Clothe the
naked. Feed the hungry. Shelter the homeless. Care for your family. Free the unjustly imprisoned. The Lord says, "This is the fasting that
I wish." (Isaiah 58:5). Lent is far more than mere observances on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday. It’s healing
the "wound" of our sinfulness by living our faith of love, compassion
and respect. Only then will our light
shine, will we be vindicated and will our Lord answer resoundingly, "Here
I am!"
In Matthew’s
Gospel, Jesus admonishes those who question His disciples’ failure to fast,
saying "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the
bridegroom is with them, can they?"
The disciples don’t fast because God is in their midst. The time for fasting will come when "the
bridegroom is taken away." With
these few words, Jesus reveals the true intention of such ritual
offerings-searching and longing to be closer to God. (Matthew 9:14-15)
Fasting is
undertaken for the sake of right relationships and solidarity with those who
suffer unjustly in this world. Fasting
can easily lend itself to hypocrisy. When
hypocrisy becomes a way of life, then no amount of fasting will wash away our
guilt.
Pope Leo IV,
in his first Lenten message urged us to take up a practical form of self-denial: “I
would like to invite you to a very practical and unappreciated form of
abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language,
avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking
ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words
and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work,
on social media, and in political debates . . . In this way, words of hatred
will give way to words of hope and peace.”
We can all
benefit from this form of fasting!
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