PODCAST | Lent: A Time for Conversion
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“Now is the day of salvation, now is an acceptable time… For what?”
As we begin the holy season of Lent, Fr. Javier del Castillo reflects on the readings for Ash Wednesday which remind us once again that now is the time for conversion — Lent is a time for conversion. Our Lord gives us an entire season of the liturgical year to turn back to Him, to be reconciled to God, to purify ourselves, and to identify ourselves with God’s suffering.
Our conversion does not have to be big and showy. In fact, Fr. Javier explains how simple acts of penance — like offering up our food and drink, setting a time for prayer, and participating in works of mercy — allow us to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ on the Cross and to bring about deeper conversions. He also explains how the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are ultimately participation in the life and mission of Jesus Christ that help us in our earthly life toward the goal of eternal salvation.
Rev. Javier del Castillo
Fr. Javier del Castillo is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and currently serves as President of the St. Josemaria Institute. He earned a degree in electronic engineering and moved to Rome to complete his ecclesiastical studies, where he was ordained a priest in 2005 and earned a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in 2007. He worked as a chaplain in high schools in the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas for several years, offering spiritual accompaniment to students, parents, and teachers. From 2015 on, he served as the vicar of Opus Dei in the midwest; he was appointed regional vicar of the United States in 2022. He became vicar of the United States and Canada in 2024, following the restructuring of the regions, until his appointment as Vicar General in April 2025.
