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NOTE: As of yesterday, we have begun in the daily meditations a series entitled “Advent in Apocalyptic Times”. If anyone would prefer to listen to a meditation on the reading or the gospel of the day, you can find it at the following link: http://en.elijamission.net/a-burning-heart/

“Night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples…” (Is 60:2).

We cannot close our eyes or overlook the great darkness that hangs over the peoples. Just as we must not allow ourselves to be swallowed up by it, giving too much weight to the plans of evil and occupying ourselves excessively with them, it would also be a mistake to overlook it or to want to ignore it. Read More

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NOTE: On November 30 I posted on my YouTube channel a video entitled “Advent in Apocalyptic Times,” which was immediately censored. In view of this, I have decided to put in writing the content of this lecture, which I thought was valuable. I had alluded to the measures around the coronavirus, and the reason YouTube was eager to censor the video is that it would have violated the “Community Standards”. Read More

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Today, being the last day of the month of October, we will conclude the series on the spiritual life, which was intended to give us a perspective on what is conducive to the path of following Christ and what makes it fruitful. Before we resume our customary biblical meditations tomorrow, today’s meditation – the last in this series on spirituality – will point us to a basic condition that we must fulfill if we are to grow spiritually.  Read More

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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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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

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“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

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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

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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

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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

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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