“Chips.” “Candy.” “Soda.” These were the most common things answered during the 5th period lunch when students were asked about what they were giving up for Lent. Some students even admitted they are not giving up anything at all.
This is concerning.
Lent is not meant to be convenient or comfortable. It is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and sacrifice meant to be challenging, yet it is very common for people to take the path of least resistance and choose easy stuff to “give up.”
MC senior Jayden Tate admitted he was going to give up chips but said it was kind of easy, so he decided not to do anything.
“In years past I would give up easy stuff like junk food and soda, really just whatever was easy,” he says. Tate thinks students choose those options because these things are somewhat easy to get rid of and not that big of a challenge.
That mindset is exactly the problem. They have to understand that when the sacrifice is easy, there is no real change to your day to day life or the goals that should be had when going through Lent.
While giving up easy pleasures does require discipline, it’s bigger than checking off a box. It needs to be about growth, about going face-to-face with the bad habits that weaken us. Even if there is not something being given up, there should be an intent to become better and more Christ-like through actions and service.
Senior Charlie Wingate gave a different perspective. Instead of giving anything up, he plans to be more conscious. “I’m just going to try and focus on my actions and deeds and help people out more,” he says. In previous Lenten periods he would pick something little and easy and not pay much attention to it. “I usually pick super easy stuff and if I’m being honest I would sometimes not do it, but this year I want to take it more serious.”
Wingate agrees that students should choose something meaningful because it helps them “work on themselves and try to be more like Jesus.” He went on to say he hopes his fellow classmates do the same and challenge themselves during Lent.
Theology teacher and campus minister Mr. Matt Petrich reinforced this idea as well. Rather than giving up something specific he is going down a different path. “I chose to be more intentional with the way I reacted to my sacrifices,” he explains. A father of two daughters, he says that he is always giving stuff up but for Lent wanted to focus more on his attitude. He encourages students to be intentional about something, mentioning a story about his friend who would give up watermelon because he didn’t like it. “something like that doesn’t make sense,” Mr. Petrich notes. “There is no good in that.”
When making a sacrifice there needs to be true intent behind it, not just doing it to do it. Mr. Petrich cites many ways students can achieve a more successful Lent. One example is fasting from meat, which also has a positive effect on one’s body.
With MC being a huge sports school, Mr. Petrich said another way kids can participate in Lent is by not complaining about having to do hard stuff during practice or not complaining when one has to wake up early.
Mount Carmel is a school built on brotherhood and faith. If that truly means something to the students, then Lenten behaviors should reflect that. If every single student decided to take Lent seriously, not only would it have a tremendous impact on one’s personal self but on the whole community as well.
It seems too many students are toocomfortable with “easy” sacrifices, but as people know we aren’t a school that settles and takes the easy way. MC gives full commitment to whatever is put in front of them. This means the whole community must try hard this Lent to better themselves and the people around them.
No matter what is chosen to be given up or to do extra, there needs to be accountability. The spirit of Lent shouldn’t just be something where the sacrifice is on for 40 days and then turned off. It should stick with you way past that.
Don’t take the easy path. Challenge yourself and be better.
