In the first reading for today, we see some people who just aren’t getting it right. As a man who gets hangry, sometimes I’m one of those people. God is talking to those people who were bickering and fighting during their fast. That tends to be the way we view deprivation in this consumer-driven society of ours. Fasting is supposed to be boring and unpleasant we say, that people who fast are missing out on the good life! Who wants to go without something? Why bother?
Isaiah goes on to tell us the true purpose of the fast, to draw closer to God and to make ourselves more aware of the needs of those around us. That’s something that we lose sight of a lot of times during Lent. The very purpose of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is to help us begin to change ourselves. To give us some insight into how God sees the world around us. That’s why we don’t eat meat on Friday. In ancient times, the poorest among us couldn’t afford or attain meat all the time. The meat was rather seen as something celebratory, a feast item! So on Friday, the entire church would experience exactly what it means to be poor. They were in solidarity with one another. So we abstain, we fast, we give. That we too might experience things we take for granted and begin to see those around us who have nothing, or at least far less than we have. The widow, the orphan, and maybe most unpopular in our political climate, the refugee.
The time that Jesus was speaking of is upon us. We spend our 40 days in the desert, seeking to trust and rely only on God. Seeking to find ourselves at Easter rejoicing in His return and the prospect of life everlasting. How do we do that? By making sure whatever we have given up, or added (remember it’s not necessarily about more prayer, but BETTER prayer), draws us closer to this ideal.
“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.”
It’s time to ask ourselves, does that describe what we have chosen? Am I in any way helping further this goal? This is the goal of Lent, to heal the wounds of our people, and draw us further into the Mystery of Christ.
A reflection on the readings for Friday After Ash Wednesday, Year 1: March 8, 2019