As we end this year's Lenten season and mark the beginning of Easter, it is time for some reflection.
As a Catholic who has been participating in Lent for as long as I can remember, I know how hard it can be.
However, now that I work in a Catholic school, I get a front row seat to just how powerful Lent truly is. At first glance, Lent can be very daunting with all the talk about giving things up and sacrifice, but if you take a different perspective, it becomes beautiful and more meaningful.
As a school community, we have been teaching about the importance of Lent to our students, and we are just now seeing just how far these conversations go.
When we talk about Lent our discussions are not just about abstaining from things or activities we enjoy, but more importantly our discussions are about using our time and resources to do something good in its place. Often, many view giving something up as a difficult sacrifice, like drinking coffee or playing video games, and spend most of their efforts trying to stay true to this pledge.
Therefore, our teaching focuses on the other side of that coin by replacing "giving something up" with something more positive like donating coffee money to a local charity or spending more time with family.
By having such a positive focus on Lent, we asked our students to share their journeys throughout the 40 days, and the things we have heard are amazing.
Students have affected our community in so many positive ways; some of which were done without recognition or praise.
What better way to reflect on Lent than to share some of our amazing stories from our students?
For example, we had a Grade 3 student that started a neighbourhood cleanup because he walked his new dog with his parents each night after school and noticed a need in the community. One of our staff members started a clothing drive to donate to a charity in Red Deer. Also, a group of grade 6 and 7 girls wrote notes of encouragement on sticky notes and posted them around the school anonymously.
One of our Grade 7 students chose to do an act of kindness once a day for all of Lent by leaving a note in a locker or dropping off a treat at the office for a student. This act was for a student in our school who is struggling, but when they came to the office for their surprise, the change in their attitude was visible for the rest of the week.
It is impossible to know just how many people this act of kindness could have influenced in a positive way, but I do know the staff have noticed differences in not only that student, but others as well.
When we talk about the positivity we experience throughout Lent we can relate it to the calm lake that you throw a small pebble into.
Soon, the ripple reaches across the entire pond and touches every shore, showing us that you never know just how far-reaching your single act of kindness can be.
Adam Sia is the vice-principal of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School.
