In this period of preparation leading to Easter, and starting from themes tied to the Lenten journey, we offer reflections of Pope Francis. To experience Lent in hope, the Pope writes in his Message for Lent 2021, means "receiving the hope of Christ, who gave His life on the Cross".

The core of the Lenten journey

"Lent", the Pope explained in his homily during the Ash Wednesday Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica on February 17, "is a journey that involves our whole life, our entire being.

It is a time to reconsider the path we are taking, to find the route that leads us home and to rediscover our profound relationship with God, on whom everything depends. Lent is not just about the little sacrifices we make, but about discerning where our hearts are directed. This is the core of Lent”

“Tuning in” to the Gospel frequencies

Pope at Audience: ‘disconnect from TV, smart phones and connect to the Gospel in Lent’ In his General Audience of 26 February 2020, Pope Francis affirmed, "Lent is a favourable time to make room for the Word of God. It is the time to switch off the television and open the Bible. It is the time to separate from mobile phones and connect to the Gospel". He explained, "When I was a child there was no television but there was the habit of not listening to the radio.

Lent is a desert. It is a time to give up something, to distance ourselves from mobiles and connect to the Gospel. It is the time to give up useless words, gossip and slander and to talk to and be informal with the Lord. It is the time to dedicate ourselves to a healthy ecology of the heart, to cleanse it.”

Living as Jesus calls us

“We need to free ourselves", the Pope underscored at the Ash Wednesday Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on 6 March 2019, "from the clutches of consumerism and the snares of selfishness, from always wanting more, from never being satisfied, and from a heart closed to the needs of the poor.

Jesus on the wood of the cross burns with love, and calls us to a life that is passionate for Him, which is not lost amid the ashes of the world; to a life that burns with charity and is not extinguished in mediocrity. Is it difficult to live as he asks? Yes, it is difficult, but it leads us to our goal. Lent shows us this".

“Pause in order to look and contemplate!”

"Pause, in order to look and contemplate", the Pope said at the Ash Wednesday Mass in the Basilica of Santa Sabina on 14 February 2018. "See and contemplate the real face of Christ crucified out of love for everyone, without exception…Return without fear, to experience the healing and reconciling tenderness of God.”