Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others \u2014 and to \u201cdisarm\u201d their language by fasting from words that wound \u2014 in his message for Lent 2026.<\/p>\n
In his message for Lent 2026, Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others \u2014 and to \u201cdisarm\u201d their language by fasting from words that wound.<\/p>\n
The Lenten season begins Feb. 18 with Ash Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In the message, released Feb. 13, the pope offers a simple definition of Lent as a time when the Church \u201cinvites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He encourages Catholics to allow the word of God to touch their hearts with docility so that Lent may become \u201ca welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
Listening to God and the cry of the poor<\/p>\n
The Holy Father first highlights the importance of listening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n
Listening to sacred Scripture, he says, teaches believers to recognize and respond to suffering in the world.<\/p>\n
Quoting his own apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, he adds that Catholics must recognize that \u201cthe condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entering into this interior openness means allowing God to teach us to listen as he does, he writes, so that faith shapes both personal conversion and social responsibility.<\/p>\n
Fasting, including from harmful speech<\/p>\n
Turning to the traditional Lenten practice of fasting, the pope describes abstaining from food as \u201can ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrecisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we \u2018hunger\u2019 for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance,\u201d he writes. It helps believers to \u201cidentify and order our \u2018appetites,\u2019 keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quoting St. Augustine, he notes that the human heart expands through desire for God. \u201cUnderstood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he stresses that fasting must be lived \u201cin faith and humility\u201d and grounded in communion with the Lord.<\/p>\n
In this context, the pope proposes a specific Lenten resolution: \u201ca very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves,\u201d he writes. \u201cInstead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
A shared journey toward conversion<\/p>\n
Finally, Pope Leo XIV emphasizes the communal dimension of Lent, recalling that Scripture frequently presents fasting and listening to the word of God as shared acts of repentance and renewal.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur parishes, families, ecclesial groups, and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent,\u201d he writes, where listening to the word of God and to \u201cthe cry of the poor and of the earth\u201d becomes part of community life.<\/p>\n
He underscores that conversion concerns not only individual conscience but also relationships and dialogue. It means \u201callowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires \u2014 both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity\u2019s thirst for justice and reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concluding, the pope invites the faithful to ask for grace and strength during the penitential season.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us,\u201d he writes. \u201cLet us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acest articol a fost publicat ini\u021bial de ACI Prensa, serviciul de limb\u0103 spaniol\u0103 al EWTN News. Ea a fost tradus\u0103 \u0219i adaptat\u0103 de EWTN News English.<\/p>\n