Pope Leo XIV Listens to Lent Retreat Leader Bishop Varden who Highlights How the "Church channels ‘hidden glory’ in her sacraments"
Lenten Retreat: Bishop Varden Reflects on 'Glory'
In his seventh reflection for the Spiritual Exercises at the Vatican, Bishop Erik Varden addressed Pope Leo XIV, resident Cardinals, and heads of Dicasteries. Centered on the theme of 'Glory', his meditation explored the tension between human abandonment and divine radiance.
Below is a summary of his reflection.
The Paradox of the Cross
Bishop Varden began by noting that when Jesus spoke of the difficult realities of the Kingdom—sacramental realism, the indissolubility of marriage, and the necessity of the Cross—‘many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him’.
By the time of the Crucifixion, the crowds had vanished. Only Mary and John remained. While John provides a stark account of Christ’s kenosis (self-emptying), he simultaneously insists that this scene of total dereliction actually manifests Christ’s ‘glory’.
Hope and the Beatific Vision
Drawing on St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Bishop explained that true ‘glorification happens in the presence of God’s face’. He cited the terse Latin formula: ‘Spes in nomine, res in facie est’.
"Our hope is in the name of the Lord; the reality hoped for will be revealed face to face."
The 'Hidden Glory' Within
While full glorification awaits the next life, a ‘hidden glory’ is perceptible here and now. Bishop Varden referenced St. Augustine’s belief that we carry the image of glory in an ‘obscure form’.
The Ineffaceable Image: This glory is imprinted on our being and can never be lost.
The Process of Restoration: It can, however, be buried under layers of darkness. Once we pass through this life, the form becomes ‘luminous’ and ‘explicit’.
The Final Beauty: Any deformities caused by "ill-used liberty" will be reformed into a ‘forma formosa’ (a beautiful form).
The Role of the Church
The Church serves as a reminder of the glory secretly alive within every person. She offers hope that “present mediocrity and despair... need not be final” and that God's plan is “infinitely lovely.” This radiance is manifested through:
The Saints: Who prove that even illness and degradation can be used by providence to realize a glorious purpose.
The Sacraments: Channels of light found in the confessional, anointings, ordinations, and weddings.
The Eucharist: The Center of Life
The reflection concluded with the Holy Eucharist, described as the most splendid yet most veiled form of glory. Bishop Varden recalled the words of ‘a great musician’ to describe the priest’s experience after Mass:
‘Death would really be no tragedy: [for] the best of that which is at the centre of human life has been seen and lived through’, leaving the heart on fire with glorious wonder.
Bishop Erik Varden, Bishop of Trondheim, Norway, was asked to preach the 2026 Spiritual Exercises for Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals residing in Rome, and the heads of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, which runs from Sunday, February 22, to Friday, February 27. Here is the link to his website.
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