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

St. Francis, pray for us.

For the entire 9-Day St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Hearts with Msgr. John Esseff tap here

Day 7 – Mercy for Others – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 7 – Mercy for Others – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart

From the Diary of St. Faustina, 367 – Jesus speaks to Faustina:

“My heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy.”

Jesus tells St. Faustina that His heart overflows with mercy, especially for sinners. He invites us to draw near to Him, knowing that His mercy is a fountain that never runs dry. As recipients of His mercy, we are also called to share that mercy with others. Reflect today on how you can show mercy to others, particularly those who are most in need. Do you harbor grudges, or are you quick to forgive? Are you generous in showing kindness and compassion? Jesus calls us to be His instruments of mercy in the world, just as He has shown mercy to us.

Prayer & Petition:
Lord, Your heart is full of compassion for sinners. Help me to reflect Your mercy to others, forgiving those who have wronged me and showing kindness to those in need. May I be a channel of Your mercy to the world, bringing Your love to everyone I encounter. St. Faustina, pray that I may be a channel of God’s mercy to others in my words and actions. Amen.

Closing Prayer

St. Faustina, pray for us.

You find the entire 9-Day St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart tap here

You can find the Discerning Hearts “Chaplet of Divine Mercy” tap here

You find the Diary here

In the Heart of the Church I will be Love – Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus from the Office of Readings

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From the autobiography of St Theresa of the Child Jesus, virgin

(Manuscrits autobiographiques, Lisieux 1957, 227-229)

In the heart of the church I will be love

Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of St. Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer. By chance the 12th and 13th chapters of the 1st epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye cannot be the hand. Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace.

I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander until I found this encouraging theme: “Set your desires on the greater gifts. And I will show you the way which surpasses all others.” For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God. At length I had found peace of mind.

When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognised myself in none of the members which St. Paul described, and what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favourably within the whole body. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation. Indeed I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking; I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love. I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realised that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In one word, that love is everlasting.

Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love. Certainly I have found my place in the Church, and you gave me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.

Day 7 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 7 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff

Day 7: Service

St. Francis, you lived out the Gospel commandment to love your neighbor as yourself, serving the poor, the sick, and the marginalized with great humility and love. You saw in each person the image of Christ, especially in the suffering and the outcast. You remind us that charity is the heart of the Christian life and that in serving others, we serve Christ Himself, who said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

St. Francis, pray for us.

For the entire 9-Day St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Hearts with Msgr. John Esseff tap here

Day 6 – Strength from the Cross – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 6 – Strength from the Cross – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart

From the Diary of St. Faustina, 1558 – Faustina writes:

“In difficult moments I will fix my gaze upon the silent heart of Jesus, stretched upon the cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful heart will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.”

St. Faustina drew strength from the cross of Christ in her moments of trial, focusing on the silent heart of Jesus, who suffered for love of us. She saw that from His pierced heart flowed the flames of His mercy, giving her strength to endure her own struggles. When you face difficulties, do you turn to the cross as a source of strength, or do you try to carry your burdens alone? Reflect today on the power of Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus endured the cross so that you might have the strength to carry your own. In times of suffering, fix your gaze on Him and allow His mercy to flow into your heart.

Prayer & Petition:
Lord, You stretched out Your arms on the cross to embrace the world in mercy. When I am weary or burdened, help me to look at Your cross and remember that You carry my burdens with me. May I draw strength from Your Passion and trust that You are always with me, even in the darkest moments. St. Faustina, help me to gaze upon the cross of Christ and draw strength from His merciful heart in times of suffering. Amen.

Closing Prayer

St. Faustina, pray for us.

You find the entire 9-Day St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart tap here

You can find the Discerning Hearts “Chaplet of Divine Mercy” tap here

You find the Diary here

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Nine – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Nine

St. Therese you have said:

“When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”

Saint Therese, flower of Carmel,
you said you would spend your heaven
doing good upon the earth.
Your trust in God was complete.

Listen to my prayer;
bring before God my special intention…
Pray for me that I may have something of your confidence
in the loving promises of our God.
Pray that I may live my life in union with God’s plan for me,
and one day see the Face of God who you so ardently loved.

Saint Therese,
you kept your word to love God
and to trust the world to that loving providence.
Pray for us that we may be faithful to our commitment to love.
May our lives, like yours,
be able to touch the world and bring it to peace.

Amen

Day 6 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 6 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff

Day 6: Joy

St. Francis, your heart was filled with heavenly joy, even in the midst of trials and sufferings. You understood that true joy comes from a heart that is united with Christ and surrendered to God’s will. You rejoiced in the Lord always, knowing that even the Cross, when borne with love, leads to eternal joy. In a world that seeks fleeting happiness, your life reminds us that joy is found not in comfort or pleasure, but in living for Christ and embracing His Cross.

Let us pray:
Holy St. Francis, joyful servant of God, pray for me that I may know the joy of living for Christ. Help me to rejoice in all things, trusting that God’s will is always for my good. Teach me to embrace the crosses in my life with faith and love, knowing that they lead to the joy of eternal life with Christ. May my heart be filled with the joy that comes from loving and serving the Lord with all my strength.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

St. Francis, pray for us.

For the entire 9-Day St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Hearts with Msgr. John Esseff tap here

Day 5 – Overcoming Discouragement and Anxiety – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 5 – Overcoming Discouragement and Anxiety – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart

From the Diary of St. Faustina, 1488 – Jesus speaks to Faustina:

“The greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love. Place your trust not in yourself but in God.”

Jesus warns us that discouragement and anxiety are the greatest obstacles to holiness. These feelings often arise from self-reliance or fear of failure, and they prevent us from trusting in God. When we focus on our weaknesses instead of God’s mercy, we lose the interior peace necessary for practicing virtue. Reflect on any areas where discouragement or anxiety may be keeping you from growing in holiness. Remember that God’s grace is sufficient, and He asks only that you trust in His love. Turn to Him with your worries, knowing that He can transform even your greatest weaknesses.

Prayer & Petition:
Lord, You know my heart and how easily I fall into discouragement when faced with challenges. Help me to trust in Your Divine Mercy and to remain at peace, even in the face of trials. May I grow in confidence that You are always at work in my life, even when I cannot see it. St. Faustina, intercede for me so that I may overcome discouragement and anxiety, trusting fully in God’s Divine Mercy. Amen.

Closing Prayer

St. Faustina, pray for us.