How to Grow in Divine Union | Interior Life & Spiritual Stages Explained

About this sermon

For more please visit http://reginaecclesiae.com/ & remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. In this talk, the speaker draws on a wide swath of Christian spiritual tradition to explore the interior life: how we move from a beginner’s faith to deeper union with God. We hear reflections on a 1934 quote by Ernest Yunger, the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas (particularly his three stages of the spiritual life: purgative, illuminative, unitive), and the rich wisdom of St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Alphonsus, and more. What you will learn: Why mental prayer is essential, especially for those beginning religious life How to see your spiritual growth in three stages (beginner, proficient, perfect) Practical habits and disciplines to foster union with God The importance of charity (divine love) as the goal of spiritual life Insights into struggle, self-mortification, and perseverance in the spiritual journey Whether you’re a religious sister, a layperson seeking deeper prayer, or anyone hungry for union with Christ, this teaching offers encouragement and guidance on how to press on in virtue, interior prayer, and divine intimacy. 0:00 Introduction – The Greatest Commandment 0:21 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…” 0:46 Ernest Yunger: “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” 1:10 Applying the quote to prayer – dying to the world for God 1:27 Address to new novices and aspirants 2:03 St. Thomas Aquinas: The goal of the spiritual life is charity 3:34 The three degrees of the spiritual life 4:35 Growth of the soul compared to human maturity 5:10 Spiritual childhood and adolescence 5:57 Reaching spiritual maturity 6:42 Beginners: avoiding sin and conquering concupiscence 7:14 Advancing souls: growth in virtue and charity 8:22 The goal: union with God through divine goodness 8:52 The fight of the beginner – staying in the spiritual “ring” 9:39 The three stages: purgative, illuminative, and unitive 10:44 Illuminative stage 11:23 The unitive stage 11:49 The importance of mental prayer for all stages 12:13 The absolute necessity of mental prayer 12:59 St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Alphonsus on meditation 13:54 Without prayer, the soul falls into sin 14:34 Pope Pius XII on the value of mental prayer 15:23 Canon law’s obligation for priests to pray daily 16:00 “Apart from Me you can do nothing” – Christ the Vine 16:10 Union with Christ as the heart of all fruitfulness 17:03 Conclusion 17:09 Final Blessing #InteriorLife #SpiritualGrowth #UnionWithGod #MentalPrayer #ChristianSpirituality 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758