Creating Space for Prayer – The Heart of Prayer with Fr. Éamonn Bourke
Fr. Eamonn Bourke speaks with Kris McGregor about the simplicity and accessibility of prayer. Drawing on the example of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Fr. Bourke explains that prayer is a simple encounter with God that begins in the heart. One doesn’t need to be a theologian or have a perfect method—just a willingness to be still and present before God. Using personal stories and those of others like Dorothy Day, he highlights how God reaches out to each person gently and uniquely. Prayer, he explains, is not about performance but honesty and relationship, which can bring peace, healing, and a deeper sense of purpose.
It’s important to have consistency in prayer and the value of having guidance from others through spiritual direction or companionship in faith. Fr. Bourke encourages us to begin where they are and not be discouraged by past neglect of prayer. He reminds us that God created each person with intentional love and care, and that recognizing this dignity in ourselves and others is a fruit of prayer. Ultimately, he invites everyone to enter into prayer with simplicity and trust, letting God do the transformative work in the soul.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How can I simplify my approach to prayer and become more present to God in the moment?
In what ways might God already be speaking to me through daily inspirations or quiet desires?
How do I view myself, and how might that differ from how God sees me?
Have I made time for consistent daily prayer, even in small ways?
Who are the people in my life that I find difficult, and can I try to see God’s presence in them?
Am I open to receiving spiritual guidance or direction from someone further along in the journey?
What wounds or negative messages from the past do I need to bring to God for healing in prayer?
How have I responded to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit in my life so far?
Do I trust that God can meet me exactly where I am, without needing to “get everything right” first?
How might entering more deeply into prayer help me bring peace and love to those around me?
Father Éamonn Bourke is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland and served as Vocations Director for the diocese, as well as Pastor in a number of its parishes. Trained as a spiritual director in the contemplative style, he now serves as Chaplain to University College, Dublin, the largest University in Ireland.
Day 7 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles
Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor reflect on the seventh day of The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. Dr. Lilles explains how Elizabeth sees the soul as a “heaven” that proclaims the glory of God, drawing from Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Just as the physical heavens shift through day and night, so too does the soul experience seasons of light and darkness. These shifts are not random but part of God’s presence and action in the soul.
St. Elizabeth teaches us that the soul becomes radiant by faithfully responding to God’s interior movements—subtle invitations to act with love, withdraw from conflict, or enter into prayer. These promptings don’t always come as words but are more often sensed deeply within, illuminating the soul from within and revealing God’s glory.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How do I recognize and respond to God’s quiet promptings in my heart throughout the day?
In what ways do the joys and struggles in my life reflect the glory of God?
Do I take time to discern whether I am experiencing spiritual darkness or emotional distress?
Who are the wise and faithful companions I turn to for spiritual discernment and support?
How do I unite my personal sufferings—physical, emotional, or spiritual—to the redemptive suffering of Christ?
Am I open to becoming a radiant soul by faithfully obeying God’s interior commands, even in small things?
What prevents me from trusting that God’s presence remains with me in seasons of spiritual dryness or confusion?
How can I become a source of hope and light to those around me through quiet fidelity to God’s will?
17. “Coeli enarrant gloriam Dei.” 101 This is what the heavens are telling: the glory of God.
Since my soul is a heaven in which I live while awaiting the “heavenly Jerusalem,” 102 this heaven too must sing the glory of the Eternal, nothing but the glory of the Eternal.
“Day to day passes on this message.” 103 All God’s lights, all His communications to my soul are this “day which passes on to day the message of His glory.” “The command of the Lord is clear,” sings the psalmist, “enlightening the eye. . . .” 104 Consequently, my fidelity in corresponding with each of His decrees, with each of His interior commands, makes me live in His light; it too is a “message which passes on His glory.” But this is the sweet wonder: “Yahweh, he who looks at you is radiant!” 105 the prophet exclaims . The soul that by the depth of its interior gaze contemplates its God through everything in that simplicity which sets it apart from all else is a “ radiant” soul: it is “a day that passes on to day the message of His glory.”
18. “Night to night announces it.” 106 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, it is in some way made infinite and can give magnificent praise to the Father. Then my suffering is “a message which passes on the glory” of the Eternal.
Anthony Lilles, S.T.D., has served the Church and assisted in the formation of clergy and seminarians since 1994. Before coming to St. Patrick’s, he served at seminaries and houses of formation in the Archdiocese of Denver and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The son of a California farmer, married with young adult children, holds a B.A. in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with both the ecclesiastical licentiate and doctorate in spiritual theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome (the Angelicum). An expert in the writings of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and the Carmelite Doctors of the Church, he co-founded the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation and the High Calling Program for priestly vocations. He also founded the John Paul II Center for Contemplative Culture, which hosts symposiums, retreats, and conferences. In addition to his publications, he blogs at www.beginningtopray.com .
God’s Unconditional Love – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor discusses the importance and depth of the fourth step of the Ignatian Examen, which involves seeking God’s forgiveness. This step builds on the previous steps of gratitude, petition, and review, leading one to face personal failures and missed opportunities to reject temptations.
Fr. Gallagher illustrates the process with personal anecdotes. One story involves his initial reaction to a colleague’s office renovation, where he realized his response was not fully gospel-centered. Another involves his interaction with a community member with disabilities, highlighting the importance of addressing even small failures in love and charity. Fr. Gallagher also reflects on a poem by George Herbert, “Love,” which portrays the dynamic between God’s persistent love and the human heart’s sense of unworthiness. This dynamic mirrors the experience of seeking and accepting God’s forgiveness in the examen. In the fifth step, renewal, the insights gained from the examen can guide actions and decisions in the coming day.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How do the first three steps of the Examen prepare us to seek God’s forgiveness in the fourth step?
How does acknowledging God’s infinite love help us approach Him for forgiveness?
In what ways can gratitude to God enhance our openness to seek and receive His forgiveness?
How does reviewing the spiritual experiences of our day reveal our need for God’s forgiveness?
Can you recall a moment where you could have acted differently and how would you seek God’s forgiveness for it now?
Why is it important to bring even small failures to the Lord for forgiveness?
How can seeking God’s forgiveness inspire us to seek reconciliation with others?
What steps can we take to overcome feelings of unworthiness and fully embrace God’s love and forgiveness?
How can the fifth step of the Examen, renewal, help us grow spiritually and improve our future actions?
How does George Herbert’s poem “Love” illustrate the dynamic of God’s persistent love and our hesitant response?
As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)
METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.
First Point.The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received. Second Point.The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out. Third Point.The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen. Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults. Fifth Point.The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.
OUR FATHER.
Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org
Dr. Robert D. Enright – Forgiving as Unity with Christ on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Dr. Robert Enright speaks with Kris McGregor about his book Forgiving as Unity with Christ: A Journey for Healing, Resentment, and Relationships. He shares how an epiphany in 1985 redirected his academic career toward the study of forgiveness, which had previously been neglected in psychological research. Forgiveness, as a moral virtue, can transform the heart by healing the effects of injustice such as anger, resentment, and mistrust. Drawing from Aristotle and Aquinas, forgiveness does not excuse wrongdoing, demand forgetfulness, require reconciliation, or negate the pursuit of justice. Rather, it involves offering goodness to one who has acted unfairly, allowing a person to reclaim peace and dignity while also maintaining boundaries and seeking fairness where needed.
Dr. Enright outlines forgiveness as a deliberate, grace-filled path that must often be walked slowly, with self-awareness and even journaling. He discusses its spiritual dimensions, particularly its unity with Christ’s suffering and love on the cross, which brings healing not only to the individual but potentially to the offender and their relationship. He touches on the need for forgiveness education, especially within Catholic contexts, to help children and adults alike cope with life’s inevitable wounds. Dr. Enright also speaks on self-forgiveness, highlighting its importance in embracing one’s worth before God, especially through confession and sincere restitution. His research in diverse settings—from survivors of incest to prison inmates—demonstrates the transformative power of forgiveness on emotional, relational, and even physical well-being.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:
How does unhealed resentment affect your relationship with God and others?
In what areas of your life might God be inviting you to forgive, even if the other person hasn’t repented?
How can uniting your suffering with Christ on the cross transform your experience of injustice?
Are there ways you’ve misunderstood forgiveness—as excusing, forgetting, or reconciling—that need to be corrected?
How might your pursuit of justice be more Christ-like if it flows from a forgiving heart?
Who in your life do you need to forgive not just for their sake, but for your own healing and freedom?
How do you see the Sacrament of Reconciliation supporting both seeking and offering forgiveness?
What role does prayer and grace play in your ability to forgive someone who deeply wounded you?
How can cultivating forgiveness in your family or community reflect the mercy of Christ more fully?
In what ways have you struggled with self-forgiveness, and how can God’s mercy reshape your self-understanding?
From the book’s description:
Dr. Robert D. Enright, founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, invites you to travel with him down the road from alienation to forgiveness to possible reconciliation. His cathartic exercises will enliven your relationship with Jesus and provide a healing balm that will deepen your empathy and dispose you to forgiving others.
Similar to The Imitation of Christ, this work is divided into three books comprising short chapters with brief points to consider. The first book lays out forgiveness in general and includes biblical stories of forgiveness; the second approaches forgiveness from the Catholic perspective, including loving others through our intimate connection with Christ and seeking forgiveness ourselves; the third discusses skeptical views of forgiveness as well as self-forgiveness, forgiveness within communities, and what legacy you will leave behind.
These powerful exercises will help you understand what forgiveness actually is and why it is beneficial, including scientific studies of those who were suffering physically, psychologically, or emotionally and experienced healing.
You will learn answers to soul-searching questions and discover:
How to embrace your littleness with the humility of a beloved child of God
The Process Model of Forgiveness to aid you in becoming “forgivingly fit”
Seven forgiveness lessons in the Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers
The three Rs that help complete the triangle of forgiveness and rebuild trust
Seven aspects of “forgiveness as redemptive suffering”
The importance of forgiveness in God’s design for our peace and joy
As you contemplate God’s love for you in these extraordinary pages, you will grow deeper in your faith through journaling prompts and transformative meditations, including penetrating questions to guide you on your path to freedom. The book has been given an imprimatur by Bishop Donald Hying of the Catholic Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin.
About the Author
Dr. Robert Enright is a member of the Catholic Church. He is a licensed psychologist and the founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to disseminating knowledge about forgiveness and community renewal through forgiveness. In 2020, he was awarded the Aristotelian Professorship in Forgiveness Science in the Department of Educational Psychology at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the first to publish a scientific study on the topic of person-to-person forgiving (1989). He is a popular speaker on forgiveness, and his work has appeared in such outlets as Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune and on ABC’s 20/20. His International Forgiveness Institute organized the Jerusalem Conference on Forgiveness for the Renewal of Individuals, Families, and Communities at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, 2017; the Rome Conference on Forgiveness at the University of Santa Croce, 2018; and the International Educational Conference on Agape Love and Forgiveness in Madison, Wisconsin, 2022. For his innovative research on forgiveness, he received in 2022 what the American Psychological Association calls “psychology’s highest awards:” the APF Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology..
The Oasis of Lent – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating
Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss various aspects of marriage, spirituality, and the role of Christ in relationships. Life is a continuous response to God’s love, with the ultimate fulfillment found in heaven.
While perfection may not be attainable, continual growth in yielding to Christ leads to spiritual improvement over time.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
Understanding Continuous Growth: How does Deacon Keating describe the concept of life as a continual response to God’s love? What does he emphasize regarding the attainment of perfection?
Perfectionism in Relationships: What are the dangers associated with perfectionism in relationships, according to Deacon Keating? How does he suggest overcoming these challenges through spirituality and prayer?
Importance of Intercessory Prayer: Why does Deacon Keating underscore the significance of intercessory prayer within marriage? How does he envision spouses supporting each other’s spiritual development?
Sacramental Marriage as a Vocation: What parallels does Deacon Keating draw between sacramental marriage and Christ’s sacrificial love on the cross? How does he advocate for thorough spiritual preparation for marriage?
Prioritizing Relationship with God: According to Deacon Keating, why is it essential for couples to prioritize their relationship with God in marriage? How does he emphasize the transformative potential of Christ’s love in relationships?
An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:
“Moral conversion occurs in ordinary experience when we hit a wall or break through one. In other words, moral conversion can be ignited when we reach our limits and experience failure or finitude, or it can be ushered in when we transcend our limits and go beyond the self. We transcend the self by falling in love and/ or following the prompting of conscience at the cost of our own ego.
The traditional disciplines of Lent— prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, as well as communal worship— aim at fostering or preparing a person to welcome such limiting or breakthrough experiences. Most importantly, we are prepared to receive the truths known in these experiences, since we can rarely, if ever, orchestrate them. More than likely, we are taken up into such experiences, and our preparation beforehand can enhance our acceptance of the truths they carry.
(In regards to communal worship) …We usually imagine worship as a break in our secular lives, or sometimes even an obstacle to achieving other goals. With this attitude, worship is sometimes simply seen as “time out” from what is really important. Without denying the importance of secular realities for the laity, could we look at worship in another way? Worship is not an obstacle to daily living; it is not time off from more vital realities. Worship is, in fact, the great doorway into all that is both secular and holy. It is our way into real living. In worship, we find the great integration of the simple, ordinary, and plain (people, bread, wine, words) with the holy and transcendent (paschal mystery, incarnation, grace, transformation, salvation). The call of the laity is to carry into each day of work and domestic commitment the truth that the ordinary and the holy are not opposed. Only sin and the holy are opposed. Lenten worship services help us bring this truth to the world.
The more we come to see the presence of Christ in worship as a presence that permeates our being in the world, the more we will hunger to participate in worship as the source of our moral witness in everyday life. The Eucharist primarily is our participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, which is his self-offering to the Father, both in his life and upon the cross, and is also the Father’s response in raising him from the dead. Christ came to us; he came to dwell upon Earth and take on created goodness so that all in creation that is not good (sin) may be transformed by his presence, by grace. We too, in communion with him through the grace of the sacramental life, fill the ordinary world with his presence and become witnesses to this salvation through virtue and grace cooperating in moral activity.”
Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.
Day 6 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles
Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor delve into the sixth day of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s Last Retreat. Reflecting on Revelation’s vision of the Lamb and the 144,000, they explore Elizabeth’s interpretation of those marked by the Lamb’s and the Father’s name. These souls are described as conformed to Christ through suffering, contemplation, and purity of heart, reflecting divine attributes like justice, mercy, and truth. St. Elizabeth sees contemplatives—especially religious—as deeply united to the Lamb, living out a hidden, sacrificial love that vibrates like strings playing a new heavenly song. Their lives teach the Church how to praise from the depths of the soul, not just outwardly but in total interior surrender.
Dr. Lilles expands on St. Elizabeth’s teaching about dying to self. This spiritual death, expressed through detachment and suffering, frees a person to follow Christ completely and live by His indwelling presence. Drawing from Galatians 2:20, the conversation highlights how Elizabeth, like St. Paul, lived from this radical faith—a faith that trusts God’s purifying trials and seeks nothing less than full union with Him. The soul that lives this hidden life in God reflects His perfections and becomes a living sacrifice of love. Her words invite others to stop trying to live in two worlds and instead surrender fully, trusting that such a life leads to deep, abiding joy.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How am I being invited to bear the name of the Lamb through conformity to Christ in my daily life?
In what ways can I open my heart more fully to the Father’s divine attributes—justice, mercy, and truth?
What attachments might I need to surrender to follow Christ more freely and deeply?
How does the image of singing a “new song” speak to my personal prayer and relationship with God?
Am I willing to embrace trials as a path to inner freedom and deeper union with Christ?
How can I grow in the practice of mental prayer to allow Christ’s sacrifice to shape my soul?
What does “dying to self” look like in the concrete circumstances of my life right now?
How might the hidden life of contemplatives inspire my own spiritual journey?
Do I truly believe, like St. Paul, that Christ lives in me, and how does that shape my actions?
What prevents me from fully trusting God’s will, and how can I let go of that resistance?
16. What a going out from self that implies! What a death! Let us say with St. Paul, “Quotidie morior.” 95 The great saint wrote to the Colossians, “You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” 96
That is the condition: we must be dead! Without that we may be hidden in God at certain moments; but we do not LIVE habitually in this divine Being because all our emotions, self-seekings and the rest, come to draw us out of Him.
The soul that gazes steadfastly on its Master with this “single eye which fills the whole body with light” 97 is kept “from the depths of iniquity within it 98 of which the prophet complains. “The Lord has brought it into “this spacious place” 99 which is nothing else than Himself; there everything is pure, everything is holy! O blessed death in God! O sweet and gentle loss of self in the beloved Being which permits the creature to cry out: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in this body of death, I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Anthony Lilles, S.T.D., has served the Church and assisted in the formation of clergy and seminarians since 1994. Before coming to St. Patrick’s, he served at seminaries and houses of formation in the Archdiocese of Denver and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The son of a California farmer, married with young adult children, holds a B.A. in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with both the ecclesiastical licentiate and doctorate in spiritual theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome (the Angelicum). An expert in the writings of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and the Carmelite Doctors of the Church, he co-founded the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation and the High Calling Program for priestly vocations. He also founded the John Paul II Center for Contemplative Culture, which hosts symposiums, retreats, and conferences. In addition to his publications, he blogs at www.beginningtopray.com .
Journeying with the Examen Prayer – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor discuss the third step of the Examen prayer, which is the review of one’s day. The term “examen” comes from the Spanish word for examination, and he refers to this step as “review.” This involves looking back over the day to see where God was present and where the enemy tried to lead one astray. The goal is to develop “eyes of faith” that are vigilant and can recognize the action of God and the enemy in daily life.
Fr. Gallagher uses a reflective example of “Susan,” a composite character from his experiences. Susan has been attending daily Mass for six months and incorporates the Examen into her routine. One day, after Mass, she feels deep spiritual consolation, realizing that attending daily Mass has brought her closer to God and improved her patience and availability to others. This reinforces her commitment to the practice. On another day, Susan experiences spiritual desolation, feeling distant from God and lacking energy for spiritual activities. Despite this, she gets herself to Mass, albeit late. In her review, she identifies this as an instance of the enemy’s tactic to discourage her and recognizes the importance of being faithful to her spiritual commitments.
The Examen helps one become more aware of spiritual consolations and desolations, allowing for growth and a deeper understanding of God’s grace and the enemy’s tactics. This practice, combined with knowledge of St. Ignatius’ rules for the discernment of spirits, enriches one’s spiritual life.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How does the Examen prayer help us see the action of the Lord and the enemy in our daily lives?
Can you identify moments of spiritual consolation and desolation in your recent experiences, and how did you respond to them?
What steps can you take to incorporate the daily review of spiritual experiences into your prayer routine?
How has attending daily Mass influenced your spiritual life and relationship with God?
When facing spiritual desolation, what strategies can you employ to remain faithful to your spiritual commitments?
How does asking for God’s forgiveness daily affect your sense of spiritual growth and personal peace?
Are there specific times or situations where you find it challenging to stick to your spiritual plans, and how can you better recognize and counteract these tactics?
Reflect on a time when you felt profound joy after experiencing God’s forgiveness; how did this affect your spiritual journey?
How can you bring greater spiritual awareness to the seemingly ordinary events of your day?
How familiar are you with St. Ignatius’ rules for discernment of spirits, and how can you apply them to deepen your practice of the Examen?
As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)
METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.
First Point.The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received. Second Point.The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out. Third Point.The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen. Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults. Fifth Point.The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.
OUR FATHER.
Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org
“You have stood by me in my trials and I am giving you a Kingdom.” This solemn declaration was made by the Lord even as He faced betrayal, denial, and abandonment – suffering these unto death. To enter into His Kingdom, we must follow Him down this same pathway. This means that we will face what He has faced. To enable us to follow Him, He must purify us and strengthen us to remain standing with Him even after our sin. To the degree that we are afraid of death, suffering, and sin, we are afraid also of His mercy. But His merciful love overcomes our fear. Accepting His mercy, we learn to see in our own life experience that sin, suffering and death ultimately do not stand between us and the love of God. Indeed, He has made of them a pathway.
“You have stood by me.” We hear these words knowing full well how often we have failed Him. Yet, He does not focus on that. He sees what is good. He chooses to be conscious of what we have done in our devotion and so He directs us to also acknowledge what He sees. It is not that He is not aware of our sins. It is only that He chooses not to allow them to define our relationship with Him. Thus, He said this in the presence of the Twelve: the betrayer, the nine would abandon Him and the most trusted who would deny Him. He says it also to us now.
“You have stood by me” unveils his decision to see past our failures to a deeper mystery about us that we cannot know on our own. He gazes with hope on the possibilities of the human heart. This is because we are not in his eyes friends who fall short of His expectations. Instead, we are each a gift of the Father to Him – and so He treasures our faithfulness no matter how weak or fleeting it might be. Thus, He confirms all that is good, noble and true. The the gaze in which he holds us never breaks – He suffers this regard of the deepest truth of our existence unto death and will search hell to rescue it. Here, the basis of hope no matter how often we have fallen, a truth He repeats today in our presence too: “You have stood by me.”
“I have prayed that your faith will not fail and once you have turned back, you must strengthen the faith of your brethren.” Love requires many difficult purifications and painful healings before we can stand before the face of the One who loved us to the end. No unaided human effort can endure these trials of love. Yet, we never face these alone, but always in the Church with Christ’s gentle presence and His mighty prayer. His prayer that our faith should not fail does not mean we will not fall. It means that if we fall, no matter how far or hard or for how long, we can turn back – convinced that the power of His love is greater than the power of our sin.
What we do not see but what Christ sees is the splendor of His Bride – a splendor in which we have already been implicated from before the foundation of the world. Despite the sinfulness of her members and even the failures of her shepherds, she knows from the vantage point of eternity the way to the Bridegroom in both life and death. She knows this path to love even as it leads through the difficult ambiguities of our lives. She knows it by love and She knows it for love even when we have long stumbled away from it. She knows even as it disappears from our sight at the last moments of this life. And so, if we listen to the voice of the Bride, she teaches us to find it even when we feel farthest from it. Indeed, the Good Shepherd Himself will pick us up and place us there – for He has abandoned everything to find us. Though we cannot see it, the Body of Christ knows the passage that crosses from the gates of hell to the very threshold of heaven. Christ Himself bridges this abyss – and He suffers it in His mystical body so that we might become immaculate and holy in His presence.
Dr. Anthony Lilles is the author of “Hidden Mountain, Secret Garden”, which can be found here
Leaving the Desert – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating
In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore Lent’s significance, urging introspection and acknowledgment of sin. Deacon Keating highlights society’s loss of this sense, attributing it partly to psychology’s influence.
This reminds us of personal responsibility and freedom in recognizing sin; especially cultural desensitization to sin, emphasizing intentional conscience formation through spiritually grounded fellowship. They advocate for gentle yet firm engagement on moral issues to foster genuine community within parishes.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
Lenten Self-Reflection: How can you deepen your introspection during Lent to identify areas of sin in your life?
Responsibility and Freedom: Reflect on how you balance acknowledging external influences with taking personal responsibility for your actions.
Desensitization to Sin: How can you guard against societal desensitization to sin, especially in media and cultural norms?
Intentional Conscience Formation: In what ways can you intentionally cultivate a spiritually grounded fellowship to form your conscience?
Engaging on Moral Issues: How can you engage in conversations about moral issues with both gentleness and firmness, guided by love?
Fostering Community in Parishes: What steps can you take to foster genuine community within your parish, where faith is shared and nurtured collectively?
An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:
“Celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation is, for many Catholics, a most daunting prospect. This sacrament has been the source of many jokes, composed perhaps by persons seeking to reduce the level of stress they feel regarding one of its main components: naming personal sin.
The naming of one’s own sin to oneself and to a priest is self-revelatory to the point of evoking anxiety. Initially, it can be true that some level of apprehension may accompany this sacrament, but over time with regular celebration of this form of worship, anxiety diminishes. Most positively the sacrament of reconciliation promotes truthful self-knowledge regarding sin in the context of Christ’s saving presence. Once someone experiences both the naming of sin and the reception of God’s mercy in this sacrament, he or she actually begins to celebrate this sacrament and see it as a great gift from Christ and his Church.”
Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.
Day 5 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles
Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor discuss St. Elizabeth’s eschatological vision rooted in the Book of Revelation, where she contemplates the heavenly liturgy and the hidden spiritual reality taking place even now around the throne of the Lamb. He draws parallels between Elizabeth’s vision and the Easter Vigil liturgy; how liturgical images—white robes, palm branches, and candles—are not merely symbolic, but signs of a deeper spiritual truth that opens to us through contemplative prayer. Despite lacking formal biblical scholarship, Elizabeth saw clearly that heaven touches earth, and through the Church’s teaching and the gift of faith, we can participate in this mystery now.
Her insights take on even more depth as she writes while enduring excruciating suffering from Addison’s disease, approaching death with peace and love for Christ. Dr. Lilles explains how her inner conformity to Christ crucified—offering her pain as a participation in his redemptive sacrifice—reveals a spiritual maturity grounded in love, not in emotional or physical comfort. Her writings invite others into that same surrender, where trust in God transforms suffering into rest.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How does contemplating the heavenly liturgy described in Revelation influence your understanding of what truly matters in daily life?
In what ways can you become more aware of the hidden spiritual drama unfolding around the throne of the Lamb?
Do you view suffering as something to be avoided or as a means of union with Christ?
How can you foster peace in the midst of external and internal trials through faith?
What distractions in your life might be keeping you from deeper contemplation or openness to God’s will?
How can you create a more prayerful atmosphere in your home, especially during times of illness or difficulty?
Are you willing to offer your daily struggles as a spiritual sacrifice in union with Christ’s own offering?
What does it mean for you personally to be conformed to the image of the one “crucified by love”?
How does participating in the liturgy help you encounter the same mystery that Elizabeth of the Trinity describes?
In what ways is God inviting you to trust more deeply in His love, even when you do not understand your circumstances?
12. “I saw a great multitude which no man could number. . . . These are they who have come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple, and He who sits upon the throne will dwell with them. They shall neither hunger nor thirst anymore, neither shall the sun strike them nor any heat. For the Lamb will be their shepherd, and He will lead them to the fountains of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. . . .”
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; before being “transformed from brightness to brightness in the image of the divine Being,” 73 they have been conformed to the image of the Word Incarnate, the One crucified by love.
Anthony Lilles, S.T.D., has served the Church and assisted in the formation of clergy and seminarians since 1994. Before coming to St. Patrick’s, he served at seminaries and houses of formation in the Archdiocese of Denver and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The son of a California farmer, married with young adult children, holds a B.A. in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with both the ecclesiastical licentiate and doctorate in spiritual theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome (the Angelicum). An expert in the writings of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and the Carmelite Doctors of the Church, he co-founded the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation and the High Calling Program for priestly vocations. He also founded the John Paul II Center for Contemplative Culture, which hosts symposiums, retreats, and conferences. In addition to his publications, he blogs at www.beginningtopray.com .
From the book’s description:
An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:
