“Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.”
Pope Leo encourages Lenten listening, and fasting, together.
“The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone,” especially God.
Fasting “helps us to identify and order our ‘appetites,’ keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency…. it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbour.”
“In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbour.”
“Let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”
Together, ‘we are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent, with our families, parishes, and communities.’