Easter is coming up around the corner but before we can celebrate, we have to make it through Lent. Not a lot of people enjoy Lent, many of us have to give up something we like, and no meat on Fridays. While those are definitely annoyances, there is more to Lent than just a lot of sacrifice. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ…the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.” (From <https://rcg.org/articles/ttmol.html> ).

Now, what does all this mean? It means that Lent is about preparing for Holy Week and ultimately Easter. Where it says that we must be purified from sin, it really means trying to avoid sin and trying to better ourselves. This is why we sacrifice, not to just get rid of what we like, but to step away from our materialistic ways and get closer to God in preparation for Easter. We sacrifice meat on Fridays because we remember the Blood that Jesus shed for us on Good Friday. So while Lent may pose challenges, it is to remember the challenges that Jesus made and his ultimate sacrifice.