Fast track on fasting

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the traditional practices of Lent. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts from Isaiah and Matthew to open our minds to think about the best way to approach fasting. The denial of excessive food to oneself is a fast. The practice of “giving up for Lent” is a fast. The texts challenge us to ask whether our fasting behavior is addressing the situation in which we live or is it an escape from the “now” where we can use our own sense of deprivation to console ourselves with our holy act? The eyes of Wisdom, as evidenced in Isaiah’s texts, see the needs for the fasting from oppression, injustice absence of compassion and charity which continues to be so visible in our society. The resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine presence is a time to be open to receive and fill ourselves with the trust in the loving approach to our environment as we store up spiritual power and insight to be the compassion and charity that is so needed.