THE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH THE FRAGRANCE OF THE PERFUME

THE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH THE FRAGRANCE OF THE PERFUME
A Spirituality of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
--Cardinal Fernando Filoni

In this book on the spirituality of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Grand Master of the Order, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, reflects on the life, the beliefs, the values, and the choices of a Knight and Dame.

“It is the Order itself that gives primary importance to the vocation to holiness of its members, and aspires to be an instrument of development and of deepening the spiritual progress of each and every person in the environment in which they live and practice their faith,” writes Cardinal Filoni in the Introduction.

Pope Francis, speaking to the members of this Pontifical Institution, encouraged them, “not to forget that the principal aim of your Order lies in the spiritual growth of its members. Therefore, any success of your initiatives cannot be separate from appropriate religious formation programmes addressed to every Knight and every Dame, so that they may consolidate their own indispensable relationship with the Lord Jesus, especially in prayer, in meditation on the Sacred Scriptures and in furthering their knowledge of the doctrine of the Church” (“Address to the Members of the Consulta of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,” November 16, 2018).

Quotes from the text:

• “Adherence to the Order allows us to continue the same work of Mary of Bethany – that is, for us also to anoint the Body of Christ, which is the Church, in which Jesus now lives.”
• “Consequently, the empty sepulcher, on further reflection, is not and does not represent for the Christian a simple burial place, like so many others. This would perhaps have affected archaeology, but not the Christian faith, nor would an institution like the Church have arisen.”
• “To greet someone is a gesture of great courtesy. Jesus does not attempt to evade it. Yet a formal greeting in itself is not enough; rather, the content, the tone of voice, the meeting and holding of the gaze, the grasping of a serene facial expression or the lack thereof: these are the essential signs to help us understand who stands in front of us and, above all, what he holds in his heart. Jesus greets the disciples, who were intimidated, locked in the house for fear of the Jews, scattered by events and their own behavior.”