(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass to mark the beginning of
the Lenten season on Wednesday - Ash Wednesday. In his remarks to the gathered faithful,
the Holy Father spoke of the three hallmarks of Christian struggle during the penitential
season: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Below, please find Vatican Radio's full English
translation of the Holy Father's prepared remarks.
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“Rend
your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2:13).
With these insightful words
of the prophet Joel, the liturgy introduces us into Lent today, indicating the conversion
of the heart characteristic of this time of grace. The prophetic call is a challenge
for all of us, without exception, and reminds us that conversion is not a matter reducible
to outward forms or vague intentions, but engages and transforms one’s entire existence
from the center of the person, from the conscience. We are invited to embark on a
journey in which, in defiance of the routine, we strive to open our eyes and ears,
but especially the heart, to go beyond our “little garden.”
To open oneself
to God and to others: we live in an increasingly artificial world, in a culture of
“doing”, [a culture] of the “useful”, in which we exclude God from our horizon without
even realizing it. Lent calls us to “give ourselves a ‘shake-up’”, to remember that
we are creatures, that we are not God.
We run the risk of closing ourselves
to others also: we risk forgetting them, too - but only when the difficulties and
sufferings of our brothers challenge us, only then we can start our journey of conversion
towards Easter. It is an itinerary that includes the cross and sacrifice. Today’s
Gospel shows the elements of this spiritual journey: prayer , fasting and almsgiving
(cf. Mt 6,1-6.16-18 ). All three involve the need not to be dominated by the appearance
of things: the appearance of things does not matter – nor does the value of life depend
on the approval of others or on success, but from how much we have inside.
The
first element is the prayer. Prayer is the strength of the Christian and of every
believing person. In the weakness and fragility of our life, we can turn to God with
the confidence of children and enter into communion with Him. In the face of so many
wounds that hurt us and that could harden the heart, we are called to dive into the
sea of prayer, which is the sea of God’s boundless love, to enjoy its tenderness.
Lent is a time of prayer, a more intense, more diligent prayer, [one] more able to
take care of the needs of the brethren, to intercede before God for the many situations
of poverty and suffering. Listen:
The second
element of the Lenten journey is fasting. We must be careful not to make a formal
fasting, or one that in truth “satisfies” us because it makes us feel as though we
have all in order. Fasting makes sense if it really affects our security, and also
if a benefit to others comes from it, if it helps us to grow in the spirit of the
Good Samaritan, who bends down to his brother in need and takes care of him. Fasting
involves choosing a sober life, which does not waste, which does not “discard”. Fasting
helps us to train the heart to essentiality and sharing. It is a sign of awareness
and responsibility in the face of injustices, abuses, especially towards the poor
and the little ones, and is a sign of our trust in God and His providence.
The
third element is almsgiving: it is a sign of gratuity because alms are given to someone
from whom you would not expect to receive anything in return. Gratuity should be one
of the characteristics of a Christian, who, aware of having received everything from
God freely, that is without any merit, learns to give to others freely. Today often
gratuity is not part of everyday life, where everything is bought and sold. Everything
is calculation and measurement. Almsgiving helps us to live the gratuitousness of
the gift, which is freedom from the obsession with possessing things, [freedom from]
the fear of losing what one has, from the sadness of those who do not want to share
their well-being with others.
With its calls to conversion, Lent comes providentially
to rouse us, to shake us from our torpor, from the risk of moving forward [merely]
by inertia. The exhortation that the Lord speaks to us through the prophet Joel is
loud and clear: "Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). Why must we return
to God? Because something is wrong in us, in society, in the Church - and we need
to change, to turn things around, to repent! Once again Lent comes to make its prophetic
appeal, to remind us that it is possible to realize something new within ourselves
and around us, simply because God is faithful, continues to be full of goodness and
mercy, and is always ready to forgive and start over from scratch. With this filial
confidence, let us set out on our way!