WHAT IS LENT?

Lent is a season of the Catholic Church. It is a time of preparation for Easter in which we unite our lives to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It runs for 40 days, calling to mind the 40 days Christ spent in the desert, the 40 years Moses and the Israelites wandered in the desert, and the 40 hours Christ spent in the tomb. The liturgical color of lent is violet, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice. It’s a time to step back from the chaos of our daily lives and refocus ourselves on God.

'Repent And Believe'

This lent, walk with us on The Lenten Journey, a weekly email designed to help you enter more fully into these 40 days and consider your relationship with God
and how he’s calling you to grow - no matter where you are in your faith journey.

Text lentSTL to 84576 to join us, or use the form below to sign up!

THE CALL

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the Church invites us to a special call: to repent and believe. In repenting, we turn away from our sins that hold us back from God. We find healing from these sins in the sacrament of reconciliation, which gives us the strength to change habits, to change our lives. In believing, we are called to renew, or to begin for the first time, our belief in the Gospel message: that Jesus, true God and true Man, died and rose for our sins, and offers us the gift of eternal life and the strength we need in everyday life to draw close to him.

Check out our 40 ideas on how to spend your 40 days of Lent.

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LENTEN STORIES

Follow the St. Louis Review on Twitter and Facebook and check their homepage for the latest #CatholicSTL news, including Lenten coverage. Several great Lenten stories from past St. Louis Review issues can be found at the bottom of this page.

You can also check out the St. Louis Review's map of Lenten fish fries in the Archdiocese of St. Louis to plan your Friday meals!

THE 3 HABITS OF LENT:

>> Prayer

In Lent we’re called to spend more time with God in prayer. Jesus went into the desert to remove distractions and more clearly hear the voice of God. God wants a relationship with us. We’re called to make time in our daily lives to reflect on who God is and what he desires for us.

>> Fasting

Fasting from different things during Lent helps us to create more space in our lives to ponder the mysteries of God and it helps us reflect on what Jesus did for us. Jesus suffered and died for us, so by fasting from things we might become attached to, we unite ourselves more closely to Him.

>> Almsgiving

Simply, this means giving to those in need. This giving may be in the form of money, time, talents, or other resources. These small acts of sacrifice help us to detach from things in our lives, and unite us to those we are serving, and ultimately to Christ himself.