Day 9, Part 1 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles
Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor explore the ninth day of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s “Last Retreat,” focusing on the divine call to holiness. Dr. Lilles explains that this call is rooted in God’s own nature, revealed as “I Am Who Am,” which invites each soul to share in His divine life. The command to be perfect, as given by Christ, is not an unattainable ideal but a real invitation to live in union with God. This perfection is not absolute like God’s, but a relational wholeness, achieved by removing obstacles to divine love and fully surrendering to His presence. St. Elizabeth’s insights show that true holiness is a journey into deeper communion with God, marked by a constant awareness of His presence and a radical openness to His transformative love.
Dr. Lilles further reflects on St. Elizabeth’s association of holiness with the divine name, revealing that true sanctity involves a profound relational intimacy with God. Just as Moses encountered God at the burning bush, everyone is invited to strip away self-interest and walk in the presence of God. This journey involves letting go of the old self, embracing spiritual poverty, and living with the constant awareness that God is always present, sustaining and guiding each moment. In this way, St. Elizabeth’s writings call each person to a life of radical trust and surrender, mirroring the eternal worship of the saints in heaven.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

* How can I embrace the divine call to holiness in my daily life?
* What obstacles in my heart prevent me from fully surrendering to God’s presence?
* How can I cultivate a deeper awareness of God’s constant presence?
* In what ways can I strip away self-interest to walk more closely with God?
* How does my relationship with others reflect my union with God?
* How can I live in the world without being of the world, as St. Elizabeth encourages?
* What practical steps can I take to remove the barriers to divine love in my life?
* How can I respond more fully to God’s invitation to radical trust and surrender?
* In what ways can I make my life a reflection of the eternal worship of the saints in heaven?


From “Last Retreat Day 9 pt 1” found in The Complete Works vol 1:
22. “Be holy for I am holy.” 126 Who then is this who can give such a command? . . . He Himself has revealed His name, the name proper to Him, which He alone can bear: “I am Who Am,” 127 He said to Moses, the only living One, the principle of all the other beings. “In Him,” the Apostle says, “we live and move and have our being.” 128 “Be holy for I am holy!” It seems to me that this is the very same wish expressed on the day of creation when God said: “Let us make man in Our image and likeness.” 129 It is always the desire of the Creator to identify and to associate His creature with Himself! St. Peter says “that we have been made sharers in the divine nature”; 130 St. Paul recommends that we hold on to “this beginning of His existence” 131 which He has given us; and the disciple of love tells us: “Now we are the children of God, and we have not yet seen what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him makes himself holy, just as He Himself is holy.” 132 To be holy as God is holy, such is, it seems, the measure of the children of His love! Did not the Master say: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”? 133
Elizabeth of the Trinity (2014-07-24). Elizabeth of the Trinity Complete Works,