By Kristina Millare
Rome Newsroom, Mar 9, 2025 / 10:30 am
Pope Francis on Sunday shared a message of hope, emphasizing that defeats are not permanent for those who have faith in Jesus Christ and trust in God’s love and forgiveness.
In his homily for the first Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father highlighted that difficulties and trials do not define the ultimate outcome for Christians who maintain a strong bond with God as their redeemer.
“In times of temptation, we may stumble and fall; we are all sinners,” the papal text expressed. “But our failures do not have to be permanent, because after every fall, God lifts us up with his boundless love and forgiveness.”
Due to ongoing medical treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis was unable to lead the Holy Mass for the first Sunday of Lent, coinciding with the conclusion of the Jubilee for the World of Volunteering.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, the prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presided over the Sunday Mass in the Pope’s absence, with thousands of uniformed volunteers from various non-profit and non-governmental organizations in attendance.
During the homily, Cardinal Czerny emphasized three key aspects of Jesus’ temptation and its relevance to our own struggles: the beginning, the process, and the outcome. He encouraged the congregation to draw inspiration from these reflections on their journey of personal transformation.
Reflecting on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptations in the desert, Pope Francis reassured Christians that they should not fear the initial stages of temptation.
“When we pray to God not to let us fall into temptation (cf. Matthew 6:13), we are asking Him to preserve us from succumbing to it,” the pope’s message continued.
