Ireland: #LivingLent to bring us closer to God

Archbishop Eamon Martin

Source: ICBC

Ahead of Ash Wednesday tomorrow, Archbishop Eamon Martin has launched the #LivingLent initiative on Twitter and Instagram. #LivingLent invites the faithful to use social media to grow closer to God during this sacred season.

Archbishop Eamon said: "As we prepare for Easter over the next 40 days, our spiritual conversion can be nourished by daily actions, thoughts, prayers and words. During Lent we also offer a particular sacrifice in our personal lives to help strengthen our relationship with the all-merciful Lord. In his message for Lent 2020 We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20), we are encouraged by Pope Francis who reminds us, 'life is born of the love of God our Father from the desire to grant us life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10)'."

Archbishop Eamon continued: "I invite everyone to read the Holy Father's short Lenten message. To complement his text our #LivingLent initiative on Twitter and Instagram, and online resources on catholicbishops.ie, offer suggestions for fasting, prayer and charity - the three pillars of the Lenten season. The objective of our Lenten digital initiative is to assist our spiritual preparation for the joy and hope of the Easter season."

The #LivingLent initiative offers short daily suggestions on Twitter and Instagram. These include prayer and scripture suggestions; opportunities for penance and fasting in our daily lives, for example fasting from gossip, fasting from negativity online, giving up certain foods; availing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession; suggestions of charitable acts like donating to Trócaire and other charities; donating your time by helping your own family, school, parish; and, by behaving in a charitable way towards all those whom we meet.

Everyone can use the hashtag #LivingLent and share with their followers how they are putting the themes of prayer, fasting and charity into practice during this Lenten season.

In addition, the 2020 Lenten campaign of Trócaire, the overseas development agency of the Bishops' Conference, focuses on the theme of mothers protecting their families. The Trócaire box tells the story of two mothers: Angela in Honduras who is protecting her family's land from logging companies, and Madris in Kenya who is trying to provide for her family in the face of climate change. It tells two very different stories but both are linked by mothers trying to provide futures for their children.

See: www.trocaire.org/ for details.