Springtime brings the festive celebration that is Easter, but before it in the Christian calendar comes the season of Lent, marking the 40 days (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Lent's dates might change from year to year, but its purpose remains the same as a time of repentance and fasting. To help you meditate on this time and the meaning behind it, we have rounded up 40 quotes from Catholic popes and writers and other Christian thought leaders as well as some Bible verses below.
You've likely heard of fasting from sweets, alcohol, soda, social media, or the like for the season (options of what to give up for Lent are endless!), but don't confuse these actions with New Year's resolutions. For Christians Lent emphasizes an awareness of sin that separates them from God, and giving up, or taking on, something sacrificial reminds them of their "utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food," as Dallas Willard is quoted saying below. Its 40-day length also echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert as recounted in the New Testament of the Bible. No matter how Christians mark Lent, its heaviness makes the celebration of Jesus's resurrection on Easter all the more glorious! But for now, read on for 40 Lent quotes to inspire you this year.
1
Pope Francis
"God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy."
2
St. Catherine of Siena
"Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.
3
St. Rose of Lima
"Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may go to heaven."
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4
Fulton J. Sheen
"Unless there is Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday."
5
Catherine Doherty
"Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves... What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it out, without a moment's hesitation."
6
St. Francis de Sales
"Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself."
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7
Genesis 2:7
"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
8
Ezekiel 9:4
"...and said to him, 'Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.' "
9
Father Thomas Merton
"Ash Wednesday is full of joy... The sources of all sorrow is the illusion that of ourselves we are anything but dust."
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10
Catherine of Genoa
"Lenten fasts make me feel better, stronger, and more active than ever."
11
S.D. Gordon
"Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces."
12
Father Thomas Merton
"Even the darkest moments of the liturgy are filled with joy, and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten fast, is a day of happiness, a Christian Feast."
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13
Pope Francis
"During Lent, let us find concrete ways to overcome our indifference."
14
Chuck Smith
"Prayer does not change the purpose of God. But prayer does change the action of God."
15
Pope Francis
"Lent comes providentially to awaken us, to shake us from our lethargy."
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16
Henri Nouwen
"O lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen."
17
Father Mike Schmitz
"Seek a relationship when you pray, not answers. You won't always find answers, but you will always find Jesus."
18
Father Thomas Merton
"The goal of fasting is inner unity. This means hearing, but not with the ear; hearing, but not with the understanding; it is hearing with the spirit, with your whole being."
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19
St. Augustine
"Do you wish your prayer to fly toward God? Make for it two wings: fasting and almsgiving."
20
St. Augustine
"Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one's flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity."