With Villanova’s campus finally seeing the first rays of the spring season, this has also been the precursor to one of the holiest times of the year. Many religious faiths converge at this time of year, with Christians celebrating Lent, Jews celebrating Passover and Muslims celebrating Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. As someone who follows the Catholic Lenten tradition of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, I’ve noticed over the years a specific emphasis on the fasting element of Lent from both practicing and non-practicing Catholics. Many times, those who do not regularly practice the Catholic faith are still committed to giving up something for Lent. Ash Wednesday services often fill the entire Church, even though it is not a holy day of obligation. It begs the question, why has our culture found such meaning in the practice of fasting and ashes as part of Lent?
Bettering oneself is a practice applicable to all in our world. A designated time to free oneself from worldly vices and bad habits can be beneficial to all. However, one must also ask themself, who is Lent really about? Writer Tara Isabella Burton from Vox stated in an article, “Lent has become secularized, reimagined as another opportunity for a kind of spiritual wellness ‘cleanse’ (whether of food, drink or social media habits), a second chance at kickstarting those neglected New Year’s resolutions.”
While it is natural to aspire to better ourselves which may require suffering, what are we directing that suffering towards? Do we suffer in parallel with Jesus’s passion on the Cross to show our acknowledgment and thanks or do we do so for our own self-improvement? Many derive a deep meaning from the practice, such as sophomore Lorna Petrizzo.
“To me, Lent is an opportunity to travel with the Lord on His way to Calvary and a consecrated time to meditate and reflect about dying and eventually rising again with Him,” Petrizzo said.
The practice of the burning and placing of ashes on our foreheads symbolizes our own mortality and minuteness compared to God. A common phrase by clergy when applying ashes harkens back to God’s words to Adam, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Instead of building us up as better humans, Lent in a way brings us down, forcing us to remember how temporary we are and everlasting God’s love for us is.
“Lent is specifically designed to dismantle the egotistical ideas we sometimes have about ourselves, to identify the spots in our lives where we’ve grown arrogant or complacent, to remember that we are going to die someday, and to repent and renew our dependence on God,” a similar article on Lent from Vox by Alissa Wilkinson said. “Lent is meant to be uncomfortable. And it’s meant to end in gratefulness.”
While each of us who partake in Lent do so in our own way, in a time of constant distractions and busyness, perhaps a period to slow down and reflect is almost instinctual. However, the question remains, who are we reflecting on?
“[Lent is a] constant invitation by God to ‘turn toward,’ redirect the course of our lives, acknowledge our failings, our stumblings and bumps along the way,” Father Kevin DePrinzio from Villanova said in an interview.
“A wise individual told me that, ‘If you want to know how good your Easter’s gonna be, look at how you’re going through Lent.’ … I, for one, intend to have the best Easter yet,” Petrizzo said.
The Lenten season, then, is a call for us to examine our deepest identity as “beloved by God.” Do we accept?
