Gooden Blog

This year, two major religious observances began on February 17. For many Christians, it marked the beginning of the season of Lent. For Muslims, it marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is recognized as the month in which the first verses of the Islamic sacred text, the Qur’an, were revealed. As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, it is a principal practice of the Muslim faith. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. This year, Ramadan runs from February 17 until March 19. Since the Islamic calendar is based on a lunar calendar, the date of Ramadan shifts in relation to the Western Gregorian calendar, and is connected to the sighting of the crescent moon. Ramadan ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, one of the most important Islamic celebrations. It begins with a communal prayer and is followed by visits to relatives, giving gifts, and sharing meals.

Lent is the period of preparation for the central celebration of the Christian faith: the Great Feast of Easter. The date of Easter is fixed each year in reference to the lunar calendar, falling on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Lent is observed for 40 days prior to Easter, not including Sundays. So the start of the season is determined by counting back from Easter Sunday, 46 days – 40 days of observance and 6 Sundays. This means the season always begins on a Wednesday, which is known as Ash Wednesday.  Lent is a time when members of the community make a special effort to focus on their spiritual lives and their relationship with the Divine. Traditionally, this takes an inward and an outward focus – inward, what one does for oneself, and outward, what one does for others.

In both religious traditions, this time is marked by the discipline of fasting and a focus on
spiritual growth and devotion. During Ramadan, the faithful who are able abstain from food and water from before sunrise until sunset each day. For Christians, while specific practices vary, some form of fasting is part of the 40 days of observance for Lent. In both traditions, members are also encouraged to engage in prayer, reflection, devotional reading, and acts of charity.

The practice of fasting is a spiritual discipline found in almost all religious and wisdom traditions. Simply put, it means abstaining from certain foods, activities, and/or behaviors. The practice is meant to help one grow in self-control, not be victims of one’s appetites and desires, and to identify with those who live in food insecurity or risk.

At Gooden, we join with our community partners, Friends in Deed, to prepare “Easter Bags” for the clients of their Women’s Room. Each class collects a specific item to support the needs of these clients, and we assemble them into bags, which we deliver to Friends in Deed for distribution. It is something they have come to look forward to every year.

As an Episcopal school, Gooden is grounded in a tradition that values reflection, compassion, and service. During seasons like Lent, we are reminded that faith is not only something we believe, but something we practice, through prayer, self-examination, and care for our neighbors. By honoring the rhythms of the Christian calendar while also learning about and respecting the sacred observances of other traditions, we live out our Episcopal commitment to inclusion, dignity, and love for all of God’s people. In this shared season of reflection and generosity, we are reminded that spiritual growth is always connected to how we serve the world around us.