Create in me a pure heart, O God

“We adore you, O Jesus, and we bless you and thank you, because by your Cross and Resurrection you have redeemed us.” Saint George Preca   It is a part of life that sometimes we do not conduct ourselves as God wishes us to do, and we should not wait for Lent to reconcile ourselves to God, as we do in Confession. Every person is unique, and his actions are not tied to any particular time of the year, like when we move from one amusement to another, but then during Lent we take a short break.   ‘The Great Book’ Saint George Preca, therefore, proposed a few helps to do penance as part of life all the year round, at any time of life. For him, Christ, redeeming us from sin, was 'The Great Book'. In 50 reflections he tells us to 'stay on Calvary before Christ Jesus Crucified, beside the Blessed Virgin Mary His Mother, and take from Him teachings of eternal life.' Included among the meditations of ‘The Great Book’ there are those on the horror of sin, on the necessity of penance, on hope from the blood of Christ, on the mercy of God, on God being the refuge of sinners, , and on other subjects related to penance.   ‘The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ’ A beautiful book full of inspiration from the last weeks in the life of Christ is 'The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ'. It includes 50 episodes of one or two verses each about what Jesus did throughout his life.  For each episode he asks: “What spirit do you observe in this circumstance?' The book also includes 50 questions about what Jesus taught, asking: 'What comes to your mind with these words?' One statement he gives is: ‘Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also’ (Mt 6,21). And the answer he gives is: ‘“A man’s mind is directed to what he loves; one who loves God seeks God in all things.’” ‘The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ’ also includes 50 questions: 'What did Jesus suffer for?' for each of which he asks: 'What do you notice here?' That is, for whom and for what reason did Jesus suffer so much? This is one example: “Christ suffered when blindfolded during the Passion.” For which the answer given is: “Here Jesus suffered for sins committed with our eyes to see what is not appropriate. “The book also contains 50 sentences about what the Spirit of Christ is not, such as when we are envious of the good others have done. Another interesting exercise in this book is named 'What does this remind you of?', where Saint George Preca mentions an object or an action we encounter in life to reflect on what it reminds us of in the life of Jesus, like: “Do you remember when someone corrected you?” The answer is: “When Jesus looked at Peter to correct him.” In ‘The Sanctuary of the Spirit of Christ’, Saint George Preca also opens dialogues with Jesus reminding him of 55 episodes in his life, such as: 'Lord Jesus, do you remember when you wept over Jerusalem because Jews did not accept you?' and expresses himself thus: 'With how much love do you wish us to pursue good!'   Prayers of a Contrite Heart Saint George Preca left us also 12 prayers of a contrite heart, short paragraphs with excerpts from the Bible mentioning the repentance of Biblical persons. Included in the ‘Prayers of a Contrite Heart’ are repentant sinners, such as King David, the apostle Peter, Mary Magdalene, the 'good' thief on the cross, and others, following wrongs they had committed. While showing the horror of sin, Saint George Preca still puts his trust in the great mercy of God towards the sinner. These are like some refrains we repeat in the Ash Wednesday Mass, where we pray: “O God, have mercy on, us for we have sinned.” Saint George Preca gives a particular way to these Psalms, like the first one which is this: “How sorry am I, O lord, that I have tread against you! Peace has forsaken me, your benefits rebuke me, and fear overcomes me. Do not despise me, humiliated and confused as I am before you. I am ashamed to lift my eyes to you. Keep me as one of the least of your servants.”   “Look here and be calm.” Among Saint George Preca's writings about the Crucifix, and the way to look at it, there is this very beautiful one taken from the book Talks to Children. "Tell me, who may look at the Crucifix and not rest in perfect peace?” Do your sins frighten you? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and keep calm for I have paid for you. "Has someone treated you badly? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and keep calm for I have done good and have been paid with evil." "Are you hurt or saddened? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and keep calm for though innocent, I am in a sea of pain, of sorrow. " "Are you missing something? Imagine Christ crucified telling you: Look here and be still as I am nailed naked to the cross. " "Are you being ridiculed? Listen to Christ crucified telling you: Look here and be still for I who am God, am an object of ridicule, mockery and laughter.” In a word, in whatever spiritual state you find yourself in. You always could find comfort to draw from Christ crucified, telling anyone who looks at him that all ends in death: both pleasures and tears. Never think of yourself as spiritual if you should turn your gaze anywhere else but on the Crucifix. Christ alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one reaches the eternal kingdom of peace except through him alone. Do you seek temporary pleasures? Know that you would not be a true disciple of Christ who suffered for us and left us an example to follow him, who committed no sin. See therefore that in the face   of suffering you may sincerely say: “O Holy Cross, I salute you!” Joe Galea SDC Member

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life. Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about. For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled. Listening This year, I would first like to consider the importance of making room for the word through listening. The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone. In revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush, God himself teaches us that listening is one of his defining characteristics: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). Hearing the cry of the oppressed is the beginning of a story of liberation in which the Lord calls Moses, sending him to open a path of salvation for his children who have been reduced to slavery. Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering. In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to teach us how to listen as he does. We must recognize that “the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.” Fasting If Lent is a time for listening, fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor. With spiritual insight, Saint Augustine helps us to understand the tension between the present moment and the future fulfilment that characterizes this custody of the heart. He observes that: “In the course of earthly life, it is incumbent upon men and women to hunger and thirst for justice, but to be satisfied belongs to the next life. Angels are satisfied with this bread, this food. The human race, on the other hand, hungers for it; we are all drawn to it in our desire. This reaching out in desire expands the soul and increases its capacity.” Understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good. However, in order to practice fasting in accordance with its evangelical character and avoid the temptation that leads to pride, it must be lived in faith and humility. It must be grounded in communion with the Lord, because “those who are unable to nourish themselves with the word of God do not fast properly.” As a visible sign of our inner commitment to turn away from sin and evil with the help of grace, fasting must also include other forms of self-denial aimed at helping us to acquire a more sober lifestyle, since “austerity alone makes the Christian life strong and authentic.” In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace. Together Finally, Lent emphasizes the communal aspect of listening to the word and fasting. The Bible itself underlines this dimension in multiple ways. For example, the Book of Nehemiah recounts how the people gathered to listen to the public reading of the Law, preparing to profess their faith and worship through fasting, so as to renew the covenant with God (cf. 9:1-3). Likewise, our parishes, families, ecclesial groups and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent, in which listening to the word of God, as well as to the cry of the poor and of the earth, becomes part of our community life, and fasting a foundation for sincere repentance. In this context, conversion refers not only to one’s conscience, but also to the quality of our relationships and dialogue. It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires — both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation. Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love. I impart my heartfelt blessing upon all of you and your Lenten journey. From the Vatican, 5 February 2026, Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr LEO PP. XIV Source: www.vatican.va

This is a very practical book, published by Preca Publications and written in Maltese by Emanuel Curmi, a member of the Society of Christian Doctrine, M.U.S.E.U.M.. This is not a book to rush through, but one to read gradually and reflectively, taking time to relish the insights offered on every page. Its graceful words invite you into a kind of training, much like athletes exercising in a gym; through this spiritual discipline, you permit the Lord to mould and transform you, step by step. It is an inward journey that unfolds over many years, indeed across a lifetime. So do not become discouraged but persevere with resolve. Yearn for the Lord. Keep your eyes fixed on him. Let him fashion you, strengthen you, and fill you with his presence. Echo the Psalmist’s prayer: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” (Psalm 42,2–3). Biex insiru bħal Alla (To Become Like God) is available for purchase from Librerija Preca.

Listen! The silence of the inner life is pierced by heavenly music! The English poet, John Keats, recorded this: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter." The ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, understood the muted harmony as coming from the earth, sun, moon, and stars; all moving together in elegant mathematical permutations to create celestial melodies throughout the cosmos. The 17th century German mathematician and astronomer, Johannes Kepler, saw no conflict between science and religion. The devout Kepler perceived God's glory through musical intervals, defining planetary movement. St Francis of Assisi heard and sang, too, along with all creatures of our God and King. With the unheard music of God as accompaniment, a mysterious door opens into the inner life when we ask: "What is my purpose? What part do I sing?" Psalm 8 answers that God invites us to join the choir by allowing him to embrace us: When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon and the stars that you set in place, What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet, you have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. The inner life seeks refuge in the ever-widening mystery of God's love, vastly deep and always at work within us. If we can welcome the encirclement of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, awareness of the mystery grows, gradually opening into harmony between natural and supernatural. However, sweet notes are sparse in notation made by the modern secular sciences; there is little room for choice, virtue, charity, or forgiveness. While psychology may improve relationships and help with misunderstandings, it is not a cure-all for human ailments. Worse, when it excuses selfish bad behavior, psychology's sound is just cacophony, rather like a cowbell. There are other more reliable resources. G.K. Chesteron's article, The Ethics of Elfland, charts the benefits of good stories, fairy tales, and fables as childhood indicators of morality and the road to heaven. Christian spirituality longs for a ravishing counterpoint that combines two independent musical lines into a harmonious whole. The ways and notations of the mystery are found in The Interior Castle by St Teresa of Avila and The Ascent of Mount Carmel by St John of the Cross. Their unique voices sing of the mystical union with God, and the Church harkens; both saints are recognized as doctors of the Church. Instead of taking the inner life by storm, we might just quietly listen. True musical notation is written for us by our Lord Jesus in the glory of God's creation, through daily miracles, within Sacred Scripture, and by the practice of prayer amidst ordinary life. Was it St Augustine who noted: "He who sings, prays twice"? While awaiting the coming of grace, even as lightening flashes in the heavens, might we not also expect the music of the spheres, as accompaniment to the long-locked thunder of the Cross? Ruth D. Lasseter SDC Associate Indiana, USA

Bishop Robert Barron's The Pivotal Players is a book that introduces the reader to a number of key figures in the history of the Catholic Church who played a decisive role in the spread and development of the Christian faith. Through saints, theologians, philosophers and spiritual leaders, Barron shows how God worked through concrete persons in different historical and cultural contexts. The book helps the reader understand how these influential "players" not only defended doctrine, but also helped the Church enter into dialogue with the culture and society of their time. The book is available from Librerija Preca.