Vatican City – In the prayerful silence of the Pauline Chapel, where art and faith intertwine in an eternal embrace, the penultimate act of an inner pilgrimage has unfolded. Today, Friday, 27 February 2026, marks the conclusion of the Lenten Spiritual Exercises, during which Pope Leo XIV, the Heads of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and the cardinals residing in the city have withdrawn from the clamour of the world to listen to the Ineffable.
Guiding this sacred assembly through the arduous paths of the spirit has been Bishop Erik Varden, a Trappist monk, whose voice has echoed the wisdom of the Church Fathers, bringing the fragrance of intimate union with God into the very heart of the hierarchical Church. Today’s proceedings, which began at 9 a.m. with the chanting of the Midday Hour, offered a final, precious gem of wisdom: a meditation centred on the virtue of Consideration. The preacher drew from the clear wellspring of St Bernard of Clairvaux, evoking the treatise that the Doctor Mellifluus wrote for one of his former disciples, Bernardo dei Paganelli, who later became Pope Eugene III. It is in this dialogue between master and disciple, between cloister and the Petrine chair, that the profound nature of ecclesiastical governance is revealed.
Bishop Varden skilfully delineated the subtle yet essential distinction between two movements of the soul. While Contemplation rests in the vision of already known truths, delighting in divine light, Consideration is the laborious and noble effort to "seek truth in contingent human affairs." It is "the mind wholly stretched, the tension of the soul" that does not flee from reality but scrutinises it to discern God’s design. The Bride of Christ, the monk warned, does not need mere institutional strategies, echoing Bernard’s words, but rather holy men. The advice to the Pontiff - valid for Eugene IIIyesterday as it is for Leo XIV today - is to surround himself with saintly collaborators. The qualities invoked resonate like a litany of necessary virtues: men "of proven integrity, ready for obedience, patient and meek," guardians of a "secure Catholic faith," who are "lovers of concord" and "modest in speech." Such chosen souls, who "love and savour prayer," work without clamour, transforming the Roman Curia into a reflection of the angelic hierarchies, where the sole aim is the glory of God. And it is precisely on God that the final gaze of the meditation rested. He is "Omnipotent Will, Benevolent Virtue, Unchangeable Reason," the "supreme blessedness" who expands us to receive Him and justifies us to merit Him.
For the prelate, immersing oneself in these earthly concerns through Consideration does not mean going into exile but rather "returning to one’s homeland." Certainly, the episcopal office is burdensome. St Augustine, with the realism of one who knew the desert, described it as a sarcina, the heavy burden of a legionary. Yet, as Varden reminded in his closing remarks, this weight changes nature when loved. It then becomes a participation in the sweet yoke of Christ, a cross that becomes "luminous and light" because it is shared with the Master. "Bear your burden to the end," exhorted the Bishop of Hippo, "if you love it, it will be light." With these words, which seal days of grace, the prayerful community disperses, ready to return to their duties. But in each heart resounds the final invocation taken from the Life of St Malachy: the deposit entrusted to us belongs to You, O good Jesus. Yours is the treasure that we, fragile vessels of clay, guard until the day of Your coming. During this week, the Holy Father suspended audiences and used this time to pray and be with the Lord.
This afternoon, at 5 p.m., Bishop Varden will offer the Roman Curia and the Pope the final meditation of these Lenten Spiritual Exercises, received with profound gratitude by all participants. This will be followed by Eucharistic Adoration and Vespers, concluding with the final Eucharistic Benediction.
Fr.L.M.
Silere non possum