To begin, it is a grace to take a pause and prepare to celebrate Easter. We must be aware that Lent is a journey of conversion, inviting us to be artisans of communion with justice, creating spaces for encounters personally, with God, and communally. In today’s context, this is a challenge but also an opportunity to be touched by the merciful presence of God, who embraces and illuminates the shadows that obscure the light within us. This also allows us to discern His will in our own desert through kind and discreet gestures, cultivating fraternity as a sign of hope and preparation to celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our life is marked by dreams, desires, joys, sorrows, and worries, all part of human existence, and we must pay attention since many of these situations disturb our serenity. We must also nurture the harmony that restores our relationship with God, as it becomes a source if we allow Him space. Indeed, living in prayer purifies our vision, allows us to see goodness in working with others, and affirms that prayer builds interpersonal relationships and becomes a path of reconciliation, cultivating peace with justice, supported by simplicity and tolerance, gifts needed in a world full of violence. (cf. James 3:18) “Those who work for peace sow in peace and reap a harvest of goodness.”
For Mother Ma. Eugenia, interior life relates to the fundamental principle of humility. Personally, I connect it with listening, the ability of a soul centered on God to enter its own solitude and pause, silencing the inner noises that deteriorate the relationship between God and humanity. Similarly, discovering and embracing peace in a world marked by indifference, revenge, hate, and media noise is not easy; it requires courage, as in a culture of constant noise and rush, finding inner peace is difficult. Thus, I reflect on prayer and fasting, terms that at first seem out of place today, yet when savored, give strength that money cannot buy.
Prayer is closely linked to silence, allowing the heart to open and experience an encounter with God, by studying the Scriptures and recognizing His saving presence as the only good, source of blessings, gifts, intelligence, availability, joy, and generous giving. We are merely stewards (cf. Lk. 17:10) “We are unworthy servants; we have done what was our duty.” All we do should glorify God, not ourselves.
With our wounded humanity, let us discover the true meaning of fasting; stand up and go to the desert, let Our Lord Jesus be the light and heal our wounds caused by obstacles, while working for a transformed world. Fasting is living for, with, and through Him, in concrete actions that serve the marginalized. (Is. 58:6-7) “Is not this the fast I choose: to loose the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, and break every yoke?” Silence helps awaken what is dormant and shows that often words are useless, empty, and complaining leads to tired, anxious, and selfish lives. Truly living prayer reminds us of God’s rights, who accompanies humanity despite our fragility.
Finally, Marie Eugénie allowed herself to be drawn by the goodness of Jesus Christ, who enabled her to continually descend into the depths of her being and recognize the truth that was God Himself. Likewise, many of our sisters have experienced fasting as a way to embrace solitude as a path to encounter love, to whom we have consecrated our lives. Let us pray that God grants us the grace to live this Lent in the mystery of the incarnation as a sign of hope for a world shaken by consumerism, and that our consecrated life may be a balm for weary hearts, with the joy of embracing others as children of God as a visible sign of the inner freedom only Jesus offers.
Claudia Marilú
Province of Central America and Cuba
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