In response to His incredible love, we are urged to renew our hearts and minds this year as the Lord gives us another chance to get ready for the celebration of the great mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At the core of our Christian lives is the Paschal mystery—the death and resurrection of Jesus—which shapes our individual and collective experiences of faith. We are invited to accept its transformational potential and respond with openness, freedom, and kindness to this mystery, which demands our constant reflection.
1.The Paschal Mystery as Conversion’s Foundation
We experience Christian delight when we embrace the Good News, which is the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The secret of God’s love is summed up in this kerygma, the proclamation of the Gospel, which forms the cornerstone of our faith: “so real, so true, so concrete, that it invites us to a relationship of openness and fruitful dialogue” (Christus Vivit, 117).
Rejecting the myth that life is only ours to govern is necessary to accept this message. Rather, we acknowledge that life is a gift from God, born out of His love and desire to provide us with abundant life (cf. Jn 10:10). Listening to the voice of the “father of lies” (John 8:44) puts us at risk of experiencing a form of hell on earth and plunging into a void of meaninglessness. In both individual and societal human experiences, we witness the catastrophic results of this decision.
We are encouraged to revisit this basic conundrum and give it careful thought throughout this Lenten season. As stated in Christus Vivit, “Remain focused on the outstretched arms of Christ crucified, and allow yourself to be saved repeatedly” (No. 123). Jesus’ Paschal mystery is not a thing of the past; it is made present to us today by the power of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to meet and touch Christ in other people’s suffering. Our lives are constantly renewed and transformed by the grace and power of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
2.The Conversion’s Immediacy
There is a pressing need for conversion, especially in view of the Paschal mystery. Conversion is actively experiencing Christ’s love rather than passively. In order to communicate our need for God’s compassion and mercy, we must approach Him in prayer—not only as a duty. Prayer helps us get closer to God’s heart and becomes an essential element of our Lenten journey. Prayer softens our hearts and draws us closer to Him by allowing us to experience His transformational kindness.
We can hear God’s voice more clearly in the silence of prayer, just as He spoke to Israel in the desert (cf. Hos 2:14), calling us to come back to Him. We experience His mercy to a greater extent the more we allow His Word to enter our lives. This time of grace gives us the opportunity to become closer to God and be forgiven. If we believe that we have power over the moments of our conversion, we must not let this time pass in vain. Right now, in this exact season, we are being called to repent and renew our hearts by turning to God.
3.God’s Strong Desire to Talk to His Offspring
God has a strong desire to communicate with us, as the Paschal mystery makes clear. God is giving us another chance to be converted during this fresh season of grace, so we shouldn’t take it for granted. It’s an opportunity to think, a wake-up call that should rouse us from spiritual indolence. Even with all of the apparent evil and suffering in the world, the Lord nevertheless invites people to make amends.
Jesus’ crucifixion demonstrates God’s love and desire to heal and restore humanity because, despite his innocence, He took on our sins and became sin for us (cf. 2 Cor 5:21). It is a profound, transformative discussion with the living God, not only a surface-level interaction. During Lent, prayer gives us the chance to have this conversation and go beyond meaningless words or shallow exchanges. God wants to communicate with each of His children in a sincere way, not just to talk. The foundation of this conversation is the Paschal mystery, which reveals God’s merciful nature and exhorts us to respond to His love with sincerity and openness.
4.A Wealth Not Kept for Oneself But Shared
In order to embrace the Paschal mystery, one must acknowledge Christ’s wounds in the modern world. Christ’s suffering can be seen in the numerous innocent people who are victims of violence, whether it is environmental calamities, war, or attacks on life. Human trafficking, poverty, and the desire for financial gain that results in the exploitation of the weakest members of society are all examples of His suffering. We have the chance to interact with the world compassionately because of these injustices and wounds, understanding that Christ’s love asks us to be healers.
We are encouraged to share what we have and open our hearts to those in need during this Lenten season. Not only is almsgiving a significant component of our Lenten practice, but it also has the potential to change our hearts and contribute to the development of a more compassionate and just society. We run the risk of losing our humanity and our capacity to feel the depth of God’s love when we hoard or keep our resources to ourselves.
Charity makes us more fully human and allows us to manifest Christ’s love in real ways. In addition, I will bring together young economists, businesspeople, and activists in Assisi from March 26 to 28 this year to talk about how we can create a more equitable and inclusive economy. Similar to politics, the economy should be seen with an evangelical mindset that embodies the Beatitudes. Through these conversations and real-world initiatives, we may build a society in which the Paschal mystery is carried out in our everyday lives as well as celebrated in churches.
In conclusion,
As our Lenten journey progresses, we are encouraged to meditate on the Paschal mystery, open our hearts to God more completely, and answer His invitation to conversion. Allowing this chance to transform ourselves and bring us closer to God’s mercy and love is preferable to wasting it. Christ calls us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and we can become faithful disciples of Him by praying, giving alms, and being devoted to justice (cf. Mt 5:13-14). May Mary Most Holy pray for us, leading us along this road of healing and rebirth, so that we may become more virtuous and be changed by the Paschal mystery.
