Pope Francis' message for Lent "the time to share faith, hope and love"

While Christians pray, fast and give alms during Lent, they should also consider smiling and offering a kind word to people who are feeling lonely or frightened by the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis said. “Love rejoices in seeing others grow. So he suffers when others are distressed, alone, sick, homeless, despised or needy ", wrote the pope in his message for Lent 2021. The message, released by the Vatican on February 12, focuses on Lent as" a time to renew faith, hope and love ”through traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. And going to confession. Throughout the message, Pope Francis emphasized how Lenten practices not only promote individual conversion, but should also have an impact on others. “By receiving forgiveness in the sacrament that is at the heart of our conversion process, we can in turn spread forgiveness to others,” he said. "Having received forgiveness ourselves, we can offer it through our willingness to enter into a careful dialogue with others and to give comfort to those who feel pain and pain".

The pope's message contained several references to his encyclical "Brothers All, on fraternity and social friendship". For example, he prayed that during Lent, Catholics would be "increasingly concerned about 'uttering words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement, and not words that humiliate, sadden, anger or show contempt'", a quote from the encyclical. "To give hope to others, sometimes it is enough simply to be kind, to be 'willing to put aside everything else to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to say a word of encouragement, to listen in the midst of indifference general, '”he said, citing the document again. The Lenten practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer were preached by Jesus and continue to help believers experience and express conversion, the pope wrote. "The way of poverty and self-denial" through fasting, "solicitude and loving care for the poor" through almsgiving and "infantile dialogue with the Father" through prayer, he said, "make it possible for us to live a life of sincere faith, living hope and effective charity ".

Pope Francis stressed the importance of fasting "as a form of self-denial" to rediscover one's total dependence on God and to open one's heart to the poor. "Fasting implies liberation from everything that burdens us - such as consumerism or an excess of information, true or false - to open the doors of our hearts to those who come to us, poor in everything, yet full of grace and truth: the son of God our savior. "Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presenting the message at a press conference, also insisted on the importance of" fasting and all forms of abstinence ", for example by renouncing to" look at the TV so we can go to church, pray or say a rosary. It is only through self-denial that we discipline ourselves in order to be able to take our eyes off ourselves and recognize the other, deal with their needs and thus create access to benefits and goods for people ", guaranteeing respect for their dignity and of their rights. Msgr. Bruno-Marie Duffe, secretary of the dicastery, said that in a moment of "anxiety, doubt and sometimes even despair" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lent is a time for Christians "to walk the way with Christ towards a new life and a new world, towards a new trust in God and in the future “.