This week was Hunger Week at Loyola and Interfaith Ministry helped with two of the events. On Tuesday we had a beautiful interfaith prayer service where students from different faith traditions prayed to end hunger. On Thursday the Muslim Student Association hosted a fast-a-thon that Interfaith Ministry took part in. I pledged with over 300 other students to abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Since I knew that I would not be able to get up at 5 am to eat something I had a late night snack before I went to bed Wednesday. I have fasted before during the Catholic season Lent, but fasting to particularly think about hunger was different. By Thursday afternoon I was feeling hungry and thirsty. I couldn’t wait to break the fast and have a delicious meal. It was challenging to think that there are so many people in the world who don’t have the luxury of breaking a fast with a delicious meal. To feel hunger and consider all those people who have no means to fill their hunger or thirst is difficult. At the dinner where Loyola students joined to break the fast and discuss hunger it was inspiring to see so many people taking about hunger and the desire to end hunger. There was a beautiful message of hope that through our committing to be hungry for a day we can help give hope to the hunger by our witness to their needs. My fasting experience was not only about experiencing hunger and gaining an awareness of world hunger issues. My fasting was a prayer to God, asking for an end to hunger and hope for the hungry, and I have hope knowing that my prayer was shared by so many students.
-Elaina Jo
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