Ascension Lenten Companion - Walking with Mary to Jerusalem (with Fr. Mark Toups)

It's the 2025 season of Lent! Coming out from 2024's Ascension Lenten Companion - Walking with Jesus to Jerusalem (with Fr. Mark Toups), I won’t lie - I’m genuinely filled with curiosity about what I’ll uncover along this year's journey. It’s undeniable that no one on earth knew Jesus more intimately than His mother. Mary, more than anyone, spent every moment with Him, understood His heart in ways that no one else could. She lived through His childhood, witnessed the quiet and sacred moments of His growth, and saw every little detail of His life that no one else had the privilege to know. The way He moved, the way He laughed, the quiet moments—she saw it all, and with the deepest understanding.

How did Mary support Jesus as He grew, and what tender, intimate conversations did they share in the quiet of their home? These thoughts pull me into a deeper reflection. What must it have been like for her to know Him so fully, even as He revealed Himself to the world?

Looking back, I realized that I’ve rarely placed Mary at the centre of my Lenten or Advent reflections. Perhaps as the journal companion states, it is more important to have a relationship with Christ himself. But now, as I think about it, I feel a stirring in my heart. How can Mary, who knows the depths of Christ's heart like no one else, help me to cultivate a deeper attentiveness to Him this season? How can I enter into her sorrows and her love, and in doing so, draw closer to the very heart of Jesus?

As I step into this Lenten season on Ash Wednesday, I am filled with an eager longing to renew and deepen my relationship with Jesus. I’m excited to have Mary—this extraordinary woman, the epitome of faith and love—guide me through these next 40 days. More often than not, it is Jesus who has pathed this journey for his beloved mother to now also walk with me as she leads me ever closer to the heart of Jesus.

What are you committing to for Lent this year?
a. Journaling - Let's get back to it!
b. Reading - Love & Responsibility (Karol Wojtyla) - Publication and Book
c. Lenten Reflection Journey - Walking with Mary To Jerusalem 2025
d. Abstinence of meat on Fridays during Lent
e. Weekly Adoration
f. Awareness around and how God needs me to move - Examen

Read:
FORMED Live Holy Week (Dr. Tim Gray) Part 1 of 2
Lent 2015
Entering Into Holy Week
Psalm 22
Lenten Reflection 2009
Be Still this Good Friday
Anima Christi
Getting Lent Right
The Passion
Lent 2004
Last week of Lent
Into Lent