The following is an excerpt of Pope Leo’s Lenten message. The full message may be found at Lent 2026: Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion
Dear brothers and sisters, Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.
Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about. For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled.
This year, I would first like to consider the importance of making room for the word through listening. The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone.
Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering. In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to teach us how to listen as he does.
If Lent is a time for listening, fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor.
However, in order to practice fasting in accordance with its evangelical character and avoid the temptation that leads to pride, it must be lived in faith and humility. It must be grounded in communion with the Lord, because “those who are unable to nourish themselves with the word of God do not fast properly.”
In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.
Finally, dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.
I impart my heartfelt blessing upon all of you and your Lenten journey. – Pope Leo XIV
Second Sunday of Lent: Readings and Reflections (Cycle A) – 1 March 2026
Genesis 12:1-4a – Where is the land of your kinsfolk? Have you ever been there? / Who is Abram? What do you know about him? What is his relationship to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?
Responsorial Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 – R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. – In what ways have you witnessed the earth being full of the kindness of the Lord? / What is the relationship between waiting, patience, and hope?
2nd Timothy 1:8b-10 – What strength has God provided to you to bear with your hardships? / What are the designs that God has for your holy life?
Matthew 17:1-9 – What is the purpose of the Transfiguration? Why does Lent always begin with the stories of the Temptation and the Transfiguration? / Do you feel good about your practice of the faith? Your spirituality? Your relationship with God? Where in your life do you need a bright light? How can this season of Lent help? / Why were the disciples asked to keep the vision private? Which aspects of your faith do you keep private? Which do you share?