On this first Friday of Lent, many of us are feeling the "pinch" of our Lenten sacrifices. Perhaps you are hungry or missing a fav...
On this first Friday of Lent, many of us are feeling the "pinch" of our Lenten sacrifices. Perhaps you are hungry or missing a favorite habit. In the Gospel, the disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus why His disciples don't fast. Jesus responds that you don't fast when the Bridegroom is present. Fasting is an expression of longing. We fast now because we long for the full Fellowship of God's Kingdom.
But the first reading from Isaiah gives us a crucial reality check. God complains about people who fast while continuing to quarrel, fight, and oppress their workers. He asks, "Is this the manner of fasting I wish?"
True Fasting, according to God, is "releasing those bound unjustly... sharing your bread with the hungry... sheltering the oppressed." The purpose of self-denial is to create Freedom—not just for yourself, but for others. If our Lenten sacrifices only make us grumpy and difficult to live with, we are missing the point. Our fast should make us more sensitive to the hunger of others.
When we give up something for Lent, we should replace it with an act of "giving out." If you give up coffee, give that money to the poor. If you give up social media, give that time to a lonely neighbor. Then, as Isaiah promises, "your light shall break forth like the dawn... and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."
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