Even if we apply all our will to carry out in ourselves the active purification, we will not be able to overcome everything that prevents us from fully corresponding to the love of the Lord. There are attitudes and attachments that are too deeply rooted, and often we are not even aware of them… That is why the Lord comes to our aid by means of another process, which goes beyond what our own efforts in active purification could bring us: It is the so-called “passive purification”. Read More
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A SERIES ON SPIRITUAL LIFE: Active Purification
In the classical mystical tradition, the path of following the Lord is usually described in three “ways”: the purgative way (purification), the illuminative way (illumination) and the unitive way (unification).
By having lived a serious conversion, by striving to acquire the virtues and by consciously taking up the fight against our three enemies – the world, the devil and the flesh – the Lord initiates in us the process of interior purification. We are dealing here with our attachments to our passions, as well as to our own ideas, illusions, desires, etc. Read More
A SERIES ON SPIRITUAL LIFE: The fight against the devil (Part II)
“Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand up to him, strong in faith” (1Pe 5:8-9).
The comparison with a roaring lion makes it clear that, in spiritual combat, we face a terrible enemy. He is ready for anything and stalks his victim carefully and aggressively. To make matters worse, this opponent does not abide by the “rules of chivalry” at all. Read More
A SERIES ON SPIRITUAL LIFE: The fight against the devil (Part I)
In the meditations of the last few days, we had first spoken about that enemy who dwells within us – that is, our flesh – which, because of our fallen nature with its evil inclinations, wants to turn us away from the way of the Lord, or at least make things difficult for us. Then we also discussed the second enemy of our soul – the world – which likewise wishes to lead us away from the spiritual path by its seductions and allurements. Now we must consider one more enemy. Read More
A SERIES ON SPIRITUAL LIFE: The Struggle Against the World
Another enemy that can greatly lead us away from the way of the Lord is the world. If the world is not permeated by the Christian spirit; that is, if it has not been transformed and leavened by the “yeast of the Gospel” (Mt 13:33), then its direction is hostile to God and, consequently, will be a threat to our spiritual life. The difficult thing about this enemy is that we perceive very little of his constant influence. On the other hand, the attacks of the devil or the temptations that come from our flesh are more easily identifiable. Read More
A SERIES ON SPIRITUAL LIFE: The struggle against the flesh
In the framework of this series on the spiritual life, it is also necessary to speak about the “3 enemies of the soul”, which stand in the way of our following Christ and against which we must consciously fight.
At the beginning of this series we spoke about the virtues, emphasizing the importance of acquiring them. Indeed, they constitute a powerful antidote against all enemy attacks, but especially against the inclinations of our flesh and the tendency to give ourselves inordinately to its passions. Read More
A SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: Trust in God (Part II)
As the faithful, we are called to build our life on God, and not on the fragile foundation of our human nature. Our security, that which will withstand all the storms of life, is founded on His love, on His Word, on His desire to save us. Through trust and faith, we place our security in God and thus live on a solid foundation.
This trust in God can become the fundamental and absolute principle of our life, regardless of our emotions. In fact, we cannot rely on our sensative experience to ascertain whether God is close to us or has turned away. Instead, we must always cling to the certainty that He is always on our side and loves us. Read More
SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: Trust in God (Part I)
It is difficult to find something as important for the spiritual life as trust in God. In all situations of our life we have to activate this trust, so that it becomes that inner certainty that permeates everything. In this way, our spiritual path becomes lighter and more attractive to others. We will therefore dedicate the next two meditations to this theme: trust in God. Read More
A SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: Prayer of the Heart (Part III)
Whoever has been engaged in the prayer of the heart for a long time and practices it regularly, will experience the joy that this prayer really brings to the soul. It becomes easy for us to withdraw into that “inner cell” which has been formed through prayer, precisely at those times when noise gets in the way and we are most exposed to the danger of distraction. Read More
A SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: Prayer of the Heart (Part II)
The prayer of the heart-or Jesus prayer-requires a certain preparation. In this regard, let us listen again to Metropolitan Serafim Joanta:
“The dispositions for the Jesus prayer are, as for any other prayer, the following: To be at peace with one’s neighbor, to be free from excessive worries, a certain disposition of the soul, a quiet place…. No one can pray a pure prayer – that is, a prayer that is not tainted by extraneous thoughts, by external impressions of the senses and memories – as long as he is not at peace with his neighbor. Read More