Blessing for the Keeping of Lent

“Lent is a privileged time of interior pilgrimage towards him who is the fount of mercy ... Even in the ‘valley of darkness’ ... while the tempter prompts us to despair ... God is there to guard us and sustain us. In the desolation of misery, loneliness, violence, and hunger that indiscriminately afflict children, adults, and the elderly, God does not allow darkness to prevail. The gaze of Jesus embraces individuals and multitudes, and he brings them all before the Father, offering himself as a sacrifice of expiation. In turning to the Divine Master, in being converted to him…we will discover a ‘gaze’ that searches us profoundly and gives new life to…each one of us. It restores trust to those who do not succumb to skepticism.”

Pope Benedict XVI