Lent is a time of conversion designated by the Church to prepare us to celebrate the great time of Easter. It is a time of grace, not of sorrow and pain. It is a favorable time to reform, transform and change. A time to prepare to leave the grave, that is, to leave behind our life of vices and sin... and enthusiastically embrace the resurrection. It is time to open ourselves to life through forgiveness, reconciliation and penance. It is an invitation to change what is not working well in our spiritual life, it is time for conversion.
To help us do this, the Church invites us to pray, so that our spirit grows and transforms; to do penance, to reconcile ourselves with God and others; to fasting and abstinence, to show solidarity with those who have less than us... and to charity, because sharing what we have with others helps us grow in love for God and our neighbor.