In his message for Lent 2021, Pope Francis urges the faithful to “renew our faith, draw from the living waters of hope and receive God’s love with an open heart”.
By Christopher Wells
Pope Francis focuses on the three theological virtues in his message of Lent for 2021, inviting the faithful to “renew our faith, draw from the living waters of hope and receive God’s love with an open heart”.
Basing his reflection on the paschal mystery, the Pope says: “This Lenten path … is now illuminated by the light of the resurrection, which inspires the thoughts, attitudes and decisions of the followers of Jesus”.
He goes on to say that the path of conversion, through fasting, prayer and alms, “makes it possible for us to live a life of sincere faith, living hope and effective charity”.
Accept and witness the truth
The Holy Father explains that “accepting and living the truth revealed in Christ means, first of all, opening our hearts to the word of God”. Through fasting, “experienced as a form of self-denial”, we are able to “rediscover the gift of God and recognize that, created in His image and likeness, we find our fulfillment in Him”. Fasting, by helping us to recognize our own poverty, also helps us to love God and neighbor.
“Lent is a time to believe,” says the Pope, “to welcome God into our lives and allow Him to ‘make a home’ in us”.
The ‘living water’ that helps us on the journey
Pope Francis links the virtue of hope with the ‘living water’ that Jesus promises the Samaritan woman at the well. This is not the physical water that the woman expects, but the Holy Spirit who is given by the paschal mystery.
Although hope may seem like a challenge in fragile and uncertain times, “Lent is precisely the time of hope, when we turn to God”.
Hope, he says, “is given to us as inspiration and inner light” through “recollection and silent prayer”. The experience of hope in Lent, he says, “means receiving the hope of Christ, who gave his life on the cross and was resurrected by God on the third day”.
Love, the greatest expression of faith and hope
“Love is a leap from the heart,” says Pope Francis. “It takes us out of ourselves and creates bonds of sharing and communion.”
The Holy Father emphasizes the need for “social love” in building “a civilization of love”.
“Love is a gift that gives meaning to our lives,” he says. Love helps us to see all men and women as our brothers and sisters. Charity is multiplied when it is given with love, as we see not only in the Scriptures, but also in our own life, when we give alms “with joy and simplicity”.
“Living Lent with love,” says Pope Francis, “means taking care of those who suffer or feel abandoned because of the Covid-19 pandemic.” He invites us to “speak words of encouragement and help others to realize that God loves them as sons and daughters”.
A journey of conversion
After reminding us that “every moment of our lives is a time to believe, hope and love”, Pope Francis concludes by saying:
«The appeal to the experience of Lent as a way of conversion, prayer and sharing of our goods, helps us – as communities and as individuals – to revive the faith that comes from the living Christ, the hope inspired by the breath of the Holy Spirit and love that flows from the Father’s merciful heart ”.