LET US PRAY
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
– Hebrews 13:16
On January 10th Pope Leo XIV announced that 2026 will be a Special Year of St. Francis, commemorating the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. St Francis is well-known for many things … austere living, joyful spirit, love of creation and intense prayer. But few know that he celebrated not one Lent, what he called the Great Lent, but five Lents through the year. It seemed that the only Lent-free period for Francis was the Easter Season.
The Lents of St. Francis were marked by time in solitude away from the distractions that come with the busyness of life, in
intense prayer being embraced by God’s love, fasting, a
personal emptying to make room for God in his life, a fasting shaped by charity, responding to what the other needs and seeing clearly what God is asking of him.
So, let me ask you, how is your Lent going? Have you been able to escape the distractions of life? Are you feeling more intensely
God’s love for you? Has the void created by fasting led to a greater embrace of the others’ needs? Are you beginning to see more clearly God’s plan for you? There is still time.
In the Holy Land, Christian families too hope to see God’s plan more clearly but continue their daily lives within uncertainty. Parents worry about the future of their children. Young adults wonder whether they will be able to remain in their home or be uprooted. The Franciscan Friars remain present among them, walking patiently with families whose lives are shaped by circumstances they did not choose.
Your generous response to the needs of these Christian
families can certainly help them see more clearly God’s care for them, can help families remain rooted in the land where Christ walked, can help educate children who long to learn close to home, can help the friars in their mission of being there with the people, and your generous response will bring you to a greater sensitivity that we are all part of a larger community that cares.
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
– Matthew 5:16
If you have not yet had the opportunity to give this Lent, I invite you to pause, to reflect and to open your heart. Consider where God may be inviting you to respond. Your generosity, an offering without fanfare, becomes part of the quiet good that continues day after day in the lives of our Christian sisters and brothers in the Holy Land.
Please join me in helping these families in need and honoring the Special Year of St. Francis. Even a small gift, offered with intention, becomes part of something greater than itself … long after Lent has passed.
During this holy season of Lent, my prayer is for you and your family, that God’s plan for you may come into clearer focus and that you may come to recognize the fruits of your generosity.
