As Catholics begin the season of Lent, Pope Francis has encouraged the faithful to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ with renewed hope. Despite being hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for treatment of double pneumonia, the Holy Father offered a profound catechesis on March 5, reflecting on Jesus’ mission and the significance of Ash Wednesday.
Jesus’ Mission and the Faith of His Parents
In his catechesis, Pope Francis reflected on the 12-year-old Jesus staying behind in the Temple of Jerusalem, as described in St. Luke’s Gospel. The Holy Father noted how Jesus, even as a child, was already living out his mission as the Son of God. “Jesus wants to live his vocation as the son of the Father who is at his service and lives immersed in his word,” he said, according to Vatican reports.
The Pope also emphasized the deep faith journey of Mary and Joseph, who had to grow in understanding their son’s divine mission. “Upon returning to the Temple,” the Pope said, “they discover that he who, in their eyes, until a short time before, was still a child to protect, suddenly seems grown up, capable now of getting involved in discussions on the Scriptures, of holding his own with the teachers of the law.”
Despite her unique role as the Mother of God, Mary was not exempt from the challenges of faith. The Pope explained, “Throughout this journey, the Virgin is a pilgrim of hope, in the strong sense that she becomes the ‘daughter of her Son,’ the first of his disciples.”
Ash Wednesday: A Call to Reflection and Hope
During his Ash Wednesday homily, which was read by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis at Rome’s Basilica of Saint Sabina, Pope Francis spoke on the significance of receiving ashes. He described the ashes as a reminder of both human frailty and Christian hope. “We bow our heads in order to receive the ashes,” he said, “as if to look at ourselves, to look within ourselves.” He continued, “Indeed, the ashes help to remind us that our lives are fragile and insignificant: we are dust, from dust we were created, and to dust we shall return.”
This fragility manifests in many ways—weariness, fears, failures, and suffering. But the Pope reminded Catholics that Lent is not only about acknowledging human weakness but also about embracing divine hope. “The ashes remind us,” he said, “of the hope to which we are called in Jesus, the Son of God, who has taken upon himself the dust of the earth and raised it to the heights of heaven.”
Pope Francis warned that without this hope, people may succumb to despair. Instead, he urged the faithful to use Lent as an opportunity to re-center their lives on Christ. “Let us place Him at the centre of our lives,” he said, “so that the memory of what we are—fragile and mortal as ashes scattered upon the wind—may finally be filled with the hope of the Risen Lord.”
Walking the Lenten Journey with Faith
Pope Francis’ reflections offer a powerful call to embrace Lent not with fear or discouragement, but with confidence in God’s mercy. By following Jesus’ example and drawing inspiration from Mary and Joseph’s faith, Catholics are invited to make this season a time of spiritual renewal. “Let us also set out in the footsteps of the Lord,” the Pope said in his catechesis, encouraging all believers to make Lent a journey of love, trust, and conversion.
As the Church embarks on this Lenten season, the Pope’s message serves as a reminder that while human frailty is undeniable, it is through Christ that we find strength and redemption. By walking this path with hope, Catholics can prepare their hearts to celebrate the victory of the Resurrection.
