Rome, Italy. It is worthy of the best spirit of the human being not to retreat in the face of the difficulties that arise, but to adapt with wisdom, in order to realize one’s dreams. Thus, the Province of Sanctus Paulus, although limited by the pandemic, held its first online Spiritual Exercises on February 6.
The theme of the Exercises was “polar tensions in our life” and was masterfully developed by Fr. Maurizio Bevilacqua, CMF. In his presentation, Fr. Maurizio shared the tensions present in the texts of the Gospel of Mark and made special reference to a speech of Bishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1994 and to Gaston Fessard, author of The Dialectic in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Likewise, the reference to Lectio Divina as a source of discernment was significant, pointing out that of the four stages (Lectio/Consolatio – Meditatio/Discretio – Oratio/Deliberatio – Contemplatio/Actio) the last one is often neglected.
Many participants shared that probably more time should have been devoted to personal reflection, so as to be able to take up more adequately the questions proposed, namely: How do we perceive our relationship with our community (at all levels), and its relationship with the whole Christian community? How do we live the tension between action and contemplation, history and eschatology? Even so, the experience made it possible, as well as pleasant, to meet up again with familiar confreres, to see new faces and to review names, even if with a bit of effort for those whose memories are less elastic!
Renato Caprioli, CMF
Prefect of Spirituality and Formation
