O God, our Father, when you looked at the work of your hands, you saw that everything was very good! But our sin has marred the beauty of your work, and today we are experiencing its consequences.

Through Jesus, your Son and our brother, we humbly ask you: give us, this Lent, the grace of sincere repentance and conversion of our attitudes.

May your Holy Spirit rekindle in us the awareness of the mission we have received from you: to cultivate and guard Creation, caring for and respecting life.

Make us, O God, promoters of solidarity and justice. As pilgrims, we inhabit and build our Common House, in the hope that one day we will be welcomed into the House you have prepared for us in Heaven.  Amen!

Prayer, theme and poster launched by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil

Every year during Lent in Brazil, the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) launches a theme to be lived and reflected on. This year’s theme is “Fraternity and integral ecology”, with the biblical motto “God saw that all was very good” (Gn 1,31).