Beloved Parishioners,

“Now let us all with one accord, In fellowship with ages past, Keep vigil with our heavenly Lord In His temptation and His fast.”

These opening lines of the ancient Lenten hymn Ex more docti mystico, traditionally attributed to Gregory the Great, immediately situate our Lenten journey within the communion of the Church across the centuries.

When we fast, we do not fast alone. We fast “with one accord,” united with Christians of every age who have entered the desert with Christ.

This hymn, prayed for centuries in the Roman Breviary, reminds us that Lent is not a private religious exercise. It is ecclesial. It is historical. It is apostolic. We stand in fellowship with ages past — martyrs, monks, missionaries, mothers and fathers in the faith — who kept vigil with the Lord in His forty days of prayer and fasting.

One may think about the provenance of such a great hymn and ask who was Gregory the Great? Pope Gregory I, known as Gregory the Great, reigned from 590 to 604 AD. He was one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church. A pastor during times of plague, famine, and political instability, he strengthened the Church’s liturgy, deepened pastoral theology through his Pastoral Rule, and sent missionaries to evangelize England. The Lenten hymn attributed to his era reflects the depth of early Christian ascetic spirituality — a spirituality that sees fasting as communion with Christ.

And what does Christ show us in the Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent? He fasted for forty days in the desert — and then He was tempted. This is crucial for us. Many Christians in our parish who are fasting and abstaining during this holy season will experience temptation. It may come as irritation, discouragement, impatience, pride, or the subtle desire to abandon our discipline. Some may feel tempted precisely because they are fasting.

But the Gospel teaches us something consoling: temptation is not failure. Jesus Himself was tempted. The desert does not remove struggle; it reveals it. Christ responds to each temptation with fidelity to the Word of God. He does not argue emotionally. He does not negotiate with evil. He anchors Himself in Scripture: “It is written.” For us, this means fasting must be joined with prayer; abstinence must be rooted in Scripture; self-denial must be directed toward obedience. Lent is not just about proving spiritual strength. It is about conforming our will to the Father.

In his 2026 Lenten Message, Pope Leo XIV deepens this understanding of what he calls “the best form of fasting.” He reminds the Church that fasting is not merely abstaining from food. The right fasting includes fasting from hurtful speech — from harsh words, rash judgments, and slander. It includes learning to listen. It calls us to interior conversion, humility, and charity. The Holy Father teaches that fasting must shape how we relate to God and to one another. Without conversion of heart, fasting becomes an external ritual. But when united with prayer and charity, it becomes transformative.

Therefore, “THE RIGHT FASTING” is: Fasting with Christ. Fasting with the Church. Fasting from sin. Fasting from harmful speech. Fasting that produces mercy.

As we continue this sacred season, may we fast in one accord. May we keep vigil with our heavenly Lord. May we resist temptation through the strength of His Word. And may our fasting bear fruit in love, patience, reconciliation, and deeper communion. Wishing each of you a holy and fruitful Lenten fast.

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