Lent is a liturgical 40 day Christian season which, this year, began on Ash Wednesday (February 18) and will conclude on Holy Thursday (April 2). It is used to represent the 40 days Jesus spent fasting, praying and resisting temptation in the wilderness, and, in looking toward the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, it focuses on repentance, confession and service. This period of preparation also allows those who celebrate it to have their full attention on God and who he is. One way believers adjust their focus to God is by giving up or fasting from something, like sugar or social media. 

Fasting was a focal point of Lent when it first emerged following the council of Nicea in 325 AD.. Pope Gregory I first regulated the period of the fast worldwide, ordering it to begin on a Wednesday, 46 days before Easter. Lent has been observed for centuries by Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Christians, but the specific practices have evolved over time. The tradition continues to be impactful in our community today.

“Lent is a representation of Christ’s journey to the cross leading up to his death and a reminder of our own dying to self,” junior London Patterson said. London and her family take practical steps during the Lenten season to demonstrate sacrifice and adjust their focus to Jesus. “My family and I have dinners several times a month during Lent where we eat only what our sponsored kids eat. Then we send them the money we saved on the meals.” 

Others on campus are also drawn to the sacrificial emphasis of Lent. “In that season (of Lent), I give up something that I feel like has an inordinate amount of importance in my life that it does not need,” Dr. Adam Funmaker said. “That can be coffee, TV, social media, sweets. This shows the importance of sacrificing something you love to get closer to God.”