Susan Tassone - Day by Day with Saint Faustina: 365 Reflections

Susan Tassone shares with us the beauty, truth, wisdom, and spirituality found in St. Faustinas Diary. Now, with Day by Day with Saint Faustina, she hands us theological gems with an original reflection and prayer for each one. This is a tremendous achievement... and a truly lovely and pray-able prayer book.

Most Reverend Robert P. Reed
Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

Susan Tassones new book is a means to experience Gods overwhelming love for each of us. By spending a little time each day reflecting on a bite-sized morsel of the Diary of St. Faustina followed by a very succinct and eye-opening reflection, and then a short prayer God can change our perspective and our lives through His powerful love. Seeing how God worked in the life of St. Faustina helps us see how He wants to work in our own hearts. This treasure of a book is a wonderful way to develop a very doable habit of ongoing formation. I highly recommend it!

Father Joseph Roesch , M.I.C.
Vicar General, Rome, Italy

Day by Day with Saint Faustina is a spiritual storehouse a blessing that helps you reflect more deeply each day on the writings of this amazing saint and friend. Especially suited to men and women with busy, demanding lives, these quotations, reflections, and prayers will give you a spiritual boost each day of the year.

Michele Faehnle
Co-author of Our Friend Faustina

This much-needed introduction to St. Faustina, her spirituality, and Gods never-ending mercy is a wonderful choice for those (including me) who have felt a little intimidated by the depth and length of the visionarys Diary . Here, day by day, author Susan Tassone shares the key themes, beauty, and comfort the Diary offers all of us. Its a grace-filled nudge that encourages each of us to read the Diary itself.

Father Edward Looney
Author of A Heart Like Marys: 31 Daily Meditations to Help You Live and Love as She Does

Day by Day with Saint Faustina gives us a wonderful approach to comprehending the infinite Divine Mercy of God. Ive long hoped that somebody would be able to open the depths of St. Faustinas spirituality in a way that would allow people to slowly acquire her ability to trust, just as she slowly grew in prayer, in understanding Gods will, and eventually in fully trusting in His love.

Father Dan Cambra , M.I.C.
Holy Souls Sodality
The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy

Day by Day with Saint Faustina is a must-have and must-read companion for your daily prayer life to better discern Gods will for you. Heres how to imitate St. Faustinas daily pilgrimage on your own path to a deeper spirituality and closer, more personal, relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

David M. Carollo
Executive Director, World Apostolate of Fatima USA Our Ladys Blue Army

Day by Day
with

S a i nt

F a u sti n a

Reflections

Susan Tassone

Sophia Institute Press
Manchester, New Hampshire

Copyright 2019 by Susan Tassone

Selections from St. Faustinas Diary are copyright The Association
of Marian Helpers. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Tianna Williams (tiDesign, www.ti-design.ca) and Garrett Fosco.

Interior design by Perceptions Design Studio.

Cover image by Tianna Williams, tiDesign, www.ti-design.ca.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1-800-888-9344
www.SophiaInstitute.com
Sophia Institute Press is a registered trademark of Sophia Institute.

ePub ISBN 978-1-622826-537

I dedicate this book to the sick, the suffering,
and the dying throughout the world.

Know that, always favorites of St. Faustina,
you remain in her prayers.

Know that, as we join in those prayers,
you are in ours.

Know that, offering up your pain
as such a powerful prayer for others,
the Church thanks you,
your parish thanks you,
your family and friends thank you,
and I thank you.

We thank you so very much.

Contents

Foreword: , by Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted

Introduction:

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

Foreword

A Genuine Aid to Our Daily Prayer

Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted

Bishop of Phoenix

A s we walk through life in this valley of tears, we are often beset by trials of various kinds. We experience temptations, the misery of our weaknesses and sinfulness, conflicts with others, misunderstandings, and more. It can be encouraging for us to know that many saints experienced similar struggles, and we can learn much from them about how to navigate the stormy waters of life in this world.

The secret for St. Faustina was constant prayer. We learn from her Diary that she brought everything to the Lord in prayer, then listened to Him and received all that He wanted to tell her. In this way, St. Faustina was led day by day and even moment by moment into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, the source of her happiness.

She teaches us to do the same.

We often think that our weaknesses and sinfulness make us unworthy of such intimacy with God, but it is just the opposite. Jesus tells us through St. Faustina that one thing alone is necessary: that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of Gods merciful grace, and then God will do the rest ( Diary , 1507).

When St. Faustina opened the door of her heart, she was often drawn into the abyss of Gods mercy. She found great delight in hiding herself in the Lords Most Merciful Heart ( Diary , 1395). There, she found herself to be immersed in God ( Diary , 495), and this immersion in Him brought her great inner peace, even amid the many sufferings she endured.

This deep communion with the Lord that St. Faustina experienced was not automatic, nor was it easy. Again, it was a result of her dedication to prayer, in which she engaged in a constant conversation with Jesus. As she put it, Every morning during meditation, I prepare myself for the whole days struggle ( Diary , 91).

What struggles did she face? She faced debilitating illnesses, the hardships of community life, the monotony of the daily routine, and often being misunderstood by her superiors and fellow sisters in the convent.

The Lord would frequently remind her of the need to be united to Him in His suffering. Through prayer, she came to realize that suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love ( Diary , 57). It wasnt just suffering for sufferings sake but, rather, suffering in union with Jesus that brought St. Faustina true joy.

As her union with Jesus deepened, the life of virtue flourished within her. She was able to love all those whom God placed before her, even the most difficult. Embracing the cross and surrendering to Gods will in all things led the saint to say, I have discovered a fountain of happiness in my soul, and it is God ( Diary , 887).

The Lord is offering each of us a deep, intimate relationship with Him. The key is to set aside some time each day for prayer, cultivating the silence and solitude necessary for us to be alone with the Lord and to listen to Him.

Susan Tassones Day by Day with Saint Faustina can be a genuine aid to our daily prayer. Every time we pick up this little treasure of a book, we will find the deep wisdom of St. Faustinas Diary presented in bite-size pieces, one nugget of wisdom at a time. In her daily reflections, Susan fleshes out the teaching on Divine Mercy in contemporary language, with very helpful images and analogies.