We share the words that our Superior General addressed to the Daughters of Jesus today, Ash Wednesday.
These and Pope Francis’ Lenten message are enough to be with the Lord and let Jesus change us.
From letter nº 23 by Graciela Francovig
Today Lent begins. This is a privileged time that the Church offers us for personal and community conversion and renewal. It can be healthy to spend some time serenely examining with the Lord our life, our following, our experience of poverty, relationships with others, our union, caring for the environment, and caring for others.
We are very close to the experience of a war between Russia and Ukraine, which is compromising the rest of the countries of Europe, geographically closer, but which affects the whole world. Let us continue to insistently ask God that human beings discover the incalculable value of peace, above all other interests. Let us consider to what extent we are sowers of peace, how we educate for peace because our life reveals what we carry in our hearts.
Pope Francis’ message for Lent this year is a reflection on St. Paul’s exhortation: “Let us not tire of doing good, for, if we do not faint, we will reap the fruits in due time. Therefore, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” Gal. 6:9-10 a.
I invite all of you to take seriously these words of the apostle: “to do all the good we can…” and to bring them to our personal and communal prayer and to the examination of each day. Let us stop to see how many times we fail to do a good that can give life to others. The good for us can be to take care of the union between us and also with the laity, to take care of our words when speaking of others, to try to say good about my neighbor, those close up, and those from afar.
May the Lord work in us that conversion that we need to take care of the being, our being of Daughters of Jesus.
I suggest you personally make, in homes and in communities, a leisurely, prayerful reading of the Pope’s full message for this Lent.
With great affection and in union of prayers
Graciela Francovig, Superior General