Although Lent is commonly thought of in terms of darkness and sadness, it is rather, an intensely meaningful time for the Church, says Benedict XVI. The Pope stated this in a homily for Ash Wednesday, during a Mass he presided over in the Roman Basilica of St. Sabina.
“In common opinion, this time runs the risk of being marked by sadness, by the darkness of life,” the Pontiff stated. “Instead, it is a precious gift of God; it is an intense time full of meaning in the journey of the Church; it is the itinerary to the Lord’s Easter.” He noted that Lent is “about putting into practice an attitude of genuine conversion to God — of return to him — recognizing his holiness, his power, his majesty. And this conversion is possible because God is rich in mercy and great in love,” the Holy Father said.
“His is a regenerating mercy, which creates a pure heart in us, renews our interior in a firm spirit, restoring to us the joy of salvation,” he added.
Benedict XVI affirmed, “God, in fact, does not will the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live.”
Lent is “a journey of forty days where we can experience in an effective way the merciful love of God,” the Pope said.
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 10, 2011 (Zenit.org)