Lenten Letter 2025
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Lent is a time of grace. It is a season when God calls us to return to our first love, to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts (1 Pet. 3.15). It is a journey of conversion, of opening ourselves to God’s mercy, and of allowing Him to rekindle in us the joy of His presence. As Archbishop Kallistos Ware reminds us, Lent is a time of joy- creating sorrow—a sorrow that does not leave us in despair but leads us back to abundant life in God.
This path is not one we can or should walk alone. Lent is a shared journey—a pilgrimage toward the Cross. Receiving the wisdom of the tradition through the pastoral counsel of our priests and bishops, our spiritual mothers and fathers, can help guide us to what is best and most profitable.
Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are not ends in themselves. They are ways of making space for God, of letting go of what weighs us down. They help us rediscover what it means to depend entirely on the Father, trusting in Him to meet our every need. They also lead us to love one another as Christ has loved us. If we carry resentments, refuse to forgive, or close our hearts to the suffering of others, we have not yet begun the true work of Lent. The Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice. He calls us to reconciliation—with Him, with ourselves, and with our brothers and sisters.
Conversion is not easy. To turn back to God means letting go of our illusions, our self-centeredness, as well as our sins. And as Fr. Daniel Davis said, “if our souls are bent in on themselves, they must be un-bent—and that is not painless.” Hence, Lent is a hard, harsh season. But we should not be afraid. God does not ask us to change by our own strength. He gives us His grace. He not only waits for us, like the father of the prodigal son, ready to embrace us in His mercy, but seeks us out and helps us find our way home, step by step.
As we prepare for this journey, let us ask ourselves:
Am I living my baptism fully?
Am I truly open to God’s will?
Is my heart set on Christ?
Am I taking up my cross each day?
These are not questions meant to shame us or leave us burdened. They are an invitation to come before God with real honesty, to trust in His respect and regard for us, to allow Him to fill our hearts with gladness and joy.
At a well in Samaria, Jesus met a woman the tradition calls Photini (the name means “light-bearer”), and created for her a new beginning of life. He asked her for a drink, and drew the truth from the well of her heart. In the sacrament of Penance, Christ meets us where we are. He does not shame us. He reveals what needs to be revealed—without exposing us to harm. He heals us. He sets us free. Having confessed our sins and received assurance of forgiveness, we, like Photini, can say with a deep and abiding joy: “He told me everything I have done” (Jn 4:29). This is the gift of God’s mercy. It is not just about feeling forgiven; it is about being made whole. The Lord does not tell the woman caught in the act of adultery that her sins do not matter—He calls her to conversion and amendment of life. As Bishop Ed often says, sin damages our capacity to love and be loved.
The good news is, God’s forgiveness always brings healing and transfiguration, so that we can love cleanly and with our whole heart. This is why we pray in the Act of Contrition, “I firmly intend, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.” Grace does not leave us as we are. It moves us, reshapes us, draws us out and up into the life of God.
This Lent, do not be afraid to approach Confession. Go often. Let the mercy of God wash over you. His forgiveness is not rationed—it is infinite. As St. Paul says, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). In the sacrament of Reconciliation, we meet the Friend who never tires of forgiving, the Lover who cannot bear to be separated from us, the Shepherd who never stops searching for His lost sheep, the Father whose mercy is always greater than our sins. And as we have received, so must we give. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” True repentance always widens our hearts.
May this Lent lead us all to a still more glorious Easter in the name of our risen, crucified Savior,
+Chris