Journeying Through Lent

Daily Insights from Pope Francis

By Father (Dr) Sajith Cyriac SSP

ST PAULS, 58/23rd Road, TPS III, Bandra West, Mumbai

400 050, India

ISBN 978-81-19597-44-4 / Year 2025 / Pp 152 / INR 180

Behold! It's that time of the year when we prepare to celebrate the most sacred mysteries of the Faith: the Easter Triduum. This preparatory period is commonly known as LENT. Essentially, the word "Lent" comes from the Old English word, lencten which means "spring season"; Lent thus emerging as a season of spiritual spring-cleaning.

Lent calls us to ponder over what sort of 'spring cleaning' we can each undertake with regard to living our Christian lives fruitfully. To begin with, Ash Wednesday invites us to take a long, hard look at our own inner self, and see what we can 'alt+delete' so to say—often a much harder task than perceived! Nevertheless, the good news is that just as we can call for help with cleaning out the nooks and crannies of our dwelling places prior to Christmas, here's help handy for our Lenten Spring-cleaning that could duly lead us from 'Dusk to Grace' (p 11): JOURNEYING THROUGH LENT - Daily Insights from Pope Francis.

Painstakingly brought to us by the prolific writer, Fr (Dr) Sajith Cyriac SSP [this is his 23rd title], courtesy India's premium Catholic publishers, ST PAULS, the book offers the reader the resources needed for journeying closely with Jesus during this holy season – Pope Francis' insights lighting the way. Reflecting on this journey, Pope Francis in his homily of March 6, 2019, said, "... in life's journey, ... what really matters is not to lose sight of the goal. If what interests us as we travel, however, is looking at the scenery or stopping to eat, we will not get far. We should ask ourselves: On the journey of life, do I seek the way forward? Or am I satisfied with living in the moment and thinking only of feeling good, solving some problems, and having fun? The Lord is the goal of our journey in this world. The direction must lead to him" (p 9). An apt reminder that Lent, more than just a season, is an opportunity to realign our lives with the ultimate goal of our faith – union with God.

Being a journey, Lent is not about arriving at a destination, but about experiencing a transformation along the way. The Gospel, as a whole, offers a powerful model for this pilgrimage into Jesus' 40 days sojourn in the desert—a time of solitude, prayer, and confrontation with temptation, besides being a time of clarification and purpose. Thus, each day of our Lenten sojourn with JOURNEYING THROUGH LENT… begins with some insight of the Pope that helps hit the nail on its head. Pope Francis, easily one of the world's most beloved spiritual leaders, has a unique way of speaking: from the heart directly to the heart, offering profound truths that resonate with our lives. The reflections that follow clarify his message, urging self-introspection on the part of the reader. Enhancing your spiritual experience is each day's reflection that includes:

*A scripture passage to anchor our day in God's Word;

*Thought-provoking questions to foster meditation and self-exploration;

*A heartfelt prayer to deepen our connection with God; and

*Practical action steps to integrate the message into our daily lives.

As we journey through Lent, may the thoughts and words of Pope Francis encapsulated by the author in JOURNEYING THROUGH LENT… spark in us (for the 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday) moments of quiet contemplation that lead to meaningful action. Thus may our springtime this year, backed by this timely input from the Chief Editor of ST PAULS/BETTER YOURSELF BOOKS, Mumbai revitalise our lives, our families, our homes and our communities.

Ladislaus Louis D'Souza