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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On Wednesday, we began the season of Lent as we gathered for the celebration of Mass and accepted ashes as a sign of repentance. The acknowledgement of our need to repent of our sins is a vital first step in the Lenten journey and this year, to mark the Jubilee Year of Hope, I shall be visiting each Deanery for a Service of Reconciliation – a wonderful opportunity for us to experience the love and forgiveness of God, who never leaves us and always calls us to Him.

Let us continue our prayers for the Holy Father, joining our brothers and sisters across the world and those who gather to pray in St Peter’s Square each evening. May the Holy Father know the healing presence of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday, as we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent, we find the Lord in the desert. He is tempted for 40 days – thus our Lent is 40 days – and rejects all the attempts of Satan to overcome him. In a consumerist world, Jesus’ rejection of nourishment at a time when he is hungry, calls us to place our trust in Him, rather than in the things of this world.

His rejection of worldly power is a reminder that humanity is not all-powerful. This is an important reminder to us in these present times, when there is so much conflict and when the world order is so fragile. We are also in a time when the value of human life is not respected. This Lent, let us pray ever more ardently for peace, for all who exercise government and for all who feel threatened in these present times. Moreover, let us do all we can to bring peace and justice to our own sphere of life, for this will proclaim Christ to the world.

Finally, Jesus' outright rejection of Satan calls us to do the same – to expel from our lives all that would lead us away from the way of the Gospel, the way that leads to life through the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, that we prepare to celebrate in this wonderful season.

With every blessing,

+Richard

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