Lent is a season of the church’s calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and goes through Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter Sunday). It is a season to prepare our hearts for the joy and celebration of Easter, reminding us that the journey to the empty tomb goes through the cross. In this way, it prepares us for the brokenness we inevitably will face in this life. As we practice even small ways of self-denial, we remind ourselves of the true source of peace and comfort: Jesus himself.