Aegina retreat 2022

At the beginning of this meditation I would like to briefly consider the meaning of the word «glorify» in the title. What is Glory? How can it be defined?

It is obviously and in the first place the Word of God that speaks to us about it.

The Hebrew terms that translate the words glory, glorify, etc. derive from a root that evokes the idea of weight. Thus, glory is that which gives weight, that is to say importance, to someone or something, either from a material or a spiritual point of view. For example, wealth. It is said that Abraham «was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold» (cf. Gen 13:2), or authority and other forms of prestige: «O Lord, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth» (Ps 8:6). Glory represents the value of a person or a thing, what it really is or should be in the eyes of God or of human society.

If we want to define it in simple terms, we can translate it by the following sentence: «Glory is the sensible manifestation of the Presence of God«.

It is therefore, first of all, «a sensitive, concrete manifestation«. In fact, in the Old Testament, the glory of God will be linked in particular to the phenomena of lightning and thunder or to that of the cloud which represents in a visible way the invisible presence of God.

The Glory of God has this characteristic that through the awakening of our sensibility, that is to say, through the fact that we are, inside or outside, touched by something, something that I see, something that I hear, something that I feel, something that I can touch, this event is indicating to me that God is present, that he is there, and that through this manifestation I can know him as he really is.

Basically, the Glory of God is like a Sacrament, it is the visible sign of the invisible presence and action of God. He whom I cannot see manifests to us the mystery of His presence, the divine qualities of His being and the effects of His sublime action through a visible, audible sign. A passage from the Old Testament wonderfully illustrates the glory of God when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, having in his hands the two tablets of the Law, his face radiated with light since he had spoken with the Lord, indicating that it was indeed the Lord Himself who had transmitted to him the content of the Law. This is somewhat the same reason why many people from different nations saw the face of our Lord appear on Vassula’s face. This is an effective way of telling us that it is really He who is present, it is really He who is the Author of the Messages, it is really He who speaks to us.

This is also the reason why we must always honor the signs and miracles that we can see, because they show us the presence of its author and prove to us the always loving and beneficent action of God for his children. It is the Lord Himself who says it in the Message of September 20, 1987: «daughter, I wish that each time I give them a sign of My Presence, no matter how small, I wish that My Holy See glorifies My sign by blessing it; I want the world to know of My Presence, of My Riches, of My Mercy and of My Heavenly Works; I wish that My Holy See propounds My given signs in larger scale, feeding the world«.

The Apostle John speaks to us at the very beginning of his Gospel about this mystery of the visibility of God: «And the Word became flesh… and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son» (Jn 1:14). And even more in his first letter: «what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life. for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it: and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us. what we have seen and heard we now proclaim to you.» (1 Jn 1:1-3)

Only the Lord has the ability, through the perception of our senses, to bring us to true Knowledge: «when I raise souls by Grace in that mysterious way and they see what eye has never seen and hear what ear has never heard and learn things beyond the mind of man, I am glorified in My Glory» (June 21, 1999).

What the Church needs today, so that she may become once again what she was, what God had intended her to be, is precisely to manifest the Glory of God, that is to say, to make His Presence visible, so that God may renew and beautify His Mystical Body. God is always with us, he does not move one millimeter away from our heart, unless our sin orders him to withdraw. But he is there as if in silence, waiting. It is through the manifestation of His Presence that everything changes, that the True Life of our lives is realized, that unity in diversity becomes possible, that the conversion of our era can take place, that the opening of our hearts takes place, that harmony with God and among ourselves grows, that the new Pentecost fills us with light and peace. Only the grace of its manifestation can change the world. And we have the power to make it happen by glorifying him. «Glory to you Lord!» (100x «glory to God» in the VVD). So we must seek this Glory of God, long for it, ask for it, implore it, beg for it insistently and persistently through continual prayer: «when I say: ‘revive My Church’, or ’embellish My Church0′, or ‘unite My Church’, I mean you to pray, pray, pray without cease, pray from your heart, love Me fervently and with your atonements, which will join these of My martyr saints, you will glorify Me; yes, daughter, with your atonements and your fervent prayers offered to Me with love you can alter coming disasters; you can alter natural disasters; you can extinguish the flaring wrath of My Father; God can relent, with your prayers He can relent; you can embellish My Church; you can bring together My People under My Name to celebrate Mass around one altar«. October 20, 1990.

What’s next? What are we waiting for to put more coal in the furnace of our hearts by increasing our worship and praise? What are we waiting for to seriously listen to the Voice of God by diminishing ourselves so that God can increase in us? Self-effacing ourselves so that His Spirit can be seen in us? To die to ourselves so that God can live in us? To allow Him to take full possession of our souls and make them His property? To stop struggling to become something, stifling the Spirit of Holiness that would like to live in us, for we must remember in our minds that humility, docility and self-effacement are the essential virtues that please God, and that with them we become poor in spirit and, therefore, blameless (cf. March 18, 1991). This is what glorifies Him…! Glory to you Lord…!

The work of True Life in God is full of messages that give us very good advice to glorify God. It is moreover a commandment of God, because on several occasions he tells us through the imperative of an invitation: «Glorify Me» (more or less a hundred messages)

So how can we glorify God? What are the means available to us to glorify him? Let me read you a few short passages from the VVD where the Lord indicates to us the principal means through which we can fully manifest His Presence.

— On May 13, 1989, the Lord tells us that the virtues are the glory of God: «glorify me by remaining faithful to me«. Faithfulness, patience, generosity, justice, humility, strength, sincerity, and hundreds of other virtues… are the sensitive manifestation of God. Those who see the virtuous man see God present and active in that man.

— On March 24, 1988, Our Lady indicated another very important virtue. She tells us: «glorify Him by obeying His will, by being His bearer«. Obedience, it is interesting, is a virtue that is formed by seeing other virtues. Indeed, speaking of the obedience of children to their parents, the Lord said: «Many parents complain about the disobedience of their children when they are doing exactly the same to Me; why, can they really claim to have much kindness, patience and tolerance? If they really had all these virtues, their children would also have the virtue of obedience and would honor them both» (August 5, 1990).

— On October 23, 1988, the Lord said: «Glorify Me by desiring Me, be thirsty for Me, like a flower that needs water…«. Vassula adds this in a footnote: «To desire God is also to glorify Him. If you do not desire him while on earth, you will learn to desire him in Purgatory; in a purgatory only for desire.» This is what we do every time we recite the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: «my desires Your Desires… I will desire only You… I want to be the victim of Your ardent Desires… stop my eyes, my thoughts and my desires to be captives of Your Sacred Heart» (January 26, 1992).

— On May 13, 1989, the Lord said: «Pronounce My Name always and everywhere; speak of Me, it glorifies Me» or on March 4, 1991: «You asked me if you should go out and testify as you are doing now; yes, it is necessary, not that I need you, but, Vassula, going out and testifying in My Name, glorifies Me and at the same time purifies you«. Every word spoken about him glorifies him, and the Lord specifies: «I am glorified every time you pronounce my name with love» (June 24, 1994).

— On August 12, 1991, the Lord said: «You want to glorify Me? then love Me and adore Me, the door of Heaven is your prayers to Me; I want prayers from your heart; then I say to you, pray, pray«.

Revelation is certainly a synonym of the word glory. Here is a dialogue between Jesus and Vassula:

«O Vassula, how I long for the day of glory! Jesus. The day of glory, what does that mean? I will tell you: it will be the day when all the revelations will be brought to light; it will be the day when all that has been written by Me and My Father will be brought to light; the Truth will not be hidden» (January 26, 1987).

A few other passages, like this, in bulk, without comment:

— «I will remind you that all the graces you receive from Me, are for My own Glory; every grace you receive from Me will be for My own interests and not for yours» (May 19, 1987).

— «The union of My Church will be the Glory of My Body» (June 10, 1987).

— «Be eager to glorify Me, your God, by embracing My Cross» (April 20, 1991).

— «My child, I have tested your faith and I have found My glorification» (March 30, 1992).

— «Come, I will show My Glory through your nothingness» (May 1, 1992).

— «Yes, I will send My Spirit into you to make your soul a heaven, so that in this New Heaven I may be glorified threefold» (April 3, 1995).

And so on with dozens of other passages about the Glory of God. But let’s end with a prayer, because beyond words, what matters is to ask God to make his Glory possible in our lives.

Glory be to God in the highest heaven,
Glory be to Him who lifted my soul
from the entrails of this earth;
Glory be to the Light thrice Holy
in whose power all things came to be;
Glory be to God, invincible,
incomparable in His Authority;
Glory be to the Immortal One
in whom we find immortality;
May Your Breath, Most Holy One,
which is pure emanation of Your Glory,
enliven us, renewing us into one glorious Body.
Amen.
(November 10, 1995)