TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Holy Face of Jesus

On the night of May 31, 1938, Blessed Mother Pierina De Micheli, a nun of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception, while immersed in adoration, saw the Blessed Virgin holding a medal in her hand: on one side was engraved the image of the Face of Jesus dead on the cross, surrounded by the biblical words: “Let your face shine upon us, Lord”; on the other side appeared a radiant host surrounded by the invocation: “Stay with us, Lord.” The Virgin said: “It is a pledge of love and mercy that Jesus wishes to give to the world in these times of sensuality and hatred toward God and the Church… Diabolical snares are being set to tear faith from people’s hearts… A divine remedy is necessary. And this remedy is the Holy Face of Jesus.” Let us proclaim it to a world that is lost and increasingly thirsting for love!

To learn more:
• Pray, pray, pray
• Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Ash Wednesday

“Lent is not the time to heap useless moralizing on people, but to recognize that our wretched ashes are loved by God. It is a time of grace, to welcome God’s loving gaze upon us and, seen in this way, to change our lives. We are in this world to journey from ashes to life. So let us not pulverize hope or reduce to ashes the dream God has for us. Let us not give in to resignation. And you say: ‘How can I have faith? The world is going badly, fear is spreading, there is so much wickedness, and society is becoming de-Christianized…’ But do you not believe that God can transform our dust into glory? The ashes we receive on our heads shake up the thoughts in our minds. They remind us that we, God’s children, cannot live by chasing the dust that vanishes… We are not in this world for that. We are worth much more, we live for much more: to fulfill God’s dream, to love. The ashes are placed on our heads so that the fire of love may be kindled in our hearts. Because we are citizens of heaven, and love for God and our neighbor is the passport to heaven; it is our passport. The earthly goods we possess will not serve us; they are dust that vanishes, but the love we give - in our families, at work, in the Church, in the world - will save us and remain forever.” Let us take Pope Francis’s words to heart and truly live this Lenten season as a time of grace.

To learn more:
• No one has greater love than this
• The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
• Let Us Adore the Blessed Sacrament. Vol. 2. Prayers for Lent

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Beginning of the novena to Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Today we begin the novena to Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, “a saint loved by young people, who are increasingly fascinated by his life full of simplicity, generosity, enthusiasm, and love for good and beautiful things.” Gabriel wrote to his father: “My life is a continuous joy,” and he also said: “Serving the Lord is sweet.” Let us look to his example and invoke him with confidence; in a special way, let us entrust all our young people to his intercession.

To learn more:
• Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. God’s smile
• Pray, pray, pray

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Saints Francis and Jacinta Marto

Francis and Jacinta were 9 and 7 years old respectively when Our Lady appeared to them and to their cousin Lucia. Francis loved withdrawing to pray in order to “console Jesus”; Jacinta would meditate at length on the eternity of Hell and offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. Francis died after contracting the Spanish flu on April 4, 1919. Jacinta contracted the same illness, and Our Lady came to take her on February 20, 1920, as she had promised. Pope Francis recalled on the day of their canonization: “As examples, we have before our eyes Saint Francisco Marto and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense sea of God’s Light, leading them to adore Him. From this they drew the strength to overcome difficulties and suffering. The divine presence became constant in their lives, as clearly manifested in their insistent prayer for sinners and their permanent desire to remain with ‘Hidden Jesus’ in the Tabernacle.” Let us learn more about the story of the shepherd children of Fatima and pray to them with faith so that they may intercede for us.

To learn more:
• The apparitions of Fatima
• The apparitions of Fatima between history and wonder