"Lent. Oh, that Catholic thing." Ever since I was little that is all I have heard from a majority of people. I have heard every explanation and it is sad to hear other people try to explain when they don’t even participate. As a Catholic, I am here to clarify some simple facts.

For the most part, people think of lent as the time when some of their friends give up eating meat on Fridays, start fasting, and ‘giving something up’ as a personal sacrifice. Starting on Ash Wednesday - this year it’s February 25th, for forty days, Catholics all over the world will start the season of lent.

The tradition of not eating meat on Friday’s comes from the Bible itself. Jesus died on Friday; therefore we observe this by keeping a tradition of abstaining from meat. This includes such meats as beef, pork, and chicken. Most don’t know that it is ok to eat things such as chicken flavored ramen noodles because there is no actual meat. As an alternative during this time, families will enjoy pancakes, shrimp, and meatless spaghetti on Friday nights.

Fasting is a well-known term. Catholics fast to observe the long stretch Jesus endured, including the little amount of food he had, if any. In 1966, Pope Paul VI changed the Code of Canon Law and had it set for the ages of 18-59 to fast and abstain. If one has complications due to medical or other related issues, the person is allowed to not par-take.

Lent is most commonly known for when people ‘give up’ something. The reason we make a sacrifice is for the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. By making a personal sacrifice for ourselves, we remind ourselves what Christ actually came here for. Some people get creative like not watching TV or computer. Others do something small like give up sweets. Some promise to pray more often. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it means something to that person.

What if you break a rule? Many people think that there are punishments. There are no real punishments for not following these "rules." As part of the faith, we try to observe these requests so we can remind ourselves for forty days why we believe in our faith and what became of it. Most people don’t know that all Sundays during lent are not included in Lenten practices because Jesus resurrected on Sunday, so some break from fasting on Sundays.

I’m not here to preach about my religion. Basically lent is fairly well known, but not everyone knows the full story. Lent is preparing us for Easter. By doing these acts we can remind ourselves of what Jesus endured in His life. Lent is full of sacrifices, big or little. The point is that the amount of time you prepare yourself will ultimately connect you better with your faith.