It might be difficult to believe, but this week we begin the Season of Lent. Lent can be an amazing time of year if one observes it properly. It is a time to challenge ourselves to be detached from the things of this world and cling more completely to Jesus. The three main pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Of course, Lent does not have to be the only time of the year that we practice these three things because they are essential to Christian faith year round. The origin of Lent can be traced to the Jewish traditions pf Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur which were feasts with penance. But the main reason for our fasting is that Jesus himself went into the desert to fast and prepare for his public ministry, death and crucifixion. As His disciples we follow Him to do the same. He invites us to join Him. “The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day” (Mark 2:18-20). The word “Lent” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words lencten, meaning “Spring,” and lenctentid, which literally means not only “Springtide” but also was the word for “March,” the month in which the majority of Lent falls. This period of time has always been seen as a season to prepare for Easter. The question for Lent is usually: What am I going to give up this Lent? While it’s an important question, we need to ask another: Is what I am giving up going to bring me closer to God? When I was younger, I would give up sweets, but that really did not bring me any closer to God because I did not relate giving up something to growing in love of God. Giving up sweets is not a bad thing because it can increase the virtue of temperance or self-control of desire. This virtue develops self-control and helps train us to desire God above all things. But we also need to remember the other two pillars of Lent: prayer and almsgiving. Just this past week students from our parish school demonstrated for us in a profound way what it means to give alms. They donated several hundred pounds of food to our local Vincent de Paul Society at St. John Paul II. Likewise our Scouts hosted a successful Spaghetti Supper to raise funds for their work. These are two concrete examples of almsgiving. Ultimately Lent is about saying “yes” to God with our whole selves, which comes about not only by giving something up, but also through prayer and almsgiving. Ask for the grace to know oneself and find out what to do this Lent to be closer to Him. On Wednesday we celebrate Ash Wednesday. In Genesis 3:19 God says to Adam after he sins, “you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Ash, therefore, represents mortality as a result of sin. Prior to sin, human beings were God’s stewards; meant to reign eternally in the Garden. After the fall, mortality becomes a part of life, and we return to the dust of which we were made. We place ashes on our forehead to remind us of our need for a savior. But ashes also symbolize repentance from sin, and intercessory prayer on behalf of others. We read in Job 42:6: “Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” In 1 Maccabees 3:47 we read: “They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads.” Finally in Daniel 9:3 we read: “I turned to the Lord God, to seek help, in prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” So, ashes on Ash Wednesday are an ancient sign of remembering our mortality, repenting of sin, and interceding for others. I hope that everyone has a blessed Lent in preparation for Easter!