Ash Wednesday starts the Lenten season for Roman Catholics and Holy Thursday (Thursday before Easter) ends it. Although a primarily Church of Christ school, Lipscomb is seeing more and more students participate in Lenten sacrifices.
Typically Lent is a season of preparation, fasting, self-denial and sacrificing to lead up to the resurrection of Christ.
Someone may give something up or add something to his or her daily routine to be sure Jesus is the center of his or her life. Senior and practicing Catholic Tucker Peabody says he appreciates it when other faiths participate in Lent.
“I feel as if it doesn’t matter what faith you come from in order to participate in Lent, and I think it shouldn’t have a different meaning either,” Peabody said. “In the end, Lent is a time to be aware of the sacrifices Jesus made for us and for us to try to strengthen our faith and become closer to Him.”
Senior Megan Stout who is also a practicing Catholic agrees saying, “It makes me kind of proud to be a Catholic when others decide to join. I think Lent can mean the same to anyone; Jesus sacrificed for us on Earth so why not attempt to better ourselves as humans too?”
Other students who have grown up Church of Christ have seen themselves begin to participate in Lent almost every year.
Senior Kelsey Reiman says she started giving things up for Lent when she was in high school even though she grew up Church of Christ.
“I think sacrificing something for the sake of Christ is an important discipline for any Christian to practice regardless of their denomination,” Reiman said.
There are many more aspects to Lent than simply giving something up. On Fridays Catholics are to abstain from eating meat and Sundays in Lent do not actually count in the total number of 40 days. Most times, non-Catholics do not practice the less prominent stipulations.
The most prevalent idea through Lent is to sacrifice something, typically not good for you either spiritually or physically. Sweets is a common sacrifice most people have tried once or twice, but for some, Lent becomes more than that.
Stout remembers being young and denying herself sweets because she was basically told to.
“When I was younger, Lent meant no candy. Basically, I saw it not as a severe punishment but as a restriction on my diet,” Stout said. “When I got older and understood more about the purpose of Lent, I understood it was about self-sacrifice and improving yourself as a person.”