Category: Mystical

‘Twas a few days before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except me. Rising early, I slipped downstairs to steal some time in solitude and silence before the others awoke and my attention and energy would be entirely appropriated by my visiting nieces.  I wanted to sit for just awhile… Continue reading Who is in the Manger?

One of the fond memories that I have of my time as an undergraduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville was when I saw the midnight premiere of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2004. I went into a packed theater with about two to three hundred men from… Continue reading On the Perpetual Virginity of Mary and the Limits of “The Chosen”

The Lord is Nigh Third Sunday of AdventGaudete SundayRejoice! Presence of God– The Lord is always drawing nearer to my soul by the solicitations of His grace; I too wish to draw near to Him by a renewal of my faith and my desires. MEDITATION “O Lord, we have patiently waited for Thee: Thy name… Continue reading The Lord is Nigh – Divine Intimacy Meditation on SpiritualDirection.com

Years ago I read a small book, The Way of The Pilgrim, an Eastern spiritual classic in which a man wanders throughout Russia seeking the answer to the question of how one might “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 5:17). In discovering the Jesus Prayer, he finds sweetness for his soul, and recites it day and… Continue reading Life By A Thousand Aspirations

We are, then, perfectly and eternally saved, and we recognize in Jesus, the one who saves us, a true Emmanuel. He is the Savior because in him God is with us. He is God united to our nature. Having been reconciled with God, we are lifted up by grace to be one in spirit with… Continue reading His Name Will Be Emmanuel: God With Us

Editor’s note: This post was first published on 5/5/2012. Dear Dan, I’ve been going to spiritual direction for several years with a good friend. At her suggestion I have recently begun seeing a Catholic counselor to deal with issues from my past which have made it difficult for me to progress spiritually, to trust God,… Continue reading Can a Friend be a Spiritual Director?Is Anyone too Old to be Directed?

Anthony Lilles Anthony Lilles, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, completed his graduate and post-graduate studies in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas. He and his lovely wife, Agnes, are blessed with three children and live in California, where he is the Academic Dean, and Associate Professor of Theology, St. John’s Seminary,… Continue reading St. Nicholas and the Byzantine Monks of Northern California

The Easter resurrection is the highest Holy Day of the entire year. However, Christmas has always been my favorite holiday because my parents made it special for us. They worked hard with never a spare dime to waste, but we could count on many gifts under the tree. School clothes, socks and even a few… Continue reading The Joy of Giving – SpiritualDirection.com

“It’s happening again,” I say, shaking my head as if to clear it.   It’s been a good meeting with my spiritual director so far—lots of clarity, signs of hope, determination to continue to seek and love God’s will in my life.  But then I notice a shift in my mind, as if someone changed… Continue reading Things I’ve Learned in Spiritual Direction, Part 3: The Lies We Listen To

Back in Austria, we used to go to a toy shop and buy a large hoop, about three feet in diameter. Then we would tie hay around it, three inches thick, as a foundation; and around this we would make a beautiful wreath of balsam twigs. The whole was about three feet in diame­ter and… Continue reading Advent Prepares Us for the Light of Christ