From Christmas to Lunar New Year and then to Ash Wednesday, time truly flies. Today marks the Second Sunday of Lent—a vital period of preparation for the celebration of Easter. Lent is the season for preparing ourselves for Easter through the stages of the Sacraments of Initiation, including the Rite of Election and Scrutinies, as catechumens prepare to receive the Paschal Sacraments.
The Lenten liturgy also invites the faithful to prepare for Easter by commemorating their baptism, engaging in persistent prayer, repentance, and penance. Let us embrace this season wholeheartedly, with a renewed spirit and unwavering commitment.
Lent began on Ash Wednesday, 18 February, when Pope Leo XIV imposed ashes during Mass and urged the faithful in his homily to recognise our own sins so that we may change for the better. This act foreshadows bears witness to the Resurrection. Lent has a penitential character; we must admit our faults to others and bear all consequences, though this is certainly not easy.
Easier said than done, we are often hindered by the concept of “face” (appearances], shifting blame to others and absolving ourselves. Let us seize this opportunity to firmly resolve to change, repent, and transform our lives together with our communities.
Commit to more self-denial, fasting, and works of charity. Reflect: during the bustling and joyful Lunar New Year, besides indulging in enjoyment, did you take the time to visit family? Did you care for the vulnerable in your district, sending festive blessings and sharing the joy? Let us reach out, act, and embody compassion.
In his Lenten message, Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion, Pope Leo XIV said that listening to the Word of God helps hear the true aspirations of the people. He also made concrete suggestions for people to observe for fasting, such as “say fewer hurtful things and give more space to listen to others.”
Beyond repentance, Lent calls us to conversion. “Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life: a return, a conversion to God with all our heart; an end of sin; a turning away from evil, with repugnance towards the evil actions we have committed. At the same time, it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1431]. Let us resolve to turn wholeheartedly to God, trusting in his mercy and grace to transform us.
Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., in his Lenten Pastoral Letter, urged us to devote ourselves—through listening and discernment in the Spirit—to conversion of heart, mind, and habits.
Expand your heart: embrace those outside your circle and those you may have avoided, whether intentionally or unintentionally, regardless of Church membership or communion. Now is the time to build bridges and foster unity.
Let us continually deepen the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love for God. Strive to become messengers of hope, so that others may see through us the hope bestowed by the Lord Jesus, and together partake in his Paschal Mystery. Embrace this Lenten journey—allow your life to reflect the promise of Easter. SE
