What would you say is the meaning of Lent to someone who has never heard of it?
Fr. Scott: I would say that Lent is a season to return to the real meaning of happiness. So often we live our days as if our personal needs and wants were all that mattered. Instead of resting and enjoying the fruits of having secured these things for ourselves, we become agitated and desire more. Lent teaches us that our true satisfaction doesn’t come from amassing stuff, but from looking out for the wellbeing of others.

Marcia Granito: Lent is the period of time, 6 weeks, before Easter in which Catholics strive in a special way to live out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Some of those include praying for the living and the dead, forgiving wrongs (not holding grudges). A special way of doing that is by participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (going to confession) during lent. The corporal works of mercy have to do with caring for the physical person - feed the hungry, shelter the homeless or giving alms to the poor. The meaning behind all of this, for me, is to live out Christ's command to love one another and renewing our life in Christ.

8th Grader: Lent is an awesome part of life. Everyone should experience it. Lent is a time of giving, receiving, caring, and putting others before yourself. Lent is also the time of the year when you need to sacrifice. Lastly, my personal favorite aspect is patience. We all know patience is a virtue but, during this time of year, it could mean the world to another person. All these aspects are important and mean the most to me.

Tommy Sweet: Lent is a season of giving, sacrifice, and preparation. We prepare for the resurrection of our Lord. We recognize that he died for our sins and wants us to go to heaven. Many people think there is no messiah, and some think he hasn’t come yet. We as Catholics believe that there is a God who loves us and we make up for that by sacrificing and asking for forgiveness.

Two 6th graders:
1. Lent is a time of giving of ourselves to Jesus, and Jesus giving back to us.
2. Lent is a time of sacrificing something we enjoy to show Jesus how much we understand all He does for us.
 
What are the most meaningful aspects of Lent for you?
Fr. Scott: I love celebrating Mass in Lent. The silence, the somberness of the environment and music, and the Scripture readings chosen by the Church really set Lent apart from the rest of the year. I am able to receive the Word of God and the Eucharist in a beautiful way because the whole atmosphere of Mass in Lent seems to say, “Listen.”

Marcia Granito: The most meaningful aspects of Lent for me are trying to deepen my own prayer life as well as being able to do some of those corporal works of mercy.
 
Our CRS Rice Bowl theme this Lent is ENCOUNTER – how do you hope to (re)encounter yourself, God, and others this Lent?
Fr. Scott: I love the theme of Encounter! It really gets to the heart of Lent. I hope to reencounter my deepest roots as a son in the Son and receive God’s love for me in a new way. From this awareness of who I am, I pray that I may also be more aware of the needs of others around me. In a word, I hope to grow in holiness, and the greatest sign of this growth is charity unto others.
 
Marcia Granito: I hope to re-encounter myself by spending some extra time in quiet and in prayer to discern what is most important to me. At the same time I hope to re-encounter God in the process. I hope to encounter others as I serve them through any activities in which I participate this Lenten season.

Tommy Sweet: I can encounter God by not treating this Lent like any other. After these questions I have realized that God wants us to make Lent all about him. This is how I can reencounter myself this lent. I will try to find my best self by praying and sacrificing to God the way Jesus did for us. I won’t just name another thing to give up, but I will take this Lent serious. I like the theme for this year. I truly feel everyone should try to encounter God and themselves this Lent.

What do you remember about the school’s observance of Lent last year? What did you learn from the videos and silent lunches?
8th Grader: I remember a few different things from Lent last year. Firstly, I remember for the food drive, we had little pins that would hang from our shirts to symbolize how much you gave to the cause. Secondly, I remember we would have silent lunches and watch videos. Also I learned from those videos. What I learned was that you never know what someone’s struggles are/or were. And two that you never know how much something little can change someone’s life.

Tommy Sweet: I learned from the silent lunches last year that we all need to take some time off to think about God. He has given us all we have, including our lives which is more than we could ask for because we could not ask for anything without those.The least we could do is devote our lives and time to him. We should all spend some time in silence to think and pray to God. That’s what we did in the silent lunches.

Two 6th graders:
1. I learned that we need to be more grateful for what we have.
2. I learned that others are need our help, and it felt good to help them.

What are you going to fast from something this Lent–why?
Fr. Scott: Either ‘snoozing’ or ‘coffee’! I still need ask God which one he would like me to do. Fasting from one of these will help me be accountable to making sure I get enough sleep to wake up refreshed and alive to serve God in the best way I can.

Marcia Granito: I am going to fast from playing solitaire on my phone.  This will give me the extra time I need to spend in quiet and prayer. 

Has the CRS Lenten Rice Bowl (or other Lenten activities) changed how you think about the needs of others? In what ways?
Fr. Scott: Having the CRS Rice Bowl front and center in my life and in parish life reminds me on a daily and even hourly basis that I am my brother’s keeper. I bear responsibility unto my fellow human beings. Their needs are just as important as my own, and if I neglect them I neglect Christ who is in them. CRS reminds me that it is small things, like bowls of rice that matter. How can I deny someone a simple necessity such as a rice bowl? Because of Lent last year, I began carrying a few dollars with me whenever I go into the city to give to the needy. I give them the freedom to decide what to do with it. They may use it for something bad, but at least they know someone cares and that compassion still reigns. That’s the effect of the Rice Bowl for me.

Marcia Granito: Yes, CRS Rice Bowl has definitely made me more aware of the needs of others both in the United States but in a very significant way, the needs of those in the third-world areas.  The need is great.
 
How would Jesus solve world hunger?
Fr. Scott: I think he would approach it not as a problem to ‘solve’ so much as a void to fill in our human family. The interesting part of hunger is that all of us feel it to a greater or lesser degree every day. Hunger reminds us of our daily emptiness. As Jesus himself fed the hungry in his life, I think he would call all of us who hunger to rely on God and one another. We are responsible for our human family. That is a core Catholic belief.

Marcia Granito: Oh my goodness, that's a lot to consider. I think Jesus would solve world hunger by working through us. It would have to start with brining more people to Him. Once people know Him, and His love, their hearts naturally want to do what is good for the world. We all live on this planet and we all need to take care of it, not only for ourselves but for all the generation to come. Taking care of the world means more than recycling. It means managing our resources to be able to also help those in parts of the world far away. For example, if we could show other how to build wells, plant, irrigate and give them the resources to maintain that, they could grow food for themselves. That leads to more than just feeding themselves. That leads to trade, education, self-esteem, independence; it's a ripple effect but we all need to do our part.

Tommy Sweet: Jesus is God and God can do all. Jesus could simply say “let there be food for everyone” and there would be. That is how he made the earth isn’t it? I feel that God wants us humans to work together to feed the hungry shelter the homeless and tend to the sick. He gave us rules for a reason. We humans have a tendency to think of ourselves first. God works through us in mysterious ways.
 
How would you encourage others to get concerned and involved about poverty at home and around the world?
Fr. Scott: Start by contacting your local parish, church, or city outreach programs if you want some hands-on involvement. Get to know what these organizations are already doing and what your unique skill set may have to offer. See if you can do a fundraiser with your coworkers or among neighbors. Last year at Ss. Robert & William we raised money for a well in Kenya using www.thewaterproject.org. Visit www.crs.org for Catholic Relief Services resources and delicious Lenten recipes. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops website www.usccb.org/issues-and-action also has some great resources for more widespread issues. The Catholic Charities website also provides great informative and networking resources to get involved: https://catholiccharitiesusa.org/get-involved.
 
Marcia Granito: I would encourage others to look to organizations like The City Mission to see the needs of those in our own area and hopefully be moved to help however they can. As far as poverty around the world I would encourage others to look at the CRS Rice Bowl website ( www.crsricebowl.org) as well as the USCCB website.

8th Grader: I would love to encourage others about one of the world's widest epidemics also known as poverty. The thing is though, we as people of the same planet, should already be attempting to end poverty. We already feel its effects and don’t have to venture out too far to see those effects even in our own cities. Something I would like to do to get others capable of helping and supporting could be fundraisers to local shelters, or donations of food and missions and building houses for those. But it wouldn’t stop there. We would direly need to expand our reach to other cities, states, and eventually if possible other countries. Now, I am fully aware that other people perform operations of sort that are related but they are always restricted by the border. I say, let’s break that barrier.