杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

Even though he is following the Spiritual Exercises from the Casa Santa Marta due to a cold, 杏MAP导航 Francis kicked off the annual retreat in Ariccia with a letter sent to Jesuit Fr Pietro Bovati.

In it, the 杏MAP导航 extended his prayer and blessings to the retreat director and the Roman Curia.

鈥淚 am accompanying you from here,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚 will do the Exercises in my room, following Fr Bovati鈥檚 preaching, to whom I extend my gratitude. I pray for you. Please, pray for me.鈥�

Day 1: Receptive to divine revelation

Fr Bovati, the Secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, gave his first reflection on Sunday evening, introducing the theme: 鈥淭he bush was on fire (Ex 3:2) 鈥� The encounter between God and man in light of the book of Exodus, the Gospel of Matthew, and the prayer of the Psalms.鈥�

He told members of the Roman Curia gathered at the Divine Master House in Ariccia that the Old Testament story of Moses is an invitation to 鈥渞est in receptivity of Divine Revelation鈥�.

Model of prayer

Moses, said Fr Bovati, always set aside part of his day to spend time in the meeting tent where the Lord would speak to him 鈥渇ace to face鈥�.

Authentic prayer, he added, is an encounter with the 鈥渇ire鈥� that makes us capable of carrying out our prophetic mission of witness.

Fr Bovati said he chose Moses as a type of 鈥渋con鈥� for the papal retreat because Moses was obedient to the Lord. He took off his sandals before the burning bush to recognize that 鈥渙ne must not go elsewhere: there is no path, direction, or preference other than Christ.鈥�

Day 2: Journey of desire

On Monday morning, the retreat director focused his reflections on readings from Exodus 2:1-10; Matthew 1:18-25; Psalm 139.

Fr Bovati again took up the theme of Moses鈥� example of prayer in the meeting tent, which he described as 鈥渁 journey of desire鈥�.

When Moses entered the tent, a column of cloud would descend on the entrance, in a sign that the Lord had drawn near to him.

This, said Fr Bovati, 鈥渦psets the widely circulated idea that identifies prayer with the words a person directs toward the Lord.鈥� Rather, 鈥渁uthentic prayer is fundamentally a prophetic experience, one in which the human creature can listen to the voice of the Lord in silence.鈥�

Burning but not consumed

Fr Bovati went on to recall Moses鈥� experience of the bush that was on fire but not consumed.

He said it represents 鈥渢he human person in all their fragility, weakness, and misery 鈥� like that of the bush 鈥� which however is invested with an enduring force of life: the fire.鈥�

鈥淚t is not simply a matter of refreshing our soul鈥檚 fervor through some appropriate devotional exercises. Rather, it means taking on a renewed commitment to truth, with a sincere openness of heart to the gift that Jesus came to bring into the world. 鈥�I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!鈥欌��