Encounter Lent: Companions on a Journey

“Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his Word, in the sacraments and in our neighbor.” —Pope Francis


This Lent, CRS Rice Bowl invites you, your family and community to journey alongside the Good Samaritan, to reflect on the question: Who is my neighbor?

So many of our neighbors are on the move: migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons, travelers. The Good Samaritan—a traveler himself, one on the move—shows us what it means to encounter the stranger, to accompany one in need and become a companion on the journey.

Pope Francis has invited Catholics to build bridges of understanding and hospitality with migrants and refugees through the “Share the Journey” campaign.

Make it easy for CRS Rice Bowl to accompany you on your Lenten journey by downloading the app and setting a daily reminder to pray with it each day.

How will you contribute to the culture of encounter this Lent?
 

Holy Week

We Encounter Jesus

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, one of the most significant moments of the Church year. During this week, we journey with Christ from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his final meal with his closest friends and ultimately to his death on the cross.

As we walk with Jesus through Holy Week, we call to mind the countless men, women and children who even today carry heavy crosses: crosses of hunger, of homelessness, of a lack of resources or security. In these brothers and sisters we encounter Christ...

In the video below, Thomas Awiapo gives a glimpse of how our Lenten fasting can turn into Easter joy for those most in need around the world...

Fifth Week of Lent

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Catholic social teaching inspires and guides how we are to live and work in the world. In this principle, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Jesus tells us to give special care to those who are most in need. He reminds us of our Christian duty to listen closely to those who often go unheard and to help those most vulnerable.

A Story of Hope from Malawi

Alefa is a mother, grandmother and farmer. She provides for her three children, three grandchildren and husband by selling her crops. If they fail during one of Malawi’s rainy seasons—or in a drought—her family goes hungry. One particularly difficult year...