"Lent is the time of conversion in which we prepare to return to God. Forty days to change our lives, to return to Christ, God the Father, to receive the Holy Spirit. Forty days during which Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert".

In his message for Lent, Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., apostolic vcar of Northern Arabia, calls on the faithful to prepare to examine their spiritual life and their relationship with God and with themselves. "Like Jesus in the desert, we are often tempted and must face these temptations in order to convert and return to God. We must become aware of the meaning of Easter, the joy of the Resurrection. Easter is the center of our spiritual life and Christian life", said Bishop Berardi.

Jesus invites us to pray and fast, to abstain from food and the thousand other things that fill our days and make our prayer weak. "Return to God, go back to your homes and pray to God the Father. Jesus is the Door that puts us into communion with God. So we can face many temptations if we have God in our hearts and make sure "that we are his true children," he emphasizes.

"Fasting means being free, and breaking the chains. It means giving space to the Holy Spirit. Jesus also says that we should examine our lives with others. What is our relationship with others? Return to our fellow human beings and love your neighbor," continued Bishop Berardi. "Let us use this time to prepare for Easter," concluded the Apostolic Vicar, "and also to examine our whole life in order to return to God through Jesus. Jesus is our way, he is our example, he is the only one who can help us to find God the Father and in this way we will receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us with his gift to start anew as children of God. May this Lent serve to 'purify' us, to renew us, to convert us, to return to God and to be in communion with the Holy Trinity."