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What am I going to give up for Lent?

A message from ACU Vice-President and Director of Identity and Mission, Fr Anthony Casamento CSMA:

This question has become the catch cry of the Christian season of Lent that we begin today. However, I think that we do ourselves and God a disservice when we limit our concept of Lent to merely giving up something for the next 40 days.

Lent instead should be about renewing our relationship with God, about slowing down, reminding us to listen and respond to the directions that God has for our lives. We do this so that we might live a more fully Christian life.

Therefore our ‘giving up’ should be about giving up the things that keep us away from God, that keep us from living more fully a Christian life. Yes, of course, Lent is a season of self-examination and self-sacrifice, but ultimately, it’s about examining our relationship with God.

So, let’s all use the next 40-days to look at the barriers that hold us back in our relationship with God and work towards removing them; to enable us to offer ourselves to God and to our world more authentically.

Let our prayer this Lent as a Catholic university community be for a generous spirit during this time to renew and refocus our relationship with God and with each other.

Other opportunities to give during Lent

This year ACU Engagement and Campus Ministry have partnered with local community organisations at each campus f. Find out what’s needed in your community below and have an impact this Lenten season.

For more information about this initiative or to register your interest in volunteering to help sort, clean and pack the donated items before they are delivered to our community partners, please contact ACU Engagement acuengagement@acu.edu.au.