My Father had been working with me on something all day, and I began this prayer period by returning to it. The Holy Father has called for a day of prayer for peace to be held soon at Assisi. Many religious leaders have accepted his invitation, not only Christians, but even the Dalai Lama. It will be a day for all God’s children. My Father called to my mind, too, what He had been teaching me about the different paths to His Kingdom, and what I had read about the recent apparitions in that Eastern European city (I can’t remember the name of the place) (1). Here Our Lady is reported to have said that God does not recognize religious differences. All these, added to the passage in the Gospel of Mark, “All who are not against us are really for us,” are strands that my Father wove together for me. I genuinely believe that He wants me to welcome any of His children, Christian or not, into the SIG. It will, of course, remain Catholic. That is the path to Him I have been called to follow, so that is how I must coordinate the SIG. However, anyone who wants to pray with us is to be made welcome. He wants me to rephrase the SIG listing to make it known that any person of goodwill is welcome. (2)

Once I felt this was confirmed, we returned to the retreat, and I began the next section on surrendering my whole being to God. In actuality, I didn’t begin this exercise tonight. Rather, tonight’s meditation was a continuation of a long, gentle process that’s been going on quite actively since before I began the retreat. My Father, knowing me better than I do myself, has been leading me through a gradual surrendering of myself, all that I am and all that I have, to Him. I used tonight’s meditation to reaffirm my willingness to cooperate as best as I can and to ask for the grace of greater cooperation. (3)

I feel my Father wants me to miss no opportunity to learn about Him through this retreat, so I followed Him into the Help Meditations. We took the Spiritual Exercises 135-147. My Father worked with me a little differently than suggested. Rather than dwell on the standards of riches vs. poverty, He spoke to me of violence begetting violence vs. peace. Through this, He showed me that His was, by far, the better way. Satan will only lead us to destruction.

(1) Current comment: This was Medjugorje.

(2) Spiritual director: This is a breakthrough—an expansion of mind.

(3) Spiritual director: Yes, I’ve seen elements of this meditation in many other prayer periods. Please don’t stop until you and God are one.