Our Lenten journey, from the desert to the joy of the Resurrection, is one we take together, as one Body in Christ, Cardinal Frank Leo tells Catholics in his 2026 Lenten message.

In “words of spiritual nourishment and encouragement” for the season that begins with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 18, the Archbishop of Toronto emphasizes that like Christ’s journey 2,000 years ago, for us it is not a solitary journey. We are invited on this journey not alone, but as a people gathered in Christ Himself, the Cardinal wrote.

“With this in mind, I would ask us to consider how Lent is not only about our personal conversion but also the healing and renewal of our relationship with God and one another,” said Leo.

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With conversion or repentance often framed as individual acts, Leo cites the Old Testament and its understanding of “the human person within the context of community.” 

“Lent teaches us that to return to the Lord is also to return to one another, and journey together,” he said.

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Today’s world shows the strains of social and communal fragmentation — people divided by envy, fear or resentment, even parishes weakened by absence or disengagement. Lent, however, invites us to seek healing and forgiveness.

“Part and parcel of our journeying together is the experience of authentic and daily conversion, both personal and communal, embodied beautifully in the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” he said, going on to cite Cor 5:18-20 and the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1440. “While Confession is deeply personal, it is never private because sin wounds not only our relationship with God but also our communion with the Church.”

The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores our friendship with God, but also “our bonds within the community — a ministry our Lord entrusted to the Apostles.” These repaired bonds teach the language of love and mercy.

Traditional Lenten practices — prayer, fasting, almsgiving — take on deeper meaning through communion with God and each other, Leo believes.

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“Prayer opens our hearts to God who unites us to Him and to others, as Jesus Himself prays that all may be one in the communion He shares with the Father. Fasting teaches us to make room for God and for one another by reordering our priorities, and restoring justice and communion. Almsgiving is a concrete act of solidarity, a recognition that my life is bound to the life of my neighbour, and my love cannot remain abstract but must be expressed in deeds,” Leo said.

“For it is together — as one Body in Christ — that we are led from the desert to the joy of the Resurrection. May the Blessed Mother be our inspiration, guide, model and companion on this journey of spiritual and social renewal.”