Each year, Lent invites us to pause and reflect on our lives. It is a time to return to God and rediscover what truly matters. In his message for Lent 2026, Pope Leo XIII invites us to focus on two important actions: listening and fasting.
He reminds us that Lent is a time to put God back at the center of our lives, so that our hearts are not lost in daily worries and distractions. Our world is full of noise. We listen to news, messages, social media, and countless opinions. But often, we don't truly listen to God, to others, or even to ourselves. The Pope affirms that every path of conversion begins when we welcome the Word of God and allow it to transform us.
Learning to Listen
Listening is the first step of love. God hears the cry of those who suffer and invites us to do the same. Scripture helps us recognize the voices that cry out from suffering and injustice, so that they do not go unanswered. For missionaries and all Christians, this is very real. Listening means hearing the struggles of families, migrants, the poor, the lonely, and young people who feel lost. Sometimes we want to speak quickly or give immediate answers. But Lent teaches us to stop and listen first.Listening also means making space for silence. In silence, we discover what fills our hearts. We learn to listen to God speaking in prayer, in Scripture, and in the people around us.
Rediscovering Fasting
Often, fasting is understood only as abstaining from food. But the Pope explains that fasting is much more. It helps us discover what we truly long for. It teaches us to reorder our desires and keep alive our thirst for justice.Fasting can also be very practical. The Pope invites us to fast from hurtful words. He encourages us to stop gossiping, insulting, and making hasty judgments. We are asked to disarm our language and learn to speak kindly, in our families, at work, and even on social media.
This is a very real challenge. Words can wound deeply. But they can also heal and give hope. A Lenten fast from our tongues can transform relationships and bring peace.
A Journey Together
Lent is not a journey we walk alone. The Pope reminds us that conversion is also a communal one. Families, parishes, and communities are invited to walk together. Listening to God and the cry of the poor must become a shared way of life.
This means building communities where people feel heard and welcomed. It means creating spaces where those who suffer find support and hope. I suggest that this Lent you take an interest in the virtues of those around you, since the faults of others are easy to identify, but virtues are not so easy to spot. You will see that in this way we can create more united communities. Have a blessed Lenten journey.
