Pope Francis Message for Lent 2024, Through the Desert God Leads us to Freedom, asks us to embrace Lent as a powerful time in which the Word of God addresses us anew: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex 20:2).
“If our celebration of Lent is to be concrete, the first step is to desire to open our eyes to reality.”, writes the Pope, adding: “Today too, the cry of so many of our oppressed brothers and sisters rises to heaven. Let us ask ourselves: Do we hear that cry? Does it trouble us? Does it move us?”
The Message invites also: “It is time to act, and in Lent, to act also means to pause. To pause in prayer, in order to receive the word of God, to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister.”
Speaking about the synodal form of the Church, the pope points out that “Lent is also a time of communitarian decisions, of decisions, small and large, that are countercurrent. Decisions capable of altering the daily lives of individuals and entire neighbourhoods, such as the ways we acquire goods, care for creation, and strive to include those who go unseen or are looked down upon.”
“To the extent that this Lent becomes a time of conversion, an anxious humanity will notice a burst of creativity, a flash of new hope.” concludes Pope Francis.
You can read or download the Lent Message here.
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