Lenten Campaign 2025
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Lent is a time when priests and bishops will often stress the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, sometimes called "mercy."
These three actions are pillars of any Christian's life and are emphasized during Lent in hopes that the People of God will respond more generously to God's invitation.
St. Peter Chrysologus wrote a beautiful reflection on prayer, fasting, and mercy, which is featured in the Church's Office of Readings during Lent.
Prayer, fasting and mercy
He starts off his reflection by explaining how important they are and how they are interconnected:
There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.
St. Peter then explains how these cannot be separated:
Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself.
St. Peter powerfully reminds us that these three actions must be done in unison. If we want to fast, we need to pray and if we to show mercy, we need to fast and pray.
If we isolate them, we are then not living a complete Christian life.
Prayer gives us fuel to be merciful to others, as well as strengthens our ability to fast.
Our fasting propels our prayer to another level and helps us to be more merciful to others.
St. Peter summarizes again, "Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defense, a threefold united prayer in our favor."
The next time you want to increase prayer, fasting, or mercy in your life, be sure to remember that they can all increase at the same time and in equal measure.
