Lent is much more than a time of spiritual preparation for Easter. For much of the Church's history, it was looked at as a time of spiritual battle.
We should approach Lent as it truly is, a spiritual battle against the world, the flesh and the Devil.
This connection is made most explicit in the opening prayer for Mass on Ash Wednesday.
Dom Prosper Gueranger comments on this aspect of Lent in his Liturgical Year.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of our spiritual warfare, a time to make ourselves battle ready.
Pope Francis also talked about how Lent is a time of spiritual battle in an address on the first Sunday of Lent in 2015.
Pope Francis points out how this is how Jesus passed his days of fasting and prayer in the desert, battling with Satan.
As we approach Lent, let us see it as it truly is, a time of spiritual battle where we fight against those sins in our lives that prevent us from enjoying complete union with God.
