Day 14 – Part 1 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles In this episode of Beginning to Pray , Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor reflect on Day 14 of The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. As Elizabeth nears the close of her earthly life, she draws deeply from the writings of St. Paul to express her complete surrender to Christ and her longing to be united with Him in everything. Her words are filled with Scripture—not simply qu...
Jul 17, 2025•28 min
Day 13 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor reflect on Day 13 of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s “The Last Retreat.” Elizabeth draws from St. Paul’s vision of restoring all things in Christ, adopting it as a personal rule of life. St. Elizabeth, even in her physical suffering and in the face of external turmoil, turns inward to a deeper union with God. Rather than being consumed by hardship, she looks to...
Jul 09, 2025•28 min
Day 12 – 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 12th day of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s Last Retreat, focusing on the theme of peace as a gift from Christ’s indwelling presence. Elizabeth teaches that true holiness and peace flow from Christ’s intimate union with the soul—a union initiated by God’s love and sealed through Christ’s sacrifice. Dr. Lilles explains that Christ doesn’t conform ...
Jun 25, 2025•28 min
Day 11, Part 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor continue their discussion on Day 11 of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s Last Retreat and the profound invitation to deeper communion with God through silence, solitude, and surrender. Those who have progressed in the spiritual life may struggle with inner habits like brooding, rash judgment, or self-pity—tendencies that can only be healed through encount...
Jun 18, 2025•29 min
Day 11, 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 Day 11 of The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. The conversation focuses on developing a deep relationship with God the Father, especially for those who may have struggled with their earthly paternal relationships. St. Elizabeth’s own early loss of her father shaped her yearning for the Heavenly Father and how her writings invite us...
Jun 11, 2025•28 min
Day 10, Part 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles continues reflecting on the 10th day of The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and her invitation to live fully in the eternal present of God’s love—a reality where hope flourishes because God is always bringing forth something new and beautiful. A soul attuned to this divine presence lives with adoration and vulnerability, free from the controlling anxieties ...
Jun 04, 2025•28 min
Day 10, 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 spiritual insights of Day 10 from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s The Last Retreat and the command “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” which St. Elizabeth understands as a call to live in the eternal present—a mode of existence modeled on God the Father’s unchanging love and divine solitude. She describes this as a life of conti...
May 27, 2025•28 min
Day 9, Part 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor continue their discussion on the ninth day of The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. St. Elizabeth reflects on God’s call to holiness, rooted in His revelation to Moses as “I AM.” She sees holiness not as a distant, unattainable state, but as a loving invitation from God to walk in His presence and be transformed by His life. This journey inv...
May 20, 2025•26 min
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 invitatio...
May 13, 2025•26 min
Day 8, Part 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor reflect on paragraph 21 of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s Last Retreat , focusing on the soul’s journey into adoration and silence. St. Elizabeth describes adoration as a silent, profound love response that arises when the soul acknowledges its own nothingness before God’s overwhelming beauty and majesty. This silence is not empty or passive, but one ri...
May 06, 2025•28 min
Day 7, Part 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles reflects on Day 7 of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity’s Last Retreat , delving into the mystery of suffering, self-emptying, and divine union. St. Elizabeth sees the soul as a heaven that must echo the glory of God, whether in joy or in weakness. Every aspect of life—including failures, dislikes, and suffering—can become a message of God’s glory when embraced in faith. D...
Apr 22, 2025•28 min
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. Thes...
Apr 15, 2025•28 min
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 ...
Apr 08, 2025•28 min
From Dr. Anthony Lilles’ blog “Beginning to Pray” “ 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 ...
Apr 03, 2025•7 min
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 ...
Apr 01, 2025•28 min
From Dr. Anthony Lilles’ blog “Beginning to Pray” During Lent, we dedicate ourselves to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These practices are simple ways of expressing our gratitude to Jesus for what He has done for us. This in fact is the very nature of penance. Penance is love which responds to mercy – and this love is not content with words, thoughts and feelings. This love needs to express itself in a prayer the cries from the heart, in sacrifice that really costs, and in little hidden acts of...
Mar 27, 2025•4 min
Lent: St. Bernard’s Vision of Humility and Pride by Dr. Anthony Lilles We waste a lot of time thinking something is owed us. We brood over injury. We are not self-contained. Lent helps us remember the real truth about ourselves and our situation. The wisdom of the saints, like St. Bernard, helps us see our actual situation. His teachings suggest we can be free of brooding and find a new kind of self-possession when we allow the Lord to preoccupy us with his immeasurable love. We are, in fact, lo...
Mar 20, 2025•9 min
That Great Silence in Storms Midst by Dr. Anthony Lilles The beauty of these 40 days of Lent is that every hardship and trial can be made into an offering of love. If we keep our course, whether anxiety or frustration, disappointment or heartbreak, hidden in the exigencies of the moment is a sacrament, a visible sign of grace, inviting the response of faith, opening to a deeper encounter with the one who longs for our freedom. The challenge is to focus on the Lord’s presence in the midst of the ...
Mar 13, 2025•5 min
The Redeemer and the Gift of Lent From Beginning to Pray Each of us has a great task … that of becoming who God made us to be. Were we without sin, this task would still be impossible for us, left to our own resources and abilities. For indeed, the Lord created us in His Image and Likeness. This means that we are made to be the praise of God’s glory, living icons of His hidden life and love in His visible creation. What creature could ever attain to such holiness and splendor? Yet, we are made, ...
Mar 06, 2025•8 min
Day 4 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor discuss the fourth day of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s 16‑day retreat. They reflect on how contemplative prayer is not about performing spiritual exercises to achieve a measurable outcome but about surrendering one’s own control and expectations to welcome God’s transformative love. Weaving together insights from scripture and Carmelite spirituality, particul...
Feb 24, 2025•30 min
Day 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity- Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor explore St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s retreat writings, particularly her reflections on interior silence and self-possession in Christ. St. Elizabeth describes how true peace comes from gathering one’s interior faculties through silence and surrendering them to God. She highlights the significance of the phrase Nescivi, meaning “I no longer know anything but H...
Feb 11, 2025•31 min
Day 1 – 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 of the Trinity’s Last Retreat, written during her final illness. In this reflection, Elizabeth expresses her desire to know nothing but Christ, embracing suffering as a path to union with Him. She sees contemplation as a transformative encounter, where deeper knowledge of Jesus leads to becoming more like Him. Elizabeth’s vocation as “Laud...
Feb 04, 2025•30 min
Episodio 2 – El Cielo en la Fe Día 1 Oración 2 por Santa Isabel de la Trinidad – Comenzando a orar con el Dr. Anthony Lilles – Podcast Corazones Discernientes Este episodio con el Dr. Anthony Lillis y Kris McGregor se centra en las reflexiones espirituales de Santa Isabel de la Trinidad, concretamente en su retiro “El Cielo en la Fe” y su aplicación a la vida de oración. El debate se centra en la integración de la vida cotidiana con la oración constante, inspirada en la segunda oración del prime...
Aug 28, 2024•33 min
Episodio 1 – El Cielo en la Fe Día 1 Oración 1 por Santa Isabel de la Trinidad – Comenzando a orar con el Dr. Anthony Lilles – Podcast Corazones Discernientes El primer episodio del podcast, presentado por Kris McGregor con el Dr. Anthony Lilles, profundiza en el retiro El cielo en la fe de Santa Isabel de la Trinidad. El Dr. Lilles, experto en espiritualidad carmelita, destaca la importancia de Santa Isabel de la Trinidad, una mística carmelita de Dijon, que hizo hincapié en la oración profunda...
Aug 26, 2024•33 min
Letter 158 – The Letters of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor discuss a letter from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity to a seminarian, Monsieur l’Abbé. Elizabeth, a Carmelite nun, corresponds with him to support his journey through the seminary. This particular letter, written on February 24, 1903, before Lent, reflects Elizabeth’s deep spirituality and her contemplative life dedicated to prayer for seminarians and priests. E...
May 29, 2024•42 min
Awareness of the Presence of Christ – The Life of St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor discuss Chapter 27 of the work by St. Teresa of Avila. They explore St. Theresa’s profound spiritual experiences, particularly her visions and locutions, and how they relate to the stages of the spiritual life. In addition, they discuss St. Theresa’s humility in submitting her experiences to her confessor and the transformative effects these exper...
May 07, 2024•29 min
Extraordinary Mystical Phenomenon – The Life of St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor discuss locutions and the experiences of St. Teresa of Avila. They explain that locutions, or extraordinary mystical phenomena, are more common than people realize but are unnecessary for salvation. Dr. Lilles points out that these experiences don’t necessarily reflect a person’s spiritual maturity and can be both helpful and potentially misleading....
Apr 24, 2024•33 min
The Nature of Spiritual Direction – The Life of St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor delve into the topic of spiritual direction, using insights from the experiences of St. Teresa of Avila. The significance of spiritual guidance and the challenges that can arise when seeking direction for one’s spiritual life, the importance of deep listening and discernment in spiritual direction, all highlighting the need for directors to recogniz...
Apr 12, 2024•41 min
Episode 20 – “Heaven in Faith” Day 10 Prayer 2 – “A praise of glory is a soul that lives in God” Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor explore St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s concept of becoming a “praise of glory” for the Holy Trinity; surrendering completely to God’s will, allowing the Holy Spirit to transform one’s soul into a reflection of God’s love and glory. This transformation involves living in pure love, silence, and faith, gazing upon God and allowing Him to radiate through oneself. Tru...
Apr 05, 2024•29 min
Episode 19 – “Heaven in Faith” Day 10 Prayer 1 – “If you knew the gift of God” Dr. Anthony Lilles and Kris McGregor reflect on the teachings of Elizabeth, emphasizing the importance of not returning to “life as normal” after the retreat but instead allowing it to initiate a new beginning marked by a deeper connection with God by using the example of Mary, highlighting her profound surrender to God’s will and her unwavering trust, even in the face of uncertainty and challenges. Through St. Elizab...
Apr 03, 2024•29 min
