Lent isn't about training ourselves with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so we are "good enough" to be worthy of God's mercy. Instead, we practice these disciplines to more closely pattern our lives after the example Jesus set through his Cross and Resurrection.

In Turn to the Cross, each day from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday begins with a passage from the Liturgy of the Hours--a psalm, prayer, antiphon or response--followed by a short spiritual reflection, morning and evening prayers, and a question to ponder throughout the day. About five minutes a day is all we need as we turn to the Cross for healing, hope, and renewal.

Each week includes a new Lenten theme:

• God is faithful;
• the call to conversion;
• loving others by giving alms;
• self-denial through fasting;
• union with God in prayer; and
• following Christ through the Cross.