During this year’s Lent, the Society of Radiographers is celebrating and amplifying the experiences of radiographers who observe the holy period.
In the Christian calendar, Lent is a 40-day period of fasting and prayer, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter.
Rev Rob Stewart, a retired radiographer and now a church of England priest, shares his experience of being a radiographer during Lent.
Christian staff in the workforce
My name is Rob Stewart, and I am a retired radiographer, having completed my working life at UWE in Bristol as a radiography lecturer. I now work (unpaid) as a priest in the Church of England in Derby.
I enjoyed reading the article by Saraaz Khalil on aspects of Ramadan and faith that align and direct the professional and educational awareness and performance in radiography.
It is great to see that this series from the SoR has chosen to highlight the added value of religious members to its pages.
My wish is to also encourage awareness of Christian staff in our workforce who are also fasting for the period of Lent in the church calendar. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (16March this year) and ends on Easter Sunday, 4 April (Lent is 6 weeks long).
Many watching the dates will realise that this year, Ramadan and Lent coincide for much of their length.
A focus on giving
Lent is a period in the Christian calendar where, similar to Ramadan, fasting and an increase in prayer and community engagement are of great importance. Giving to charity is also a normal event in Lent.
This giving is to be in addition to our ‘normal’ giving. So this year, my church community has increased our donations to the food bank and is raising funds for Water Aid.
In common with Saraaz, I also wake to a time of prayer before my breakfast and am observing a personal fast.
Many Christians also fast during Lent, but it is far more common now for someone to “give up” something or to deliberately take up an activity or challenge during the period of Lent where Christians remember Jesus Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness as part of our preparations for Easter.
A common practice is to give up all meat for the period of Lent.
As Ramadan ends with Eid, so for Christians, Lent ends with the Easter celebrations, where we celebrate the empty tomb and new life. Mainly recognised in society in modern times by easter eggs and bright animal pictures. In our churches, it is a joyous celebration.
Support and empathy
How do we know people are observing Lent? This can be more difficult as many Christians treat this Lenten observance as entirely private between themselves and God, but you may find out when a polite refusal of chocolate - “sorry, I have given it up for Lent” - conversation takes place.
Many also learn from emotional and personal routines in increasing their awareness of support and empathy for others. It definitely made me far more supportive of my Muslim students during my time in Bristol, and I even visited the local mosque during my studies to better learn how to support them during placement in the time of Ramadan for my duties as a chaplain.
In clinical practice, I often chose Lent to be a special time of being more active in supporting my colleagues and students, often taking the more challenging cases first or passing up my chance for breaks to keep the department operating smoothly.
I particularly appreciated the comment by Saraaz that his faith and profession are not separate entities. This I have found to be sincerely true of all my known colleagues of faith in the NHS and wider imaging world.
It makes them more empathetic and passionate in their lives.
May you have an excellent Ramadan or Lent this month.
(Picture: Rev Rob Stewart)