As Lent 2025 begins, Pope Francis is calling on Catholics around the world to embrace the season as a time of reflection, conversion, and hope. In his annual Lenten 2025 message shared by the Holy See Press Office, the pope urges the faithful to see themselves as “pilgrims of hope,” walking together in faith and trust in God’s promises.
“The Church, our mother and teacher, invites us to open our hearts to God’s grace,” Pope Francis says, reminding believers that Lent is a time to prepare for the joy of Christ’s victory over sin and death. Quoting Saint Paul, he reflects on the core of the Christian faith: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:54-55).
The pope’s message centers on three key ideas: journeying, journeying together, and journeying in hope.
For Pope Francis, the Christian life is a journey, one that requires movement, reflection, and courage. He connected this idea to the Jubilee motto, Pilgrims of Hope, and compares the Lenten experience to the biblical exodus, when the people of Israel traveled from slavery to freedom. He also draws a parallel to modern migration, urging people to consider the struggles of those forced to leave their homes in search of safety and a better life.
“All of us are pilgrims in this life,” he said. “Am I really on a journey, or am I stuck — paralyzed by fear, complacency, or attachment to comfort?” He challenged believers to reflect on whether they are actively growing in faith or simply going through the motions.
As a Lenten exercise, he encouraged people to put themselves in the shoes of migrants and refugees, using empathy as a tool for self-examination.
Pope Francis said that faith isn’t a solo journey. The Church, he said, is called to be synodal, a community that walks together. “Journeying together means recognizing our shared dignity as children of God,” he says, pointing to Galatians 3:26-28.
He challenged believers to think about whether they truly live in a spirit of unity. “Do we listen to others? Do we make people feel welcome, or do we keep them at a distance?” he asks. This, he explains, is a key part of conversion: shifting from self-centeredness to genuine connection with others.
The pope’s final point is about hope, something he described as the “anchor of the soul.” He quoted Pope Benedict XVI’s Spe Salvi, reminding believers that at the heart of human longing is the need for unconditional love. “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39), he said, pointing to the deep assurance that faith brings.
“Christ, my hope, has risen!” Pope Francis proclaimed. He urged people to trust in God’s promise of eternal life and to let that hope shape how they live, treat others, and engage with the world. “Do I truly trust in God’s mercy?” he asked. “Or do I act as if I can save myself?”
Quoting Saint Teresa of Avila, he reminded the faithful that life moves quickly, and the call to hope is urgent: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour.”
