By Vinci Halbrook-Paterson
Lent is the 40 day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the 40 days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection.
This year Lent began yesterday, Feb. 17, and ends on April 3, which is the day before Easter. In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially ends on April 1 (Holy Thursday), with the beginning of the mass of the Lord's Supper.
The word "Lent" comes from the Old English word for "spring." Here, we are in Oregon in the midst of soggy soil, gray days and bare trees.
But wait - take another look as you walk across campus. Those branches that look lifeless at first glance do have buds that are forming.
Amid the brown mulch there are small green shoots of flower bulbs beginning to sprout. The tradition of Lent began in the early Church. These 40 days were final preparation for those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion at the Easter Vigil.
So the whole Church walks with them. The witness and dedication of the incoming members challenge the rest of the Baptized to recommit themselves to Christ and the call to love and serve the Lord and one another.
Like the often-undetected sprouts on branches, we are asked to slow down and see the growth, change and "conversion" within ourselves.
This year on campus nine women and men have been studying and preparing for Initiation into the Catholic Church. Six students will receive all three initiation sacraments:
Randy Iriarte
Christina Shelton
Justin Gomez
Sarah Moran
Samuel Bailey
Miranda Rickert
Three others, who are already baptized, will make a profession of faith and receive Confirmation and First Communion:
Kaitlyn Dirksen
Elly Thompson
Hannah Hoffarth
Please keep these students and their journey of faith in your prayers. During their 40 days of final preparation, we are challenged to deepen our relationship with Christ.
We break up our routines by giving up a bad habit, or a food or activity that we enjoy. We are left with an empty space, or empty time or empty stomach.
These concrete feelings remind us that only God can fill our deepest needs. The other tradition is to add specific activities into your life: 10 minutes of prayer per day, attending daily Mass when able, doing service/volunteer projects or attending a bible study.
Reach beyond yourself to those who stand in need: the poor, helpless, lonely. I encourage you to pick up a Lenten calendar in the Campus Ministry office at the Pilot House or in the Chapel. There are many opportunities during Lent to grow in your faith.
The practice of abstaining from all meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent is grounded in a desire to identify with the poor. In the early Church all "rich foods" - lard, eggs, butter, meats - were considered luxury items and were not eaten on days of abstinence.
So the practice hoped that by eating simple meals - the meals of the poor, the followers of Jesus would more readily reach out to their sisters and brothers in need. So a Friday meal of Alaskan halibut or salmon may be missing the point.
Some meals you might consider are a bowl of vegetable soup, or rice and beans, a cheese quesadilla, mac 'n' cheese or a small salad.
Vinci Halbrook-Paterson is the Assistant Director for Faith Formation
