AECI Lent 2026 Reflection: 'Am I In The Picture? A Screen Journey' (Week 2)

AECI Lent 2026 Reflection: 'Am I In The Picture? A Screen Journey'

(with reference to Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'Gospel According to St Matthew' 1964)

Opening Prayer

'Let nothing disturb you

Let nothing frighten you

All things are passing

God never changes

Patience obtains everything

Whoever has God wants for nothing

God alone is suffice'

Amen

WEEK 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

'You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.' (Matthew 5: 13-16)

In any cultural setting where secular time, expectation. data and deadlines come to dominate, we can begin to lose a wider understanding of the intricate link between human patience and acts of kindness and benevolence

RECALL: There is a common saying 'put it back on an even keel' , used to describe a situation which needs fresh balance, stability or calm after a period of uncertainty or personal challenge. Think of one time when you might have been forced to wait patiently to rediscover a sense of your own direction and your own capabilities.

ASK: Am I in the picture? This Lent are you searching to restore a little lost self worth and value? Are you drawn closer to the message of Jesus? In our daily lives what might be the sources of genuine 'light' that surround and take hold of us in sudden and immediate ways? Our friendships, our children, our spiritual instincts towards hope and charity? Perhaps it is 'the word of God' that we can ponder on through Holy Scripture.

REFLECT: In Picture 3, the followers of Jesus have a sense of resolve about them. How might we exceed the standards of old , and enter boldly new levels of relationship and responsibility?? How might we be patient in small ways so to allow God's goodness to unfold and to take root in us through our newly found gifts and shared purpose.