From the very beginning of the human existence God keeps asking the question: “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9).

Lent is given us as the time to restore the connection from “God’s passionate will to dialogue with his children”, as the Pope Francis tells us in his Message for Lent 2020.It is all about giving our answers and revitalise our questions.

God’s Word provokes us and shows His expectations and projects. He gives us questions which aim is to overcome our fears, distrusts and laziness. The answers are not all written in the Bible, but they have to be given by each person him or herself. “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear” (Mrk 4:9): only the one who makes space for the other who speaks, can give such answers.

Looking at the circumstances of a personal and collective life we can see that they urge us to restore our relations with the whole humanity, which is made in the image of God Trinity. We are called to become similar to Him, being able to use our liberty to create dialogue, which is not homologating, but open to the other.

40 days of Israel walking through the desert become the metaphor of our life. Sometimes it is contorted and very difficult, sometimes, though, it is driven by the experience of love which seems to be all around.

“The fact that the Lord once again offers us a favourable time for our conversion should never be taken for granted. This new opportunity ought to awaken in us a sense of gratitude and stir us from our sloth. Despite the sometimes tragic presence of evil in our lives, and in the life of the Church and the world, this opportunity to change our course expresses God’s unwavering will not to interrupt his dialogue of salvation with us” (pope Francis, Message for Lent 2020).