Behind the Scenes : Spirituality & Religion

Give it up for Lent

By Josh Work, Copy Editor
   
March 10, 2008 | 10:36 p.m.

Catholics and non-Catholics alike honor the 40-day period of Lent in different ways, from religious leaders like the Revs. Martin Holler of Christ the King and Patrick Gaughan of St. Paul’s Church to students looking to improve their life spiritually.

Lent is treated as a time to reflect on one’s life. In the Catholic faith, it mirrors the 40 days that Jesus is said to have spent in the desert, refusing the temptation of Satan, before his death and resurrection on Easter. As such, Catholics are called to fast, pray, give alms and make self-sacrifices to prepare themselves for Easter.

These practices of penitence and self-sacrifice stem from ancient church practices, Gaughan said.

“Many centuries ago,Lent was a time for penitence," he said. "It was a time for people who had committed serious sin to prepare to return to the church.  Now it is a time for renewal, recommitment and repentance.”

Gaughan outlined the steps St. Paul has taken to prepare its parishioners for Lent. Every Friday the church, along with Christ the King, walks members through the stations of the cross, which is a visual representation of the story of Jesus’ death, and it also offers mass at noon to give members more time to pray. After the noon mass, the church has a simple soup lunch to help those who are fasting.

For almsgiving, St. Paul gave parishioners coin folders and asked that they place 50 cents in the folders each day for the 40 days of Lent, totaling $20 per member. The money is donated to Habitat for Humanity.

“Our goal is $2000 each year,” Gaughan said, “and we go over that goal every year.”

Apart from sponsoring and participating in these seasonal activities, Gaughan plans on finishing a few books by the end of Lent. The books, which he received from Bishop Robert Daniel Conlon of the Steubenville Diocese, focus on improving one’s parish and sermon-giving skills.

He also plans to spend more time in meditation, both by himself and over the radio with members at home. 

A student perspective

While most Catholic students seem to take Lent as a time to work off those unsightly pounds and, weather permitting, improve their tans, junior Nick Kovatch has taken a hairier approach to self-sacrifice.

Kovatch is a member of the Catholic Student Outreach, which meets on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul. He has given up shaving for Lent. Save for a necessary shave before attending a job fair, he has every intention to grow his beard out until Easter.

The facial hair, he claimed, reminds him of what he needs to do to make the most of his time.

“It’s like an itch,” Kovatch said. “Whenever I scratched my beard, I was trying to think of not complaining or wasting my time. It’s like a physical reminder of the things I want to improve in my life.”

Apart from his beard, Kovatch also wears a colorful prayer bracelet that he made in Bible study. The group members partnered up and made the bracelets to remind them to pray for others in need, whether those others might be each other, family members or even people they did not know.

“At the beginning of Lent, we had a group inventory on all the things to pray for during Lent,” Kovatch said of the process.

He concurred with Gaughan’s view of Lent as a time for self-improvement.

“It’s like a time of preparation and anticipation for Easter,” Kovatch said.  “It’s a time to really prepare yourself and a time to reflect on what’s going on in your life, to look for weaknesses in your spiritual life and hopefully amend them.”

When asked about the facial hair, however, he expressed a desire to get rid of it as soon as the season ended. 

Not just for Catholics

Holler, the pastor of Christ the King, noticed a surge of students celebrating the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Since then, however, he hasn’t seen quite the same volume in the pews.

“Twice as many people came on Ash Wednesday,” Holler said.  “A few of the folks might not have even been Catholic. It seems to have an extra kick here ... word gets around about Ash Wednesday, and people come to church together.”

Beyond Catholic institutions, churches of other faiths have included Lenten services. Christ Lutheran Church, for instance, held an Ash Wednesday service and has Lenten services every Wednesday. Likewise, the Church of the Good Shepherd serves a Lenten soup supper on Wednesdays. It is not unusual for a student of a different faith, or even an atheist, to adopt some of the practices of Lent, such as self-sacrifice.

“'Would you like to be a better person?' Lent is asking us this question. I think everyone would say yes to that,” Father Holler said, pointing out the possible reason for universal self-sacrifice. “The practices of Lent [prayer, fasting and almsgiving] are tried and true ways to accomplish that on an extended basis.”

He compared the self-improvement practices of Lent to a sort of New Year’s resolution. A student, he explained, might give up eating unhealthy foods and choose to go to the gym more often, but the inspiration for such actions might be to prepare for spring break in Cancun. Following the same self-sacrificial behavior for the sake of Lent, however, has a greater chance of developing sustained habits.

“We know we have been called to lead good lives. Lent builds up those good habits to help us become better people," Holler said. "It requires a sustained sort of view. Lent lets us step back and view what improvements need to be made to the whole – and wholeness is a step toward holiness.”

On a personal level, the pastor said that he has chosen to be quiet this Lent and learn to listen better. He hopes to become less dependent on outside stimuli, like cell phones and iPods, and to spend more time in prayer and introspection.

“For Lent to have a chance,” Holler said, “you’ve got to be quiet, think inward and reflect on yourself.”