• Home
• >
• News & Events
• >
• News Articles
• >
• 2026
• >
• February
• >
• 2/23 Living Lent with Purpose
• >

News Articles

CRS Rice Bowl - Living Lent with Purpose

February 23, 2026

(Photo credit: CRS Rice Bowl social media)

From the Office for Social Ministry

“Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.” — Pope Leo XIV, Message for Lent 2026

As we begin this sacred season of Lent, Pope Leo XIV calls us to create space in our hearts for compassion and conversion. Even amid the demands of daily life, the Holy Father reassures us that peace of mind and heart is possible when we intentionally listen—to God and to one another—and abstain from whatever distracts us. Lent, then, is not about merely giving things up; it is about tuning our lives to listen closely to Christ’s call to merciful love.

In his message for Lent, the Pope reminds us that listening in prayer is not passive. When we prayerfully listen, something begins to change. Resentment loosens its grip. Fear gives way to trust. We begin to see others not as problems to be solved or strangers to avoid, but as brothers and sisters. Pope Leo reminds us that our God is One who listens especially to the cry of the suffering. Lent invites us to learn that same attentiveness to the cries around us today: families under financial strain, migrants seeking safety, elders who feel forgotten, and young people burdened by uncertainty.

If prayerful listening opens the door, fasting prepares the heart. By setting aside certain comforts, we rediscover what we truly hunger for—loving relationships, justice, peace, and communion with God.  Pope Leo also offers a practical suggestion: to fast from hurtful words. Harsh speech and rash judgment can wound deeply and fracture relationships. What might happen if this Lent we chose patient compassion over sarcastic criticism? He encouragingly says, “Let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”

Prayerful listening and purposeful fasting draws us out of ourselves and into a shared journey of merciful action. Pope Leo invites us to walk and work together this Lent, “Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths toward liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.”  For the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s Message for Lent 2026, please visit www.humandevelopment.va.

In the United States, one practical, fulfilling way to live this journey is through the Catholic Relief Services-CRS Lenten Rice Bowl initiative. Sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, this annual program brings together prayer, fasting and almsgiving in a way that connects local  Lenten practices to global hope.At the heart of CRS Rice Bowl program is the Catholic social teaching principle of solidarity: we are one human family. When one part of the body suffers, all suffer, but when one ohana survives and thrives, we all as one human family grow. This Lent, through the Rice Bowl stories of Hope, we can meet families in Ghana, Guatemala and Timor-Leste. There the poor have  very limited access to health and nutrition services but this is also where CRS works with local partners to support early childhood development so families can grow strong in body and mind.

For example in Walewale, Ghana, CRS helps families live healthy lives through an early childhood development project that also provides new ways for parents to support their families. Georgina was one of the first volunteers in this project and is now a lead mother in her community where she trains female neighbors in what she has learned. A mother of three, Georgina brings her children to the project to learn how to make simple, inexpensive toys that engage a child’s senses and stimulate learning and development. Mothers make play spaces at home for their children and teach new mothers what they’ve learned so that this knowledge will spread so other children can thrive. Georgina says“This program has helped us change our lives and our children.”

During Lent, CRS Rice Bowl resources are available at all Catholic parishes and schools in Hawaii. Rice Bowl resources for prayer, fasting and almsgiving help  us listen to God, reflect on our shared realities as one human family, experience in a small way what it means to go without, and respond to others in need with generosity. Since 1975, dioceses across the United States have raised billions of dollars through CRS Rice Bowl to address hunger, build healthier communities and see the face of Christ in others around the world. For more on the CRS 2026 Lenten Rice Bowl  program, please visit www.crsricebowl.org 

The CRS Rice Bowl Lenten program can hopefully help our journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving listen to God through drawing closer to Christ in our global family. The following is a prayer CRS proposes for Rice Bowl participants “God of Hope, during this Lenten season, may our prayers, fasting and almsgiving give us the courage to share our gifts with the world and bring hope to our global family.” Mahalo.