During the Lenten season, Catholics are asked to “promise” to make a sacrifice in their life to God, for all the gifts he has given them.
According to the University of Notre Dame, “Lenten practices help us shed bad habits.” When making these promises to God, it shows that we are truly grateful for God’s gifts, and the biggest blessing he made to us, which was sacrificing his only son for us.
Out of the 26 responses received from a recent survey, conducted by the Milestone, 62% of students said they were able to keep their promises, and 38% struggled to stick to them until Easter.
Some common sacrifices listed were desserts, cursing, social media, candy, and buying snacks from the cafe. Instead of giving things up, some students decided to start up new habits including praying more often, drinking more water, meditating daily, or getting more exercise. Making these healthy changes in our lives is helpful for social, emotional, and mental cycles.
Sophomore Grace Tierney said, “It was really hard, but I did feel a little bit happier without having distractions in doing things.” Tierney said she gave up “Instagram and Tik Tok” for Lent. Senior Billy Meltebrink said, “I just was able to do other things and limit my screen time and it was hard at the beginning, but it became a good habit afterwards.” Meltebrink said he gave up “Playing games on his phone.”
Next year when the Lenten season comes around, get a head start and think of the sacrifices you can make that promote care for both yourself and others.
-MR-
The McNicholas Milestone 