24 Hours for the Lord
24 Hours for the Lord: Preyer, Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration
24 Hours for the Lord is an annual Lenten initiative introduced by Pope Francis in 2014 to emphasize Prayer, Reconciliation, and Eucharistic Adoration.
The event centers on God’s mercy that is the centre of the Gospel message: the Mercy of God, which gives us the certainty that before the Lord no one will find a judge, but rather will find a father who welcomes him, consoles him and also shows him the way to renewal.
Key elements of the celebration include the Eucharistic Adoration (Continuous adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, often with extended hours in churches), Confession, Prayer and Reflection (Liturgies, communal prayer, and personal reflection guide participants toward conversion).
In this Jubilee Year, the 12th edition of “24 Hours for the Lord” will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on the eve of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, from Friday 28 March to Saturday 29 March
On the evening of Friday, March 28, and throughout the entire day of Saturday, March 29, it would be worth considering having an extraordinary opening of the church, offering the possibility of access to Confessions, preferably in a context of Eucharistic Adoration.
As always, the event could begin on Friday evening with a Liturgy of the Word to prepare thefaithful for Confession, and conclude with the celebration of anticipated Sunday Mass on Saturday afternoon.
Pope Francis has chosen for this twelfth edition oa particularly significant motto in this year of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025: “You are my hope” (Ps. 71:5). Jubilee 2025 is set in the light of, “Spes non confundit,” “Hope does not disappoint,” taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans. This Holy Year will therefore be the Jubilee of Hope, in which everyone, wherever they are in the world, will be invited to become “Pilgrims of Hope.”
To guide the Celebration of this event the Dicastery for Evangelization has published a handbook to offer some suggestions to help parishes and Christian communities prepare to experience this initiative. These are, of course, suggestions that can be adapted according to local needs and customs: PASTORAL HANDBOOK – YOU ARE MY HOPE (Ps. 71:5)
Images
- Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash