Guest Commentary by Beth Barsotti |
What is Lent? One of the first things that comes to my mind is, What can I give up? Some of us think of Lent as a good time to lose weight by eating fewer sweets or as a time to restrict ourselves.
Lent is not just about reading the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Nor is it about fasting for a nice, round number of days or about losing weight. Rather, Lent is a season where we focus anew on living the Gospel message, on living as Jesus did. Lent is a period of “purification and enlightenment” in which those preparing to be welcomed into the Catholic Church at Easter are making their final preparation for baptism. With them, the whole Christian community is preparing to renew our baptismal promises at Easter. We spend these “40 days” thinking and acting intentionally, living out our baptismal identity as followers of Christ in a new or more focused way. We make choices that heighten our awareness and care for others and that model our lives more closely upon the love and generosity of Jesus.
Pope Leo the Great (440-461) invited Christians to use the season of Lent to look within their hearts to forgive grudges, to rid themselves of pride, to stop deceiving themselves, to avoid unkind words and to let go of thoughts of revenge. But, he also recommended other Lenten observances such as sharing with the poor, clothing the naked and reaching out to those who face hardships.
The whole Christian narrative, which finds its fullness in the Easter mysteries, is summed up simply: God transforms death into life. All of the experiences of suffering in our life, all of the ways in which we are broken, all of the ways in which we want to be healed – these are not the end of our story. As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, we celebrate the ways that God raises us to new life. We experience this resurrection in moments in this world, and we wait for the day when this promise will be brought to completion. After our death, we believe that God will raise us to eternal life. This is something worth preparing to celebrate!
This Lent, we recommit ourselves to our faith. Make time for reflection, for silence and for service. Check out the Campus Ministry Lenten Calendar for ideas!
Beth Barsotti is the assistant directory of faith formation. She can be reached at barsotti@up.edu.
Ways to engage in this Lenten season at UP Lenten Calendar: wordpress.up.edu/lent Facebook: Pilot Ministry Twitter: @PilotMinistry
Liturgies: Ash Wednesday, March 5: Chapel of Christ the Teacher (CCTT)—12:05 & 4:45 p.m. Hall Chapels—Evening times to be announced Sundays: 10:30 a.m. & 9 p.m. (CCTT) Weekdays: 12:05 p.m. (CCTT) Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday)—April 17, 4:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion (Good Friday)—April 18, 3 p.m. Easter Vigil—April 19, 8:30 p.m. Easter—April 20, 10:30 a.m.
Prayer: Visio Divina—Quiet prayer with Scripture and images from the St. John's Bible Wednesdays of Lent—starting Wednesday, March 19, 12:45-1:15 p.m. & 7:15-8 p.m. (CCTT) FISH Prayer Journey—April 16, 12-8 p.m. (BC 163) Morning Prayer— Thursday, April 17, 9 a.m. (CCTT) Friday, April 18, 9 a.m. (CCTT) Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. (CCTT)
Reconciliation: Communal Reconciliation—Prayer as a community with time for individual Confession—Tuesday, April 1, 7 p.m. (CCTT) Reconciliation: Wednesdays 5-5:30 p.m. & Mondays 9:30-10:30 p.m. (Confessional CCTT) Stations of the Cross: Stations of the Cross: Fridays, 4:30-5 p.m. (CCTT) Campus Wide Stations of the Cross—Tuesday, April 15, 7 p.m. (Bell Tower)
Fun: Bringing Eyes of Faith to Film—”Thor: The Dark World”—Tuesday, March 25, 7:15 p.m. (Franz 006)
Weekly Ministries: Mondays, 8 p.m.—Praise & Fellowship (St. Mary's Lounge) Tuesdays, 9 p.m.—Adoration (CCTT) Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.—Coffee & Catholicism, (Upper Room CCTT) Wednesdays, 9 p.m.—FISH (Terrace Room)
