A Brave Heart
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“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” - John 1:46 (NAB)
I wrote down a list of chores for the day – fold laundry, weed front flower bed, drive my son to swim practice, make meatloaf for dinner – the items continued. Our landline rang and I glanced over to see yet another spam call, reminding me to submit our number to the Do Not Call Registry. Another random task on top of a lengthy lineup.
Catholic radio was a blessed companion alongside my daily duties and a vital source of growth and information for me – a budding Catholic. On this day, I learned about a Polish nun named Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska. Menial work filled her days at the convent in the 1930’s, with jobs ranging from cook to gardener to doorkeeper. Beyond this rote work, Sister Faustina sought time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, tells of her everyday tasks at the convent along with her intimate relationship with our Lord.
Nearly a century later, St. Faustina isn’t famous for her culinary work, gardening skills or diligent door-keeping duties, but rather for her message of Divine Mercy. With assigned titles like Saint, Mystic, and Secretary of Mercy, her influence – including the image she envisioned and the chaplet she wrote – extends around the globe!
When faced with a sense of daily drudgery, I take courage from St. Faustina’s life. It’s remarkable how broad the impact of a single cook, gardener, or doorkeeper can be!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for those like St. Faustina who model lowliness to the world and show us that humility truly does come before honor.
St. Faustina, Pray for us.
Quote: God walks among the pots and pans. //St. Teresa of Avila
Thought: What tasks in your life feel like drudgery? Offer them up as a sacrifice to God and ask Him to use your work to encourage others.
© Lisa Livezey 2025
Like this devotion? For more 1-minute photo devotions, visit lisalivezey.com/olivetree.
Lisa Livezey writes from Pennsylvania where she found her way to Rome via the Anglican Ordinariate. She is the author of Minding Mom: A Caregiver's Devotional Story (En Route Publishing) and contributes to the National Catholic Register, Guideposts books and devotionals, and more. Her weekly photo devotions found at lisalivezey.com/olivetree are viewed worldwide and utilized by Visio Divina prayer groups. Lisa is a wife, mom, and grandma, volunteers in church and civic settings, and serves on the executive team at Heart of the Father Ministries. She credits her husband with giving her name alliteration and sometimes on summer weekends can be spotted sailing the Chesapeake Bay alongside her spouse.
