There is something about the season of Lent that gently asks more of us. It does not demand grand gestures or loud statements; rather, it quietly invites us into honesty with ourselves, with God, and with our current place in the lifelong journey of faith we have been called to.
This year, St Charbel’s Fersen Al Adra (Knights of Mary) children’s ministry group journeys through Lent under the theme “Hope on the Horizon,” a theme that resonates not only with our Maronite community but with the entire Catholic Church, especially as Pope Francis has declared this Jubilee Year as the Year of Hope.
But beyond its timeliness, the theme carries a deeply personal call. It serves as a gentle reminder that regardless of the burdens and heavy yoke of this life, we are journeying towards something greater and brighter.
Often, we have a habit of reducing Lent to simply giving something up. At its heart, Lent is truly about returning.
It is about returning wholeheartedly to Christ and reaffirming the truth that suffering never has the final word. Every step we take during Lent places us directly into the footprints of Christ leading to Calvary.
Yet Calvary was never the final destination. On the horizon of every Good Friday lies the promise of Easter Sunday.
One of the beautiful truths we always aim to communicate to our students, whether they are in Kindergarten or Year 8, is that Jesus is not distant or disconnected from our human struggles.
He willingly embraced our full human experience and experienced betrayal, loneliness, exhaustion, mockery, and the excruciating pain of crucifixion.
Yet he bore this suffering willingly, entering into his Passion for our sake and for our salvation, even though he knew many would not appreciate it.
The beloved Apostle John, who stood faithfully at the foot of the cross, writes: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Knowing Christ’s deep love and his willingness to embrace suffering shapes our experience of Lent at Fersen. Lent invites us to offer our messiness, uncertainties, and broken pieces, trusting deeply that Christ gently receives them and reshapes them into something beautiful, whole, and filled with hope.
As such, the cross we carry during Lent is not merely a burden, but a pathway to Christ himself. St John Chrysostom speaks of the importance of companionship with the cross, saying: “The Cross is the hope of Christians, the staff of the lame, the comfort of the poor, the destruction of all pride, the victory over devils.”
His words invite us to view our own struggles not as isolated pains but as opportunities to draw closer to Christ through shared experience.
This humble presence before God flows naturally into service. The more deeply we fall in love with Christ and accept his gifts, the more we feel compelled to share what we have received.
Service need not always be grand; often the smallest acts carry the most profound grace. St Charbel, whose faithful and humble witness continues to inspire our Maronite tradition, is a shining example of such humble service.
Lent, therefore, becomes our training in humility, not just a temporary discipline, but preparation for a lifetime of service.
At Fersen, we witness this principle each week through simple yet meaningful actions: offering prayers for one another, assisting fellow students, and embracing moments of silence over distraction.
Lent gently but persistently urges us forward, inviting us to embrace our cross in humble trust and self-denial, step by step, toward something infinitely greater: the hope-filled horizon of Easter.
That’s what makes “Hope on the Horizon” more than just a theme; it is a powerful reminder that this journey has a definite destination. Although we may not yet see it fully, Easter is coming. The tomb will open, and light will break through.
Lent is not about flawlessly arriving at Easter. Rather, it is about walking the road honestly, carrying what we can, surrendering what we cannot, and trusting deeply that Christ who first walked this road walks with us still.
At Fersen Al Adra, we journey together, students, leaders, and families alike, with hearts always lifted toward the hope ahead, clearly knowing the promise awaiting us.
And that hope? It’s already on the horizon.
Anthony Aoun is the spiritual coordinator of St Charbel’s Parish Fersen Al Adra, the children’s ministry group dedicated to nurturing faith in the youngest members of the community.