39 Prayer Prayer is the way to refocus on something essential: our relationship with God, who is our loving Father and who is always ready to listen to us. Often, the small efforts we make will help us to focus on the spiritual dimension of Lent. Through prayer, we can ask God for things, say thank you, and ask his forgiveness for any sins or habits that keep us from him. Almsgiving To give alms is to share with the poorest. During Lent, Christians are invited to be generous. Donating money, food, or clothing to the poor is serving God directly. During Lent, each week, you will see small steps toward Easter. These will suggest some efforts you can make to turn your heart toward God! Holy Week This is the last and most important week of Lent. It begins on Palm Sunday and ends at Easter. It brings to life the Passion of Jesus, that is, the last days of his life on earth. During the last three days, called the Triduum, we join with the Church to recall when Jesus shared a last meal with his disciples before being arrested (on Holy Thursday), judged, and put to death (on Good Friday), and then resurrected (on the night of Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday). Why forty days? That’s the time Jesus spent alone in the desert praying tohisFatherbefore beginninghis “public” life (the part of his life where he lived among the crowds to proclaimtheWord ofGod).We too take forty days to get away from our habits, to pray, to get back to the essentials. The number forty also recalls the length of the Hebrew people’s journey in the desert where they spent forty years after they left Egypt in search of the Promised Land. They journeyed for forty years. In the Bible, the number forty always involves a journey. of Lent Important feasts days that can fall during Lent: Saint Joseph (March 19) and the Annunciation (March 25). Check your calendar!
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