Lent: a time of reflection in order to concentrate more on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving than oneself is taking on a new meaning in this Jubilee Year of Mercy. To enhance the spirit of contemplation and self-improvement, the Jesuit Campus Ministry Team will be providing additional programs and events so that all the members of the Jesuit community may get the most out of Lent. Mrs. Gretchen Crowder, the Director of Campus Ministry, hopes that offering more opportunities for reflection and action will help people “wrestle with what mercy means in their lives.” In answering of the question what does Lent mean in his life, Josh Kurian ’17 uses Lent as a time to “change [his] life through sacrifice.” Cristian Peña ’17 touched on the importance of giving something up in order to emulate Christ’s death saying “it is the least we can do.”
In addition to daily mass at 7:15 am in the chapel and the praying of the Rosary in the Prayer Garden every Wednesday during all three lunch periods, the Stations of the Cross will take place during Friday lunch periods in the chapel. This is a way for all members of the Jesuit community to reflect on the mystery of Christ’s passion. Also, a Lenten Fish Fry and Stations of the Cross will take place on March 18th in either The Terry Center or Hughes Hall and all are invited.The annual Lenten Reconciliation will take place the week after Spring Break in order to allow students and faculty to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and prepare for the Resurrection of Christ. There will be opportunities for students to reflect and share with others through Peer Ministry meetings that will continue to happen every other Monday and Small Christian Life Community meetings which will be meeting periodically throughout Lent.
Faculty members will be engaging in book studies on James Martin, SJ’s book Seven Last Words, and Radical Compassion: Finding Christ in the Heart of the Poor by Gary Smith, SJ that students are also able to discuss with one another. In conjunction with Diversity, the Racial Justice dialogue blog will continue to happen during the Lenten Season. This opportunity is sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network.
Even though it may seem as if all these programs are geared towards the Catholic members of our community, nonreligious students and members of the Jesuit community are still called to take advantage of the Lenten “opportunity to think of how to improve [oneself] as a person particularly in how [one] relate to others,” says Mrs. Crowder. She also goes on to detail the importance of the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. “Works like feeding the hungry and clothing the naked or comforting the afflicted and forgiving offenses are universal things anyone can concentrate on improving in personally particularly during these 40 days.” Jose Romero ’16 uses Lent as a time to help his brothers on “their own Lenten journeys” becuase he does not partake in the tradition.
Personally, Mrs. Crowder will be focusing on her personal growth. The first step to personal growth in an area such as this, Mrs. Crowder says, “is prayer, dialogue, and general awareness that can lead to better understanding and empathy. I hope to have an opportunity for personal growth in mercy through interactions with faculty and students in these opportunities.” Many students share in Mrs. Crowder’s hopes during this season. For example, Cameron Perez ‘16 will be “sacrificing his time [and is] planning on attending daily mass.” Sacrifice is a common practice for lent in order to “grow closer to God” as Perez is planning on doing through his increased mass attendance. For senior Emmet Flood Lent is a time in which he is planning on “growing and maturing in [his] faith by making sacrifices.”
Lent is a time in which all of us (religious or not) can work to grow and improve ourselves and share our love.
Racial Justice Dialogue Blog
