Spiritual Exercises of the Roman Curia. Pope: be united in prayer
Book Cover “Receive in the Heart of the Lord”
Victor Vladimirov – Vatican City
As previously reported, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lenten Spiritual Exercises for the Pope and the Roman Curia (February 21-26) will be held individually, and not at the House of the Divine Teacher in Aricce, as it was before. The Holy Father expressed his closeness to his co-workers and called them to personal prayer by presenting each of them with the book, Receive in the Heart of the Lord, published by St. Paul’s Publishing House. The collection, edited by the Jesuit priest Daniele Libanori, is accompanied by a letter from Pope Francis Mons. Edgar Peigne Parre, Under Secretary of State for General Affairs. Faced with the impossibility of praying together, the members of the Roman Curia, the Holy Father admonishes, should “perform spiritual exercises where it is most convenient for them,” and calls for unity in prayer. “I am sure,” writes the Pope, “that the book ‘Receive in the Heart of the Lord’ will help all of us in our spiritual life. Let us be united in prayer for each other. ”
The author of the book is the Monk Mentor from San Bartolo, a monk of the monastery of the same name. His manuscript – a collection of notes on separate sheets – was written in the seventeenth century in Church Latin. The piece was found in Ferrara in one of those flea markets that often surprise you. In the foreword by Fr. Libanori declares his conviction that the records found were for personal use, and with their help the Mentor from San Bartolo prepared for sermons for his disciples. The manuscript contains many original reflections and notes with numerous biblical references. “From these records,” Fr. Libanori, – you can get the wisdom of common sense, not devoid of interest. Of course, we are talking about things that are no less ancient than the language itself, but they testify to the sensitivity and experience of the Church in the field of spiritual leadership. The book also contains a small treatise on deadly sins. All this many years later seems to be useful reading for victory over oneself and for accelerating the step towards God, ”concludes Fr. Libanori.
The topics covered in the collection in an understandable and engaging way can serve as a guide for spiritual exercises. Here are the titles of some chapters: “Come back mentally to the time when the Lord came out to meet you and you met Him”, “Life is a true teacher of wisdom”, “Faith is the most valuable of the virtues”, “Conversion is a work of grace”.
