Lenten Message 2025 (click for Translations)

LENTEN MESSAGE
OF THE INTERNATIONAL AUGUSTINIANS

Jubilee Year of Hope – A Time of Renewal and Mission

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we enter the sacred time of Lent, in the context of the Jubilee Year of Hope, we are reminded of the great call to renewal, conversion, and a renewed commitment to our faith. It is a time of grace, a period of preparing our hearts to fully embrace the Paschal mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. However, this year’s Lent takes on a special significance, as it falls within an extraordinary Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Francis— a year dedicated to the transformative power of hope.

The Jubilee Year, as presented in the document Spes Non Confundit (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), invites us to rediscover the hope that arises from faith in God, especially in a world marked by suffering, uncertainty, and doubt. As Augustinians, we are called not only to be witnesses of this hope but also to actively work to spread it in a world thirsty for love, justice, and renewal.

Lent – A Journey of Renewal in the Jubilee Year of Hope

Lent has always been a time of transformation—a journey that reflects Christ’s forty days in the desert. It is a period of deepening prayer, renewing commitment to the Gospel life, and expressing our faith through concrete acts of love and justice. This year, our Lenten experience takes on even greater significance due to the Jubilee Year of Hope. The biblical concept of the jubilee is deeply rooted in the tradition of liberation and renewal. In the Old Testament, the Jubilee Year (Leviticus 25) was a time of freedom, when debts were forgiven, the oppressed were set free, and justice was restored. In this same spirit, our Lenten practices should lead us not only to personal conversion but also to a commitment to social renewal, building a world of justice, peace, and fraternity.

Pope Francis, in Spes Non Confundit, writes: “Hope that does not disappoint is born of faith, from the certainty that God walks with us even in the most difficult moments of our lives. It is a hope that goes beyond suffering, beyond injustice, beyond conflicts, trusting that the Lord makes all things new.” Lent calls us to embrace this hope with renewed zeal, ensuring that our faith is not static but dynamic, constantly striving to reveal ever more fully the love of God in the world.

Bringing Hope to a Troubled World

Today, the world is in desperate need of hope. In every corner of the planet, countless people experience violence, poverty, exile, and ecological disasters. Our mission as the Augustinian family is not confined within the walls of monasteries, schools, and churches but extends to the peripheries, where Christ Himself is present among those who suffer and are abandoned. Our service in education, pastoral care, social engagement, and the stewardship of creation must become a sign of hope, a place of encounter with the living presence of Christ. This is our calling: to be instruments of reconciliation, healing, and renewal in a world too often marked by despair.

Saint Augustine reminds us: “Hope has two beautiful daughters: Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are and Courage to ensure they do not remain as they are”. This Lent, we are called to embrace both attitudes: a holy indignation in the face of the world’s injustices and a courageous commitment to love and action.

Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Peripheries – Walking with Those Who Suffer

Pope Francis often reminds us of the importance of the peripheries—those places where suffering is most intense, where people feel abandoned, and where hope seems to fade. In Spes Non Confundit, he exhorts us to “walk together with the wounded, the refugees, the forgotten, and those who carry the cross of poverty and rejection.”

During our Lenten pilgrimage, let us turn our gaze toward:

• Refugees – Millions of people are forced to leave their homelands due to war, persecution, and violence. They need not only humanitarian aid but also the hope that they are not forgotten.
• The Persecuted Church – In many parts of the world, Christians suffer for their faith. Let us support them through prayer and action.
• The Poor and the Homeless – Economic inequalities continue to grow. This Lent, let us reflect on our responsibility toward those who struggle for daily survival.
• Victims of Natural Disasters – Climate-related catastrophes force entire communities to migrate. How can we, as believers, respond to this crisis?
• The Spiritually Lost – Many wander without direction, overwhelmed by despair. May our words and actions be a light that rekindles hope in their hearts.

Tenth Anniversary of Laudato Si’ and the Sustainable Development Goals

This year’s Lent coincides with an important anniversary—the tenth year since the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and the ongoing implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Laudato Si’ teaches us that caring for the poor and caring for creation are deeply interconnected. Pope Francis writes: “The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor cannot be separated. Environmental degradation is a symptom of a deeper moral crisis, affecting the way we see our brothers and sisters and our common home.” (Laudato Si’, 49).

As the Augustinian family, we are called not only to spiritual renewal but also to ecological conversion—to make choices that protect both the dignity of the poor and the integrity of creation. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, which urge us to act for the eradication of poverty, the promotion of peace, and the fight against climate change. Our commitment to these goals is a concrete expression of a faith that is lived out in action.

Recognizing the Healing Face of Christ in a Wounded World

The Gospel reminds us that Christ is present in the least among us:
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40). This Lent, let us commit ourselves to recognizing the healing face of Christ, not only in the Eucharist but also in:

• the hungry child, longing for food and dignity;
• the elderly person, feeling forgotten and alone;
• the migrant and refugee, searching for safety and a new beginning;
• the very earth itself, groaning under the weight of exploitation and degradation.

To live Lent authentically means seeing Christ in each of these realities and responding to His presence with love, justice, and mercy.

Embracing Lent as a Call to Action

As we journey through this sacred time, let us allow the grace of Lent to shape our hearts and transform our lives. It is a time to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s love, to open ourselves to God’s healing power, and to become authentic witnesses of hope in a world thirsting for redemption. Our faith journey is never solitary—Lent reminds us that we walk together as a community, supporting one another and reaching out to those who suffer, are abandoned, or seek meaning.

The spirit of the Jubilee calls us to go beyond personal devotion and actively engage in renewing the world around us. The Gospel urges us to look beyond ourselves and recognize Christ in the hungry, the homeless, the refugees, the persecuted, and all those who bear the wounds of injustice and suffering. This recognition cannot remain passive; it demands a response—one rooted in love, mercy, and a commitment to building a more just and compassionate society.

As the Augustinian family, we are called to tirelessly seek the truth, to serve without ceasing those on the margins, and to embody the joy of the Gospel in all that we do. Lent is not just a time of fasting and reflection but a journey of profound conversion—a call to live with greater authenticity, to deepen our sense of solidarity, and to care for both our brothers and sisters and our common home.

May this season of grace be for us an opportunity to renew our faith, strengthen our hope, and deepen our love. As we walk the Lenten path with humility and generosity, let us prepare our hearts for the encounter with the Risen Christ, our true and eternal hope.

In Deum,

Rev. Fr. Victor Fernandez Gonzaga, OSA

Representative of the Augustinian Order to the United Nations

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