OUR SPIRITUAL GUIDE: The Seven Steps of Inner Silence Leading to Sanctification by Blessed Luigi Novarese
The Seven Steps: A Mountain to Climb Msgr. Luigi Novarese was beatified on May 11, 2013. Throughout his life, he lived with great intensity his priestly vocation and his mission to give meaning to human suffering by uniting it with Christ s. Father Luigi gave a wonderful gift to his spiritual children and friends. He shared his own personal experience of meditation through his inner tent defined by him as his inner silence. The concept of a tent has a biblical reference; it is a place to live life intimately with only the essential. Let me stay in your tent forever, taking refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalms 61, 4). Silence is also tied to the Bible and to Jesus life. The Psalmist remarks: Make God your joy and He will give you your heart s desires. Commit your destiny to God, be confident in Him, and He will act....stay quiet before God and believe in Him! (Psalms 37, 4-7) When thinking of Jesus with His family in Nazareth, one sees a silent tent that is God s home where Mary, Joseph and Jesus pray. They spend time listening, worshiping, being in divine communion. These actions are lacking in many parts of today s materialistic society; the Holy Family have values and feel God s presence in their lives. Sanctifying one s life means opening a silent tent in the profound corners of his heart removing distractions and loud senseless
noises. It will become a place to be in communion with God and will help one to make wise decisions and to have a better life. Meditation and silence are essential parts of Father Luigi s life; his spiritual gifts that emphasize the importance of God s guidance. Silence and prayer are fruit of conversion and also aid in the growth of the Apostolate of the Suffering. Father Luigi guides his followers to becoming better The Seven Steps persons through the Seven Steps of Inner Silence of Inner Silence that light 1. Experience God s the path to holiness for all, presence in one s tent but particularly for those by eliminating mortal sin. who are living Christ s 2. Purify one s tent by passion. avoiding venial sin. 3. Feel the Lord s presence within by controlling personal urges. 4. Follow the Blessed Virgin as a role model. 5. Let the Holy Spirit guide as He did for Jesus. 6. Follow Jesus crucified and resurrected. 7. Follow the Lord on the Cross, isolating from materialism.
Msgr. Novarese not only indicates the way to holiness, but he goes further and explains how to follow these steps: 1) Being in the state of Grace is essential for salvation and prayer is the only way of walking up these stairs. 2) Commitment and perseverance are fundamental because the battle against sin can be difficult. 3) Being an active participant in the Christian community can guide and help to stimulate one s spiritual growth as well.
st Experience the Lord s Presence in One s Tent by Eliminating Mortal Sin Mortal sin is devastating for each individual, for the ecclesiastical community, for the Apostolate of the Suffering and for society as a whole. It paralyzes Baptism, destroys virtues, annuls spirituality as well as the saving grace received when suffering is united to Christ s and offered to the Lord. Each person s personal dignity disappears and God is greatly offended. All of the Church suffers and is deprived of a great gift. Is this a difficult struggle? It is without a doubt, but the great joy coming from being faithful to Christ far exceeds the effort. When vices and perversions take hold, the entire society suffers and is corrupted by these. Victory over sin can only take place by following Jesus example. When Satan tempts Him, He responds directly with the Holy Scriptures showing His profound joy in obeying His Father throughout His mission. Jesus becomes a role model because He knows where He is going and is faithful to His commitments. His life has meaning for today, tomorrow for eternity as do the lives of those who follow His example. He shows that salvation comes through the cross by crucifying sin and vices; life becomes beautiful and full of hope.
nd Purify Ones s Tent by Avoiding Venial Sin The second step deals with loving, with showing gratitude, with welcoming. One must clean his own inner tent of everything that distracts so that the Lord can dwell there. It is always a struggle to defeat venial sin because it weakens the person and impedes his sanctification through the Holy Spirit. It also interrupts the person s inner silence necessary for being in communion with the Lord and distances him from God. God at the center of his inner tent and to follow Christ s example with the Gospel the focal point of his life. The Blessed Virgin is extremely important in fighting this battle because her face, her heart, her openness and her goodness liberate the person from perversion. Penitence and denial help one to grow spiritually when the person has the right attitude: accepting God s will by being His loving child. God responds with an immense love that liberates the person from the consequences of sin fortifying the person s Christian values. During one s lifetime, there are different kinds of temptations. There may be those involuntary or occasional; they are like the rotten fruit on a beautiful tree. They show the person his limits, but lead him toward humility. Then there are those that one chooses even if he denies them. They are vices created through egoistical behavior hidden within that the person tries to justify. Vice never has a place in one s life. To overcome both of these venial sins, every individual has to place
rd Feel the Lord s Presence within by Controlling Personal Urges Msgr. Novarese presents the third step in a symbolic way: man has to purify his life so that God can enter his heart and sanctify. Christ is the rock, the cornerstone of man s existence. God s gift to man is to be a gardener that eliminates all of the weeds in the garden of life by poisoning them. Living and meditating Christ s passion destroy vices that devastate one s Christian values. There are a number of these weeds in man s garden: pride that makes one scorn others; lies that destroy personal relationships; sexual sins that ruin personal dignity. What is the therapy? Self-control, prudence, perseverance, prayer and Grace that control inclinations blinding virtue. In one s tent, there is a struggle to be faithful to Christ s values that bear fruit. Through these gifts, God gives sincerity, steadfastness, strength, temperance and self-control--human virtues; but He also gives theological ones as well: faith, hope and charity that create a new outlook on life and one s inner tent. Faith lights new pages in one s existence; hope does not perish when there are obstacles on life s path that test man s faithfulness to God; charity gives meaning to life because it is based on love. Throughout the centuries, there has always been an eternal struggle between good and evil. If vice is not destroyed, it will destroy the person in the end. Thus, the Heart of Christ shows how the feelings in one s heart and inner tent have to be based upon goodness. They give stability and help love grow within the person. Silence when in communion with the Lord creates a dialogue of adoration that intensifies spiritual maturity.
th Follow the Blessed Virgin as a Role Model The Eternal Word becomes part of humanity by being the Blessed Virgin s Son. Christ chooses her because she is Immaculate, full of Grace and saintly! This may appear incomprehensible, yet splendid; mysterious, yet wonderful in its message for humanity. In the Blessed Virgin s womb, the Eternal Word grows and generates life. There is a tent uniting earth and heaven. Earth is usually associated with sin and it changes within Mary s womb. The Eternal Word lives, works, experiences a human dimension in her while depending upon her. Christ reveals Himself to the world showing his human side because of her. All of this is done in silence and shows a simple road to follow. The Blessed Virgin agrees to always obey when Jesus is within her womb and this is also the beginning of Jesus relinquishing His divine attributes and becoming human (known as kenosis ). He will be humiliated and will do God s will through His passion and death. He opens the gates of heaven for all humanity.
th Let the Holy Spirit Guide as He Did for Jesus Each of these steps brings one closer to God. The Holy Spirit moves the person to act as a child of God by finding a place for Him in his life. The Holy Spirit liberates and aids as Msgr. Novarese notes: The more time one spends in his inner tent, the closer one is to Immaculate Mary, the Holy Spirit s greatest creation. The more one listens to the Holy Spirit, the greater possibility he has to make the right decisions. The Holy Spirit also brings God s gifts. The first is love. The second is prayer as well as the many natural charismatic gifts. He leads one to understand God s Word and to open one s heart to liturgical celebrations. He helps one make the right decisions in his inner tent. Unfortunately, Satan is always ready to interfere. Humility and sincere obedience are signs of the Holy Spirit s presence; whereas pride, rebellion, lying are signs of Satan s. In the inner tent, like a fertile garden, life becomes Christian because it has a spiritual identity that is not hidden. On the contrary, it bears great fruit enriching the person and all of the community. Man is a new creature, resurrected and renewed in the greatness of the resurrected Lord.
th Follow Jesus, Crucified and Resurrected The Lord speaks to man in his inner tent seeing his aspirations as well as his frustrations. Through silence the Lord s voice is heard; He seeks man showing His love. Throughout the Bible, silence is also quite important. In Christ s life, beginning with the prophesies, silence is ever present having a key role: it is seen when He is in His mother s womb; when He is presented in the temple; when He prays during silent nights-- an integral part of Christ s life is silence. How does Christ accept sacrificing Himself through His passion? He acts freely and silently. This becomes a model for all humanity on the road to personal sanctification. Christ does not negate the Cross and His passion even if He can ask His Father for 12 legions of angels to save Him. (Matthew 26, 53) He meditates His passion; man must follow His example and be in communion with the Lord participating in His passion for the salvation of humanity. This sanctifies human pain and suffering. In silence, man follows Christ, suffering with Him and like Him. Pain takes on a new dimension because when united with that of Christ s it becomes a sign of love. Thus, the cross is a source of living in communion with the resurrected Lord as a person s life goes beyond the human dimension finding endless possibilities.
th Follow the Lord on the Cross, Isolating from Materialism The last step in following Christ - Father, Teacher, Priest - is to be happy doing His will according to His plan. To the extent that the individual does this, he measures his spiritual maturity and growth. Everyone must sanctify his life following Christ s example by crucifying perverse passions, vices and sin. Jesus prays on the Cross to His Father and totally accepts what the Father asks. This shows His profound love and deep humility. Christ is alone; everyone has abandoned Him and only His enemies remain. His last words show how He interprets the Father s will: Father into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23, 46). Following Jesus example, man can live in faith, hope and joy. The heart of the crucified Lord is one that remains open because a wound on a dead person will never heal. Does it also imply giving up things? This is a complex question. Jesus never destroys man by forcing him to have an unhappy life. The crosses on life s path are ways of annihilating sin because God wants man to live freely, but not falsely, having a life filled with hope and joy. Man is regenerated and liberated from sin to the extent that he follows the crucified and resurrected Lord.
Follow the Lord on the Cross, isolating from materialism Follow Jesus crucified and resurrected Let the Holy Spirit guide as He did for Jesus Follow the Blessed Virgin as a role model Purify one s tent by avoiding venial sin Feel the Lord s presence within by controlling personal urges Experience God s presence in one s tent by eliminating mortal sin Inside us, in the depth of our hearts, there is a place: for God, for the Trinity, only one, only one will, only one Lord operating within us. Blessed Luigi Novarese Confederazione CVS Internazionale Presidenza: Via di Monte del Gallo, 105-00165 Roma Tel 0039 06 39 67 42 43 - Fax 0039 06 39 63 78 2 presidente@luiginovarese.org - segreteria@luiginovarese.org - www.luiginovarese.org