VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI during the general audience explains the significance of Lent: “It is urgent to listen again to the Gospel, the word of truth, so Christians may grow in awareness of the truth received, live it and bear witness to it.”

Vatican City (Fides Service) - Today Ash Wednesday in his address during his weekly general audience to thousands of visitors gathered in St Peter’s Square Pope Benedict XVI dwelt on the significance of the Season of Lent. “This is the opportune time in which the Church calls Christians to be more aware of Christ’s act of redemption and to live baptism more profoundly - the Pope said Santo Padre -. In fact in this liturgical season from the very beginning in order to strengthen its faith the People of God has always nourished itself abundantly with Word of God, retracing the whole history of creation and redemption.”
The Pope recalled that Lent lasts for forty days and calls to mind certain events in the life of Ancient Israel and he said: “The season of Lent is an invitation to relive with Jesus the forty days he spent in the desert praying and fasting before undertaking his public ministry. Today we too with Christians all over the world start a path of reflection and prayer and turn spiritually towards Calvary, meditating the central mysteries of our faith. Doing this we prepare to experience, after the mystery of the Cross, the joy of the Lord’s Resurrection”.
Then Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the solemn distribution of blessed ashes and the two meaningful phrases with which it is accompanied “a pressing appeal to recognise our sinfulness and return to God”. Since the life of the Christian is founded on and nourished by the Word of God the Pope said: “In the trials of every day and in every temptation the secret of victory lies in listening to the Word of truth and rejecting with conviction mistruth and evil. It is urgent to listen again to the Gospel, word of truth, so Christians may grow in awareness of the truth received and may live it and bear witness to it. It is to this that Lent draws us, offering us an ascetic liturgical path, helping us to open our eyes to our weakness and open our heart to the merciful love of Christ”. Lent is the opportune moment to convert our hearts to love by adopting the Lord’s “attitude of compassion and mercy” towards the poor and the abandoned. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 1/3/2006, righe 27, parole 388)