The saying goes, “We rise again from ashes, to create ourselves anew.” During this Lenten season, each of us has an opportunity to shape ourselves through prayer and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The outlook of Lent for many people is simply to give up something they indulge in for 40 days; however, Lent is much more than that. Yes, giving up something is what many people do, and nothing is wrong with that. But to truly make the most of the Lenten season is to go above and beyond ourselves. Apart from prayer, Lent is about almsgiving and fasting. It is understandable that it can be difficult for many of us to fast, but it is not a huge commitment to not eat meat once a week on Friday. The little things like this are what help to continue our praise for our Lord. Pope Francis said that Lent is a time for, “The healing power of repentance and forgiveness.” From this, it is important to take the time to open our hearts over the next 40 days, through owning up to our faults and sins, and repenting to the Lord through prayer and confession. The last thing I would like to point out that we should all practice this Lenten season is forgiveness. Today, forgiveness can be hard to attain sometimes because of the grudges we all hold. Let us make an effort this season to forgive, so that when Easter comes, we will all have a cleansed heart.