Let Us Journey together in Hope: Lent 2025

"We will share with others, including people of different faiths and no religious faith, the joys and struggles of this spiritual journey." (Chapter Statement)

In his message for Lent 2025 (5 March - 17 April) Pope Francis invites us to 'journey together in hope". He explores his theme in three parts - what it means to journey, what it means to journey together and what it means to journey together in hope.

He reminds us that,"A first call to conversion thus comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life; each of us is invited to stop and ask how our lives reflect this fact." He continues by presenting us with questions for reflection, "Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone? Am I seeking ways to leave behind the occasions of sin and situations that degrade my dignity?

We learn that journeying together means "walking side-by-side, without shoving or stepping on others, without envy or hypocrisy, without letting anyone be left behind or exclude".

To journey together in hope we are reminded is "to trust in God and his great promise of eternal life", for that hope "enables me to interpret the events of history and inspires in me a commitment to justice and fraternity, to care for our common home and in such a way that no one feels excluded".

• Read the complete text of the Pope's message here