Trident, Orbit, Juicy Fruit, Five, and Stride are all off limits. No green apple, polar ice or spearmint are permitted. Not a single bubble has not been blown in over three weeks. “I used to chew gum like five times a day, so it’s been really hard,” said sophomore Gabi Foyle. Like many fellow Catholics, Gabi decided to sacrifice something, in her case gum, for the forty days of Lent.

“It’s a type of fasting. It gets us out of our everyday thinking and gets us in a new mindset,” said religion teacher Mrs. Carmen Lonergan. “The forty days in preparation for Easter are a time of penance and self-reflection, just like Jesus’s forty days in the desert.” Matthew 4:1-11 recounts the forty days and nights that Jesus spent in prayer and without food in the desert, followed by temptation from the devil.

To honor Jesus’ time in the desert, Catholics partake in different traditions, including abstaining from meat on Fridays. Students have surely noticed the special Friday Lenten menu, sometimes fish tacos or grilled cheese, but many still are unsure of the explanation to this Catholic observance. It’s simple: meat is singled out because it traditionally was associated with feasts and celebrations, while Lent is a somber time of preparation.

Because it is easy to feel a little deprived during Lent, Mrs. Lonergan suggests implementing something positive in addition to abstaining from a vice. For example, she has been praying the rosary daily with her husband and also has been trying to stay away from chocolate candy. If Starbucks is given up, consider donating that extra cash to a charity, or even Cathedral’s Lenten drive. If Facebook or television is given up, think about going to Adoration or even a daily mass in that newly discovered free time. “Use your time on something else. Spend that extra time [from what was given up]  in prayer,” she said.