“Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each community and every believer. Above all it is a time of grace.”  – Pope Francis

My dear family in Christ,

This is a time of year when many families take advantage of the mid-winter breaks and enjoy vacations. Whether the vacation is spent in the warmth of Florida, the Caribbean, or the cold of the Vermont ski slopes, to truly enjoy the days off requires some planning and preparation. In the last few days I’ve spoken to people planning trips to the ocean, to Peru, to Rome, and to other locales, some more exotic than others. In none of these cases was it a last-minute decision. All of the adventures had been carefully planned.

I have noted this element of preparation because in less than two weeks we will begin our annual Lenten journey, and I strongly recommend that we all do a bit of planning on how we will use this season of preparation in order to grow in our relationship with Christ. We can’t leave it to the last minute to hastily develop our Lenten disciplines.

Next week I will offer some specific Lenten recommendations for all of us to consider, but in the meantime, we should all give some thought to where we need to grow in our lives of faith. What holds us back from having an authentic and vibrant Catholic faith? What areas in our lives need some pruning and spiritual renewal? How does the Lord want us to grow spiritually in 2025?

Let’s give those questions some thought. Let’s ask the Lord to open our eyes to how He wants us to spend our Lent. Remember, we are called to be saints, and sanctity requires discipline and sacrifice. Let’s plan our upcoming 40-day journey with Christ in the desert so we will learn to become the saints He wants us to be.

God alone suffices!

+John J. McDermott

Bishop of Burlington