Pope Francis released a message on the 2023 Lent period, encouraging observers to be prepared to start the journey.
The lent period commenced on the 22nd of February with Ash Wednesday and is to last through to Easter. Pope Francis had taken to his official Twitter handle on the first day of Lent, where he talked about the Holy Spirit sustaining believers in the journey of Lent. He said; “Dear brothers and sisters, may the Holy Spirit sustain us this #Lent2023 in our ascent with Jesus. May we experience His divine splendour and thus, confirmed in faith, persevere in our journey with Him, the glory of His people and light of the nations.”
Dear brothers and sisters, may the Holy Spirit sustain us this #Lent2023 in our ascent with Jesus. May we experience His divine splendour and thus, confirmed in faith, persevere in our journey with Him, the glory of His people and light of the nations.https://t.co/qCYq2VUYft
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 22, 2023
Let us not neglect the grace of this holy season, responding generously to the powerful promptings of #Lent. At the end of the journey, we will encounter with greater joy the Lord of life, who alone can raise us up from our ashes.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 22, 2023
According to the message of the pope as released by the official website of the Vatican, he had emphasised important points.
He said that;-
“Lent is a time of grace to the extent that we listen to him as he speaks to us. And how does he speak to us? First, in the word of God, which the Church offers us in the liturgy. May that word not fall on deaf ears”.
“Lent leads to Easter: the “retreat” is not an end in itself, but a means of preparing us to experience the Lord’s passion and cross with faith, hope and love, and thus to arrive at the resurrection”.
“While our ordinary commitments compel us to remain in our usual places and our often repetitive and sometimes boring routines, during Lent we are invited to ascend “a high mountain” in the company of Jesus and to live a particular experience of spiritual discipline – ascesis – as God’s holy people”.
“Lenten penance is a commitment, sustained by grace, to overcoming our lack of faith and our resistance to following Jesus on the way of the cross”.
Read the full message of Pope Francis here.