Forty days and forty nights.

960 hours, 57,600 minutes, and nearly six weeks.

Seems like a lot, huh?

For those who celebrate Easter, forty days means Lent. Lent is a time in the Catholic and Christian religion for reflection, repentance, and sacrifice.

Lent is the forty days that lead up to Easter, the holiday in which Jesus arose from the dead after being crucified. Tina Monastero, a Health and physical education teacher at MHS as well as the Wildcat Focus supervisor, said, “Lent is a time for self-sacrifice, repentance and conversion of heart. It’s a time for making positive changes in our lives that can benefit ourselves and those around us.”

Typically, to observe Lent, many people sacrifice something as their Lenten promise. Whether it be food, television, or another pleasure, those who choose to sacrifice for Lent will go forty days without their special treat. I myself have chosen to give up the glorious, sweet concoction known to many as ice cream. Even though sacrificing isn’t a required action during this time, those who chose to do it use it as a time to focus on their faith rather than material or luxury goods.

To many, Lent is a period in which they can truly focus on how their actions have been. It’s a time in which one can really reflect on their mistakes and try their best to learn from them.

However, Lent is so much more than a time for giving up a treat. Lent is a time to focus on faith and how we’ve been growing religiously. It’s one of the most important times in the Catholic and Christian religions.

Lent is also a time for us to see how we’ve been treating others. It makes us think twice about ignoring our parents or making a snide comment to a classmate. During this Lenten season, the most important promises we can keep are the ones we’ve made not only to God, but to ourselves as well.

Comment below what you’ve given up for Lent and why!