Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

During Lent, the Church invites us to a special time of prayer, fasting and abstinence, and almsgiving. Each action represents a particular invitation. Prayer is an invitation to a renewed relationship with God – to express our needs and the needs of those around us, trusting in God’s goodness and love. The spiritual practice of fasting and abstinence, whether from food or some other goods, is an invitation to a renewed focus and a realisation of our dependence on God. Finally, almsgiving is an invitation to turn our attention from ourselves and towards the needs of others, “willing the good of the other” for their own sake.

In the first reading of Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel reminds us that God desires us to come back to him with all our hearts. This is true for us too, especially as we enter our Lenten journey in this Year of Jubilee. Our Lenten observances are about the good they produce in us—turning back to God—and not simply their external effects. As the prophet says, “let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn”. The Jewish practice of tearing their garments, or “keriah”, symbolises mourning, an expression of grief, or religious observance. The symbolism of torn garments matters very little if it does not lead us to have broken hearts, causing us to “turn to the Lord [our] God again”.

When we hear “broken hearts”, we can think of the heartbreak of the ending of a relationship or the loss of a loved one, but brokenheartedness before God is quite different. Consider the hard heart of the Pharaoh in Egypt, who remained unmoved even after the many signs of God—he could not see his error, nor would he turn to God. On the other hand, a broken heart symbolises the desire to turn towards God, a heart open to healing. As painful and humbling as it can be, this is our reason for Lent. In embracing brokenheartedness—a posture of humility—our hearts can become open. Then, with a renewed spirit, we can meet Jesus in his triumph of Palm Sunday, pray with him in sorrow through his passion, and joyfully celebrate his victory over death on Easter Sunday. We become students of prayer, fasting and abstinence, and almsgiving with particular fervour in Lent, that we might find ourselves open-hearted in Holy Week and ready to receive the gift of the Easter Triduum, deeply conscious of our need for God.

In this Jubilee year, our Lenten journey takes on an extra significance as “Pilgrims of Hope”. As I said in our diocesan Lenten program, Metanoia, “Christian hope, the Holy Father reminds us has enduring power that ‘does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love’. In this confidence, we walk with trust, even amid the uncertainties of life and press towards the promise given to us—eternal life in and with Christ … this is hope!” As strange as it may seem, as people of faith, Lent is a time of hope because we trust that the work God desires to accomplish in us, God will see through to completion.

My dear sisters and brothers, Lent is not for us a punishment, but an invitation to see the fruit of our hope in God! I hope and pray that this may be a time of healing and renewal for you, and may we all rediscover the depth of God’s love and the hope that does not disappoint.

With every blessing,

Most Rev Brian G Mascord DD Bishop of Wollongong Lent 2025

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