For Christians, Lent is the time of preparation for Easter and it commemorates Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the desert before He began His public ministry.  During Lent – through prayer, sacrifice and charity – we are called to renew our Christian life in preparation for Easter:

Prayer:  The Stations of the Cross, a devotional commemoration of Christ’s carrying the Cross and of His execution, are often observed.  As well as giving something up it is becoming more common to take something up as well and this may include taking time to volunteer or spending more time in prayer.
Sacrifice:  Sacrifice (penance) is an essential part of the lives of all Christ’s faithful.  It arises from the Lord’s call to conversion and repentance.  Christians undertake penance: in memory of the Passion and death of Jesus; as a sharing in Christ’s suffering; as an expression of inner conversion; as a form of reparation for sin.
Charity: Traditionally during Lent many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence, the money saved from this can be donated to charity, for example, contributing to their Trócaire box.                                 Irish Bishops’ Conference