Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “We are entering into an “intense” liturgical season that, as we prepare for the celebration of Easter - the heart and centre of the liturgical year and of our entire existence - invites us, or rather urges us, to live our Christian existence with even greater determination,” the Holy Father Benedict XVI said as he gave his catechesis on the meaning of Lent, in the General Audience held on Ash Wednesday, February 6. “Using the ancient rite of the imposition of ashes, the Church leads us into Lent, which is like a great spiritual retreat that lasts forty days,” the Pope said. He continued, “Thus, we enter into a Lenten atmosphere, that helps us to rediscover the gift of faith that we have received in Baptism and which urges us to take frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, placing our commitment of conversion in His divine mercy.”
Calling to mind the early Church, during that special time dedicated to the preparation of the catechumens for the reception of the sacraments of initiation in the Easter Vigil, the Holy Father pointed out that “Lent was considered a time in which one became Christian, but this did not happen in a single moment. It was a long journey of conversion and renewal. Those who had already been baptised joined with them in this journey remembering the sacrament they had received and prepared to join again with Christ in the joyous celebration of Easter. In this way, Lent had and still retains today the feeling and character of a baptism, in the sense that it keeps alive the understanding that being a Christian is never a journey's end that is behind us, but a path that constantly demands renewed effort."
The rite of the imposition of ashes, that indicates the beginning of the Lenten journey, “contains a call to the truth of human existence: We are limited creatures, sinners constantly in need of penitence and conversion...When he proclaims his independence from God, the contemporary man becomes his own slave and often finds himself inconsolably alone. The invitation to convert is therefore an urge to return to the arms of God, our caring and merciful Father, to trust him and to entrust oneself to him like adopted children, regenerated by his love."
The Holy Father later focused on the meaning of conversion, which is “above all a grace, a gift that opens the heart to God's infinite love.” Thus, conversion means “allowing our lives to be conquered by Jesus and with Him, ‘return’ to the Father. Conversion implies following Jesus’ teachings and obediently following in his footsteps...the only delight that fills a man's heart is the one that comes from God: We truly need this infinite joy. Neither the daily worries, nor the difficulties of life can take away the joy that comes from our friendship with God... The Lenten walk to conversion, which we undertake today with the whole Church, becomes the propitious occasion, ‘the opportune moment’ to yield ourselves once again to the hands of God and to practice what Jesus continuously repeats to us: 'If someone wants to follow me he must renounce himself, take up his cross and follow me,' and thus take the path of love and true happiness.”
At the end of the catechesis, the Pope once again recalled the specific tasks that the Church proposes during this time of interior renewal: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. He also mentioned that in his Message for Lent this year, he has focused on the practice of almsgiving, "which represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the same time, exercise that self-denial that frees us from attachment to worldly goods."
Following his greetings in various languages, the Pope made an appeal for Chad: "In these days I feel particularly close to the dear people of Chad, tormented by painful civil conflicts which have caused numerous victims and the flight of thousands of civilians from the capital. Also to your prayers and to your solidarity I entrust these suffering brothers and sisters, asking they be spared further violence, and that vital humanitarian assistance be guaranteed. At the same time, I launch a heartfelt appeal for people to lay down their arms and follow the path of dialogue and reconciliation." (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 7/2/2008 righe 53, parole 714)
