With a strong and meaningful appeal, Pope Leo XIV gave way to the Lenten journey, celebrating Mass in the Basilica of Santa Sabina at the Aventine on 18 February. A moment of profound reflection on the condition of the world and the call of the Church to be prophecy of communities who recognize their sins and undertake to convert and rebuild.
The Pope stressed that Lent’s time is an opportunity to recognize the “ceneries” that mark our time: the ashes of international law, justice among peoples, ecosystems in crisis, the sense of sacredness and true humanity. “Let us not stop between the ashes of the world,” said Leo XIV, “Let us convert and rebuild”. The proposal is not to be overwhelmed by desolation, but to see in these ashes the sign of a possibility of rebirth, of a passage from impotence to trust in the possibilities of God.
Recognizing his sins, the Pope explained, is already an omen of resurrection. It is an act of courage and responsibility that allows to rise up and rebuild. The Church, in this time of penance, presents itself as a community that recognizes itself as a sinful person, aware of its limits but trusting in divine mercy. Conversion is not only a personal gesture, but a collective movement involving social, cultural and political structures, called to overcome the “structures of sin” of every age.
The Pope also recalled the prophecy of St. Paul VI, which in 1966 had highlighted how modern man, immersed in a culture dominated by the “metaphysics of absurdity and nothing”, is often faced with the ashes of a burning world. The reflection on ashes thus becomes an interpretative key to understanding the fragility and challenges of our age, but also a call to look beyond, towards the possibilities of God.
The start of the Lenten journey was marked by a seasonal ritual in the church of Sant’Anselmo, with a penitential procession towards Santa Sabina, accompanied by the litany of the saints. A symbolic gesture that emphasizes the importance of the community in recognizing one’s sin and moving towards conversion.
The Pope highlighted how, today more than ever, young people are sensitive to the call of Lent and the possibility of changing life. They perceive clearly that a more just way of living is possible and that the responsibilities are of all, from people to institutions. Lent, he said, has a missionary scope: it is time to open up to those seeking authentic renewal, waiting for the Kingdom of God.
The Lenten path is also inspired by the witness of the ancient and modern martyrs, who with their example have sown seeds of hope and faith. The tradition of Lent Stations, including that of Santa Sabina, recalls the pilgrimage and memory of those who gave their lives to bear witness to the Gospel. They are seeds of hope that nourish our journey of conversion.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his homily by inviting everyone to engage in fasting, prayer and secret love, as signs of an authentic faith and a living relationship with God. The blessing and imposition of ashes, entrusted to Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, marked the beginning of a time of grace, hope and transformation.
On this Lenten journey, the Pope invites us not to stop between the ashes of a world in crisis, but to convert and rebuild, letting Easter bring us from death to life, from impotence to the possibilities of God. Only in this way can we witness with consistency and courage the hope that comes from the resurrection.
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