Friday after Ash
Wednesday
February 20, 2015 8:30am
Both of today’s readings are
about fasting from food.
Obviously, they were chosen by
the Church for this Friday after Ash Wednesday because of our Lenten practice
of fasting, including abstinence from meat on the Fridays of Lent.
The readings, especially the
passage from Isaiah, lead me to think about two of the primary reasons for
fasting.
First, fasting from food is to
help us to identify behavior from which we need to fast.
Isaiah asks what good is our
fasting from food if we end up living in a rather self-centered way and are just
pursuing our own interests.
What good is it if we are just
feeling self-satisfied for having given up this or that?
So, maybe our fasting from food
needs to lead us to fast from put-downs or talking negatively of other people,
things like that.
And second, fasting or our voluntary
experience of hunger is to help us to feel a bond with those who are hungry
without choosing it.
Again, Isaiah asks what good is
our fasting from food if we neglect those who simply have no food or clothing
or shelter or whatever.
What good is it if we have more
than we need and really do little to help those whose basic needs are not met?
So, maybe our fasting from food
needs to lead us to examine both our own lifestyle and our attitudes toward the
poor.
So, a few thoughts for this
Friday of Lent as we abstain from eating meat and perhaps do some other fasting
as well.
