Lent is a period of renewal and preparation for the Great Feast of Easter. Our special Lenten exercises like Imposition of Ashes at the beginning of Lent, Stations of the Cross, fasting, abstinence, and charitable works should help us purify spiritually so that we also rise with Jesus to eternal life. Jesus revised the laws of the old, stating that our love of God and service of neighbor should come from our heart. Fasting of Jesus as part of his communion with the Father and his overcoming of temptations using Holy Scripture as his defense are models for our spiritual renewal.