I have not understood my Lenten journey until I read our Pope’s message (seen below) just today. Lent is a reminder of life’s hardships–we all go through painful suffering. But there’s a peace in knowing when we suffer because we are closer to Jesus. It’s the biggest test of our faith, and the greatest joy to let it all go–to trust Jesus completely. It is then, and only then, that pain exists, but it doesn’t hurt as much… suffering comes but you laugh, smile and have a great time through all of it. THAT is the grace of our God. We get to die with Christ so that we can rise again with Him!
How beautiful is Your LOVE for us, Lord!
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
BENEDICT XVI
FOR LENT 2006
Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity ( Mt 9:36 )
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Lent is a privileged time of interior pilgrimage towards Him Who is the fount of mercy. It is a pilgrimage in which He Himself accompanies us through the desert of our poverty, sustaining us on our way towards the intense joy of Easter. Even in the valley of darkness of which the Psalmist speaks ( Ps 23:4), while the tempter prompts us to despair or to place a vain hope in the work of our own hands, God is there to guard us and sustain us. Yes, even today the Lord hears the cry of the multitudes longing for joy, peace, and love. As in every age, they feel abandoned. Yet, even in the desolation of misery, loneliness, violence and hunger that indiscriminately afflict children, adults, and the elderly, God does not allow darkness to prevail. In fact, in the words of my beloved Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, there is a divine limit imposed upon evil, namely, mercy ( Memory and Identity, pp. 19ff. ). It is with these thoughts in mind that I have chosen as my theme for this Message the Gospel text: Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity ( Mt 9:36).
Paulo Coelho, my favorite author, just so happened to have a wallpaper image that reminded me of Lent. Enjoy. 
