Lent 2025

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR LENT 2024

Dear brothers and sisters!

When our God reveals himself, his message is always one of freedom: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex 20:2). These are the first words of the Decalogue given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Those who heard them were quite familiar with the exodus of which God spoke: the experience of their bondage still weighed heavily upon them. In the desert, they received the “Ten Words” as a thoroughfare to freedom. We call them “commandments”, in order to emphasize the strength of the love by which God shapes his people. The call to freedom is a demanding one. It is not answered straightaway; it has to mature as part of a journey. Just as Israel in the desert still clung to Egypt – often longing for the past and grumbling against the Lord and Moses – today too, God’s people can cling to an oppressive bondage that it is called to leave behind. We realize how true this is at those moments when we feel hopeless, wandering through life like a desert and lacking a promised land as our destination. Lent is the season of grace in which the desert can become once more – in the words of the prophet Hosea – the place of our first love (cf. Hos 2:16-17). God shapes his people, he enables us to leave our slavery behind and experience a Passover from death to life. Like a bridegroom, the Lord draws us once more to himself, whispering words of love to our hearts.

To read the full message, click here (En).

Eucharistic Adoration - Church of the Presentation

MENSAJE DEL SANTO PADRE FRANCISCO PARA LA CUARESMA 2024

Queridos hermanos y hermanas:

Cuando nuestro Dios se revela, comunica la libertad: «Yo soy el Señor, tu Dios, que te hice salir de Egipto, de un lugar de esclavitud» (Ex 20,2). Así se abre el Decálogo dado a Moisés en el monte Sinaí. El pueblo sabe bien de qué éxodo habla Dios; la experiencia de la esclavitud todavía está impresa en su carne. Recibe las diez palabras de la alianza en el desierto como camino hacia la libertad. Nosotros las llamamos “mandamientos”, subrayando la fuerza del amor con el que Dios educa a su pueblo. La llamada a la libertad es, en efecto, una llamada vigorosa. No se agota en un acontecimiento único, porque madura durante el camino. Del mismo modo que Israel en el desierto lleva todavía a Egipto dentro de sí ―en efecto, a menudo echa de menos el pasado y murmura contra el cielo y contra Moisés―, también hoy el pueblo de Dios lleva dentro de sí ataduras opresoras que debe decidirse a abandonar. Nos damos cuenta de ello cuando nos falta esperanza y vagamos por la vida como en un páramo desolado, sin una tierra prometida hacia la cual encaminarnos juntos. La Cuaresma es el tiempo de gracia en el que el desierto vuelve a ser ―como anuncia el profeta Oseas― el lugar del primer amor (cf. Os 2,16-17). Dios educa a su pueblo para que abandone sus esclavitudes y experimente el paso de la muerte a la vida. Como un esposo nos atrae nuevamente hacia sí y susurra palabras de amor a nuestros corazones.

Para leer el mensaje completo, haga clic aquí (Sp).

What is Ash Wednesday?

History of Ash Wednesday

From the beginning of the 2nd century, Christians began preparing for Easter with two days of fasting and penitence. Later, this practice was applied to all of Holy Week. By 325, the Council of Nicea already testifies to a 40-day preparation for Easter, after the “model” of Jesus who spent 40 days in the desert—not to mention other highly significant 40-day or 40-year periods such as the flood that lasted 40 days and 40 nights, the 40-year sojourn of the people of Israel in the desert, and the 40 days in which Moses fasted on Mount Sinai, or Elijah on Mount Horeb.

At first, Lent began six Sundays prior to Easter. But given the fact that Sundays were not fast days, beginning in the 5th century, Holy Thursday and Good Friday were separated from the Easter Triduum, and were calculated as part of the forty days of Lent. It was later decided to anticipate the beginning of Lent by four days. Thus, Ash Wednesday was designated as the beginning of Lent and the public penitence required by those who had committed serious crimes (apostasy, murder, adultery). Dressed in penitential dress, and sprinkled with ashes, these penitents would circulate throughout the cities, reminders of those who are “thrown out of paradise”. Toward the end of the 11th century, the practice of public penance began to fade out, and the practice of imposing ashes on the faithful took its place. In the 12th century, it became customary to obtain the ashes from the olive (or palm) branches used the previous year.

For more from the vatican, click here (En).
Historia del Miércoles de Ceniza

MIÉRCOLES DE CENA - Febrero 22, 2023

Desde el siglo II, los cristianos se preparaban para la Pascua con dos días de ayuno y penitencia; posteriormente, estas prácticas se extendieron a toda la Semana Santa. En el año 325, el Concilio de Nicea ya conocía la preparación de la Pascua durante 40 días, sobre el modelo de Jesús, que pasó 40 días en el desierto. Recordemos también los 40 años en el desierto del pueblo de Israel y los 40 días de ayuno de Moisés en el Sinaí y de Elías en el Horeb.

Al principio, la Cuaresma comenzaba seis domingos antes de la Pascua; pero como los domingos no se ayunaba, en el siglo V se procedió a separar el Jueves y el Viernes Santo del Triduo Pascual para contarlos como Cuaresma. Más tarde, se decidió anticipar la Cuaresma cuatro días, y así se llegó al actual Miércoles de Ceniza.

El inicio de la Cuaresma marcaba también el comienzo de la penitencia pública de los culpables de delitos graves (apostasía, asesinato, adulterio): después de la imposición de la ceniza, recorrían la ciudad vestidos con ropas penitenciales, para recordar la expulsión del Paraíso. Estos penitentes celebraban la reconciliación el Jueves Santo.

Hacia finales del año mil, la práctica de la penitencia pública disminuyó, pero se mantuvo la imposición de la ceniza a todos los fieles. En el siglo XII, surgió la costumbre de obtener las cenizas quemando los ramos de olivo bendecidos el Domingo de Ramos del año anterior.

Para leer más del vaticano, haga clic aquí (Sp).

What is Lent?

Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully. We recall the waters of baptism in which we were also baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.

Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection. In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God's gifts—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: "Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446).

In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their desire to become Catholics.

https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/lent

Let us bow low to Jesus, admit our sinfulness before him, and count on him to “complete the good work he has begun in us…” (cf. Phil 1:6).

Penance

Additional resources for preparing oneself for celebrating the Sacrament of Penance may be found on our Sacrament of Reconciliation page.

Se pueden encontrar recursos adicionales para prepararse para la celebración del Sacramento de la Penitencia en en nuestra página del Sacramento de la Reconciliación.

LENT - RESOURCES IN ENGLISH

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May God bless you during this special season!

PRESENCE: THE MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST

FEARLESS

Set to release on Ash Wednesday, Fearless will help you make this Lent impactful and spiritually fruitful. This new seven-part series is brought to you in partnership with Real Life Catholic and FORMED.

Time and again, the people of God are called to be courageous and "be not afraid." Yet we live in a time where fear seems to guide our very existence. Don’t miss this exciting series with a special weekly guest as we follow Jesus into the wilderness.

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FORETOLD

Our world is full of noise. Often, that noise is loud and negative. When was the last time you heard something good on the news? Because of the constant intake of “bad news,” many people no longer believe in the Providence of God, nor trust that he has a plan for us.

Maybe this is you. Perhaps you think God doesn't have a plan for you and your family. But Jesus is the Lord of History, yours included. What was promised in the biblical story came to pass through Jesus, his apostles, and the Church. Ultimately, this biblical history is your history. Just as the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled, you can trust that Jesus will care for you and your story. Encounter this profound mystery and reality for yourself in Foretold.

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DIVINE MERCY IN THE SECOND GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

WHOLE 40: MAKING A SPIRITUAL PLAN FOR LENT

Make a plan for this holy and grace-filled season. Sit down with Dr. Ben Akers and Dr. Elizabeth Klein to discuss the purpose of the season of Lent, how to prepare for it, and why it is such a fruitful season in our life of faith.

Click the button below to sign up for Daily Lenten Reflections with Dr. Tim Gray as he opens up the Scriptures throughout this holy season.

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DAILY REFLECTIONS

ETERNAL REST: THE ART OF DYING WELL

We all have very real questions about death. What happens when we die? What does Scripture teach about death? How do we prepare for the life to come? Explore the mystery of death, dying, and everlasting life through Eternal Rest, a new offering of the Augustine Institute.

Eternal Rest examines the origin of death, the afterlife, and the powerful reality around the sacrament that ushers us into eternal life. Eternal Rest presents the Catholic Church’s teaching about death and God’s response to it with wisdom and truth, gentleness and compassion, so we can think about and prepare for death in the light of Jesus Christ, the Author of life.

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