Eternal Christendom Podcast We Are Not Christians Without the Cross: The Mystery of Lent with the Church Fathers | Ep. 63
Feb 25, 2026
A lively dive into St. Pope Leo the Great's Sermon 44 and its urgent Lenten themes. Topics include hidden sin and the limits of conscience, fasting as inner purification, almsgiving and the value of small mercies, the relationship between faith and worthy works, and how suffering, confession, and reconciliation shape Christian renewal.
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Host's Personal Commitment To An Arduous Lent
- Joshua Charles is undertaking an especially arduous Lent, offering penance for personal sins, conversions of loved ones, and the state of the world.
- He emphasizes prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as detachment tools to discern the times without losing peace.
Lent Intensifies Ongoing Spiritual Renewal
- Lent is a heightened time to pursue what Christians must always do: fast from sins and not merely food.
- Leo contrasts baptismal regeneration with ongoing daily renewal, urging vigilance against hidden faults even in the virtuous.
Fast From Sin Not Just Food
- Do fast from sins as well as food during Lent, focusing on resisting dishonorable acts rather than mere dietary restraint.
- Leo instructs that bodily weakness doesn't excuse spiritual effort; intention and strengthened virtue fulfill the fast for the sick.
