Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - On the first Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI dwelt again on the significance of the Season of Lent “which helps Christians in their efforts to prepare for Easter”. In his address before leading the recitation of the midday Angelus prayer on Sunday 5 March the Pope mentioned the Sunday Gospel on Jesus’ experience of temptation during the forty days in the desert. “Following their Lord and Master - Benedict XVI said - , Christians too are called to face with him ‘the battle against the spirit of evil enter the spiritual desert of Lent”.
The Pope said the image of the desert was “an eloquent metaphor of the human condition”, and mentioned the experience of the People of Israel who wandered in the desert of Sinai for forty years before reaching the promised land. On the long journey, he said “the Jews experienced all the power and insistence of the tempter… but at the same time, thanks to the mediation of Moses, they learned to listen to the voice of God calling them to be his holy people. Meditating this page of the Gospel we understand that to live our life in full freedom we must overcome the test which freedom entails, that is temptation. Only freed from the slavery of mistruth and sin through obedience to faith which opens the heart to the truth can the human person discover the full meaning of life and experience peace, love and joy.”.
Pope Benedict XVI ended his address recalling that “Lent is the opportune time to make a careful examination of one’s life in recollection, prayer and penance”. Recalling that he and the senior members of the Roman Curia had just started a week-long Retreat the Pope said spiritual exercises “helps us to enter this characteristic spirit of Lent with more awareness”. He asked the people to accompany him with their prayers and said that he too would pray that “for all Christians Lent may be an opportunity for conversion and more courageous striving for holiness”. After the Angelus prayer Benedict XVI mentioned a prayer vigil involving university students from various different countries to be held on Saturday 11 March in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican in live TV and radio links with Universities in Europe and Africa: “This will provide an opportunity - he said - to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede that the Gospel may open new paths for cooperation between the peoples of Europe and Africa”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 6/3/2006 - righe 29, parole 402)
