Through testimony, these young adults are forming one another. They are building a culture of encounter. Lent reminds us that conversion often begins with listening. The Church must listen not only to Scripture and tradition, but also to the voices of how others are living the Gospel in today’s world.

The Lenten season provides us with no shortage of holy men and women to discover and model our lives after. The following five individuals, whose feasts typically appear on the liturgical calendar during Lent, can help us overcome some of the greatest obstacles that we face.

Prayers of intercession, where we ask God to help other people in their needs, are also prayers of petition. Since praying for both the living and the dead is a spiritual work of mercy, it wouldn’t seem fitting to give this up for Lent!

What John Paul observed to the General Council of the Polish episcopate in June 1979 — that Catholicism has effective weapons against tyranny when it is “strong with its own strength,” its spiritual strength — remains true today, not least with respect to Russia and China.

Lent isn’t about winning. It’s about taking small steps that we hope lead to big ones. If we’re doing this right, Lent will not be easy. But we are trying.

Like the popes and bishops speaking up to protect God’s creation, our Catholic faith calls all of us to bring our values to public life, too. You can join churches and millions of Americans in conserving resources, advocating for change and supporting initiatives to give our children a cleaner, healthier world.

Birth mothers embody this radical, self-sacrificial love by wanting what is best for their children even if that means placing them with another family. Adoptive parents participate in it by loving another’s child as their own.

A more demanding common discipline would require far more exceptions, which could make it difficult for the majority of the Church to observe them together as one spiritual family.

He was a quiet man who sought no attention and knew he was serving a saint. May he rest in peace, reunited with his old master at the Throne of Grace.

Lent begins Feb. 18 this year. During this holy and penitential season, fasting is required of adult Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59. The required days of fasting are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.