To the Jews, and even for us Catholics today, fasting, prayer and almsgiving are the three great works of a religious and pious life. Popular opinion, then and now, frequently conceives of holiness as the performance of more and more good works, fasting, praying, and zeal in religious practice. The stress placed here is on exterior signs of piety and respectability. Certainly this exteriority must not automatically be dismissed as 'Pharisaism.' In fact, there may indeed be much real goodness in this kind of religiosity. However, there will always be a certain lack of depth; an incompleteness that will make it impossible for persons to attain to the fullness of Christ-likeness. Thus we need to transcend the mere externals and penetrate into the depth of Christ's message. And what is Christ's message? Jesus' uses the image of marriage and that of a wedding - an occasion of much joy. It tells us that to be with Jesus is joy. Hence, fasting, prayer and almsgiving must be done with joy. Let us, then, regard this season of Lent, not as a period of sorrowful penance but one of joyful opportunities - opportunities for conversion, for love, for joy.