Blog – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Message of Pope Leo XIV for Lent 2026

18 February, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion

Dear brothers and sisters,

Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.

Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about. For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled.

Listening

This year, I would first like to consider the importance of making room for the word through listening. The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone.

In revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush, God himself teaches us that listening is one of his defining characteristics: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). Hearing the cry of the oppressed is the beginning of a story of liberation in which the Lord calls Moses, sending him to open a path of salvation for his children who have been reduced to slavery.

Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering. In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to teach us how to listen as he does. We must recognize that “the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.”^[1]

Fasting

If Lent is a time for listening, fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor.

With spiritual insight, Saint Augustine helps us to understand the tension between the present moment and the future fulfilment that characterizes this custody of the heart. He observes that: “In the course of earthly life, it is incumbent upon men and women to hunger and thirst for justice, but to be satisfied belongs to the next life. Angels are satisfied with this bread, this food. The human race, on the other hand, hungers for it; we are all drawn to it in our desire. This reaching out in desire expands the soul and increases its capacity.”^[2] Understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good.

However, in order to practice fasting in accordance with its evangelical character and avoid the temptation that leads to pride, it must be lived in faith and humility. It must be grounded in communion with the Lord, because “those who are unable to nourish themselves with the word of God do not fast properly.”^[3] As a visible sign of our inner commitment to turn away from sin and evil with the help of grace, fasting must also include other forms of self-denial aimed at helping us to acquire a more sober lifestyle, since “austerity alone makes the Christian life strong and authentic.”^[4]

In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.

Together

Finally, Lent emphasizes the communal aspect of listening to the word and fasting. The Bible itself underlines this dimension in multiple ways. For example, the Book of Nehemiah recounts how the people gathered to listen to the public reading of the Law, preparing to profess their faith and worship through fasting, so as to renew the covenant with God (cf. 9:1-3).

Likewise, our parishes, families, ecclesial groups and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent, in which listening to the word of God, as well as to the cry of the poor and of the earth, becomes part of our community life, and fasting a foundation for sincere repentance. In this context, conversion refers not only to one’s conscience, but also to the quality of our relationships and dialogue. It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires — both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation.

Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.

I impart my heartfelt blessing upon all of you and your Lenten journey.

From the Vatican, 5 February 2026, Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

LEO PP. XIV

Manos Unidas Campaign 2026

17 February, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

Once again, Manos Unidas, a Spanish Catholic organization that raises funds to help people around the world, has launched its campaign against hunger. With the slogan “Declare war on hunger,” it has called on people to combat the structural causes of poverty, inequality, and injustice.

For our part, we continue to collaborate as volunteers in the campaign, helping to raise awareness about these realities.

Our role is simple: to bear witness to our missionary life and explain firsthand some of the projects we have seen financed by Manos Unidas in our mission. This is not just any organization, but the way in which the Spanish Church is committed to the realities of impoverished countries and collaborates with them. Most of its funds come from this campaign, which is carried out by parishes throughout Spain every second Sunday in February, and it is time to report on it to all the people who offer their help each year.

This year we have had the opportunity to visit several parishes. Often what we do is attend weekend Masses and share our mission experience and the realities of different countries where we have been as missionaries at the end of the Eucharist or after the homily.

It is very nice to see how in some parishes, such as La Encarnación in Bormujos (Seville), the whole community gets involved in the campaign. Catechists, children, and young people work during the week to help raise awareness in the community, while volunteers organize charity markets or activities such as hunger dinners.

Also, in the parishes of Cerro, Ascensión, and Los Ángeles in Seville East, the volunteers of Manos Unidas and the parish priests lovingly prepare the Masses for that weekend. At the last one, we not only had the opportunity to share in the Eucharist, but also to give our testimony to the adult catechesis group. It was an hour in which we were able to delve deeper into these realities and share photos and a deeper understanding of the causes of these situations and the struggle these countries are undergoing to move forward. In reality, our help as missionaries or our support for certain Manos Unidas projects is nothing more than support for the work and sacrifice that the communities carry out. These communities are the real protagonists and the ones who teach us so much about resilience, about not losing hope, about being creative when you have few resources. We learn so many things from them that it is only fair to share them with our communities of origin at this time.

We hope that the faith and energy they show will also revitalize our communities in Spain and that we will be able to collaborate in building a more just world for all.

Best regards, Alberto and Maricarmen.

Collective planting commemorates Edvard Dantas and reinforces the fight for environmental justice in Piquiá da Conquista

9 February, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

An initiative by the Edvard Dantas Collective, Justiça nos Trilhos (JnT) and residents of the resettlement reaffirms their commitment to memory, environmental justice, and the future of the territory.

On January 23, 2020, Açailândia (MA) bid farewell to Edvard Dantas Cardeal, one of the main leaders in the struggle for the resettlement of the community affected by industrial pollution in the municipality. Six years later, his memory continues to mobilize the territory he helped build.

On the morning of Saturday, January 24, residents participated in a collective planting at the Piquiá da Conquista Resettlement Square. The activity was organized by the Edvard Dantas Collective, Justiça nos Trilhos (JnT), and the community itself, marking the beginning of a permanent tree planting agenda for the neighborhood.

The action is part of a broader project to strengthen the environment of the territory, which still faces a significant lack of green areas.

“This was a special moment for the community. We started the first of many plantings and chose this date because it reinforces the importance of the struggle and keeps alive the memory of Mr. Edvard Dantas Cardeal, who played a fundamental role in the conquest of this neighborhood. Our goal is to transform Piquiá da Conquista into the most wooded neighborhood in Açailândia,” said João Paulo, a popular educator at Justiça nos Trilhos and member of the Edvard Dantas Collective.

The Piquiá da Conquista resettlement was the result of years of mobilization against the socio-environmental impacts suffered in the former Piquiá de Baixo neighborhood. The construction of the new territory represented a historic victory for community organization. Now, the consolidation of a healthy and environmentally balanced space is a permanent challenge.

For Antônia Flávia Nascimento, a resident of the neighborhood and member of the Edvard Dantas Collective, planting has both symbolic and practical dimensions.

“This activity is not only important for reviving the story of Mr. Edvard, who started this process and contributed greatly to making it happen. It is also important for reforestation, for bringing life. We depend on the oxygen that comes from trees, and here in Piquiá da Conquista there is a great shortage of trees,” she said.

Antônia also highlighted the participation of children in the activity as a strategic element for building a sense of belonging and environmental awareness.

*Environmental justice begins on the ground we walk on. Photo: Edvard Dantas Collective*

“Often, for them, it’s just a matter of putting their hands in the soil. But when they watch the trees grow and say ‘I planted this,’ they begin to understand that they are part of this process. Planting trees is planting life.”

By combining memory, community mobilization, and environmental recovery, collective planting reaffirms the political identity of Piquiá da Conquista. A territory that was born out of resistance continues to organize the present to ensure the future.

By Lanna Luz

Journalist for Justiça nos Trilhos

Original link: https://justicanostrilhos.org/plantio-coletivo-marca-memoria-de-edvard-dantas-e-reforca-luta-por-justica-ambiental-em-piquia-da-conquista/

CLM Kenya annual assembly 2026

6 February, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

In peace and joy.

The annual assembly of CLM Kenya was held from the 8th to the 11th of January. On Thursday, CLM members and candidates arrived to begin a time of meeting, prayer, and reflection.

The assembly began with a short reflection led by Alberto de la Portilla, which helped introduce us to the spirit of the gathering and focus on our mission and responsibilities. This was followed by an evaluation of the year 2025 according to the different huduma (i.e. in swahili, groups in charge of different “services”, like communications, formation, etc), as well as a presentation of the roles and responsibilities of both the outgoing and new huduma, which helped us better understand the tasks and services within our community.

Another point on the program was the reading and amendment of the charter of CLM Kenya. Working in groups according to each huduma, we also undertook planning for the year 2026, sharing ideas, experiences, and expectations for the future.

After the presentation of the plans for 2026, we had a social evening that took place in an atmosphere of joy, mutual kindness, and fraternal community. It was a moment of strengthening relationships and sharing ourselves in a simple and warm way.

At the conclusion of the assembly, a final presentation and evaluation of the entire meeting took place. Father Maciej led the closing prayer and gave us his blessing, strengthening us for our continued journey of service and mission. After this spiritual conclusion, we all returned to our respective communities, enriched by the shared time and experience.

CLM Kenya

Missionary sending of the first CLM in Costa Rica

5 February, 2026 by Alberto de la Portilla

Gospel according to Matthew 28:20: “…and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

January 25 was a very important day for the CLM of Costa Rica, as the Missionary Sending Mass was held in their home parish, Our Lady of Mercy, Palmares, Alajuela, presided over by Monsignor Bartolomé Buigues Oller, Bishop of Alajuela, who gave his blessing and sent our brother José David Rojas Quesada on his mission. He also shared with him the Word of God as a sign of the task entrusted to him, the Cross as a sign of the Missionary Sending and witness of God, and the Light as a sign that leads to the Living and Risen Christ. On February 12, José David will be traveling to his Ad Gentes mission in the Central African Republic, specifically to the Mongoumba mission, where he will be building community and working on that mission alongside Teresa, Élia, and Neema. We would like to share with you some words that our companion wrote for this occasion:

“Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel.”

These words resonate in my mind and heart. The path has not been easy: it has been uphill, dusty, and, on many occasions, full of chasms.

I remember as if it were yesterday when I was 7 years old—yes, I imagine many of you are doing the math—because exactly 37 years ago I began my service as an altar boy. As the days, months, and years went by, I fell more and more in love with this spirit of service, a gift that has been given to me freely and that I will continue to share freely.

The prophet Samuel is very significant to me, and I make his words my own: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Although there were times in the desert, times when I forgot God, my sin and my smallness enveloped me and, like any of us, I allowed myself to be seduced. However, He seduced me first, and I set myself the task of returning to my first love. If the trials were hard before, at that moment they began to be even harder, but always with God ahead of me and with Mother Mary.

That first love blossomed more strongly. And although I am still the greatest of sinners, I still have a long way to go before I can say that I have been configured to Christ. Every day I struggle to become so; I will continue to try and give my best effort.

I give infinite thanks to God for the opportunity to have a family that, although not perfect, has always supported me. Today my mother, who was my confidante, friend, and protector, is no longer physically with me, but I am sure that from heaven she is watching over me and still pulling my ears. I love you, my little cabbage hands, my old lady.

I am still blessed to have my father, and I pray to God to take care of him, to grant him good health in body and soul, and that he may continue to enjoy many more championships of the LDA soccer team he loves. To my three brothers, I love you; take care of Dad as he has taken care of us. To my nine nephews and nieces: take care of your grandfather, love him as he loves you, and remember that this uncle loves you very much and that whenever I can, I will be there for you.

May God always be at the center of your hearts; draw close to Him. The Eucharist is the most beautiful, sincere, and simple way to have Him. And when you go to pray, ask God for this member of the family who, even though he is far away, always carries you in his heart.

My family by choice, my Comboni Family: in you I have truly found a direction. Everything I have learned and experienced has strengthened me and made me a missionary who is not afraid to give my life for the mission. St. Daniel Comboni has been the inspiration for wanting to leave everything for the Whole, and to fearlessly give my life for the most needy and forgotten.

To my companions in the Comboni Lay Missionaries group, let yourselves be struck by the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May St. Daniel Comboni encourage you. Remember what he used to say: every missionary must have a pig’s stomach to eat everything, a camel’s knees for prayer, and a donkey’s back to carry his backpack. God’s works are born and grow at the foot of the cross; Comboni said it well, because he knew that the mission is not easy and that it must be lived with great responsibility, but above all with commitment.

There are so many people who undoubtedly occupy a very significant place in my heart: uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, so many people whom I truly value. I always pray to God to bless them abundantly. I wanted to invite more people, but the civic hall for these times was too small for us.

Infinite thanks to God for the gift of friendship, which I am sure will continue to be strengthened through prayer. Infinite thanks for every word of encouragement and every contribution. God has truly surrounded me with angels: people who trust in my vocation and, even more, in the mission. I am sure that during my time on mission you will continue to support me in the same way, because—to be honest—I need it.

I feel great peace in my heart. We have fought and overcome many situations that only the strength and peace that come from above have made possible.

Thank you, thank you, and a thousand times thank you.

We will only be 11,000 kilometers away, about 40 hours of travel, but very united in prayer. Thank you for sharing as a family, because we are all family: some by blood, but without a doubt, family because of the greatest treasure we have, our Heavenly Father.

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News, making them my disciples.”

May God bless you greatly. May Our Blessed Mother cover you with her blessed mantle, and may St. Daniel Comboni intercedes so that your love and missionary zeal may always be a source of inspiration.

And again, THANK YOU.

CLM Costa Rica