Holy Lent, 40 days of prayer and penitence, in preparation for the celebration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection from the dead of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Lent is also a journey that we should experience as a journey of liberation by which we are freed from all that weighs us down and open our hearts to God and our neighbour. Ideally, this journey is based on three practices that are important to the Lord: charity, prayer and fasting, which, if coming from the heart, should make the journey one of conversion and renewal.
Charity opens the heart to one’s neighbour. Prayer opens the heart to God. Through fasting I learn how to look after myself as well as understand that I can leave everything that distracts me and turn toward God and discover how good and merciful He is.
During the period of Lent, the Church encourages Christians to read the Word of God, participate in the sacraments and in spiritual exercises. This year, the Archdiocese of Malta, together with the Parish Secretariat, has prepared the website https://hinijiet.knisja.mt/ which includes celebrations and activities related to Lent. The days and times of spiritual exercises, as well as activities linked to Holy Week in parishes in Malta, may be found on this website which shall be updated throughout Lent.
During this time, one can also access soter.church.mt which includes original and traditional prayers that speak to contemporary Maltese reality. The prayer includes five collections of paintings, specially produced by Maltese artists to accompany the prayer, so as to remind us of the light of the Gospel that floods our islands, as Pope Francis reminded us in his Apostolic Visit last year.