On the First Sunday of Lent, Pope Leo XIV used his Angelus address to call the faithful to embrace this sacred season as a time of purification and renewal. Reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, the Holy Father reminded Catholics that Lent is not merely a period of sacrifice, but an opportunity to cooperate more fully with God’s grace and allow Him to shape our lives into what He intends them to be.
Drawing from Saint Matthew’s Gospel, the Pope pointed to Christ’s forty days in the desert, where He experienced hunger and endured the temptations of the devil. In both body and spirit, Jesus entered into the weight of human weakness. Yet by firmly rejecting the devil’s offers, He revealed that temptation can be overcome. The Lord’s victory in the desert is not distant from our own struggles. It shows that, through grace, we too can resist deception and choose fidelity to God.
The Holy Father described Lent as a luminous path, one marked by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These traditional practices are concrete ways of renewing our cooperation with the Lord. When we pray, we open ourselves to His voice. When we fast, we discipline our desires and remember our dependence on Him. When we give alms, we turn outward in charity. In this way, God cleanses what is stained by sin and heals what has been wounded, so that our lives may mature in love.
Pope Leo acknowledged that this journey requires effort and perseverance. The temptation to seek easier satisfactions is always present. The false promises of comfort, power, or self-sufficiency may appear attractive, yet they leave the human heart restless. They are substitutes that cannot fulfill the longing for communion with God. True joy is found not in grasping, but in surrender.
Recalling the teaching of Saint Paul VI, the Pope noted that penance enriches and strengthens our humanity. By recognizing our limitations and turning to God for help, we grow in freedom and deepen our communion with Him and with one another.
The Holy Father also encouraged the faithful to create space for silence by setting aside technology for a time, to meditate on Sacred Scripture, to approach the Sacraments, and to listen attentively to the Holy Spirit. He urged families and communities to listen to one another, and to show particular care for the elderly, the poor, and the sick. What we give up in this season can become a gift shared with those in need.
Entrusting this Lenten journey to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Leo prayed that she would guide her children through times of trial. In this holy season, the Church invites us to allow the Lord to purify and transform us, so that, by His grace, our lives may reflect the beauty of holiness and attain the fullness of love for which we were created.