‘Hope does not disappoint.’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged Christians to examine their consciences in Lent by comparing their daily lives to the hardships faced by migrants, calling it a way to grow in empathy and discover God’s call to compassion.
“It would be a good Lenten exercise for us to compare our daily life with that of some migrant or foreigner, to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us so that we can better advance on our journey to the house of the Father,” the pope wrote in his message for Lent 2025.
The message, signed Feb. 6, before the pope was hospitalized Feb. 14 for treatment of double pneumonia, was released by the Vatican Feb. 25.
Reflecting on the theme “Let us journey together in hope,” the pope said that Lent is a time to confront both personal and collective struggles with faith and compassion.
Comparing the Lenten journey to the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt, he recalled “our brothers and sisters who in our own day are fleeing situations of misery and violence in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.”
“A first call to conversion thus comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life,” he wrote. “Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone?”
Pope Francis also emphasized the importance of journeying together, saying Christians are called to walk “side by side, without shoving or stepping on others, without envy or hypocrisy, without letting anyone be left behind or excluded.”
Christians, he said, should reflect on whether they are open to others or focused only on their own needs.
The pope called on Christians to journey together in hope toward Easter, living out the central message of the Jubilee Year: “Hope does not disappoint.”
Another Lenten call to conversion, he said, is to embrace hope and trust in God’s promise of eternal life, made possible through Christ’s resurrection.
Pope Francis encouraged Christians to consider whether they truly live in a way that reflects hope, trusting in God’s promise of eternal life, seeking forgiveness and committing themselves to justice, fraternity and care for creation.
“Christ,” he wrote, “lives and reigns in glory. Death has been transformed into triumph, and the faith and great hope of Christians rests in this: the resurrection of Christ!”
The Italian tradition of a St. Joseph Table is a popular devotion for the Feast of St. Joseph.
The “Tavola di San Giuseppe” (“St. Joseph’s Table” or “St. Joseph’s Altar”) originated in Sicily, which claims St. Joseph as its patron. It is practiced on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. March 19 is also Father’s Day in Italy, which is fitting as St. Joseph was the foster father of Jesus.
This celebration featuring a makeshift shrine is a symbolic “thank you” and renewal of the Sicilian people’s devotion to St. Joseph.
It is a shared or communal celebration, in which the riches of food are given as alms to the poor and no one can be turned away. It has three aspects: veneration, special recognition of St. Joseph during Mass and at the “table”; the table, both a kind of “altar of reverence” and a communal celebration; and the poor, with the intention that the gathered food will help people in need.
Here’s how to set up your own St. Joseph Table at home or at your parish:
STEP 1: Choose a date and invite guests. If March 19 is not possible, celebrating a day or two before or afterwards is OK. It is ideal to host the celebration after Mass. Invite guests, especially children to dress up and play the parts of the Holy Family, the Apostles and angels. Guests should bring decorations or food items for the table.
STEP 2: Set up the table. Place a table in a prominent location of your home or church. On the table, arrange at least two display tiers using durable boxes or small shelves. (The three tiers represent the Holy Trinity, and the ascent from earth to heaven.) Cover the table and tiers with a white tablecloth.
STEP 3: Decorate the table. Place a statue of St. Joseph on the top tier. On the other tiers, display flowers (white lilies, in particular), candles, statues, rosaries and holy cards. The setup should be solemn and festive – use your imagination! Vigil lights of green, brown and yellow (representing St. Joseph’s clothing) can be placed all around, and the table can be surrounded by palms reminiscent of the Holy Land.
STEP 4: Set out a basket to collect prayer intentions and alms for the poor. You might collect canned goods for a food pantry or have a cash donation basket.
STEP 5: Prepare the menu. One traditional main dish in Sicily is “Carpenter’s Pasta” – pasta made with bread crumbs sautéed in butter to resemble sawdust – but you can include fish, soups or other pasta. Cheese isn’t used, symbolic of the food shortage experienced in the origin legend of the tradition. Sesame-coated artisan breads in symbolic shapes are a key centerpiece of the table and the menu. Don’t forget to include dessert: cakes, biscotti and cookies embellished with almonds are common. For menu ideas, go to www.yearofstjoseph.org.
STEP 6: Gather and place specific foods on the table. Special breads, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, pasta, wine and olives are all traditional items found on a St. Joseph’s Table. But as it is Lent, omit any meats and cheeses. Arriving guests should place their items on or around the table.
STEP 7: Bless the St. Joseph Table. Before or at the start of your celebration, invite a priest or deacon to bless your table, or pray together as a family.
STEP 8: Eat. The three children representing the Holy Family eat first, and they sit at a small table reserved just for them. Food is served buffet style.
STEP 9: Pray. After the meal, pray together as a group, seeking St. Joseph’s intercession. Pray the Litany to St. Joseph or use the diocese’s St. Joseph Prayer Book for other ideas. To end the celebration, offer guests a small gift such as a St. Joseph holy card. When possible, deliver the items collected for the poor to conclude the devotion.
— CatholicNewsHerald.. www.yearofstjoseph.org and Tom Sperrazzo contributed.
Learn more
For detailed information about the tradition and the setting of the St. Joseph’s Table, go online to the Year of St. Joseph website at www.yearofstjoseph.org/devotions/st-joseph-table.
