Vatican preacher: true rest is not inactivity, but freedom

The preacher of the Pontifical House, P. Roberto Pasolini, said that the real rest “is not inactivity, but freedom” and invited to experience it because “it means training for eternal life.”

“The real rest is to learn to live without fear and trust that God is already acting in us,” he said in the penultimate meditation that he taught in the classroom Paul VI of the Vatican before the cardinals and bishops of the Roman curia, within the framework of the spiritual exercises of Lent.

The Vatican Press Office reported that Pope Francis, 88, has continued throughout this week the reflections of the Friar Pasolini from the room of the tenth floor of the Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome, where he has been admitted for a month.

P. Pasolini addressed in this ninth meditation the issue of rest from a theological and existential perspective, to underline that does not mean uselessness “but the ability to embrace time with confidence and without the anxiety of having to pursue a frantic and sterile activity.”

For his reflections he left one of the best known prayers of the Christian tradition: “Grant them, Lord, the eternal rest and that the perpetual light shines for them. Rest in peace. Amen”. As this phrase explained, which could suggest an eternity based on inactivity, actually contains a deeper meaning.

“In the biblical vision, rest is not passivity, but fullness,” he said.

Father Pasolini recalled that even Christ “experienced rest after being lowered from the cross. Christ rests, but acts mysteriously, freeing the prisoners of hell. ”

“This teaches us that resting does not mean being useless, but knowing how to hug time with confidence, without pursuing a frantic and sterile activity,” he said.

In this context, the preacher of the Pontifical House criticized the logic of modern society, which pushes us to “always be active and connected, leaving us without real spaces of rest.”

Obsessed with the result

In response, he proposed the evangelical example of the servant who, after fulfilling his work, does not expect a reward, but also accepts his call. “While we live obsessed with the result, we will never find rest. Only those who accept their limit serenity can finally rest in peace, ”he said.

Thus, he called to change the perspective: “True rest is not inactivity, but freedom. Living well rest means training for eternal life, learning to live without fear and trusting that God is already acting in us. ”

On the other hand, in the tenth and last meditation framed in the spiritual exercises of Lent, he focused on the fundamental question of the meaning of life before death.

P. Pasolini reflected on the fact that humanity, although marked by physical decline, experiences an interior renewal day after day. “Everything that seems to fade really has a greater destiny: God has created us for resurrection, and this is not a utopian dream, but the natural logic of an existence called to fullness,” he said.

In this way, he insisted that the mysteries of the cross and the resurrection reveal a key truth: “What in the eyes of the world seems a defeat – the death of Christ – is actually the manifestation of the love of a father who does not abandon his children. Thus, our life is not randomly delivered, but is part of an adoption and redemption plan. ”

Fr. Pasolini compared the existence of man with that of a seed that, when he dies, gives rise to a new life. “Thus, when passing through the limit of death, we are destined to a new and glorious life,” he explained, stressing that this transformation is not only future, but is already done in the present.

The Eucharist and the certainty of a future full of hope

To conclude, the preacher of the Pontifical House used the image of the Eucharist as an advance of the mysterious exchange between God and man. “We offer our life to God and receive in return to Christ himself, which transforms us into his love,” he said.

In this sense, he invited to look at life with hope: “We do not know what we will be, but we are not destined for nothing. Rather, to a future full of hope. ”

Finally, he resumed the idea of ​​full confidence in God and concluded that life “is not a meaningless film, but a work written and directed by an extraordinary director, who invites us to fix our gaze in eternity and walk towards him with confidence.”