What is lent?
Have you ever been around any Catholic friends or coworkers and they would say in passing that they are observing lent? You ever wonder why they are sacrificing their favorite meals or hobbies for a period of time?
Lent is essentailly a fourty day sacrifice that Catholics use to emulate Jesus, whom they beleive to be the son of God. According to the gospel of Matthew Jesus went out into the Desert to fast for fourty days and fourty nights. Fasting being the partial or complete deprivation of food and sometimes water for a period of time. Holy men throughout history have undergone this practice. It is said to take the body/mind out of a animalistic state into a more spiritual state of mind, obviously after overcoming the challenges of temptations especially hunger.
Modern day Catholics do not exactly go full on Jesus and fast in a desert/wilderness for that extended period of time but they will find a mental/physical crutch they lean on and sacrifice from it. It can be things as simply denying oneself pizza to the complete blackout of using technology. Usually, obligatory days of penance are on a Friday for most practitioners.
During this holy period on top of the sacrifices Prayer and alms giving are heavily encouraged. Throughout the New testament Jesus was in prayer often in direct communication/consulting with Father God on his ministry. Hence why you see many people of this faith in amplified prayer during this time. It is strongly believed Praying for others has the same benefit as it does for praying for oneself. Many Rosaries get put to good use during this time.
Without a doubt the Catholic Church has a large public face towards almsgiving. Think of all the Charities from homeless outreach to Catholic hospitals/doctors. So when individuals sacrifice their favorite hobbies for a short while, which usually requires money and time they instead they donate their time/money etc to less fortunate. Thus giving a visual immediate impact for those who receive and give the charity during this time period.
When does lent occur?
Lent commences on a day called Ash Wednesday and this day is figured out by counted backwards from Easter Sunday. This day will always be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox of spring. The cool thing about the spring equinox is the amount of daylight and and night are equal partners.
The observance finally comes to an end on what is known as Holy Thursday and three days before Easter, this is followed by commonly known good Friday and then Holy Saturday, Ultimately this ends with the Feast of Pentecost.
This whole observance is in short a acknowledgment of the many sacrifices Jesus made throughout his life and ministry from his fasting in the dessert to the final act of sacrifice and revival, the crucifixion and resurrection.