As Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, listeners across Greater Sydney heard a timely reflection on sacrifice, renewal and compassion during a morning interview on ABC Sydney Breakfast radio (at 47:15), featuring Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of the Diocese of Parramatta.
Opening the segment, ABC Radio host, Craig Reucassel, reminded audiences: “Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent for the world’s 1.4 billion baptised Catholics for the next six weeks – people who observe it are meant to give up something.”
Asked whether Lent is still widely observed, Bishop Vincent answered candidly that while some older customs may be less common, the season remains deeply meaningful.
“Lent might not be popular in our secular culture… but…Lent is still important to Catholics,” Bishop Vincent said.
“Ash Wednesday, for instance, is very well attended. Something very powerful about the ritual of receiving the ashes on your foreheads – Catholics like to mark the season of Lent with the symbol.”
Bishop Vincent pointed to both charity and formation as living signs of the season, noting, “There is the Project Compassion, which is an expression of love, of justice, of solidarity with people across the world… and then there are Lenten groups, and then there are groups accompanying converts to the faith in most parishes these days.”
He noted that remains “a mark of identity” for Catholics.
Describing the purpose of the season, Bishop Vincent said: “Lent is… a spiritually fallow time – a time that one prepares the field for the new life.”
Grounded in Scripture, he connected it directly to salvation history: “Jesus himself spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness before his public ministry.”
When asked about Lenten sacrifice, he emphasised it is about personal choice.
“You do get to choose what you give up… people abstain from meat, from little pleasures. I myself have decided to give up alcohol, especially beer.”
He noted in today’s world another modern sacrifice is needed: “Screen time, I think, is another big challenge.”
Bishop Vincent also clarified a detail that surprises many non-Catholics.
“Sundays for us, are a ‘mini’ Easter Sunday… Sundays are not counted for the 40 days of Lent.”
Most importantly, he stressed that Lent is not only about giving things up, but building up relationships and compassion.
Reflecting on Pope Leo’s call to avoid harmful speech, and the legacy of Pope Francis, he said, “It’s not just about giving up things. It’s more about caring for others and attending to relationships, especially those that need to be healed and nurtured.”
“It’s not just about fasting from little pleasures of life, but also fasting from things, words and attitudes… and I think that’s a pretty good Lenten resolution.”
Across the Diocese of Parramatta today, Ash Wednesday Masses are being celebrated in parishes including St Patrick’s Cathedral. Catholics and visitors can find local Mass and liturgy times through the Diocese of Parramatta website by checking the dedicated Ash Wednesday Mass times page and parish finder. It is a perfect time to embrace the spiritual renewal of the season, receive the mark of faith, and remember our mortality and humanity by the ashes we receive on our foreheads – we are dust, and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19).
The weeks ahead will see communities gathering for Lenten prayer, Project Compassion outreach, and formation journeys for those preparing to enter the Church. RCIA candidates and catechumens will continue their preparation for baptism and reception into the faith at the Easter Vigil. Parishes are also preparing for Holy Week events, including the Diocese’s annual Good Friday Night Walk and other Diocesan and local initiatives that invite people to reflect on Christ’s sacrificial love and the hope of the Resurrection.
We encourage everyone to join us in this Lenten journey as we prepare our hearts for Easter and the joy of new life.
Listen to the full interview on ABC Radio Breakfast Sydney (starts at 47:15)
Find Ash Wednesday Mass times, Reconciliation, Adoration and Masses near you.
Learn more about Journeying through Lent.
In the spirit of our Diocesan Pastoral Plan let us be a Church renewed in spirit and prayer, focused on our priorities of Mission, Prayer, Formation and Community. Visit Synodality to learn more.
