A Look at Lent

“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” This is a quote from St. Catherine of Siena. St. Catherine shows the importance of Lent with this one quote. Lent is a time where Catholics give things up and pray more to strengthen their relationship with God. Mrs. Austin described it best as, “Like if you want to be a really good athlete. You have to sacrifice. You have to work hard.”

This season is a time of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, all in preparation for Easter. You may wonder, What is Easter? It is a symbol of Jesus dying on the cross. It is a celebration of the Ascension, when Jesus rose into heaven. 

You may still be wondering, What does that have to do with Lent? Lent is a time that Catholics take time to remember the cross that Jesus carried. There are 14 stations of the cross that we pray. They show what Jesus went through step-by-step as he carried his cross. If you want to see all of the stations, look at the Catholic.org website linked here. https://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=12231  

So now, the only question left is why do people do this? Lent shows your self discipline and self sacrifice. It is a way to suffer in the way Austin said earlier. You show your suffering like an athlete would. Another Catholic belief is that you need to offer your suffering to God. Austin said it is an important practice for her because it is an, “Acknowledgment of God.” 

According to the National Public Radio, less than half of the U.S. belongs to any religion, and according to Gallup News, 25% of Americans claim to be Catholic. Based on this, 1 in every 4 people are practicing lent, but is this really the case? Austin said although she isn’t sure how many people, especially students, really care, but the world would be better and happier if more people did care.

Catholicism brings you back to kindergarten to teach the golden rule: Be kind to others. Austin claimed that if people cared more, “There would be more peace and happiness at this age for everybody.”