As campus longs for greener weather to overtake bare trees and brittle grass, some students partake in a period of waiting, reflection and penitence for the Lenten season, a liturgical season in Christianity.
Liturgical seasons are meant to coincide with important moments in the life of Jesus, and Lenten mirrors Jesus’s 40 days of fasting in the desert. For participants, it includes 40 days of fasting and almsgiving for the betterment of the soul and one’s spiritual life. The season begins on Ash Wednesday, which was celebrated on Feb. 18, and concludes on Easter Sunday, which will be on April 5.
Wayne State has a large Christian population with various groups such as Cru and Wildcat Catholic. As a result, many students on campus partake in this season.
Almsgiving is often forgotten but generally means giving to those in need via money, items or time. Some people use what are called rice bowls, little paper bowls where loose change can be stored, and send them to an organization of their choosing. However, many focus mostly on the other component: fasting.
Fasting means giving up something for the betterment of something else. For Christians, this betterment is for their own spiritual lives.
Christians usually give up a meal, an activity or some luxury the average person has grown accustomed to. Traditionally, the first aspect to consider is food.
While these types of penance last the whole 40 days, some give up certain foods on specific days. Catholic canon law dictates that Catholics must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.
As a result, people in the area get the chance to enjoy a weekly fish fry. One such event will take place in the Wayne City Auditorium on March 27 from 5-8 p.m.
Other students decide to take on larger luxuries. With the rise in social media, students often find themselves engrossed in what is commonly called doomscrolling. Lent is an opportunity to create time by closing the apps.
“[I’m giving up] Facebook, Instagram, basically social media,” student Quinn Schroetlin said. “I still use Snapchat for the texting, but I don’t send streaks.”
Instead of giving up something material, a lifestyle change can also be enacted for the period. From more time in prayer to simply going for walks, students decide to refocus parts of their lives.
“I’m giving up, or at least attempting to give up, swearing,” Kotas said. “I’m also limiting screentime, so I can make more time to read.”
Not every denomination in Christianity dictates the traditional approach to Lent must be taken; many don’t do anything for it outside of Ash Wednesday and Easter. Despite this, it is an important time in Christianity. Whether giving up, giving to or changing habits, Lent is a chance for Christians to reset and focus on their God as well as the betterment of themselves.
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