3 keys to Leo XIV in the Pope's message for Lent

Pope Leo XIV proposed three very concrete attitudes for living Lent as a true journey of conversion.

In a message addressed to the whole Church, the Pontiff encourages us to recover the center of Christian life - the mystery of God - «so that our faith may regain its momentum and our hearts may not be scattered among the worries and distractions of everyday life».

Listen to

«This year I would like to draw attention, first of all, to the importance of giving space to the Word through listening, since the willingness to listen is the first sign with which the desire to enter into relationship with the other is manifested» the Pope begins by pointing out.

Giving space to interior silence and to Scripture is not just another devotional gesture, but the condition for recognizing the voice of the Lord in the midst of so many voices. This listening, he explains, also educates the heart to perceive the cry of those who suffer, the poor and the victims of injustice, so that faith does not remain theoretical, but that the cry of those who suffer «constantly challenges our life».

Fasting

The second proposal is fasting, understood not only as deprivation of food, but as an integral exercise that involves the body and orders desires.

Fasting helps to discover what is really essential, awakens the hunger for justice and frees from resignation. Leo XIV insists that this practice must be lived with humility and united to prayer, to prevent it from becoming mere formalism: «in order that fasting may preserve its evangelical truth and avoid the temptation to make the heart proud, it must always be lived in faith and humility».

He also invites us to concrete forms of daily abstinence, especially in the use of words: «Let us begin to disarm language, renouncing hurtful words, immediate judgment, speaking ill of those who are absent and cannot defend themselves, and slander. Let us strive instead to learn to measure our words and to cultivate kindness.

«Together.»

Finally, the Pope recalls that Lent is not an individualistic itinerary, but a communitarian journey. Parishes, families and communities are called to walk it together, sharing in listening to the Word, fasting and conversion of life.

It is not only a matter of personal changes, but also of transforming relationships, dialogue and the style of living together, so that the Church may be a place where suffering is welcomed and paths of hope are born.

Leo XIV concludes his message with an invitation to prayer so that we can make these three keys our own: «Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask for the grace to live a Lent that will make our ears more attentive to God and to those most in need. Let us ask for the strength of a fast that also reaches the tongue, so that the words that hurt may diminish and the space for the voice of others may grow. And let us commit ourselves so that our communities become places where the cry of those who suffer is welcomed and listening generates paths of liberation, making us more willing and diligent to contribute to build the civilization of love».