#on lent

[popefrancissays]

“Lent is for rediscovering that we are created for the inextinguishable flame, not for ashes that immediately disappear; for God, not for the world... We should ask ourselves today: Where do I stand? Do I live for fire or for ash?”

[popefrancissays]

“Tonight we acquire a fundamental right that can never be taken away from us: the right to hope.”

[popefrancissays]

“Once again, the Pasch of the Lord draws near!  In our preparation for Easter, God in his providence offers us each year the season of Lent as a “sacramental sign of our conversion”.  Lent summons us, and enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly and in every aspect of our life.”

[popefrancissays]

“Lent is the time of grace that liberates the heart from vanity. It is a time of healing from addictions that seduce us. It is a time to fix our gaze on what abides.”

[popefrancissays]

“Keep your eyes fixed on the outstretched arms of Christ crucified, let yourself be saved over and over again. And when you go to confess your sins, believe firmly in his mercy which frees you of your guilt. Contemplate his blood poured out with such great love, and let yourself be cleansed by it. In this way, you can be reborn ever anew.”

[popefrancissays]

“Jesus was lifted high on the cross in order to descend to the abyss of our suffering.”

[popefrancissays]

“Dear brothers and sisters, what can we do in comparison with God, who served us even to the point of being betrayed and abandoned?  We can refuse to betray him for whom we were created...  We were put in this world to love him and our neighbours.  Everything else passes away, only this remains.”