Day 3 https://www.discerninghearts.com/ca...treat-day-3-beginning-pray-dr-anthony-lilles/ St Elizabeth invites us to Just look at the Lord and let Him look at you. This is the beginning of contemplative prayer, which she calls the simple gaze! She states that when you behold Our Lord in simplicity, you are being transformed by the Lord even though you may be unaware of this. She also joyfully states this type of prayer is in anticipation of the beatific vision as this is the eternal delight of the Blessed in Heaven! She informs us that this is not a static state for the saints in Heaven because they are captivated by God and they are drawn deeper into the gaze of God, so they grow from brightness to brightness or from Glory to Glory. This simple gaze gives perfect praise and Glory to God. As God gazes upon the soul that mirrors Him, "this thrills God to His depths" the gaze permits the Divine Being to behold His attributes, His Perfection, His Beauty reflected in His created souls and she states that in her mind it is an extension of His own Glory. She declares that this Glory is a song, a canticle to God, a harmony we sing with God, it is a light that shines in the darkness, and makes night as noon day and it is living water for the refreshment of the world. This Glory makes space for God to act in greater measure in all our cares and prayers. That truly is Mystical wisdom! While pondering the above words of St Elizabeth's; it is here that I begin to get a glimpse of understanding, not only where vocal prayer and contemplative prayer meet but also how this beautifully fits into the necessity of suffering and trials. (The Gold or silver purification again.) I heard only recently, in a homily of Father Meeks (I think), where he states that when Gold is purified in the tremendous heat necessary the imperfections rise to the top, where they can be scraped away and he states something interesting, it is when the person who is purifying the gold, can look into the molten gold and get a perfect reflection back that he knows the Gold is purified! From my understanding, contemplative orders have daily routines for vocal and mental prayer while also having time allocated for contemplation . We that live outside contemplative houses may not get the time for as much contemplative prayer. I believe contemplative prayer should not be at the expense or neglect of our morning, night prayers nor our Rosaries as they are very important. I believe Jesus carves out moments for us where He ordains that we just gaze at Him. One day last week, I was extremely busy, I had to register my car, get the chook and animal feed, buy the groceries etc, in the middle of all this, I decided to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament while in town, so I could get a Rosary in. As I knelt before Jesus, I started a Rosary, but Jesus did not want this of me, instead He indicated to my soul that I was just to be with Him so He could be with me, it was beautiful.
Yes, this is much easier for me to ease into, that is, before the Monstrance as I gaze at Him, than when at home. You know, Josephite, to remind myself that the Lord God indwells me at home in a moment of peaceful quiet (more intimately than even a Monstrance) should set my soul at peace and open my heart! Thank you for your beautiful post. O Mary, Mother of my Eucharistic Lord, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
All these elect who have palms in their hands, 69 and who are wholly bathed in the great light 70 of God, have had first to pass through the “great tribulation,” to know this sorrow “immense as the sea,” 71 of which the psalmist sang. Before contemplating “with uncovered face the glory of the Lord,” 72 they have shared in the annihilation of His Christ; These words taken from Day 5 of St. Elizabeth's retreat shed light on the angst of post #20. My angst is part of interior sorrow "immense as the sea"; but, like a cross to be taken up, it can't be avoided- it needs to be first accepted, then embraced and carried. My mind desires to stay on top, but it actually needs to be surrendered. After all, the mind can only theorize about that which it has yet to experience, or rather, can't experience. Waiting on the Lord without knowing His timetable....hmmmm.
Session 4 The Lord is the only light! Surrender all other lights to God, as God is the only True light, therefore do not hesitate to give these lights to Him and to live in darkness if He wishes. I see here your misgivings Mario, and yes I have them too. Maybe saints with a perfect understanding of the economy of grace can do the above. As for me I have asked the question.....What are these other lights that St Elizabeth speaks of and how do they blind us to Gods pure light? I believe these other lights are all very good lights. They are the lights that have lead us in our faith, as children, as teenagers, and as adults in our Catholic Faith! They are the pure lights of our informed understanding, the lights of a well formed conscience of our intellect and our memory, these lights have helped us form our souls in a magnificent and true way. However now St Elizabeth (as well as other Carmelite saints) are inviting us to leave these lights and enter a darkness, devoid of all customary light, in expectation and readiness of illumination with the ultimate light of Jesus who is the complete light of truth. St Elizabeth says that a soul who journeys to the summit of the mountain, has reached a level above sensible consolation, therefore in my mind, you are alone! without consolation. I believe that it is here that prayer magnifies the mystery of the cross! as both are a stumbling block for the Jews and an absurdity for the gentiles This is a hard teaching, as it involves complete trust amidst a complete blackout . However I personally believe the Lord is so gentle that He will not abandon those in this darkness, presented in the mountain summit; in fact I believe He will supply a resting place while experiencing this darkness, even though the resting place be of a cold hard stone. I hope I am right! May we always remember St Pauls words regarding Faith........Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Amen
https://www.discerninghearts.com/ca...y-6-beginning-to-pray-with-dr-anthony-lilles/ I've always been astounded by Paul's words: Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me... When applying it to the experience of prayer, St. Elizabeth speaks of a detachment from relationships and material things that otherwise may deflect a complete heartfelt surrender to Jesus. Elizabeth uses mostly Scripture to express her insights while Theresa of Avila uses more earthy analogies such as wells and castles. For instance, Elizabeth's Fortress of Recollection strikes me as spiritual concept more than an object, while Teresa's castle or well is tangible and more easily conceived. Tomorrow I will take more time on Day 6, but at least my heart is becoming more receptive to Elizabeth's methodology. Interestingly, this transition was less troublesome for me, Josephite, when first we journeyed with St. Elizabeth. Not sure what that means, but I've got to go with the flow! St. Therese, pray with me!
Session 5 Hi Mario and all others following the retreat, To paraphrase St Elizabeth in this session.... our soul is the temple of God and we must be willing to fully embrace the cross, to go beyond bitterness and suffering to find rest. She says that sufferings from within and without should not make the soul leave the Holy fortress where the master has placed the soul. The will of the Father is that the soul be conformed to the Crucified Christ. The more I listen to these sessions of St Elizabeth, the more I get the feeling that sufferings and trials constitute, the darkness, the unknowing and possibly even the Holy Fortress that she speaks of. I don't know whether I am understanding her correctly but this is where it is leading me. Personally I find it hard to understand some types of sufferings as they seem to make no sense. We see this in the lives of some saints, who either had terribly mean and cruel parents, siblings, or superiors. The suffering certainly sanctified the actual saints but I wonder how the other souls in their stories reached sanctification? I know this is off topic but I've always wondered about, the imprisonment of the three shepherd children of Fatima. Where the civil authorities, held them is a gaol with hardened adult male criminals and threatened to boil them alive, if they did not recount their story! Our Lady stated in a later apparition that the promised Miracle of October would be less spectacular because the children had undergone this suffering of imprisonment and torture? The only way I can get my head around what Our Lady says here, regarding the imprisonment suffering of the children causing a lessening of the promised miracle, is perhaps that the children's offering of this terrible suffering, sanctified a greater number of souls than even the miracle would have converted! Otherwise this imprisonment suffering of the children would seem (to me) to be less than useless.
Definitely understand your sentiments. And Yes May Dearest Little Therese, travel with us, and help navigate what seems to be the Big Way, as opposed to Therese's Little Way. I feel they will converge soon! God Bless
Hi Josephite. I'm puzzled by your confusion. We understand that an increase in prayer and sacrifices can positively minimize a chastisement, or on the other hand maximize a blessing. The Fatima children were Heaven's chosen ambassadors for Our Lady. I think a lessening of a blessing (i.e. the miracle) is a understandable result. I daresay, the children's perseverance was a marvelous sign of their growth in sanctity!
I'm at peace now with Day 6. I've sometimes considered contemplative prayer as something I enter into and then exit so as to get on with my day, but Elizabeth says what begins with meditating on the sufferings of Christ (actually part of the Garabandal messages) progresses to a type of death of self where I I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. My fleshy side says the cost is too high. It's as if I want a wonderful vacation, so as to then come back to normal living. But true normal living occurs only when I allow myself to be crucified. I'm excited now in this retreat for the first time because I see that I'm still in grade school on the trajectory to a Master's degree. But I do have a willingness to surrender more fully in order to obtain the degree. I need fix my eyes on Jesus and remember the Tortoise won the race! Move forward and don't look back. Rest in Christ!
Mario as Catholics we know that suffering for God is the supreme sacrifice and it gathers many graces for many souls. St Padre Pio said if you knew the value of suffering you would never give it up. And yet part of his sufferings included being suspended from saying Mass and hearing confessions for many years, imagine the great graces that many souls would have received had this suspension not had taken place, however we know that Padre Pio accepted these sufferings and in doing so wrought even greater graces for souls due to this suffering! I understand St Elizabeth and all the Carmelite saints and indeed all saints, when they exhort us to suffer for Christ, as we are hearing in this retreat. The examples of the supreme power of suffering, humiliation and threats of death and death itself are numerous in the lives of the saints, because these saints follow in the steps of the crucified Christ. Never have I heard that the sufferings of saints had a negative effect! To hear that this imprisonment suffering of the three shepherd children produced a seemingly negative effect (being the lessening of the promised Miracle), made little sense to me. However it can be explained in the economy of grace! that is...... the shepherd children's imprisonment, the physiological torture and physical sufferings of the children must have been applied to a great number of souls for their sanctification! which then in turn reduced the necessity of a greater magnitude of the promised miracle in October! I realise I don't understand much in regards to the reason for sufferings, I simply believe that the sufferings of Our Most Sorrowful Lord Jesus and the Most Sorrowful Virgin Mother Mary comprise the greatest merits of our salvation! therefore these same sorrowful merits of suffering (activated in their children) are beyond all miracles no matter how splendid the miracle may be, because the suffering produces a greater Glory for God and provides more souls for His Kingdom. These are my thoughts.
Session 6 Sufferings as Immense as the sea, stripped of all consolation in the supernatural order and the natural order, so that I am free to sing a new song to the Lord.! In order to free us, God allows us to suffer extreme external trials and allows us to enter into very difficult places; we wonder whether God loves us because we feel abandoned! But St Elizabeth says No! it is the opposite, God has not abandoned you, in fact He gives you these trails to free you! Ahhhh here, is where I see the converging of St Therese's "little way" with St Elizabeth's "labyrinth way", it is the child like trust in all things no matter what way God wishes to lead us! St Elizabeth says we must be dead to ourselves, to be truly hidden,.....Isn't this the same teaching as Little Therese? St Elizabeth continues... Oh Blessed death in God, Oh sweet and gentle loss of self ......cry out my soul.....I live no longer, but Christ Lives in me!
How very consoling that is! My weaknesses, my dislikes, my mediocrity , my faults themselves tell the glory of the Eternal! My sufferings of soul or body also tell the glory of my Master! David sang: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” This: “I will take up the cup of salvation.” 107 If I take up this cup crimsoned with the Blood of my Master and, in wholly joyous thanksgiving, I mingle my blood with that of the holy Victim... The above is from Day 7, Part 1: https://www.discerninghearts.com/ca...t-1-beginning-to-pray-with-dr-anthony-lilles/ To unite my suffering with the sufferings of Christ (made consciously available, I think, at Holy Mass during the Consecration), can also be done in the moments of painful trial, in dryness, or frustration, by refusing to enter the fray? As Elizabeth describes above. It has been awhile since I've had regular spiritual direction (my director moved and I've procrastinated- a personal weakness). But as Elizabeth states: my sufferings of soul or body also tell the glory of my Master! Another taking up the Cross. Such purifies the soul to make room for my crucified Lord. All this sounds theological. Maybe when I'm not so tired an example will come to mind! Goodnight all!
Isn't this beautiful Terry! It sort of allows us to take the focus off our shortcomings and realise Gods uses all of who we are, even our faults! for His Glory! So its not just the good bits that we consider acceptable for human consumption that God uses, but it is all those humiliating faults and weaknesses that we are embarrassed about, that He takes to somehow use for His Glory!
Session 7 At the beginning of session 7, St Elizabeth states that as the heavens go from light to light so our soul passes from day to day, completing God in all things! here I believe St Elizabeth is subtlety eluding that day passing to day begins only after experiencing the night! And yes she speaks of the dark night later. We learn that the Lord speaks to the heart from day to day, not in our language (not English or French or Swahili) but in the language of the heart and we listen! Therefore, no matter whether we are in consolation or darkness, we follow His words to our hearts , remaining living in God and by this we become more radiant. This means we only act in God and this gives God Glory and He then acts in us "causing a radiance". This becomes especially necessary when in the middle of a firestorm, we hear in our heart to stop reacting, to not say another word, this is hard, and many do not listen, but when we do, we make space for God to act in miraculous ways in the firestorm situation. By being obedient to His word heard in the heart, we will probably not win the argument, but by being called to be quite, to say a prayer, or do a deed of mercy without wanting any self glory then we become radiant in Gods eyes, even though we may initially look weak humanly. Sometimes the Lord allows you to suffer all kinds of interior and exterior sufferings which then bring you into the dark night . The purpose of the dark night is always that God wants your faith to be more pure and strong as fire tried Gold! Dr Lilles explains a way to discern the dark night from secular depression and I feel this is important, I think Sanctus needs to hear this as many others may as well So I think I will post this on the thread that Sanctus has started. Dr Lilles states you will know you are in the dark night if ..... 1)You are in a state of Grace. 2) Have retained the practice of prayer. 3) Have not backslid into sin. 4) And are maintaining the disciplines of the spiritual life! Then you can be certain that God has permitted you to suffer the interior and exterior trials of the dark night and be assured this is a grace!
Josephite, I am blessed by your above thoughts, especially the ones I have made bold. Seek to live in God, remain in God, listening to the Lord speak in my heart, following His lead; thereby avoiding vain glory, even if others view our obedient reaction as a sign of weakness! Thank you!
