Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We begin once again the season of Lent – forty days that the Church gives us each year so that we may renew our hearts, purify our vision, and learn to love God and our neighbor more truly. This is by no means a sad or gloomy time, but a time of grace: a time when the Lord Himself draws closer to us and calls us to turn to Him with our whole being.
Lent does not primarily mean giving up food or habits, but conversion. In the words of the prophet: “Return to me with all your heart.” Often we try to change our lives outwardly – more work, more order, more control. But God longs for our heart. He wants to meet us where we truly are: in our fears, wounds, doubts, and hopes.
Therefore, the Church offers us three simple paths: prayer, fasting, and works of charity.
Prayer opens us to God. Without prayer, faith becomes a habit and Christianity a culture. During this Lent, consciously take time for silence: read the Gospel every day, meditate on the suffering of Jesus by praying the Way of the Cross, spend time in church, even if only a few minutes, to be before God without words.
Fasting and small sacrifices teach freedom. We do not give things up in order to lose something, but to regain something – a freer heart less attached to material things. Try to give up something that fills your day but does not nourish the soul: constant entertainment, rushing, excessive talking, judging others, anything that distances you from God and your neighbor.
Works of love or mercy make us like Christ. Love is not a feeling, but an action. Notice someone who is alone. Reconcile with someone you are in conflict with. Give time, not only money. Christ often comes to meet us in the face of our neighbor.
This year, our Lenten journey in Estonia is especially joyful, as we celebrate for the first time the liturgical memorial of Blessed Eduard Profittlich. His life is not distant history – he is a witness of our land, our people, and our Church.
He was a bishop, but above all a shepherd. He did not abandon his flock even when it became dangerous. He knew what awaited him, yet he remained. His strength did not come from a heroic character, but from trust: Christ is worth living for – and, if necessary, dying for.
Lent helps us understand the martyr. One does not become a martyr in a single day. A martyr is born in daily fidelity: in small decisions, small sacrifices, in the daily “yes” to God. The path of Blessed Eduard Profittlich began with prayer, the sacraments, faithful work, and love for his people. A great witness grew from small acts of faithfulness.
Therefore, let us not look at him as an unattainable hero, but as a guide. We too are called to bear witness – not in prison or in death, but in the family, at work, in society, with quiet confidence that Christ is the Lord of our life.
Lent and the memory of Blessed Eduard Profittlich remind us: a Christian does not live from comfort, but from hope. A hope that does not depend on circumstances.
Let us entrust our land, our people, and our Church to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She teaches us to listen and to keep in our hearts what God does – even when we do not understand everything.
I wish you a deep and fruitful Lent.
May the Lord lead us to the joy of Easter, and may the example of Blessed Eduard Profittlich strengthen our faith.
✠ Philippe Jourdan
Bishop of Tallinn
Tallinn, 18.02.2026