March 5, 2025 has marked the onset of a 40-day of fasting referred to as Lent, which precedes the Feast of the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ (commonly known as Easter). It is a period based on three pillars, namely almsgiving, fasting and prayer during which the faithful may remember the Divine mercy represented in the death of Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, His rise from the dead to reveal His glory and indicate that death is not the end of life but rather the start of a new life.  Lord Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies." (John 11:25) Actually Lent is also a period that sets the faithful on the path of sharing the joy that as Lord Jesus rose from the dead, they would follow the same model once believing in Him and following his steps of purity and goodness by emulating His divine personality of being sinless.

The Lenten season reminds us that prior to beginning His ministry, Lord Jesus was tempted by Satan. For 40 days He went without food and the comforts of life, yet He resisted temptation. He was taunted by the opportunity to satisfy His hunger and by the deceptive allure of safety, power, control, and authority. He resisted the temptation with His devotion to a mission beyond those fleeting moments.

On the other hand, this season instructs us to emulate Lord Jesus Christ by disavowing all temptations and mundane lusts as well as by preparing one’s heart to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection with a rich collection of prayers, meditations, and reflections designed to deepen one’s faith during this most sacred season. 

Marking Lent, Pope Francis earlier said, “Lent is a journey that involves our whole life, our entire being. It is a time to reconsider the roads we are taking, to find the way back home, to rediscover the fundamental bond with God, on which everything depends.”

During the Lenten season, prayers bring us closer to Lord Jesus and strengthen our relationship with Him. Increasing prayer during Lent can be a practice that stays with us long after marking the Feast of the Resurrection. In this season, fasting is more than a method of self-denial. It is rather an exercise that excludes us of mundane charms and serves as a practice of discipline for turning away from a beloved food or habit gives us time to focus on prayer and creates a longing which we can fill with Christ’s love. This is a time to simplify life and be detached from worldly goods by donating clothing, food, and money to the poor. Jesus said, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

In this regard, His Holiness Pope Francis has issued a message for the Lenten Season 2025 titled, "Let us journey together in hope" which incorporates three parts. The first part of the Holy Father’s reflection encourages Catholics to begin the journey while evoking the motto of this Jubilee year, “Pilgrims of Hope” in which he asks Catholics to examine their lives and consider whether they reflect the reality that life is a pilgrimage. The second part emphasizes the importance of walking together in faith, while highlighting the Church’s call to synodal unity and urging Christians to promote unity, listen to one another, resist being self-centered and reflect on whether “we make others feel a part of the community or keep them at a distance”. In the third part, he calls for a renewed trust in God’s promise of eternal life, and quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 encyclical Spe Salvi, stating: “The human being needs unconditional love. He needs the certainty which makes him say: ‘Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’." (Rom 8:38-39)

Furthermore, the Pope implores the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking: “May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, intercede for us and accompany us on our Lenten journey.”

It is hoped that the Lenten Season, which is followed by the Feast of the Resurrection of Lord Jesus from the dead, may extricate humanity from the dark abyss of lust for power, corruption, and wars by installing in lieu of that peace, love, common living, as well sharing the suffering of others.

May the Lenten season be concluded with jubilations that mark the end of wars that have been devastating all aspects of life and shove humanity into an era of prosperity, brotherhood, and common living.