Vatican City - This afternoon, Monday, 23 February 2026, the Pauline Chapel once again welcomed the Holy Father Leo XIV, the Cardinals, and the Heads of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia for the continuation of the Lenten Spiritual Exercises. After the morning's reflection centred on the figure of Saint Bernard, the preacher Bishop Erik Varden O.C.S.O. guided those present in the third meditation of the retreat, exploring a crucial theme for the life of faith: "God's Help".
The spiritual journey, which unfolds under the general theme "Illuminated by a Hidden Glory", offered the participants an intense moment of confrontation with their own fragility and with the power of divine Grace, culminating in Eucharistic Adoration and the praying of Vespers.
"He who dwells in the help of the Most High"
In this afternoon's meditation, Varden took his cue from a quote by Mary Ward, the great 17th-century educator: "Do your best and God will help you". This simple sentence, the preacher explained, encapsulates an "axiom of biblical faith" that clearly distinguishes the Christian God, the incarnation of compassion, from the "Unmoved Mover" of philosophy.
The Trappist bishop guided the assembly through Psalm 90, focusing on the opening verse: Qui habitat in adiutorio Altissimi ("He who dwells in the help of the Most High").
He explained how, in the vision of Saint Bernard and the biblical tradition, divine help is not a sporadic intervention, but a vital environment: "God's help, says Bernard, can be defined as a dwelling place in that it constitutes a reality that sustains us, within which we can live, move and have our being. God's help is not occasional; it is not an emergency service that we contact when a house is on fire or someone is hit by a car, as if we were calling 999".
The lesson of Job: from lament to Grace
The heart of the reflection touched upon the mystery of innocent suffering and the silence of God. Varden evoked the figure of Job, describing his book as "a symphony in three movements", which moves from "visceral Lament" through the exposition of the "Threat" to the unexpected experience of "Grace".
Bishop Varden warned against a utilitarian conception of faith, often experienced as an "insurance policy" against misfortune. He challenged those present to question the nature of their relationship with God when their "protective barriers" collapse: "God can make a new and blessed world possible after having torn down the walls we thought were the world, walls within which we were in fact suffocating". Truly dwelling in God's help does not mean seeking false securities, but accepting to go through the ordeal to "learn to live with Grace at this new level of depth".
The silence of Adoration
At the end of the meditation, Pope Leo XIV and the members of the Curia spent a prolonged period in Eucharistic Adoration. In an atmosphere of deep recollection, the participants were able to cherish the preacher's words in their hearts, allowing themselves to be challenged by the insights offered on the nature of suffering and the constant presence of God. The day concluded with the chanting of Vespers and the Eucharistic blessing, sealing a day of intense spiritual searching, aimed at rediscovering that "hidden glory" that illuminates even the darkest moments of human existence.
Fr. F.V.
Silere non possum