Vatican City – The Lenten spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia are drawing to a close. In the prayerful atmosphere that has enveloped the Pauline Chapel this week, the Holy Father, Leo XIV, together with the Heads of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the cardinals residing in Rome, has been participating in these days of retreat, which began last Sunday and will conclude tomorrow, Friday, 27 February 2026. Leading the meditations is the Right Reverend Erik Varden, a bishop belonging to the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. The Norwegian bishop’s preaching has been marked by a profound weaving together of ancient monastic theology and the challenges of contemporary life.
Today, Thursday, began at 9 a.m. with the prayer of Terce, immediately followed by the eighth meditation entitled “The Angels of God.” The spiritual programme will continue in the afternoon: at 5 p.m., the ninth meditation, focusing on the theme “Saint Bernard the Realist,” is scheduled. This will be followed by the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the recitation of Vespers, and the solemn Eucharistic blessing - moments that punctuate the prayerful rhythm of these days.
“Jump into My Arms”: Temptation and Trust
In the morning meditation, Bishop Varden offered the Pope and the Curia’s collaborators a powerful exegesis on Christ’s temptations in the desert, focusing on Satan’s distorted use of Scripture. The tempter, quoting Psalm 90, invites Jesus to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple, promising angelic intervention. Bishop Varden strongly emphasised the difference between the devil’s challenge and God’s invitation: “God alone may invite us to jump from a pinnacle. His call, however, will be, ‘Jump into my arms,’ not, ‘Throw yourself down.’” The preacher dismantled an overly sentimental view of angelic beings, explaining that angelic interventions are not always comforting, nor are angels there to indulge our whims. Citing a medieval prayer attributed to Reginald of Canterbury, the bishop reminded the audience that we ask angels to “enlighten, keep, govern, and guide” us - verbs that denote authority. An angel, he explained, is above all a guardian of holiness.
Cupiditas and Angelic Mediation
Drawing on the wisdom of Saint Bernard, whom Varden has chosen as a faithful companion for this Lenten journey, the monk explored the concept of mediation. While God can touch the soul directly, He delights in using creatures as channels of grace, creating a chain of mediation that unites heaven and earth. Particularly striking was Varden’s reflection on the term cupiditas as used by the Abbot of Clairvaux. Bernard exhorts us to ascend to the “highest and eternal truth” with all the cupiditas of the soul. This provocative choice of vocabulary reminds us that all human desires, even the most carnal, are ultimately drawn towards their fulfilment in God and must be guided, like the angels, towards this ultimate goal. At the hour of our death, Varden reminded the audience, angels will perform their decisive act of charity: they will tear away the veil of rhetoric and pretence, leaving only truth, in full harmony with divine mercy.
Newman and the Educational Challenge in the Digital Age
With a leap of over seven centuries, the meditation then touched on the thought of John Henry Newman, recently proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Leo XIV and presented as an exemplary figure for the Church. Newman conceived the priestly ministry as essentially “angelic”: the priest must be at home in this world, unafraid to venture into “dark woods” to seek the lost, while always keeping his gaze fixed on the Father’s face. This vision extends to education. Bishop Varden issued a prophetic challenge regarding the role of the teacher as an angelic illuminator, contrasting it with the current technological drift: “So-called ‘education’ is now entrusted to digital and artificial media, while young adults, adolescents, and children yearn to encounter trustworthy teachers who can impart not only skills but wisdom.” The conclusion of the meditation left the audience with a crucial warning for our time: a true encounter, whether angelic or educational, is intrinsically personal. Grace flows through living relationships and can never be replaced by a download or a chatbot.
fr.F.V
Silere non possum