The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which date changes every year, and continues 40 days until Holy Week.

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You will notice that your church has changed its decorations with purple altar cloths and banners. 

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WHAT IS LENT?

There are three main aspects to Lent: Prayer, Almsgiving, and Fasting.

Following in the example of Jesus who spent forty days in the desert before starting his ministry, we enter our own spiritual desert in preparation for Easter.

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PRAYER: Lent is a perfect season to deepen our relationship with God. Spend more time with God by picking up a new spiritual habit, such as praying the daily Rosary, reading Scripture, attending daily Mass. By spending more time in prayer, we learn to pray better, and we learn more about our Father in heaven.

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ALMSGIVING: Through charity, we remember others, especially those who are less fortunate than we are, not only in material goods, but also emotionally and socially. We give our personal excess to those who have need: whether it's donating money to a charity, donating our time to someone lonely, or offering our natural gifts to someone who needs help. 

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FASTING: We focus on self-improvement through fasting. As with the ashes on Ash Wednesday that are sprinkled on our heads, fasting reminds us that our bodies will die, but our souls will live forever. By denying our bodies the things it enjoys -- food, entertainment, rest -- we sacrifice the things that we enjoy so that we are reminded to spend this special time nourishing our souls with discipline and denial. We fast Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, in particular, and are encouraged to abstain from meat on Fridays. To fast means to eat one full meal and two snacks in one day; to abstain is to avoid certain foods, such as meat on Friday.

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To enter into Lent is to enter into the desert of our spiritual lives, to acknowledge the dry parts that God desires to drench with His love and grace. The forty days of Lent can feel difficult, but you are not journeying alone! The Lord walks with you! It is a time of renewal and healing, not guilt and punishment.

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THE FOURTEEN STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The Stations of the Cross are an important prayer tradition of our faith. During Lent, we are encouraged to pray these Stations to enter into Jesus's Passion and Death on the Cross. If you've never prayed the Stations, this video guide might help you begin this tradition for yourself and your family.