Lent is right around the corner and this year, Pope Francis encourages Christians to let go of idols and rethink their lifestyle so they can have freedom.
In his 2024 Lenten message, entitled “Through the Desert God Leads Us to Freedom,” the Pope said:
We can become attached to money, to certain projects, ideas or goals, to our position, to a tradition, even to certain individuals. Instead of making us move forward, they paralyze us. Instead of encounter, they create conflict.
The Pope emphasized that Lent allows the opportunity to slow down, pause and rediscover a contemplative dimension of life. But while Christians renew their individual lives, Pope Francis urges them to remember their neighbors, as expressed by the head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
CARD. MICHAEL CZERNY
Prefect, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Life
The Pope observes,“Today, too, the cry of so many of our oppressed brothers and sisters rises to heaven. Let us ask ourselves: do we hear that cry? Does it trouble us? Does it move us?”
Where are we on the journey with so many siblings at home and worldwide who cry out and ask us to walk with them?
At the end of his message, the Pope emphasized making decisions carefully, as they have the capability of altering the lives of others. The 2024 Lenten season begins on February 14 and ends on March 28.
AT
