The Holy See this morning made public the Message for Lent 2025 of Pope Francis, who is still in the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. The central theme of his message is 'Let us walk together in hope'.
In the final part, there are some words of the Pontiff that cause a certain jolt. Hope is the anchor of the soul, and "the Church prays that "all may be saved" (1 Tim 2:4) and hopes one day to be united to Christ, her spouse, in the glory of heaven".
"Candle with care," the pope says.
And Francis continues: "This is how St. Teresa of Jesus expressed herself: 'Wait, wait, you do not know when the day or the hour will come. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, although your desire makes the certain doubtful, and the short time long" (Exclamations of the soul to God, 15, 3)".
The Pope concludes by praying that "the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, intercede for us and accompany us on our Lenten journey". The Message is dated in Rome, St. John Lateran, February 6, 2025, the memorial of the santos Pablo Miki and companions, martyrs.
Let us walk together in hope
The reflections of the Message have three parts: 1) "A first call to conversion, because we are all pilgrims in life". 2) "Secondly, let us make this journey together. The vocation of the Church is to walk together, to be synodal".
And 3) Thirdly, let us walk this path together in the hope of a promise. May the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5), the central message of the Jubilee, be for us the horizon of the Lenten journey towards the Paschal victory".
Benedict XVI in Spe Salvi
On this point, Pope Francis mentions Benedict XVI: "As Pope Benedict XVI taught us in the Encyclical Spe SalviThe human being needs unconditional love. He needs that certainty that makes him say: 'Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present, nor future, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any creature can separate us from the love of God, made manifest in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 8:38-39)". Jesus, our love and our hope, is risen, and he lives and reigns glorious. Death has been transformed into victory and in this lies the faith and hope of Christians, in the resurrection of Christ".
"This is, therefore, the third call to conversion: that of hope, of trust in God and in his great promise, eternal life," the Pontiff said.
The ash
Ash Wednesday will take place on March 5, and the Pope begins: "Dear brothers and sisters: With the penitential sign of ashes on our heads, we begin the annual pilgrimage of Holy Lent, in faith and hope. The Church, mother and teacher, invites us to prepare our hearts and to open ourselves to God's grace so that we can celebrate with great joy the Easter triumph of Christ, the Lord, over sin and death, as St. Paul exclaimed: "Death has been conquered. Where is your victory, death? Where is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:54-55).
Call for conversion
Then, after recalling the motto of the JubileeFrancis alludes to the first point: "A first call to conversion arises here, because we are all pilgrims in life. Each one can ask himself: how do I allow myself to be challenged by this condition? Am I really on the way or a bit paralyzed, static, afraid and hopeless; or am I satisfied in my comfort zone?
"It would be a good Lenten exercise to confront ourselves with the concrete reality of an immigrant or pilgrim, letting him or her challenge us, to discover what God is asking of us, to be better travelers towards the Father's house. This is a good "examination" for the wayfarer".
"Let's take this journey together."
Let us make this journey together, the Pope invites." The vocation of the Church is to walk together, to be synodal Christians are called to journey together, never as solitary travelers. The Holy Spirit urges us to go out of ourselves to go towards God and towards our brothers and sisters, and never to close in on ourselves."
"Walking together," he adds, "means being artisans of unity, starting from the common dignity of children of God (cf. Gal 3:26-28); it means walking side by side, without trampling on or dominating the other, without harboring envy or hypocrisy, without letting anyone be left behind or feel excluded. Let us go in the same direction, toward the same goal, listening to one another with love and patience."
Examination
"Let us ask ourselves before the Lord if we are capable of working together as bishops, priests, consecrated and lay people, at the service of the Kingdom of God; if we have an attitude of welcome, with concrete gestures, towards the people who come to us and those who are far away; if we make people feel part of the community or if we marginalize them. This is a second call: conversion to synodality".
Thirdly, "let us travel this path together in the hope of a promise. May the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5), the central message of the Jubilee, be for us the horizon of the Lenten journey towards the Easter victory".
