Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to listen to what Jesus wants to tell them through the Scriptures and others in his message for Lent 2023.
In a message released on February 17, Francis used the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration to address both the Lenten journey and the Catholic Church’s ongoing Synod on Synodality.
“The command that God the Father addresses to the disciples on Mount Tabor as they contemplate Jesus transfigured,” the pope said. ‘Listen to him,’ says the voice from the cloud.
“The first proposal is clear, then: we must listen to Jesus,” he said. “Lent is a time of grace if we listen to him as he speaks to us.”
“During this liturgical season, the Lord takes us with him to a place apart,” he continued. While our ordinary commitments compel us to remain in our usual places and our often repetitive and sometimes boring routines, during Lent we are invited to ascend “a high mountain” with Jesus and to live a specific experience of spiritual discipline — ascesis — as God’s holy people.”
One of the ways Jesus speaks to us, according to Pope Francis, is through the Word of God, which we can hear at Mass.
However, if one is unable to attend Mass during the week, the pope advised reading the daily liturgical readings.
“In addition to the Scriptures, the Lord speaks to us through our brothers and sisters, particularly through the faces and stories of those in need,” he continued.
Francis’ second suggestion for Lent was to confront the difficulties of everyday life while remembering that Lent leads to Easter.
“Do not seek refuge in a religiosity based on extraordinary events and dramatic experiences in order to avoid facing reality and its daily struggles, hardships, and contradictions,” the pope said.
“The light that Jesus shows the disciples foreshadows Easter glory, and that must be the goal of our own journey as we follow ‘him alone,’” he explained. “Lent leads to Easter: the’retreat’ is a means of preparing us to experience the Lord’s passion and cross with faith, hope, and love, and thus arrive at the resurrection.”
Pope Francis compared Lent and the Church’s ongoing Synod on Synodality to a “difficult mountain trek.”
We must keep our eyes on the path ahead of us as we hike up the mountain, but when we reach the top, we are rewarded with a breathtaking view.
“Similarly, the synodal process may appear arduous at times,” he said, “and we may become discouraged. But what awaits us at the end is undoubtedly something wondrous and amazing, which will help us better understand God’s will and our mission in his service.”
On February 17, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced a communication campaign based on Pope Francis’ Lenten message.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the dicastery will publish a new “step” on the Lent journey every week on its website.
“With him on the mountain: Lenten penance and the synodal journey,” the campaign, will include reflection questions based on Scripture passages and the pope’s message.
“The Lenten journey of penance, like the Synod journey, has as its goal a transfiguration, both personal and ecclesial,” Pope Francis said. “A transformation that, in both cases, has its model in Jesus’ Transfiguration and is accomplished through the grace of his paschal mystery.”
The pope also discussed Christ’s newness and his fulfillment of the ancient covenant.
“In the same way, the synodal journey is rooted in the Church’s tradition while also being open to newness,” he said. “Tradition serves as a source of inspiration for exploring new avenues and avoiding the opposing temptations of immobility and improvised experimentation.”
A Lenten penance, according to Francis, is “a commitment, sustained by grace, to overcoming our lack of faith and resistance to following Jesus on the way of the cross.”
“We must allow ourselves to be taken aside by him and detach ourselves from mediocrity and vanity in order to deepen our knowledge of the Master, to fully understand and embrace the mystery of his salvation, accomplished in total self-giving inspired by love,” he encouraged. “We must embark on the journey, which, like a mountain trek, requires effort, sacrifice, and concentration.”
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