Third Lenten Meditation: Knowing how to rise again
By Christopher Wells
In his third Lenten Meditation for the Roman Curia, Father Roberto focused his attention on Jesus’ Resurrection, “undoubtedly… the most inspiring moment in Christ’s life for our discipleship journey.”
His previous reflections highlighted the need to embrace our baptism and attune ourselves to the Gospel in order to remain intimately united to Jesus. “To the extent that we remain docile to the inner promptings of the Spirit,” he said, “we discover that we are capable of following a path that leads us to focus on others in a way that is free and in accordance with God’s love.”
When we turn to the Resurrection, we learn not to be “overwhelmed by the fear of suffering and death but to keep our gaze fixed on the goal towards which Christ’s love guides us.”
Father Pasolini said this demands “a precious renunciation”: giving up the idea that we cannot rise from failure and instead trusting that we can begin anew and open ourselves once again to others.
The Preacher of the Papal Household outlined three attitudes that we can learn from the Resurrection and which we must cultivate over time.
From the “relationships of gratuitous love” that Jesus established with us, we learn not to be upset when things do not go our way. “It is more fruitful to set out anew on the path of encounter, with the confidence that there is still much to be experienced and discovered.
Then, it is important to learn to remain free “even in the most difficult relationships.” Inner freedom allows us to “revive the possibility of life” through genuine forgiveness that makes it possible to rebuild relationships.
“Only in this way,” Father Pasolini concludes, “without rancour or resentment, does one become a witness to a greater love” that neither evil nor death can overcome. The ability to rise again, he says, “is directly proportional to the tenacity of charity, the flame imprinted in our hearts by the Lord and the seal of an eternal life already in the world.”
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