He wrote: “Dear brothers and sisters, We begin our annual
pilgrimage of Lent in faith and hope with the penitential rite of the
imposition of ashes. The Church, our mother and teacher, invites us to open our
hearts to God’s grace, so that we can celebrate with great joy the paschal
victory of Christ the Lord over sin and death, which led Saint Paul to exclaim:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”. Indeed, Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is
the heart of our faith and the pledge of our hope in the Father’s great
promise, already fulfilled in his beloved Son: life eternal.”
So in that opening passage, the Holy Father calls our
attention to several themes of the Lenten season: that Lent is a pilgrimage
meant to open our hearts to God’s grace which deepens our hope in God’s promise
of eternal life.
He then went on to explain how Lent is a journey. He said,
the idea that we are pilgrims on a journey “evokes the lengthy journey of the
people of Israel to the Promised Land, as recounted in the Book of Exodus. This
arduous path from slavery to freedom was willed and guided by the Lord, who
loves his people and remains ever faithful to them. “
You know this story right? The people of Israel had become
enslaved in Egypt, and God led them out of slavery over a period of 40 years,
much like the 40 days of Lent, through the desert to the promised Land. Through
those 40 years, God sought to strengthen their faith and purify his people from
the sins that they had adopted in Egypt, sins which were a sort of spiritual
slavery.
When we allow selfishness and cruelty and faithlessness and self-centeredness
and perversion and disobedience to God and disordered attachment to the things
of the world—when we allow these things to rule our life—we are in a sort of
slavery. But God made us to be free from these things that degrade our human
nature.
And the season of Lent is part of the journey we must all
take if we wish to be free. We fast, we pray, we give of ourselves because we
want to be free. We have ashes placed on our foreheads today because we want to
be free to live as disciples of Jesus, free even from the fear of death. Which
is why the Holy Father quoted that line from St. Paul, “death where is your
sting” meaning, that the Christian is so free, that the fear of death has no
control over us.
But fearlessness and freedom are only obtained when we take
the journey with the Lord Jesus—the journey into the Lenten desert—the desert
journey in which we are strengthened in faith, purified from sin, where we
learn to fast and pray and give with generous open hearts for the glory of God
and the salvation of souls.
As we begin our Lenten journey, we bring our needs before
the Lord, trusting in His desire to free us from sin and lead us to the joy of
the Resurrection.
For the Church: That all Christians may embrace this Lenten
season as a pilgrimage of faith and hope, opening their hearts to God’s grace
and growing in holiness.
For Pope Francis: that during this time of serious illness,
the Holy Father might know the merciful presence of the Lord and give us all an
example of patience and faith.
For those who feel enslaved by sin or hopelessness: That
they may discover in Jesus Christ the path to true freedom, finding courage in
prayer, fasting, and self-giving to break every chain that oppresses the human
heart,
For all in positions of authority and responsibility: That
they may promote justice, peace, and the dignity of every person.
For those who are sick, suffering, or near death: That they
may be freed from fear and know the consoling presence of Christ crucified and
risen, who conquers even the sting of death.
For our beloved dead: That, having completed their earthly
pilgrimage, they may enter into eternal life with Christ, sharing in the full
victory over sin and death,
Merciful Father, as we mark ourselves with ashes, lead us on
the desert road of Lent to freedom in Your Son. Hear our prayers, and grant us
all we need to walk confidently toward the Easter victory. We ask this through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
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