The pope began the Lenten spiritual exercises on February 22; a week during which he will, in principle, have no other events on his agenda. And neither will all the senior Vatican officials, such as the secretaries, cardinals, or prefects of the different dicasteries.
In the Pauline Chapel, close to the Sistine Chapel, the bestselling Norwegian monk, Bishop Erik Varden, began his series of meditations based on two notions, the idealist and the realist, and explained how these two notions play out through truth, freedom, and hope.
For this first meditation, Varden fittingly focused on what Lent entails—that is, a face-to-face encounter with that which is essential, setting aside everything that might distract us.
The bishop also explained the Christian meaning of peace—not the absence of problems, but rather security in God in the midst of them and the strength to face them.
“The instrumentalization of Christian language and symbols must be questioned, not only with superficial indignation, but by teaching the terms of authentic spiritual warfare. For Christian peace is not a promise of tranquility; it is a condition for a transformed society.”
For the spiritual meditations, the Norwegian bishop sought inspiration from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church who, like Varden, is also a Cistercian monk. St. Bernard stood out in the 12th century for uniting two paths: he managed to combine the contemplative life of a monk with active involvement in ecclesiastical politics.
