Ash Wednesday. Good Friday. Fasting. No Meat. No Sugar. Holy Week. Daily Rosary. Confession. 

Even to non-Catholics, these phrases are commonly heard throughout the 40-day period that arrives every year in late winter. Many may think, “Lent is a time to give up dessert,” and yes, this can be the case for many individuals. But this season of repentance, devotion and renewal carries considerably more depth, which remains one of the most essential seasons in the year for the Catholic faith. Young Catholics in 2026 continue this tradition as they deepen their faith by recognizing the true meaning behind it.

The Lenten season was founded by the Council of Nicaea around A.D. 325, but formally established in A.D. 601 by Pope Gregory. The length of this season remains crucial to understanding this time because the number 40 carries a strong significance in the Bible, specifically in Genesis 7:12, Exodus 24:18 and Acts 1:3. The most prominent section of the Bible that Lent is directly centered on describes Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the desert in Matthew 4:1-11 in which Jesus refrained from food and water for 40 days before resisting attempts from the Devil to test his loyalty to God. Because of this, Lent was created to replicate a Christ-like life by enduring a period of sacrifice, much like Jesus did, to reflect on one’s devotion.

To Henry Escobar ‘27, a student at Foothill Technology High School, this season means giving up his habits that align with sin and replacing them with actions that point him towards a Christ-driven life. 

“The Season of Lent, for me, is a time of being able to recognize my own faults and my own habitual sin that I can defeat with God. It’s kind of a time that I see almost as a training period,” he explained.

In agreement, Mia Rivera ‘28 shared her position by explaining how “Lent is like a deep breath in a world that’s constantly always on and going. [It’s] 40 days to me where I choose less, and I can calm down.”

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this period in which Catholics all around the world attend mass and receive a cross of ashes on their forehead, based on Genesis 3:19, reminding them of their mortality and call to repentance. After this, the 40-day period begins, centering around three pillars: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

The section of prayer is a chance to deepen one’s faith through constant conversation with the Lord. This can present itself in forms such as praying the Rosary, attending Eucharistic Adoration or mass daily. 

Rivera explained how praying the Rosary every morning before school plays into her journey of Lent. “Prayer helps [me focus] for sure, because it reminds me of why I’m doing this,” she said. Much like Rivera, Catholics around the world decide to add in daily, if not hourly prayer to strengthen their discipline and remind them of the reason behind the sacrifices they are making.

The fasting pillar is probably the most well-known part, which is the most disciplinary aspect of this season. Catholics choose to give up a habit they feel distracts them from their relationship with God in order to avoid idolization of that habit. This may appear in the abstinence of a specific food or practice, along with mandatory full-fasting days like Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. 

Escobar expanded on the true meaning of fasting and how sometimes people — unaware of its meaning — can focus too heavily on the act of giving something up, rather than the reason behind it. 

“I hear a lot of people cutting stuff out, and that’s really good, but I also think it’s really important to add stuff in because [when] fasting, you’re replacing what you’ve taken from the world with the Word of God,” he explained.

The final pillar is Almsgiving, which involves giving to charity and sharing one’s wealth or time, sacrificing something you have to help another. This incorporates donations, specific acts of kindness or volunteer hours. As Siena Meter ‘26 puts it plainly, along with fasting, “Lent is the season of giving.”

In addition to this tradition, meat is also not consumed every Friday universally by Catholics to honor and remember Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

After this 40-day period, Lent is concluded with the sacred Holy Week, starting on Palm Sunday, remembering Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem. Later in the week, Holy Thursday is celebrated with a traditional Cedar meal, followed by Good Friday: a solemn day of silence to reflect on Jesus’ death. After Holy Saturday, the infamous Easter arrives, which concludes this season and enters into Ordinary Time.

While some of these traditions may not be as prevalent in modern times, many young devout Catholics still participate in these practices. However, individuals such as Meter have noticed a trend in modern Catholicism.

“I feel like people take it a little more lightly, and they kind of see it as an option rather than, like, a rite of passage … Going back, even decades, things were a little more orthodox to say, and I feel like every year we get less and less strict with it,” Meter said.

That being said, she still recognizes her devotion to the Roman Catholic church and recognizes each year the importance of this time.

“Every year I think [about how] Jesus sacrificed so much for us. What can I do to kind of show my appreciation?” she stated.

Despite a slight appearance of lost tradition, Catholicism is still very prevalent in the newer generation, and the season of Lent in particular holds great value in the lives of Christian Catholics all around the world. To some, it may seem like “giving up fast food,” but this is merely surface-level to the significance this time holds to Catholics, no matter the decade.

Walking through the halls at Foothill Tech may just look like a crowd of stressed teenagers, but the reality is, underneath, some of these students could be in a season of discipline and sorrow as they reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, deepening their roots in their faith.