On Campus: looking forward to Lent
There seems to be a growing movement of the spiritual discipline of fasting on campuses by Christians, partially inspired by other religious traditions.
One note is that Ramadan follows the Islamic year, which is shorter than the Christian year, so Ramadan moves through the months and does not always fall during "orientation" as this article mistakenly states. Despite this inaccuracy, the article nicely describes this spiritual fasting "movement" on campuses.
On campus, Christmas is quiet but Lent’s a flurry
From Ministry Matters (Canada)
When I was just starting campus ministry, a colleague warned me, “Christmas will be disappointing, because all the students go home!” In a parish, Christmas Eve services are packed, though often with people you see only once a year. The college chapel hosts one Christmas Eve service, sparsely attended. The same sense of occasion isn’t present. It isn’t a time to connect with those who call themselves Christian. Instead, at Renison, that opportunity seems to be most present at the start of Lent.It starts sometime in February. A common conversation starter in the cafeteria becomes, “What are you giving up for Lent?” The first year I was on campus, I thought this was an anomaly. “We must have a particular group of very religious students,” I thought. But each year it has continued, and many of the students who seek so strenuously to observe Lent are nominal Christians, from families who rarely attend church.
. . .
The popularity of Lenten disciplines also owes something to the diverse student population, especially the Muslim population. Orientation Week generally falls during the observance of Ramadan. Students move in, and are immediately aware that their roommate, or the person down the hall, is not eating at the regular hours in the cafeteria, because they are fasting between sunrise and sunset. Later in the month, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur take place, and the Jewish students also fast. There is some relief when Lent rolls around and students who identify as Christian have a chance to say “Our turn!”
