Start Lent with us, the Sisters Adorers. Today is Ash Wednesday, a date that marks the beginning of a special time in the Church: Lent. Today begins a period that many people associate with fasting and sacrifices. But what if we saw it differently? What if it were an opportunity to be reborn, to make space in our hearts?

We can begin to conceive of Lent as an annual call to pause, to look within, and to ask ourselves: How is my heart? What do I need to change? How can I live more authentically and fully?

When we receive the ashes on our forehead on Ash Wednesday, the priest tells us: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

These are simple words with a profound message. They remind us that life is fragile, that all material things are temporary, and that the only thing that remains is the love that God gives us and the love we give to our brothers and sisters, each one of us. Ashes are not a symbol of sadness but of renewal: they represent the opportunity to start anew, to leave behind what weighs us down, and to open ourselves to something better.

Lent: A Path of Transformation

Sometimes we think that giving up meat or chocolate or using our phone less is enough, but in reality, God invites us to something much more meaningful. Although these practices can help us, the true purpose of this time is much deeper—it means changing from within, transforming what distances us from God and from others. It is about emptying ourselves to be filled with God.

At Sisters Adorers, we see this every day.

As one of our sisters tells us: “Some time ago, Lola arrived at Sisters Adorers with a story that, unfortunately, is repeated among many of the women we accompany: a past of exploitation, pain, abandonment, and lack of opportunities. She felt lost, as if her life no longer had meaning. Metaphorically, she felt like ashes.”

But God always makes all things new. I remember the day she walked through the door—she barely lifted her gaze. Over time, Lola began to talk, to regain her confidence, to see that her story did not end there. She discovered that there were people around her who cared for her, that she could learn a trade, that she had rights and responsibilities, that she deserved to be respected. The first time she got a job and proudly showed us her contract with a smile, we realized that something had changed in her. And I thought: “From ashes to hope.”

Today, without a doubt, Lola no longer feels like ashes but like fertile soil where God has planted new opportunities.

This is the true meaning of Lent: to leave behind what hurts us, what weighs us down, what destroys us… in order to be reborn into something new. We are not ashes; we are seeds of hope, and it is always possible to start anew.

3 Ways to Live This Lent with Meaning

If this time is an invitation to change, here are three simple yet profound ways to live it:

• Prayer: It doesn’t need to be complicated or perfect. It is enough to make a small space in your day to talk to God, in silence. Reading a passage from the Gospel, giving thanks before sleeping, or simply saying, “Here I am, help me to be better,” can be good ways to start.
• Charity: Love is shown in concrete actions. A kind gesture, a call to someone who is lonely, listening without interrupting, helping without expecting anything in return. You can also turn a small sacrifice into a greater good—giving up an unnecessary expense and donating it to someone or a cause in need.
• Inner Renewal: Beyond giving up certain foods, this is a great time to let go of habits that distance us from others—impatience, judgment, selfishness, indifference… What could you do differently in these days to make your surroundings a little better? We can challenge ourselves to avoid criticism, to be more patient, to complain less, or to dedicate more time to those who truly matter.

A Challenge for Today: Your Lenten Resolution

At Sisters Adorers, we propose a challenge: write down on a piece of paper an attitude or habit that you want to transform in these 40 days. Try to make it something meaningful, something that truly helps you grow. It could be more patience, more generosity toward someone, more trust in God, fewer judgments toward that person who frustrates us, spending more time with those who need us…

Place that paper somewhere visible and, each day, take a moment to remember your resolution. Think about how ashes symbolize that everything passes, but what we plant in our hearts and in others remains forever.

The challenge is not about making grand sacrifices, but about committing to someone or something that truly transforms. What change do you want to make in these 40 days? Let this Lent not pass unnoticed—let it truly help us to transform. May something new be reborn in us from the ashes.

What will your resolution for this Lent be? Share it in the comments on our social media, and let’s walk together in this time of transformation.