10 Inspiring Lenten Quotes & Sayings from Pope Francis
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Lent is a time of prayer, reflection, fasting, penance, and preparation, honoring the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To aid you in your preparation for and observance of Lent, we invite you to read, internalize, share, and be inspired by some of our favorite Lenten quotes, sayings, and writings from Pope Francis.
The Lenten Words of Pope Francis
1. Lent is a time of renewal and grace.
“Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each community and every believer. Above all it is a time of grace.”
(Source: Lenten Message of Our Holy Father Pope Francis 2015, Official Vatican Website)
2. Lent is an awakening.
"Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy."
3. Lent signals a new beginning and victory.
“Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over death.”
(Source: Lenten Message of Our Holy Father Pope Francis 2017, Official Vatican Website)
4. Lent calls us to “dive into the sea of prayer.”
"In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could lead to a hardness of heart, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of the boundless love of God, in order to experience his tenderness."
5. Fasting during Lent can help us become our best selves.
"Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the style of the good Samaritan, who bent down to his brother in need and took care of him.”
6. Lent reminds us that love is the answer.
“The corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated. By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need. By taking this path, the ‘proud’, the ‘powerful’ and the ‘wealthy’ spoken of in the Magnificat can also be embraced and undeservedly loved by the crucified Lord who died and rose for them. This love alone is the answer to that yearning for infinite happiness and love that we think we can satisfy with the idols of knowledge, power and riches.”
(Source: Lenten Message of Our Holy Father Pope Francis 2016, Official Vatican Website)
7. Lent is the perfect time to deny ourselves in order to enrich others’ lives.
“Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”
(Source: Lenten Message of Our Holy Father Pope Francis 2014, Official Vatican Website)
8. Lent reconnects us with Christ.
“Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his word, in the sacraments and in our neighbor. The Lord, who overcame the deceptions of the Tempter during the forty days in the desert, shows us the path we must take. May the Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need.”
(Source: Lenten Message of Our Holy Father Pope Francis 2017, Official Vatican Website)
9. Almsgiving during Lent can being freeing.
“Obsession of possession, from the fear of losing what they have and from the sadness of not sharing their well-being with others."
10. In the Jubilee year, let us walk in hope together
“Let us all walk in the same direction, tending toward the same goal, attentive to one another in love and patience.”
(Source: Lenten message of Pope Francis 2025, The Vatican Press)
As we reflect on these powerful words from Pope Francis, may they inspire us to embrace this Lenten season with renewed faith, repentance, and charity. Let us also remember to pray for the Holy Father Pope Francis, that God may continue to guide and strengthen him in his ministry. As he advances in age, may he be blessed with good health, wisdom, and the grace to lead the Church with courage and compassion. And when the time comes, may he be granted a peaceful and holy death.
