Editor, Gazette-Journal:

In the Catholic Church, Lent is a time of repentance and revival of one’s faith. It starts on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17 this year) and ends on the day before Easter Sunday. Not counting Sundays, it goes on for 40 days, the symbolic 40 days Jesus spent in the desert before starting His public ministry.

It is a time of drawing closer to God through one or more activities called “penances” such as giving up some vice/sin—such as drinking, drugs, cursing, cheating on your spouse, etc.; or starting a good habit—praying for an hour, reading a chapter in the Bible each day, going back to church, etc. You choose your penance and no one has to know what it is.

Without going into detail, you can look at what’s going on in our country and realize we need to get back to our religion. A good Lenten revival could help straighten out the mess our country is in. You don’t even have to be a Catholic. You just have to want to straighten out your life and our country.

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