ANDERSON, Ind. —
Bubble gum, television and video games — those are tough sacrifices for some youths to make.
But a group of six third-, fourth- and fifth-graders from St. Mary’s School say they are ready for the challenge.
Today — Ash Wednesday — is the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season for Christians. In the Christian faith, ashes are placed on people’s foreheads in the sign of the cross during services held throughout the day across the world. Traditionally, the ashes come from the burning of palm leaves used during Palm Sunday services the previous year.
Participants typically turn to prayer, penance, repentance, alms-giving and self-denial in preparation for Easter, the holiest of days in the liturgical calendar.
St. Mary’s fourth-grade teacher Susan Dulin said the Lenten season, and specifically Ash Wednesday, is a time for people to reflect, repent and put their lives in order. The faithful are called to model their lives to reflect Christ through the year, but this time of year is a time when people reflect more closely on what they can do to improve that.
Dulin, who teaches religion to fourth- and fifth-graders at the Catholic school, said the students talk about what sacrifices they will make during Lent, sacrifices that begin on Ash Wednesday. The 40-day sacrifices that people make are representative of two things — the 40 years of wilderness wandering by the Israelites and Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness.
The three things characteristic through Lent are prayer, fasting and alms giving. Dulin said she encourages the children, and the church encourages everyone, to do something positive with the money that would have been used on the thing that you are sacrificing. Service, she said, is encouraged all year round but especially during Lent.
“During Lent we reflect on how we can turn our lives around and be closer to God in preparation for Easter,” Dulin said. “We are ridding ourselves of baggage.”
Contact Abbey Doyle: 640-4805, abbey.doyle@heraldbulletin.com
Community
Related Photos
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St. Mary's School students talk about Lent.From left are Zachary Shepler, age 9, third grade; Taylor Wiggins, age 8, third grade; Jared Sierra, age 10, fourth grade; Izac Scruggs, age 10, fifth grade; Ella Murphy, age 9, fourth grade; and Anna Green, age 11, fifth grade. John P. Cleary
Discussion
Solid sacrifices
Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday
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