Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Br. Bob Pierson, OHC
Ash Wednesday - Sunday, February 14, 2021
Welcome to Lent! Here we are again at the beginning of this great season of repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter in 40 days. We know how to do this. Jesus outlines a three-fold practice that has been around for centuries: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. As monks, we don't usually give alms individually, though we might be led to do so from our “personal discretionary accounts” as we call them. And we certainly pray a lot already, so adding a little more to our prayer practice probably won't hurt us. But fasting....that's another matter.
Of course, as a kid I learned how to fast from my parents. I remember Mom got a really good deal on fish sticks one year, and we had fish sticks at least once a day for the whole season of Lent. And of course, lots of us gave up candy, particularly chocolate. And as we got older, we may have given up alcohol, or Starbucks, or as I did one year, bookstores. But what good did all that giving up accomplish? Were we any better for it at the end of Lent?
Isaiah points out to the people of Israel that they have gotten fasting all wrong. He says:
“You serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.”
He goes on to say:
“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? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?....If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, THEN your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like noonday.”
It's very clear that Isaiah thought the purpose of fasting was to change our lives and start living the justice that we proclaim God cares about. So, how can we do that? Our church has been challenging us to think about how we participate in the racism of our society and to begin doing something to change things. And one thing the coronavirus has brought out in society is how the poor and minorities, those who have less than others, are often the least able to get benefits in our healthcare system. And there are still way too many people going hungry, even in our own country. We have a lot of work to do.
It's easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to start. As I was scrolling down the page on Facebook the other day, I came across a very helpful post entitled “Do you want to fast this Lent?” Someone else saw it too, and posted it on our monastery bulletin board. It says “in the words of Pope Francis:
--Fast from hurting words and say kind words.--Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.--Fast from anger and be filled with patience.--Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.--Fast from worries and have trust in God.--Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity.--Fast from pressures and be prayerful.--Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy.--Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.--Fast from grudges and be reconciled.--Fast from words; be silent and listen.
I hope I will do a better job of fasting this year after reading such good advice.
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