Eating most of his meals in the dining halls on the Hill, David Parola is faced with the constant temptation of the array of delicious deserts available, a direct challenge to his personal commitment to go without such foods for Lent.
The second-year chemical engineering student chose to give up sweets for the 40-day fast rooted in Catholic tradition and, like many of his peers, has had to refuse such seductive treats.
If not for compelling personal conviction, the mere thought of giving up sweets, liquor or Facebook for 40 days might seem unbearable to many, but, inspired by religious purpose and a passion for self-improvement, students have chosen to make personal sacrifices for Lent.
Living and studying in an environment that seldom lends itself easily to self-control, moderation or restraint, these students find their source of discipline in a variety of places and exhibit varying amounts of resilience to temptations that might pull them from their resolutions.
“If (the fasting) is done, it’s great, because you’re sacrificing your own materialistic things for God,” said Andrew Sung, a second-year linguistics and psychology student and a member of the Korean-American Campus Mission.
The decision to go without certain foods is not an uncommon one for those who choose to fast. Many students share tales of temptation in the dining halls, with sugar-abstainers faced with a spread of desserts and fasters who have chosen to give up meat being forced to turn away from tempting hot-cooked dishes.
While the Lenten fast is bearable because of its brevity, some students said the core purpose of the tradition is long-term self-improvement and lifestyle changes.
“Some days are harder than others,” Parola said. “Sometimes when I see cake and things in the dining hall, they look good. When it’s around me, it’s more difficult.”
Parola said that throughout his childhood, his parents made a point of fasting for Lent. Their example influenced him, and he continues to take part in the tradition even when living away from home.
“Lent has always been a time to prepare for Easter, which is the biggest holiday of the old Christian and Catholic churches. Since it’s a set amount of time, it’s easier, but if you do it for the whole year, it’s a big deal. Forty days isn’t all that long. It’s sort of an achievable goal,” he said.
“I’ve chosen to give up two things and do one thing (for Lent),” said Bianca Paraguya, a first-year political science student. “I’ve given up fried foods and sweets, and I’m trying to spend more time with family.”
Paraguya said there is more to Lent than making personal sacrifices and fasting for the season.
“The perception of giving something up for Lent should be supported by also doing something constructive.
“Rather than just trying to deprive yourself of something, you should do something that helps build you up as a person,” she said.
She said that goals that include family or friends, though potentially more fulfilling, are more difficult to achieve because they hinge upon the intentions and flexibility of others.
“When you involve another person in what you’re doing for Lent, it’s so hard to try and find time to spend with people, when you have these other commitments. Being an on-campus resident and not having a car, it’s been very difficult,” she said.
For some students, bad habits die hard, and giving up daily pleasures as part of a renewed commitment to their faith has not been an easy task.
“It’s really bad,” said Sheriah Altobar, a second-year Design | Media Arts student who elected to give up Facebook for the time of fasting.
“It started on Wednesday, but by Saturday I was back on Facebook. Usually I am pretty good about giving up stuff.”
Altobar said her reasons for giving up Facebook were rooted in her Catholic faith and that she has observed the tradition in years past successfully. But this year, she said, she could not keep up with abstaining from the social Web site.
“It was hard because Facebook is addicting. I think a lot of other people couldn’t do it either,” she said. “I do feel bad because it’s probably not that hard, but I was really bored.”
While most students said their motivations for fasting originated in the traditional Catholic roots of the practice, many stressed the importance of Lent as an opportunity to better themselves with major lifestyle adjustments and said the true value and meaning behind the tradition lies in this aim.
“It is important in your faith, but I don’t think it’s always a requirement,” Sung said.
“I know people who make it really ritualistic, and they just do it because the church has told them to, but I think it’s about the heart and whether you mean it or not.”
This importance of long-term life improvement seemed to many students to be the most central component of the Lent fasting season.
“By giving those things up, I’m trying to make a lifestyle choice. Rather than seeing it as 40 days, I’m trying to make this the starting point of something permanent in my life. I guess you could see this as the liturgical New Year’s resolution,” Paraguya said.
Still, the religious side of the fasting tradition played a central role in motivating some students, and the inclusion of faith in these pursuits helped students overcome temptations to falter.
“The fact that there are other people who are doing what you’re doing, it’s reassuring and it makes you feel like you’re part of a community,” said Paraguya.
“I’ve been raised in a Catholic lifestyle. Coming to UCLA, I didn’t think I would ever give up that aspect of my life.”
While the tradition of fasting for Lent has been adopted by many non-Catholic Christians and by people who take no part in the religious aspect of the ritual, the faith of those who claim it as a purpose behind their Lenten fast is not challenged but refreshed, as many must lean on their beliefs to carry them through the trials of abstentions that might seem trivial.