Scripture: Isaiah 58:3, 6 – “’Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. … Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (NRSV)
Today is Ash Wednesday, a time when we cover ourselves in ashes to recognize our sins and to mourn the good that we might have accomplished had we not acted selfishly and distanced ourselves from God. Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a time of fasting which begins with putting away our favorite foods or other pleasures to align ourselves with the sacrifices that God has made on our behalf.
I think there are two sides to this fasting. The first is a sense of humility. In Ash Wednesday services, we speak these words from the Book of Genesis: “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It gives us the perspective that comes from accepting our mortality. We live in a world filled with pain and injustice. I know that I feel powerless in the face of the atrocities and flaunting of international law going in Ukraine and in the face of seemingly implacable division as witnessed in last night’s State of the Union address. My soul cries out for restitution and accountability, but I must humbly accept that I cannot shape the world to my liking, as much as I like to think it aligns with God’s will. Being humble means accepting that justice will come in God’s time.
But at the same time, fasting is meant to lead to something greater than humility. Jesus was critical of those who made elaborate gestures of fasting and repentance but did so merely to appear pious before others. The Book of Isaiah makes a similar criticism, when people were surprised that their ritualized fasts did not lead to favor from God. Through the prophet, God castigates those who fast with their bodies, but whose fast does not touch their hearts, who continue to oppress their workers and to ignore the pleas of the hungry, poor, and oppressed. Fasting is the beginning of righteousness, not the end. To truly fast is to sacrifice not just our temporary comforts but the things that continue to distance ourselves from God. This, too, forces us to see justice in a new light. We must accept that we may be powerless to change the world, but we can change ourselves. We can change the behaviors that conform to the cruelties of the world and seek rather the difficult path to loving God and each other. When we fast, we must be humble regarding our ego, but bold regarding our hope and our willingness to sacrifices for and fight for the rights of others in the small ways that seem unsatisfying at first, but which soothe the soul over time.
You may be fasting this Lent by giving up your favorite foods, like meat or sweets, or bad habits that you want to change, like smoking or too much screen time. However you choose to fast, make it a fast worthy of God, one that is bold and humble, which withers sin with the sun of righteousness, and brings us ever closer to God’s mercy and Kingdom.
Prayer: Omnipotent Lord, let us humbly say, “we are dust and to dust we shall return,” and “not what I want, but what you want, but let us pray, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.” Amen.
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