Lent. A time of reflection, prayer and the anticipated "giving something up" for the next 40 days. Many people choose to give up their favorite junk food, candy, maybe a bad habit or something bothersome to them. Many people feel as if giving something up is always the answer.

The 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter are seen as a period of fasting and time to think about the sacrifices that God made for us. They are special in the sense that it is preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Come Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, we as Catholics and Christians are ready for the awaited day.

Here we are, April 1. The forever changing Easter Sunday is upon us. The flowers have sprouted, the birds are chirping and the hams are in the ovens. Everyone is dolled up in their Sunday best ready for mass followed by a wonderful dinner with their families and friends. There is nothing better than a day of rest and celebration. As Catholics, this is our Superbowl of holidays. Christmas is very important as well as the other days in the calendar we have but Easter is the biggest of them all.

As we go along with our days we all have different messages that we hear in church, some may be the same but may be interpreted differently by what is going on in peoples lives. Different homilies and all, we are all there for the same reasons. To give thanks and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for the sacrifice he made for us and to reflect on the past 40 days and the sacrifices that we made within it to show our appreciation.