June 9^th – 12^th, 2023

I want to, if you allow Me, make you a reflection of the Eternal Light 
so that when you meet God you would look like an untarnished mirror of God’s active power
and an image of His Holiness and His Goodness; (TLIG Message, April 22, 1990)

Nine years after the previous retreat in Sweden, the Sweden- True Life in God Association, with the assistance of some members from the Association of True Life in God Denmark, was happy to organize a retreat in the beautiful city of Vadstena, as they had done in 2014. The retreat took place from June 9^th (arrival day) until June 12^th (departure day), 2023, and the pilgrims lodged at the same premises as in 2014, at Vadstena Folk Högskola, a high school boarding unit which is situated on the shores of a captivating lake called Vättern, the second largest lake by surface area in Sweden.​

Vadstena Lake

Tlig people enjoying the sunset at Vadstena Lake

The topic of the retreat was «Can one Reach Deification While on Earth?”, a theme which Jesus clearly explains in the TLIG Messages- how to reach this spiritual level. Throughout the centuries, this theme, “deification”, has been a concern in Christian Theology, as it is widely referred to in the Christian Tradition, both in the Eastern and Western Churches.

On Friday, June 9^th

While at the lobby of the conference hall, a young boy, Ivan, from the Czech Republic’s Children’s TLIG Choir spotted Vassula, as she had just arrived from Stockholm. He rushed to his mother to announce her arrival, then came running back, jumped on Vassula’s lap and hugged her. I was told that this young boy has great affection and love for Vassula. 

On Saturday, June 10^th, the program began at 8.30am. The choir entered the hall in procession, singing the Kyrie Eleisson hymn, followed by Vassula. 

Some of the younger children in the choir do not speak English. Yet, they were able to learn all the songs by heart, in English, Italian and even Greek, and with a very nice accent!  Here are some of the songs, words taken out of the True Life in God Messages and put into music: “Almighty God” (TLIG,  3 March 1988), “Be intimate with Me” (TLIG 25 September 1997), “Come and melt our hearts” (TLIG Messages, 18 June 1992), “Do you love me” (TLIG Messages, 21 June 1999), “Glory be to God” (TLIG 10 November 1995), “Go, go and tell everyone” (TLIG Messages,  8 February 1995), “Help me, Father” (TLIG Messages, 27 September 1986) …

The Youth Choir singing for Jesus

One pilgrim commented that the choir alone was reason enough for him to be grateful that he decided to attend this retreat. Their songs, when put into music, impact the soul like something out of this world! We give glory to God that these youngsters, who are the next generation, are already witnessing in that manner- the grandeur of TLIG.

Rev. Bo, a Lutheran Pastor from Sweden, reported that in total 145 people registered for the retreat. That was the maximum occupancy this location could contain. The lay participants came from various countries, and some from very far away. We had pilgrims from the USA, Israel, Greece, Italy, Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland and of course Sweden.

 The participating clergy came from four different Christian denominations: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran. It was not formally planned that this retreat be truly so ecumenical. Hence, the Hand of God is apparent in this kind of arrangement; the TLIG Messages’ intense call for Unity is not to be forgotten, but put into practice. Unity should be continuously in our mind and evangelized for the glory of God. We are all asked to work for Unity. And when we rely on God, we, who are nothing, a remnant only, as Jesus names us, and work for Unity, we fall like dew on this parched land, reviving it, becoming a beacon in the Church, a healing balm on Jesus’ Wounds; thus, we give glory to God. We must persevere for Unity, for this is our duty, and not be like those that Scriptures say: “The beginning of human pride is to desert the Lord and to turn one ‘s heart away from our Maker’s.” (Si Ch. 12) When we turn our hearts away from God, we are transgressing His Will, uninterested to follow His desire, which is to promote Unity. Our Lord calls out for Unity, but the faithful turn away from that call. The Lord, in the end, will bring these ‘monarchs’ down, to sit on the ground.

Rev. Bo, talking about Saint Bridget and Vastena

Rev. Bo gave us a small introduction about the life of Saint Bridget. Saint Bridget of Sweden was born on June 14, 1303 by noble parents. She was the daughter of Birger Persson of the family of Finsta, governor and lawspeaker of Uppland, and one of the richest landowners of the country. His wife, Ingeborg Bengtsdotter, was a member of the so-called Law-speaker branch of the Folkunga family. Through her mother, Ingeborg, Birgitta (Bridget) was related to the Swedish kings of her era. St. Bridget married Prince Ulf who was a very noble and pious man. They had eight children, among whom was Saint Catherine of Sweden. When her husband died in 1344, she willingly entered the consecrated life. In 1346 she founded the Bridgittines (the Order of the Most Holy Savior). The city of Vadstena was developed around the Abbey of Saint Bridget. Saint Paul II made her patron saint of Europe in 1999, and he called her a ‘precious ecumenical ‘bridge’, strengthened by the ecumenical commitment of her order. She had lifelong visions and wrote 

Singing with their heart

down messages from God; she is known for her asceticism, her dedication to revive and unify the church, and for her lifelong mystical experiences of Christ. She lived the last part of her life in Rome where she died in 1373. St Brigitte (Bridget) is considered a patron saint of Sweden.

As we know, the theme of the retreat is about deification. It is quite a heavy subject, an ascetic subject, a subject that the Fathers of the Church discussed, imparting lectures on the subject. When Vassula spoke at this retreat, she found it appropriate to firstly disclose a short introduction as to why God manifests Himself in our times more than ever before in Church History. Moreover, she discloses why there are so many apparitions of the Virgin Mary, and why God is sending the Holy Spirit with revelations and gifts.  

Vassula reminded us that she received knowledge and wisdom about the topic of divinity after many years, because at the beginning of her TLIG journey, God had to teach her from scratch, as she had no catechism. So, God taught her with easy terms, progressing her every year more and more. The True Life in God Messages lend themselves to be understood for every level of mind.

Talk by Vassula

Then Vassula approached the subjectof deification; she gave us an example of how God referred to deification in the TLIG Messages. Knowing the poor state of knowledge Vassula had on such matters, her Divine Teacher, Jesus, initially gave her (and us) the means to understand how to be deified in a metaphoric, simple way. This is how He explained it. Jesus compares our soul, to a dry and dead desert, when it rebels and is far from Him; nothing grows there; but if we allow Him to change us, He sends His Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life, to transfigure our soul from a desert into a garden, where He can have His rest in us. He will put the soul in a quiet state, a state of comfort and consolation. That peacefulness takes place after the soul has been purged by the Holy Spirit, detaching it from earthly preoccupations. Then the Lord, not yet satisfied, will mature the soul even more and bring it in a higher level of indifference from earthly matters. If the soul will continue to allow the Holy Spirit to transfigure it through His blazing, cleansing Fire, He will transfigure it into a palace. Yes, it will be a palace where our King and God will reign. He will be the Ruler of our life, reminding us that we, too, are of kingly descent, a royal priesthood, engaging us in Sovereign matters, to the point where He even allows us to tell Him our opinions. This higher level of spirituality is called dispassion. It is a spiritual level in which the previous level of detachment becomes even stronger. The soul begins to be detached from all worldly things, for they become like ashes in your sight. In their place, God now will be enveloping you to become your only sole satisfaction in life. As He is a jealous God, He is not satisfied fully to leave you there as a palace; He wants you to be 100% fully His, so as to bring you to deification; and for this, again, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to burn to the root all what remains that is not His! This level is the highest one of all; that is called impassibility. In the past, Christ explained it metaphorically. He once more emphasized that if we allow the Holy Spirit to transfigure us, He can transfigure our soul from a palace into a Heaven and an Eden, in which we will be able to glorify Him totally.

After Vassula’s address to the people, Fr. Spyridon, an Orthodox priest, was then asked to give his talk. Fr. Spyridon gave a small introduction about himself and then talked about divinization as portrayed in the Eastern tradition, as well as its similarities to the True Life in God Messages.

Talk by Fr. Spyridon

Talk by Fr. Petr

After lunch, we all went to the Abby Church of Vadstena, a medieval Church, which was walking distance away. The Abbey Church was consecrated to St. Mary and inaugurated in 1430 as the mother convent of the Brigittin Order. Since 1829, it has been the parish church of Vadstena. The church was built through instructions from Saint Brigit; it is believed that God himself had given them to her. The Abbey Church is also called “the Blue Church”, since the stone is made from glimmers in blue. The entrance is located in the east, which is unusual, and it has no church porch. When people enter the church, they see the magnificent nave with three bars. It also has star vaults supported by octagonal columns. The relics of St. Brigit were transferred here to the Abby Church in Vadstena by her daughter in 1374. They rest within the chapel in the right transept.

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The Medieval Church of Vadstena

and the relics of St. Bridget of Sweden

While at the Abby Church, we were happy to hear the “Key Harp”, a traditional Swedish instrument which was nicely played by a TLIG volunteer Per Olov Davidsson. Our children’s choir also sang some songs in this wonderful Church. 

Rev. Bo then asked Jan to give his testimony. Jan is Czech, and he shared with us how the Lord approached him. His amazing story shows how our Lord rescues his lost sheep! When his parents divorced, his mother remarried. His stepfather, however, was a very harsh man, and was very cruel towards Jan.  Jan never felt the love of a father, but only hatred and rejection. So, he left home as a teenager and got involved with drugs and alcohol. He lived a wasted, unhappy life on the road, to the point of wanting to commit suicide. One day when Jan was thinking of suicide and was looking down from a window, a friend of his, who unfortunately has since died, –as he also was using drugs–, while passing by him, threw-up to him a book, telling him, “Hey Jan, I have something for you, this is for you” … and he threw it up to Jan. It was the True Life in God book. Through the True Life in God Messages, Jan got to know the love of a Father which he never knew. God touched him in such an extraordinary way, that today he is one great apostle of God. He is gifted in music, and so this is how he composed all the songs from the TLIG Messages for the children, and created this Czech choir. The choir is actually Jan’s initiative. Jan organized it at first with a few children, and now it has become a TLIG Choir with 26 children. Knowing how hard it can be for misunderstood youth who abandon their home and live in the streets, Jan saved many homeless women. Today, Jan has a family, is married with children who are in the choir.  

The program continued with testimonies from four TLIG choir children. One of them was Maria, Jan’s daughter. She shared with us how God helped her pass an exam. She became very ill during the exam period and was not able to study properly. However, as this exam was so important to her, she asked God to help her, and she passed the exam. The subject that she was finally examined on just happened to be the one that she had managed to study well. Then a young teenager from the choir, Tereza, shared with us how the TLIG Messages have affected her life: how they helped her come closer to God. Last but not least, Catherine and Andrew, Alistair and Jana’s children, shared with us in an innocent and lovely way their love for God.

The Youth Choir, singing and giving their testimonies	inside the Medieval Church

On our return to the retreat hall, Rev. Bo presented two books. One of them was Sr. Wood’s book, Invitation to be One with Christ, which is now available in Swedish. Vassula said a few words about this book. She said that in this book, Sr. Wood explains why, as they are dictated by our Lord, the sentences in the TLIG Messages do not start with a capital letter, and why they do not have a period. Vassula was not able to start a written sentence with a capital letter. Even if she tried, she was not able to do it, so in the end Vassula accepted the manner God was asking her to write.  She explained to us that in the Old Testament, Hebraic language does not have capital letters or periods. God chose the True Life in God Messages to be written in the Hebraic manner. Sr. Woods also discovered that many TLIG Messages have expressions that are typically Hebraic. This book, therefore, is very interesting and worth reading.

Rev. Bo then also presented his book with the title: “Vassula – a Sign of God’s Love.” Rev. Bo stated that it is a kind of testimony of TLIG, written by a Lutheran pastor, as it is sometimes difficult to speak about the TLIG Messages to Protestants. The book is an introduction to Vassula, to the TLIG Messages, and a theological rendition on prophecy (a summary of Niels Christian Hvidt’s work Prophecy), in order to put Vassula into an intelligible context. Rev. Bo informed us that the book has also been translated into English from Swedish. The translation was done by Per, Vassula’s husband, and the TLIG organizations are looking into publishing it in English as well.

Rev. Bo then asked Fr. Petr, from the Czech Republic to give his talk.  Fr. Petr gave a short introduction about himself: how he became a priest.  He also testified that while he was at some point thinking to leave the priesthood, Jan presented the TLIG Messages to him, and that helped and encouraged him to remain in the priesthood. Fr. Petr then offered a few thoughts about the concept of deification in Catholic theology, and in the TLIG Messages.

On Sunday, June 11^th, the program started at 8.30am.  After our morning prayer, Rev. Bo invited Vassula to give her 2^nd talk.

That day Vassula claimed that the True Life in God Messages cover many subjects; for example, they are a calling back to prayer, a calling to repentance, and a big call on Unity. To obtain Unity is very hard because presently, no one within any of the three Christian denominations is bending; the 3 rods are stiff. Humility and love are missing, and this is the key to Unity according to Jesus. She said that during Unity week, which is observed at the Vatican, celebrated by various church denominations, the churches struggle every year to overcome theological dilemmas, have discussions, but no one hears of a result.  Nothing goes forward. Vassula said that Jesus is reacting to this matter; that is why the TLIG Pilgrimages are so very important. Clergy from every denomination are invited to meet one another, witness with their eyes, and hear with their ears each other’s talks; they begin to realize that there really are no differences among them to keep them divided. There are more beliefs, practices and concepts to unite them than divide them. The pilgrimages are a foretaste of unity, as it will moreover exist in the church’s future. Finally, Vassula also emphasized the importance of lay people attending the TLIG Pilgrimages.    

She said that God is manifesting Himself in our times because the world has become pervert. People are losing their ethics and morals, and most gravely losing God. She said that God, as a tender Father, would, of course, react and call us back to our senses. Nonetheless, this apostasy had been foretold in Scriptures. Today’s Calling from God in these End of Times is for a renewal of spirit and of heart. This renewal will bring us to reach those ascents that seemed impenetrable and only reachable by the saints. (cf. TLIG Messages, 3 March 1999).

2nd talk by Vassula

The Hall overlooking Vadstena Lake

The program then continued with songs from the beautiful choir, and then Rev. Bo gave the floor to Prof. Niels Christian Hvidt. In his presentation, he delved into the spiritual origins of the concept of deification. He emphasized the distinctions between the notions of deification and justification, and explored why the idea of deification has been more prevalent in Eastern than in Western Theology. He also discussed the wealth of insight provided by TLIG towards helping us deepen our comprehension of deification.

Talk by Prof. Niels Christian Hvidt

Talk by Fr. Peter Yates

Our next speaker was Fr. Peter Yates, an Anglican monk.  Fr. Peter reported that there are references to the subject of deification and theosis in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, and that there is a strong tradition around it in the Anglican Church. In his speech, Fr. Yates disclosed several references from the Bible that are related to the subject, as well as references from the True Life in God Messages. Fr. Yates added that we are called, one and all, to deification, but it must be sought in the Spirit of the humble Christ, who emptied Himself in order to bring us salvation.

Vassula thanking the Czech Youth Choir and their parents.

On that day we also had our raffle, which is always a pleasant event. People anticipate winning a price, yet do not worry if they do not win, as they know that their contribution was for a good cause. 

Our last speaker was Fr. Vincent. Fr. Vincent reported that according to the TLIG Messages, the answer to the question, “can one reach deification whilst on earth?”, is simple and immediate: Yes, we can reach deification. Not just in heaven, but while on earth, and he quoted three TLIG Messages: “I long to divinize you all!” (TLIG Messages, January 10, 1987, Angel’s Messages); “I will divinize you for I am Divinity, I will perfect you!” (TLIG Messages, November 21, 1988); “I tell you, generation, you will be divinized and deified in Our Trinitarian Deity;” (TLIG Messages, April 22, 1998). Fr. Vincent then elaborated on the topic by emphasizing the importance to invoke tirelessly the gifts of the Holy Spirit. On October 6, 1999, the Lord said: “the Holy Spirit has been your remedy and the source of prophecy in these messages, but of all times too; it is He, who make you into gods by participation;”

After such uplifting talks, our evening ended in the best possible way. We partook in Holy Mass, celebrated by Fr. Petr.

Monday, June 12^th was our last day in Vadstena. After praying the morning prayer and listening to the beautiful songs from the choir, we partook in Holy Mass, celebrated by Fr. Vincent. After Mass, it was time for Vassula and me to depart, as we had to travel four hours to reach the airport in Stockholm.

Before leaving the retreat hall, the children from the Choir gave a beautiful bouquet of flowers to Vassula to thank her. In addition to that, the organizers thanked all the members who worked behind the scenes, and they gave a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the outskirts of the nearby lake to each one of them.

Upon reflecting on this retreat, one could say that it was one of the best retreats to attend. The speeches were enriching, with great insight and a lot of information to contemplate. There was also a pervasive sense of harmony, peacefulness, and joy. The presence of the children was indeed a special grace.

May our Lord bless Sweden.    

Theodora

TLIG Volunteer