Pope says Lent is time to see others through eyes of Christ

Published: 2006-01-31

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Especially with fasting and almsgiving, Lent is a time to learn how to see others with the eyes of Christ and to express his compassion for the poor, Pope Benedict XVI said. "In the face of the terrible challenge of poverty afflicting so much of the world's population, indifference and self-centered isolation stand in stark contrast to the gaze of Christ," he said in his message for Lent 2006. The pope's message was released Jan. 31 at the Vatican. This year, for Latin-rite Catholics, Lent begins March 1, Ash Wednesday. In the message, the pope encouraged Catholics to try during Lent to see and to react to those suffering around them with the same attitude Jesus showed in St. Matthew's Gospel, which says, "Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity." Pope Benedict said responding to the needs of others like Christ meant not only meeting their material needs, but also offering them the Gospel.

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