BCCHS marked the beginning of Lent with the kickoff celebration at St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral on Ash Wednesday. With the Lenten season commenced, many students have been reflecting and looking for ways to build a routine of Lenten commitments in the three pillars of Lent- prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Below are some tips in each of these realms that can help set a Lenten path to experiencing the fullness of the joy of Easter Sunday.
Fasting is often associated with Lent because it is the only Catholic liturgical season that requires fasting on two days – Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Catholics 18 and older are required to observe these fasts, in which they are allowed to eat one regular-sized meal and two smaller ones not exceeding the size of the large meal when combined. Besides these fasts and abstaining from meat on Fridays, Catholics also choose personal fasts. Oftentimes, people will choose to fast from chocolate or their favorite soda, but fasts can be more than just giving up something material for 40 days. Unique ways to fast can include fasting from harmful behaviors, such as complaining or speaking without thinking. These behavioral fasts may prove not just beneficial to yourself, but also to your relationships, helping you to have a meaningful Lent that allows for a heightened sense of Easter joy.
Prayer is advised by all faithful Christians at all times of the year, but Lent is a great opportunity to reignite your prayer life or change your prayer routine. BCCHS has recently partnered with the Hallow Prayer App, giving all students get free access to Hallow, helping students by providing another resource for prayer and devotion. In Hallow’s Pray40 Challenge, there are new devotionals and reflections for every day of Lent to help make prayer a priority throughout the season. BCCHS also has a few prayer opportunities, such as the weekly offerings of Reconciliation in the Chapel on Wednesdays, Chapel Mass on Mondays, and the school-wide Penance Service. Local parishes also host extra prayer opportunities during Lent, such as Stations of the Cross at many local churches on Friday evenings. St. Thomas the Apostle also offers weekly Benediction and Adoration on Wednesdays at 6:00.
Almsgiving is sometimes the pillar of Lent that can be forgotten most easily, especially by high school students who may not have the personal finances to give alms in the traditional sense. However, alms can be given by offering time in service. Volunteering at nursing homes and soup kitchens are ways that time and talent can be given to charitable causes. Many churches also distribute Catholic Relief Service’s Rice Bowls, which are meant to collect loose change and money to help others in impoverished communities. A calendar is also included inside the boxes that gives daily challenges to stimulate donations. All proceeds go to provide families with food, seeds to grow crops, and animals to provide food and income.
With all of the opportunities to engage in Lenten practices, students have been supplied with ample avenues to choose their own Lenten path. While Lent is not experienced or practiced the same from person to person, there are plenty of opportunities between Billings Central, local parishes, and the Hallow app for students to commit to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during these 40 days of Lent.
