Pope Leo XIV explains why Catholics fast during Lent

(OSV News) – The ancient practice of fasting from food during Lent can free us from complacency and lead us to "hunger" for God, Pope Leo XIV said in his 2026 Lenten message.

Ahead of Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the 40-day liturgical season of Lent, this year on Feb. 18, the pope encouraged people to embrace the "ancient ascetic practice" of abstaining from food, as well as "refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor."

Lent is a time 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," the pope said.

"Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion," he wrote. "Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance."

Fasting, he added, helps to identify and properly order our "appetites," "keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency."

In the message, titled "Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion," and released by the Vatican on Feb. 13, the pope drew on the fifth-century theologian St. Augustine to reflect on "custody of the heart" regarding "the tension between the present moment and future fulfillment."

Quoting Augustine’s work "The Usefulness of Fasting," Pope Leo cited the saint’s observation, "‘In the course of earthly life, it is incumbent upon men and women to hunger and thirst for justice, but to be satisfied belongs to the next life.’"

Pope Leo said that "understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good."

He cautioned that fasting must be "lived in faith and humility" rather than pride and should be grounded in communion with the Lord.

"As a visible sign of our inner commitment to turn away from sin and evil with the help of grace, fasting must also include other forms of self-denial aimed at helping us to acquire a more sober lifestyle, since 'austerity alone makes the Christian life strong and authentic,'" Leo said.

The pope also highlighted what he called "an unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor."

"Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves," he said, urging Catholics to cultivate kindness "in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities."

Leo encouraged Catholics to make room in their lives to listen to the word of God at Mass and by reading Sacred Scripture, noting that fasting is a concrete way to prepare to hear the word of God.

"The Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ," he said.

The pope also encouraged parishes, families and religious communities to "undertake a shared journey during Lent," emphasizing "the communal aspect of listening to the word and fasting."

On Ash Wednesday, Leo will preside over the traditional procession on Rome’s Aventine Hill from the Benedictine Monastery of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina, where he will celebrate Mass.

"Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us," he said.