“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
“Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).
These two phrases were repeated as Catholics around the world received ashes on Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period marked by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that leads to Easter. Jesus modeled a Lenten period when, after His baptism, He went into the desert for forty days to pray, fast, and face temptations from the devil (Luke 4:1). After His forty days in the desert, Jesus began His public ministry. The forty days for Jesus marked a transition period in His life. Prior to the forty days he was not a public person, perhaps living His life as expected under the guidance of His family and community. However, after His forty-day transitional period, Jesus went out on His own to engage the world.
There are similarities to the transitional forty days Jesus spent in the desert and the transitional four years (ideally!) we spend in college. Prior to college, we were perhaps living under the guidance of our families or communities. After college, we may hope to engage the world in a public manner, impacting it in a positive way. The four years, like the forty days for Jesus, is a time to prepare for our encounter with the world.
Recently, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate released a survey concerning religious practices of Catholic college students. According to the survey, almost a third of all Catholic college students attending Catholic colleges became less active in prayer and attended Mass less frequently when compared to their practices before college. Lent offers a wonderful opportunity for us to reverse this trend. Instead of leaving God out of our transitional time in the desert, this Lent may be the time we bring God back into our lives to anchor us and prepare us to publicly engage the world after college.
Loras offers plenty of opportunities during Lent to reintroduce God into our lives. There is the upcoming Senior Retreat, three-day all-college retreat, and Antioch Retreat. Additionally, Loras continues to offer Sunday and daily Masses, as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Other prayer opportunities include Eucharistic Adoration and Stations of the Cross, both of which are excellent opportunities to reflect on God’s place in our lives during the transitional college years. Service opportunities are plentiful as well.
There is no better time to begin to restore our relationship with God than during this Lent. Remember, “Man, you are dust and to dust you will return” (Gen 3:19) is only the beginning of our Lenten journey. Ultimately our journey ends when we meet the One who raises us from the dust to new life.
