Lent brings together two important aspects of our Christian life and belief. The ashes which we put on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday remind us that we are all mortal, and one day we will die. Life is transitory and we shouldn’t cling to the things of this world but look towards eternity. Lent also reminds us that God loves us beyond anything we can begin to imagine and that He wants to be with us and us with Him. He calls us into friendship with Him now. He is calling out to each one of us asking us to give up those things which bind us to this world, those things which separate us from him and from each other. He calls each one of us to turn back to Him with all our hearts so that we will have life. The acts of self-denial central to our keeping of this holy season bear witness to the fact that God has a place in our lives. They are a sign to an unbelieving world that God still matters and that we are willing to stand up for our faith. So when people ask you why you have given something up for Lent tell them about the wonders of God who loved us so much that he gave his only son to die for us so that we might have new life.