I have spent 16 years attending Catholic institutions and seeing the tradition of Lent proliferate and take on meaning in the lives of my friends. Throughout this time, I had never thought to participate until my second year at Boston College. Many of my friends and family have shared amazement at my commitment to Catholic education. After an upbringing mixed with attending elementary educated Mass and after-school Hebrew lessons, it appeared confusing why I would continue to mix these identities of a Jewish student at Catholic schools, when I could easily choose from the many hundreds of non-religious institutions.
Luckily, my experience has been quite the opposite of a disjointed chaos one might expect at a school of such secure and maybe exclusive values. From the collective beginning of my collegiate identity at St. Ignatius, to participation in the Agape Latte series with my freshman year roommate, my Catholic friends have amazed me with the welcoming attitude they share in spreading their faith. Alongside the Catholic social teaching and prestige of service clubs, I can see the Jesuit mission being lived out in a way I previously imagined a fictitious selling point of Boston College.
Kairos, a reflection based retreat grounded in Ignatian Catholic tradition, further solidified this surprise and purpose. I was once again welcomed to a group of individuals with differing experiences yet backed again in the foundation of Catholicism. Instead of Kairos being an isolating experience that I was subtly urged to avoid, a community that I felt a part of was gathered and created in true connection.
Due to this, I endeavored to take on the sacrifice of Lent. Despite my abstinence from carbonated beverages being of an unserious nature, the unity I have felt with my friends and classmates is newfound joy and humor that is hard to describe and an impressive means of beating a Diet Coke addiction.
Even outside of the scope of serious religious practice, studying different religions for me has not been about taking on a different faith, but understanding the values that help in forming many of the friends around me. Sharing their traditions has been a window into how we can further exchange our differing opinions on the grounds of patience.
While Boston College still has great strides to take in the support of religious diversity on campus, I can say that between my professors, friends, and experiences exploring the Catholic faith, there is an incredible commitment to improving the world one day at a time. This is further emphasized by choices to participate in service programs like PULSE, APPA, and ARRUPE on students’ own volition, not academic pressures.
In my first Lent, I have likely and admittedly not experienced the sacrifice I see many of my peers give way to. But this has not made it any less meaningful. I am excited to continue my journey at a Catholic institution and see what other traditions I immerse myself within.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.