AECI Lent 2026 Reflection: 'Am I In The Picture? A Screen Journey' (Week 5)

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:

'O Blessed Jesus,

Give me stillness of soul in You.

Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.

Rule me, O King of Gentleness,

King of Peace'.

Amen

Week Five

Picture 9

Picture 10

'Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done".' (Matthew 16: 24-27)

In our rediscovery of inner peace and gentleness we are considering afresh aspects of our lives that we might have overlooked - simplicity of purpose, the 'glory' of Creation and the promise of new direction.

RECALL: A time when you left behind a particular trait or a habit that was impacting on your true nature. What was it that released that inner strength for you to move forward? Did prayer at that time help?

ASK: In picture 10, the film director Pier Pasolini stands on the set of his film. His focus is on the depiction of Christ's last few days on earth in the Gospel of St. Matthew. What might block our understanding and our grasp of 'Unity' with the Eternal?

REFLECT: The opening prayer is by the Carmelite Saint, John of the Cross. That quality of stillness is not an easy thing to achieve in our furiously fast and noisy world today.

Perhaps it is only through detachment and sacrifice that we step into the light of a 'mighty calmness'. This coming week aim to reflect on 'the call' of the Cross in the midst of our lives. The call of calmness and serenity over all else.