30 January 1989
Rome, Italy

My dear Sisters,

The Gospel to which we have just listened, at first sight might not seem to be a very appropriate one for a retreat meditation, but you will find in the incident recorded by St. Mark a wealth of spirituality that could enrich us greatly, particularly during these days of special grace.

When St. Mark recorded this incident in the life of Jesus, he wished to emphasize one particular point for his readers, namely, that there was, and still is, an immense power present in Jesus Christ. You will have noted how much St. Mark insists on the fact that the demonic power that had taken possession of the poor man was very strong. The man was violent, violent with himself and violent with others. He lived in a cemetery. Today we would say that he was a marginalized person. Then this lonely, mentally disturbed man met Jesus Christ. In a moment he is cured and he becomes tranquil and normal. Jesus Christ gave him no tranquilizing tablets, nor did He have a lengthy interview with him as a modern psychiatrist might do. St. Mark stresses that it was the divine power, radiating from Jesus, which instantly cured this mentally deranged man.

We accept that fact easily, but we tell ourselves, that we are not mentally deranged people. That may be true. However, we must acknowledge that there are forces of evil at work all around us and within us. The Spirit of God dwells within us through Baptism, but a sort of guerilla warfare is being carried on within our bodies by forces of evil which we have not yet completely dominated. We can sin by thought, by word, by actions and by omission.

During our retreat we lay ourselves open in a special way to the divine power of the person of Jesus Christ. We meet Jesus Christ as did the man in today's Gospel. Jesus Christ will meet you through the words of the Bible on which you will reflect during this retreat, through the conferences of Father Gaziello and through the conversations you will have with the Visitatrix and the Director. He will meet you, too, in a special way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and each morning in the Eucharist. Wait for Him in silence and try to open wide the doors of your heart to Him.

At the end of this retreat Jesus Christ will say to each one of you what He said to the man in today's Gospel: "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you." (Mk 5:19). Yes, you will go back to your communities to continue the work which the Community has asked you to do. You will continue to pray for the poor and to serve them as best you can. You will talk about the retreat to the Sisters of your community who are not here with you. If you want to know how successful your retreat has been, I think you will find it by measuring the gratitude that will be in your hearts. When Our Lord cured the man in today's Gospel, He gave him a mission, and his mission was to think upon and speak about the goodness and the mercy of Jesus Christ. He gives that mission to each one of us, particularly at the time of retreat. Yes, proclaim the goodness and the mercy of Jesus Christ in your prayers but, above all, by the goodness of your lives. If you return to your communities with a new realization of how much God has done for you and how He has had mercy on you, then you will have been healed during this retreat by the power of Jesus Christ, Who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

I make my own, my dear Sisters, these words of St. Vincent which he addressed to one of the first Daughters of Charity. He wrote: "Yes, my Sister, I hope that in acting as true Daughters of Charity, as you have done up to the present moment, you will efficaciously invite Our Lord to bless and multiply the work of His hands for comforting and for the salvation of His poor members who are our masters." (Coste VIII, Fr. ed., p. 297).