Each year, the season of Lent calls Christians to renew their hearts and prepare for the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection—the foundation of faith and the wellspring of Christian joy. The Pope’s message reminds believers that this mystery of divine love continues to grow within us as we open ourselves to its transforming power. The resurrection is not a distant story but a living invitation to encounter the love of God that frees and renews.
Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the faithful are encouraged to enter into a deeper dialogue with God. Prayer, he writes, is not mere duty but a response to love—a way to soften hardened hearts and rediscover the mercy that always precedes us. This encounter allows us to see Christ present in the suffering, the poor, and the wounded of our world. Lent, then, becomes not a season of sorrow but of awakening—an opportunity to be “reborn forever” through the mercy of the crucified and risen Lord.
The Pope also emphasizes that conversion must lead to compassion. To place the Paschal Mystery at the center of life is to feel the pain of others and respond through tangible acts of love—helping those affected by war, injustice, poverty, and exploitation. Charity, he reminds, makes us more human, while hoarding and indifference isolate us. Christians are called not only to share material wealth but to participate in creating a fairer economic and social order guided by justice and mercy.