Pope Francis offered reflections for Lent in a letter released by the Vatican that was broken into three sections: The redemption of creation, the destructive power of sin, and the healing power of repentance and forgiveness.

In the wake of January’s World Youth Day in Panama, the recent summit of bishops on the protection of minors, and the sex abuse crisis engulfing the Church, it was perhaps fitting that he began with a quote from Romans 8:19 on the eagerly awaited “revelation of the children of God.”