"The richness of [these] reflections, will continue for a long time to be for us a source of blessing, of grace, of encounter with Jesus Christ." Pope Leo XIV

In 2026, Pope Leo XIV asked Bishop Erik Varden to preach the Lent Retreat to the Roman Curia. Alight with Hidden Glory traces a Lenten journey proposed to the head of the Catholic Church and his closest collaborators, but has much to say to all people of good will.

Informed by Scripture and the liturgy, illumined by the insights of Bernard of Clairvaux, a man who helped shape medieval Europe, the book addresses questions of timeless relevance: What is the meaning of freedom? How can we speak well about truth? How do we respond when high ideals are compromised by human betrayal?

Erik Varden reveals Lent not as deprivation but as a clarifying pilgrimage toward Christ’s ‘hidden glory’. This contemplative yet urgent work invites readers to walk the exodus path with renewed courage, vigilance, and hope.