Vatican Lenten Spiritual Exercises Begin with Reflection on Entering Lent
The annual Lenten Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican opened on Sunday afternoon in the Pauline Chapel with a meditation delivered by Bishop Erik Varden, in the presence of Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals residing in Rome and heads of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The retreat, a longstanding tradition of the Roman Curia, runs from February 22 to February 27 and is centered this year on the theme Illuminated by a Hidden Glory.
Bishop Varden, a Cistercian of the Strict Observance and Bishop of Trondheim since 2019, was invited to preach the exercises. In his opening reflection, titled Entering Lent, he invited participants to approach the season as a time of essential purification. Lent, he explained, leads believers into a space stripped of superfluities, both materially and symbolically, in order to rediscover what truly sustains Christian life.
The preacher noted that the Church’s Lenten discipline removes even wholesome distractions for a time, encouraging a form of abstinence that involves not only food but also the senses and habits that shape daily experience. This intentional simplicity, he said, helps Christians confront the deeper movements of the heart and discern what draws them closer to God or pulls them away.
Beginning Monday, Bishop Varden is scheduled to deliver two meditations each day, one in the morning following Mid Morning Prayer and another in the late afternoon, followed by Eucharistic Adoration and Vespers. The program includes reflections on themes such as God’s help, becoming free, the splendor of truth, and communicating hope. Two meditations later in the week will focus specifically on Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, exploring him as both idealist and realist.
In his opening address, Bishop Varden emphasized that Lent is not simply about personal struggle but about transformation rooted in grace. Christians, he said, are called to battle vices and harmful passions while remaining committed to peace. The discipline of the season is not an end in itself but a path toward freedom, allowing believers to walk an exodus journey from unfreedom toward the promise of new life.
He presented Saint Bernard as a guide for this journey, pointing to the medieval monk’s deep awareness of divine grace amid spiritual combat. Bernard’s example, the bishop suggested, illustrates how truth and charity must remain united in Christian discipleship.
The Lenten Spiritual Exercises are a time of silence and prayer for the Pope and members of the Roman Curia, during which public audiences are typically suspended. The retreat underscores the importance the Church places on spiritual renewal at the heart of its governance and pastoral mission, especially as the faithful around the world prepare to enter the penitential season of Lent.
