In his message for Lent 2021, Pope Francis calls on believers to “renew our faith, draw from the living waters of hope, and receive with open hearts the love of God.”
By Christopher Wells
Pope Francis focuses on the three theological virtues in his Lent message for 2021, inviting believers to “renew our faith, draw from the living waters of hope, and receive with open hearts the love of God.”
Based on his reflection on the Paschal Mystery, the Pope says, “This journey of Lent … is now illuminated by the light of the resurrection, which inspires the thoughts, attitudes, and decisions of Jesus’ followers.”
He goes on to say that the journey of conversion, through fasting, prayer and almsgiving, “allows us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope, and effective charity.”
Acceptance and testimony of the truth
The Holy Father explains that “accepting and living the truth revealed in Christ means, first and foremost, opening our hearts to the Word of God.” Through fasting, “experienced as a form of self-denial,” we are able to “rediscover God’s gift and recognize that, created in His image and likeness, we find fulfillment in Him.” Fasting also helps us to recognize our own poverty and helps us to love both God and our neighbor.
“Lent is a time to believe,” says the Pope, “to meet God in our lives and allow Him to ‘make his home’ in us.”
“Living water” that helps us travel
Pope Francis links the virtue of hope to the “living water” that Jesus promises to the Samaritan woman at the well. This is not the physical water that the woman expects, but rather the Holy Spirit who is given through the Paschal Mystery.
Although hope may seem challenging in fragile and uncertain times, “Lent is precisely the season of hope, when we return to God.”
Hope, he says, “is given to us as inspiration and inner light” through “silent remembrance and prayer.” The experience of hope in Lent, he says, “means receiving the hope of Christ, who gave his life on the cross and was resurrected by God on the third day.”
Love, the highest expression of faith and hope
“Love is a leap of the heart,” says Pope Francis. “It takes us out of ourselves and creates bonds of sharing and communion.”
The Holy Father emphasizes the need for “social love” in building “a civilization of love.”
“Love is a gift that gives meaning to our lives,” he says. Love helps us to see all men and women as our brothers and sisters. Charity multiplies when it is given with love, as we see not only in the Scriptures, but also in our lives, when we give alms “with joy and simplicity.”
“Living Lent with love,” says Pope Francis, “means caring for those who suffer or feel abandoned because of the Covid-19 pandemic.” He invites us to “speak words of peace and help others to realize that God loves them as sons and daughters.”
A journey of conversion
After reminding us that “every moment of our lives is a time to believe, hope and love,” Pope Francis concludes by saying:
“The call to experience Lent as a journey of conversion, prayer, and the sharing of our goods helps us – as communities and as individuals – to revive the faith that comes from the living Christ, the hope inspired by the breath of the Holy Spirit, and love. which flows from the merciful heart of the Father. “