Lent becomes more meaningful for those who choose a path out of personal exile, the bishops say in their pastoral letter.

“More time spent in prayer, restraint from purely material things, reading the Word of God... are all a sign of starting a journey,” the bishops said.

In their pastoral letter for Lent, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech tackled the subject of exile, tracing the period before Christ to the diaspora in today’s cultural context.

Exile embodied all that drew Christians away from God. Everybody experienced exile in a personal way.

“When we feel that in our life we have no need for Jesus or the Church... except in times of emergency, when we become totally consumed by materialism... we are in a spiritual exile when we set aside God’s commandments,” the bishops said.

“They think if they push God aside they will be freer to pursue their own inclinations. In fact, they realise this is not the case.”

The bishops urged believers to take up the challenge to ponder more deeply the mystery of living as a Christian during Lent.