May Mary accompany us on this penitential journey

What does the Church mean in this holy season of Lent, teaching us to fast with our eyes, ears, and tongue? This isn’t about doing "extraordinary" things (beware of pride!) but simply about taking our Christian life seriously, always aware that our actions here below will determine our eternal fate.

Pope Benedict XVI said that this time of Lent is "a time of fasting, penance, and vigilance over ourselves, convinced that the struggle against sin never ends, for temptation is a reality that we face every day, and everyone experiences fragility and illusion." Without this spiritual struggle against the devil, the world, and ourselves, it will be difficult for us to be raised with Jesus Christ on Easter morning.

Because of this, Lent is also a special time of Christian repentance: the admission of one's own sins through the sacrament of confession is not a time to sink into despair, but on the contrary it is the possibility of experiencing the grace and the infinite Mercy of the Lord, which are a source of conversion. Let us take advantage of it!

May Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, model of listening and faithful obedience to God, accompany us in this penitential journey. May she help us, as we are purified and renewed in our hearts and minds, to celebrate the great mystery of the Passover of Christ.

Father Silvio Moreno, IVE (Institute of the Incarnate Word)

Rector of the Tunis Cathedral (Tunisia)