Wednesday, February 22^nd is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Lent is the Catholic liturgical season of a forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday.

"Lent is a privileged time of interior pilgrimage towards Him Who is the fount of mercy" - His Holiness Benedict XVI.

Traditionally there are three pillars or observances that guide us through this interior pilgrimage. They are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully.

Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple.

Almsgiving: It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized.

Throughout the Lent Campus Ministry offers activities to help us all during this season through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to live more fully a Christian life. Please take advantage of the many opportunites offered.

Peace,
Sue

Susan S. Gabert
Director, Campus Ministry