Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you!
 
Saint Leo the Great reminds the Church in a sermon that "what the Christian should be doing at all times should be done with greater care and devotion, so that the Lenten fast enjoined by the apostles may be fulfilled, not simply by abstinence from food but above by the renunciation of sin."
 

Through the Church, Christ calls us to an ever greater conversion of heart and mind each and every day of our lives. During the holy season of Lent, we are offered the opportunity to deepen our willingness to remain faithful to God by acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These essential disciplines of the Christian life, when practiced with ever greater fervor during Lent, help us to turn away from sin and turn more fully to the Gospel and so be prepared to renew the promises of our Baptism at the great feast of Easter.
 
May the Lord sustain you in your efforts to grow in holiness and may the example and intercession of Mary, the Mother of the Lord, be a constant source of hope to you.