Pope Francis penned an interesting reflection on Lent a few years ago that I think is very simple, yet powerful and very poignant.

‘Lent invites us to conversion,’ Francis wrote, ‘to a change in mindset, so that life’s truth and beauty may be found not so much in possessing as in giving, not so much in accumulating as in sharing and sowing goodness.’

The kind of conversion that Lent calls us to is what we are summoned to every day. Lent ‘is in some way an image’ of life itself. Part of this conversion is the willingness to sow goodness in the life of others; even when we do not see the fruits of what we sow, no act of love, no matter how small, Pope Francis says, will be lost in the eyes of God.

“Let us not grow tired of doing good.”

The endurance we are called to is not a matter of human effort alone; it is the result of God’s grace, a grace that strengthens the weak and gives youthfulness to the old. Faith does not release us from the storms of life, but instead allows us to face them in union with Jesus.

“Only the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ triumphs over the dark waters of death.”

There was one addiction Pope Francis pointed to for us to be aware of: ‘digital media’. The Pope encouraged us to use the Lenten season to cultivate more integral forms of human communication, made up of ‘authentic encounters’ with real people.

Lent is a period of abstinence, fasting, repentance and reflection and it is common to give up something for the 40-day season. Typical sacrifices include excessive spending, unhealthy foods or bad habits. Perhaps some sacrifice towards less use of digital or social media might be worth considering.

Mr John Bormolini
Principal