March 5th is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the day the Church begins its annual pilgrimage to the cross. For the uninitiated, I like how upperroom.org describes what Lent is all about:
It's the forty days before Easter. Lent excludes Sundays because every Sunday is like a little Easter. Basically, it's about one-tenth of a year (like a tithe of time).... [it's] a season of the Christian Year where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God.
That's good. In its simplest form, Lent is a season where the Church quiets itself as it prepares to celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord. It's a time where we willingly enter into the sufferings of Christ.
