For Pope Francis, Lent 2021 should be marked by ".a journey of conversion that leads to a rediscovery of the bond of communion with others, especially with the poor". Fasting, prayer and almsgiving, the three works that traditionally mark the period that Christians dedicate to preparing for Easter, should not be seen as actions aimed at building one's own perfection, but as steps towards loving one's neighbor more and thus loving God more.
In the message promulgated on February 12, the Bishop of Rome underlines the possibility that fasting does not necessarily refer to food, but to everything that clutters our existence, in particular the saturation of information, whether true or false. How is it possible in practice to live this suggestion? It is not uncommon to meet Christians who proclaim at the beginning of Lent that they want to "fast" from everything that is cluttered in our existence, in particular the saturation of information, whether true or false.fasting from the Internet"But, apart from the fact that this decision often has the consequence of complicating the lives of others, for those who for serious reasons need to relate to these people, it is almost never really applicable.
A realistic and intelligent way to put Bergoglio's advice into practice is to learn to prioritize the things in our day this Lent. It can truly be a revolutionary discovery to learn to "be focused"The first tip is not to keep your cell phone in your hand all the time, but to concentrate, for the right amount of time, on your work or on what you consider a priority in your life (not in a selfish sense, of course). Those who paint a picture need to step away from it from time to time.
It can be very useful to learn to open the iPhone looking at all the apps, emails and so on and then close it for an hour or so as if you were on a plane, keeping only the ability to receive calls open. But then there is the second point. The problem is not the smartphone but oneself: we have to hierarchize our day.
The smartphone is probably a revolution comparable to the discovery of the wheel, fire or writing. It is something wonderful that we are learning to take on board: we are understanding the need to unite the enormous sail with which the network endows our lives with the depth of drift: that strange vertical fin that allows the sailboat not to capsize.
From the metaphor we need to unite speed with depth in order to be open to grasp, to understand the needs that others manifest to us. If we do so, ours will truly be a fruitful Lent.
