What do we need with genuine virtue? Check out St. Faustina's Diary for the answer!

Happy Monday!!! I hope that you all are having an abundantly epic and blessed start of the week! Life has been very blessed and hitting a nice rhythm over here in Oklahoma. Saturday was a "catch up" day, where my husband and I ran a bunch of errands, buying groceries and whatnot. We finished off the day by having a "Kid History" date. If you haven't seen the "Kid History" videos on youtube, you should really look into them (adults acting out ridiculous stories, as narrated by their children). On Sunday, we attended morning Mass, played games, and then had a relaxing afternoon. I snagged the opportunity to read some of my new library books and plant some seeds for my "porch garden." Maybe the whole "porch garden" is one of my sanguine moments, and will be completely unsuccessful, but I'm giving it a try, and starting slow. I planted some basil and arugula, so if nothing grows, it's not a big loss of time or money. Ah, the glory and adventure of trying out new things! 

As I'm trying to get my life more organized, I'm working on going back through parts of Divine Mercy in My Soul: the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. I've read the entire Diary, but it is so good to go back and re-read different passages, and to focus on them more. Our copy is full of bookmarks that my husband and I would slide in when we found passages we really liked! This week's passage for reflection is completely epic, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you! This morning, I was wondering what part of St. Faustina's Diary to put on the blog this week, and then one of my household sisters texted me this passage. God works in wonderfully fabulous ways! 

"Where there is genuine virtue, there must be sacrifice as well; one's whole life must be a sacrifice. It is only by means of sacrifice that souls can become useful. It is my self-sacrifice which, in my relationship with my neighbor, can give glory to God, but God's love must flow through this sacrifice, because everything is concentrated in this love and takes its value from it." (Notebook 5, #1358)

I hope that you liked this passage! Please pass along the epicness of St. Faustina and God's mercy to everyone you know--we need to build a culture of sacrificial love and mercy!  : )  Have a wonderful Monday!