St. Therese says, "Life is mysterious!...It is a desert and an exile..." Today, Dan, Melissa and Dr. Anthony Lilles discuss how this life can feel like a desert at times and how God gives us the strength to persevere through difficulty. 

 Topics/Questions covered in the show:

• St. Therese has a self-giving way of loving God. She desires no consolations or perceptible love in return, only "a love felt by Jesus".
• Is it wrong to desire an experiential love?
• God will manifest Himself to anyone sincerely seeking Him with faith, but He will do so in His own way.
• How can we keep from becoming discouraged by St. Therese's seemingly unattainable holiness?
• How can we cross the desert of this life to come to know the glory of the next?
• St. Therese believes that she is profoundly and uniquely loved by God and that each and every person is profoundly and uniquely loved by God.
• What is the "day of distances"?
• Progress on the path of spiritual maturity is made by averting our attention from the trials we are experiencing and instead focusing on what pleases God.

Resources:

• Spiritualdirection.com - website
• EWTN Global Catholic Radio
• Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
• EWTN Religious Catalogue - online
• Living the Mystery of Merciful Love: 30 Days with Therese of Lisieux by Dr. Anthony Lilles and Dan Burke
• Questions? Send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 818-646-7729. — please leave your name, location and question.