After reflecting on fasting, vigils, the desert and silence, let us continue to listen to the other suggestions of the Desert Fathers in order to protect ourselves from the wiles of the devil and to progress more quickly on the path of perfection. Another piece of advice they proposed was this: give priority to works of charity, for which the Lord has promised the Kingdom of God in return. Read More
Showing all posts in March 2025
HALLOWED BE THY NAME
‘Hallowed be thy name’ (Mt 6:9).
The Name of our Father must be hallowed by people on earth, as it undoubtedly is in heaven, where angels and saints worship our Father with reverence and love, as described in the Book of Revelation: And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen” (Rev 7:11-12). Read More
OUR FATHER
‘Our Father, who art in heaven’ (Mt 6:9).
The suggestion of a brother and the custom of kneeling during the Lord’s Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours in Lent have led me to dedicate a series of meditations to this prayer, looking more closely at each of its affirmations and placing them in the context of God the Father’s message to Sr. Eugenia. Read More
MEDITATIONS FOR LENT: Desert and holy silence
In the last two meditations we have considered the advice of the Desert Fathers to practise fasting and night vigils in order to reach union with God more quickly with an agile spirit. This guideline, applied with due moderation, is excellent advice for growing in the spiritual life and for effectively resisting the powers of evil. Read More
MEDITATIONS FOR LENT: Other aspects of fasting
In yesterday’s meditation we had begun to reflect on fasting and vigils as spiritual means of becoming more united to God, or as the Desert Fathers around St. Anthony used to say, “to unite ourselves more quickly to God with an agile spirit”. A more intimate union with the Lord is an essential help to counter the devil’s insidious attacks and to be prepared for spiritual warfare.Today, let us look more closely at the subject of fasting. Read More
SUPREME WISDOM
“To listen to the Spirit is supreme wisdom; to live in intimacy with Him is a source of joy” (Inner Word).
The Father and the Son have not left us orphans (Jn 14:18), but have sent us the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us in all things. He is the Teacher and sure guide of our spiritual life. If we do not abandon or relativise the authentic doctrine and moral teaching that the Church has always handed down to us, then we fulfil the conditions for our Master to teach us ever more deeply.
TRUTH AND FREEDOM
“As long as man does not live in the truth, he cannot taste real freedom” (Message of God the Father to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).
True freedom consists in living according to God’s Will. Anything that separates us from Him inevitably leads to a lack of freedom because, as the Father says in His message, we are then outside the true law, for obedience to which He created us. Consequently, we live in opposition to the deepest meaning of our existence and cannot enjoy the fruits of true freedom, which our Father can only give us in fullness if we live according to His Will.
MEDITATIONS FOR LENT: Fasting and vigils
Having talked about prayer and having looked at three very effective forms of spiritual combat – the prayer of the heart, the Holy Rosary and Eucharistic adoration – we now return to that little meeting of some of the Desert Fathers around St Anthony Abbot with which we began our Lenten meditations. It was from this conversation that we drew the concept of ‘discretion’, which means ‘discernment of spirits’. Inspired by this concept, we looked at the situation in the Church and in the world. As a conclusion, it became clear that the faithful must enter into the spiritual battle because the leaders of the Church are spreading grave errors.
In this context, I would like to recall the series on “The Five Wounds of the Church” (https://en.elijamission.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-5-Wounds-of-the-Church.pdf), which will help us to understand more deeply the existential crisis of the Church. It is important that the faithful wake up and realise that they cannot simply “go with the flow” and follow the direction set by the current hierarchy without being dragged down by its errors.
MEDITATIONS FOR LENT: Eucharistic Adoration (Part II)
The following topic is also very important in preparing for spiritual warfare: Eucharistic adoration and inner healing. Indeed, if we have many inner wounds, blockages and barriers, which we may not even be aware of, it will be more difficult for us to fight the battle. Let us not forget that healing the sick was part of our Lord’s ministry, and continues to be so through Eucharistic adoration if we accept His offer. That is why I thought it fitting to include in our Lenten series this meditation from last year.
Also important is the relationship between Eucharistic adoration and spiritual growth, which we will discuss in the second part of this meditation. Let us remember that the more deeply we are united to the Lord, the more He can work and offer His love to people through us. And in the presence of Christ’s true love, the devil will have to flee.
THE GREAT FREEDOM OF LOVE
‘A person who loves is practically beyond all other jurisdiction. Love and do what you will’ (St Augustine).
This is a famous and bold exclamation of St Augustine. To give it its true meaning, it should be placed in the context of the first part of the sentence: “A person who loves is practically beyond all other jurisdiction. This is already a limitation, since it is clear that we are dealing with a love that is not so easily attained.