Finding Peace in the Storm

There are certain conversations I know I will remember for the rest of my life. This podcast episode is one of them.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dan Burke, the President of the Avila Institute, about his new book, “Finding Peace in the Storm: Reflections on St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Uniformity with God’s Will”.

Dan and I first spoke last year about how to live an abundant life, and it was great to have him back on the show. His new book is a page-by-page reflection on a treatise first written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, an 18th century bishop and moral theologian in 1755.

Our conversation had a profound effect on me for two reasons: Dan’s vulnerability and the topic of God’s will. As you will learn from this episode, Dan lives with a life-threatening illness, and his growth and acceptance of God’s will in and through it is remarkable.

Secondly, like most people, I hate suffering. It’s easy for me to accept God’s will when things are going well. However, my inclination is to throw an internal temper tantrum when difficult things happen and to wonder if God has abandoned me.

Reading this book has changed that pattern. I am learning to see how suffering can be for my good and God’s glory, and how seeking God’s will in all things is my fast track to heaven.

Dan said it best- “There will be a day that the things that used to ‘wreck’ you will instead propel you to heaven.”

If you would like that to be your perspective, watch this episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

With love,

Valentina

“For when we say ‘Yes’ to God, we change the world”!