Q’s from the Pews: How should I end Lent? March 29, 2026

This Sunday marks the last Sunday of Lent. Wow, 40 days are almost over! This is a good time to ask: what now? How should a Catholic look at the time spent fasting, praying and giving alms? Is it time to rejoice that my favorite chocolate bar is back on the menu? It might be instructive to look at what Jesus did after his “Lent.”

I am not referring here to His Passion and Death. Though Lent has been linked to the 40 years the Israelites wondered in the desert before crossing into the Promised Land, the “original” 40 days of prayer recall Jesus’ time in the desert after his baptism. These forty days prepared the human nature of Jesus for his mission and later to take up His cross.

As Catholics, Lent should help transform, and conform us to our mission. Instead of leaving our Lenten practices behind until next year, we should reflect on the positive effects Lent has accomplished in our bodies and souls, making at least some of these changes permanent. Imitating Jesus, we should emerge from Lent into the power of Easter strengthened in our discipleship, to “Go forth and proclaim the Gospel!” (Mk 16:15)