Lent: A Time of Renewal

Lent 2022 starts on Ash Wednesday, March 2, and lasts until the beginning of the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, followed by the Triduum and Easter. Lent is a time to renew our faith. What will you do this Lent to grow closer to Jesus?

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Lent: a time of renewal

In this video, Archbishop Etienne invites you to renew your faith in Jesus Christ this Lent. After watching the video, scroll down to find ways to renew your faith and grow closer to Jesus this Lent.

For Bishop Elizondo's Lenten video in Spanish, click here.

Fasting and Abstinence Guidelines

In addition to fasting from food, there are other ways to fast that can help us renew our faith in Jesus, like time on our screens and social media. The point is to use whatever we give up as an opportunity to offer it to Jesus and grow closer to him.

What's that dirt on your head? Why can't you eat pepperoni pizza on Fridays? Click here for six common questions Catholics hear during Lent and some answers to have ready.

Need a Lent refresher? The USCCB does a good overview of Lent here. Or you may want to check out this Lent 101 article.

Archbishop Etienne's reflections and homilies

Read reflections from Archbishop Etienne for every Sunday of Lent and homilies from Holy Week.

Play Video

Palm Sunday homily

Holy Thursday homily

Easter Vigil homily

Watch Archbishop Etienne's Palm Sunday Homily

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion Gospel reflection

God's ways are not our ways

As we listen again today to the Passion of Jesus, I'm reminded how much God's ways are not our own. Even Jesus, who throughout his earthly ministry was in intimate communion with the Father, experienced a certain "darkness" in fulfilling the Father's will in his Passion and death, and thus exclaimed from the cross: "My God, why have you abandoned me?"

I find comfort in these words of Jesus as perhaps each of us are called to do as we bear the cross and sufferings that are a part of our lives. How often do we experience the "sense" of God's absence as we suffer? Jesus shows us this Holy Week once again to trust the fidelity of God as we too do our best to carry out God's will in our lives, especially when it entails sacrifice and suffering, in the midst of uncertain worldly outcomes.

Indeed, Jesus proves once again he is the Son of God by his humble obedience to the Father's will. And the Father's will would not save Jesus from death on the cross, as this was the manner chosen by which Jesus as the Son of God would save us!

St. Catherine of Siena recognized that it was not the wood of the cross nor the nails that held Jesus bound to that cross -- but only love for the Father's will, and love for us and our salvation.

As we accompany Christ this Holy Week, may we have the grace to recognize once again the depths of Jesus' love for us, and the humble obedience he has in lovingly fulfilling the Father's mysterious will.

May we recognize in the passion of Jesus that he is with us in our suffering.

May this Holy Week also give us the grace and the eyes to recognize Jesus in those who still suffer in the world today. And most especially, may our humble walk with Jesus in this Holy Week instruct us in our own ability and willingness to be as loving to him in those who need our love, compassion and understanding today.

~Archbishop Etienne

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion readings

5th Sunday of Lent Gospel reflection

God's mercy in the person of Jesus

On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, we hear another familiar Gospel story, of the adulterous woman brought before Jesus.

One of the many lessons of this Gospel is that sin, at first, separates us from God, and from the community of believers. However, if we allow the grace of God to move us to contrition, that same separation eventually leads us to stand alone before Jesus, seeking his forgiveness and healing.

Jesus looks at the woman and says:

Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?

Clearly, we are not to judge others. We are not to cast stones. We are not to condemn. God's mercy in the person of Jesus is the standard of the New Covenant, and is now our measure of meaningful relationships.
With these words, Jesus restores the woman's dignity and encourages her to live a virtuous life.

Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.

It is interesting, Jesus does not say simply to avoid "this sin," but to sin no more. Jesus does not condone sin. He clearly condemns sin, but extends compassion and mercy to the sinner. We are to do likewise.

Jesus' mercy towards the adulterous woman reminds us that God's grace and mercy are far greater than our sin. Thus, we have nothing to fear and everything to gain by returning to God through the person of Jesus.

My dear friends, in these final days of Lent, may we seek out the mercy of Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation. May we know the grace and joy of allowing Christ to take possession of us! Having been recipients of God's mercy, may we be agents of mercy in each of our relationships in the world today.

~Archbishop Etienne

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

5th Sunday of Lent readings

4th Sunday of Lent Gospel reflection

Returning to the Father: An intimate journey with God

Jesus speaks to us today with perhaps one of his most powerful and instructive parables. In this story of the prodigal son, we learn of the incredible, patient love of the Father, and the great joy he experiences in forgiving our sins. In fact, Luke begins this account by recalling the words of the Pharisees and scribes as they are concerned that Jesus "welcomes sinners and eats with them." Indeed, we are all sinners. And here, today, Jesus welcomes us once again.

Because we are all sinners, we see ourselves in the son who demands of the Father, "Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me." We are at times incapable of recognizing the goodness of the Lord; ungrateful, we demand what is freely given for selfish possession and consumption. In the process of displacing the Father from our life, we find ourselves in "a distant country" far from the Father's love. Mind you, the Father never stops loving us; we through our sinful and selfish choices cut ourselves off from that love.

Because we are sinners, we also see ourselves in the older son, who is angry that the Father overlooks the selfishness and sinfulness of the younger son, reinstating him to full stature in the family. He is incapable of such compassion and forgiveness. The older son also fails in his own way to see the love the Father has for him, that he always shares in everything the Father has. In his anger and short-sightedness, the older son also separates himself from the Father and the family. He, too, needs to be reconciled in and by the Father’s love.

Finally, we are called to see ourselves in the Father. Once we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, we are to exercise the same patient love as the Father in our relationships with one another.

~Archbishop Etienne

Note that some parishes will use an alternative Gospel reading today from Year A: Jn 9:1-41.

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

4th Sunday of Lent readings

3rd Sunday of Lent Gospel reflection

Parable of the fig tree

"When a tree is barren, it needs proper cultivation. (Luke 13:6-9) One thing which depletes the soil of the soul is consumerism. Consumerism contaminates our faith. Driven by excessive individualism and consumerism, for many, the parish has simply become a spiritual refueling station. Indeed, we come to Sunday Mass to be spiritually nourished and fed, but also to be incorporated into the Body of Christ and sent into the world on mission to share the Good News and to serve Christ in all those we meet.

The harvest is abundant, but only to the degree that we cultivate our relationship with Jesus Christ. We must continually renew a vibrant faith life. We need to ardently desire and actively seek the work and power of the Holy Spirit. We must be willing to talk about Jesus and our faith life with one another. We must spend less time consuming and more time producing the good works of faith."

~Archbishop Etienne

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

3rd Sunday of Lent readings

2nd Sunday of Lent Gospel reflection

Expect and desire Encounters with God

"Peter, James and John have a powerful experience of God (the Father) as they accompany Jesus during his transfiguration. And of course, Jesus himself, who is always in communion with the Father, has a mystical encounter with Moses and Elijah and is transfigured before the eyes of Peter, James and John.

Lent is an invitation to all of us to be more aware of the presence of God at work in our lives, to be attentive to the voice of God speaking within the depths of our own hearts and in our own experience.

I hope each of us have had experiences of encountering God. We should get up every morning expecting and desiring such and encounter. We should go to bed every night as well expecting the same. Perhaps those encounters take place within a profound appreciation of some beauty within nature. Or, perhaps there is a sense of the Divine that stirs our soul in the midst of our human relationships and love. Perhaps there has been a stirring experience of God in prayer, or silence, or a thousand other ways that God can capture the human heart.

Lent is a call to heighten our own awareness to the in-breaking reality of God.

When Peter was aware of his own encounter with the living God during the Transfiguration of Jesus, he wanted to build tents on the spot, as if to say he did not want the moment to end. He in a sense wanted to create a dwelling place for Jesus!

Lent is a time for us to create a dwelling place for Jesus.

To create a dwelling place for Jesus means that we are to live with him in each moment of our life. We are to do as the Father tells Peter, James and John: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” To listen to Jesus means we too will experience trials and struggles. That is why St. Paul tells Timothy: “Bear your share of hardship which the Gospel entails.” (2 Timothy 1:8)

Lent is a time to root out the vice that has crept into our life and to redouble our efforts to grow in virtue.

As Christ was transfigured in the Gospel today, so may we be more and more transformed into the life of Christ this Lent in order to worthy celebrate the Resurrection this coming Easter!"

~Archbishop Etienne

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

2nd Sunday of Lent readings

1st Sunday of Lent Gospel reflection

The Desert As A Place Of Privileged Encounter With God

"As we look to Christ today, we see him led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he is to be tempted by the devil. For forty days and forty nights, Jesus prepared himself for this encounter through prayer and fasting. His preparation was through the Holy Spirit and in constant conversation with the Father.

The desert is a privileged place of encounter with God.

I know I look forward to Lent, but I also know how I struggle to embrace its penitential nature. This is a stark reminder of how comfortable I have become with worldly things, and how lethargic is my spirit even in its thirst for God.

In each temptation Jesus faces, he relies upon God and teaches us that in every circumstance of trial and temptation our only hope is to rest in God. Listen to Jesus’ three responses to the various temptations:

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.
The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.

Lent is the time to discipline our minds to think always of God and strive to honor and glorify God in every way. Jesus found his strength in the Father. We find ours in Christ....

So my friends, let us acknowledge our sins, but not despair. Let us turn to Christ who is our help, our sustenance, our salvation. Let us not fear the desert of this Lenten journey, but rather experience in it the privileged encounter with the Lord."

~Archbishop Etienne

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

1st Sunday of Lent readings

Ash Wednesday Gospel reflection

"Your inmost being must be renewed, and you must put on the new man."

"These words from St. Paul (Ephesians 4:23-24) summarize the goal of the Lenten journey, indeed, the goal of the Christian life. As the Church enters the desert for these 40 days, we do so in the company of Christ, we do so in our life-long pursuit of God. Lent allows us to focus on the deepest desires of our soul and provides us with the courage to do what our soul desires according to God. Lent is fundamentally a time to bring God’s will for us into clearer focus. As the prophet Hosea proclaimed, the desert is the place God leads us to speak to us his word of love. (Hosea 2:16)

Today we enter the Lenten journey.

Today we ask Christ to actively renew his life within us, the life we received in Baptism.

Today, we pledge to no longer be a passive believer, but one who actively follows Christ.

Today, we ask for the grace to live our faith consciously, actively, freely at all times, in every moment in every day.

Today, we declare ourselves for Christ and his Church, and that we will live in fear of God and no one or nothing else.

Today, the love of Christ lays hold of us and compels us forth in hope that from the fasting and prayer of these 40 days, we will know new life in the Living God and the Risen Christ."

~Archbishop Etienne

To read the reflection in Spanish, look for the translation toggle on the upper right of your screen and change the “English” to “Espanol.”

Para leer las reflexiones en español, busque el botón de traducción en el lado derecho superior de su pantalla y cambie de “English” a “Español”.

Ash Wednesday readings

Lenten resources

The three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Below are resources and inspiration to help.

Lenten prayer

Help with prayer during Lent:

Read this article from Northwest Catholic about committing to prayer during Lent:

This Lent, risk prayer

The Hallow app has a #Pray40 Lent Challenge that guides you in daily prayer. You can find the Hallow app on the app store on your mobile device. To learn more, go to:

https://hallow.com

Stations of the Cross:

Pray the Stations of the Cross, led by Father Toups from Ascension Press. In this video, Father Toups narrates each station, drawing us into prayer and reflection.

Go to the Vatican website to find different Way of the Cross meditations said every year in Rome since 1991, with the most recent led by Pope Francis.

Vatican Way of the Cross website

2005 stations with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Environmental Stations of the Cross with reflection and prayer for the care of creation.

Lenten fasting and almsgiving

Fasting:

Suggestions for fasting from Northwest Catholic:

Fasting from sin--the never-ending Lenten challenge

Suggestions for fasting from National Catholic Register:

What to give up for Lent: 40 Lenten Resolutions

Almsgiving:

Almsgiving reflection from Northwest Catholic:

Becoming more human through almsgiving

Consider helping our brothers and sisters around the world overcome hardships, hunger and malnutrition with Catholic Relief Services' Rice Bowl. Learn more and consider donating at https://www.crsricebowl.org/.

Resolutions and reflections

Whether you are planning ahead or need a reset, it's never too late to start or re-energize your efforts to grow closer to Jesus this Lent.

Help with Lenten resolutions:

Create a spiritual 'game plan" to deepen your relationship with Christ this Lent

Sign up for daily reflections:

Bishop Robert Barron's daily Lent reflections:

https://www.lentreflections.com/

The Hallow app has a daily #Pray40 Lent Challenge that guides you in daily prayer and reflections. You can find the Hallow app on the app store on your mobile device. To learn more, go to:

https://hallow.com

Dynamic Catholic's Best Lent Ever offers short, daily videos to inspire your faith during Lent:

https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent/best-lent-ever.html

If you haven't already started, consider following Father Mike Schmitz's Bible in a Year in which he walks you through the entire Bible in 365 episodes, providing commentary, reflection, and prayer along the way. You can start any time and listen at your own pace.

Resources for parishes and schools

Share this Lent web page, archseattle.org/lent, with your parish and school community. To make it easy, use the digital images and banners at the link below for your bulletins, emails and web pages. Make sure to link them to archseattle.org/lent.

Link to Lent digital images

In the link above, you'll also find an easy to follow, "plug and play" Lent Communications Plan for Parishes, Schools and Ministries, which includes:

A "how to" communications plan for all your digital channels
A week-by-week social media plan with posts and suggested text, so you can easily post on your parish, school or ministry's Facebook and Instagram pages, or just share posts from Archdiocese of Seattle Facebook and Instagram at @ArchdioceseofSeattle. Don't forget to tag us when you post!

For all the Lent social media posts, click here.

Also check out the other Lenten resources on this Lent page for your parish or school, especially the small faith groups during Lent.

Resources for families

Small faith groups during Lent

Consider hosting a small faith group this Lent. You can start with Archbishop Etienne's Ash Wednesday and Sunday gospel reflections on this Lent page or subscribe to other reflections as described in the "Resolutions and reflections" section.

Other suggestions:

Use these questions to help guide your group after reading a Lenten reflection.

Creating a Culture of Encounter: A Guide for Joyful Missionary Disciples from V Encuentro. Format: digital and printed, in English and Spanish

Use these Sunday Gospel video reflections to learn about Catholic Relief Services’ work around the world and how we are called to see the face of Christ in our sisters and brothers in need:

From the Archdiocese of Seattle's Criminal Justice Ministry:

Use this Lenten educational packet called “Who Do You Say That I Am.” It features three sessions that parishes and schools can facilitate during Lent to break open the issue of mass incarceration in the U.S. Click here for the packet.

Lenten encouragement

Finding yourself losing momentum or motivation this Lent or veering off track from your Lenten resolutions? Here is some encouragement to help.

The hard work of Lent

"Lent is a “hard thing.” An entire season of hard things, in fact. Fasting and sacrifice. Generosity, perhaps when we don't want to be generous. A season for prayer, even (and especially) when we don’t have much to say." Click to read more from Northwest Catholic

Holding out until the end

We start Lent with resolutions but can be easily discouraged, especially when the culture and daily life continually distract us. "We can take heart that Jesus, our Lord and Savior, has gone before us in seeing trials and challenges through to the end." Click to read more from Northwest Catholic

Lent and Easter Liturgies with Archbishop Etienne

Join Archbishop Etienne for Ash Wednesday and the Easter Triduum Liturgies-- Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, and Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord. Click here to learn more about the Triduum.

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For Lent and Easter liturgies with Bishop Elizondo, click here

Stations of the Cross

This video features images of the Stations of the Cross from parishes around the Archdiocese of Seattle. Take a couple minutes to watch and reflect on how as Catholics, we all unite to walk with Jesus through His Passion.

Play Video

Add Lenten inspiration to your social feed

Follow the Archdiocese of Seattle on Facebook and Instagram by clicking the icons below or looking us up on Facebook and Instagram at @ArchdioceseofSeattle.

What's after Lent? Easter!

Easter Sunday kicks off the Easter Season, which lasts a full 50 days. Click here for ways to celebrate.