Friday After Ash Wednesday
Is 58:1-9. Ps 51 . Mt 9:14-15.
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to share your bread with the hungry, to care for others?”
Most people believe religion should be kept private, that religious practices should be personal and self-directed. This may be reflected in the way we keep Lent. Lent is traditionally a penitential season, a time for mortification, penance, and fasting. Perhaps from childhood we have used Lent to impose acts of self-discipline upon ourselves; in the spirit of the season we give up something. Our practice of Lent, therefore, also tends to be a private affair, and we may think that we are keeping Lent well because we fast from certain treats.
In today’s first reading, however, the prophet Isaiah interprets “fasting” from a different perspective. There is nothing self-directed, personal, or private about it at all. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, 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 him, and not hide from your own flesh?”
Hearing God speak through his mighty prophet, we are challenged to broaden our ideas about fasting and giving up something for Lent. We are not discouraged from personal penances, but God turns our eyes towards bigger issues in our lives that are in need of penance. Of what use is giving up ice-cream for Lent if our relationship with a spouse, a neighbour, or a coworker is strained under a “yoke” of neglect or abusive treatment? Are we practising Lent by abstaining from smoking when we “oppress” members of our family with biting criticism or sarcastic remarks? Will giving up chocolate help us grow spiritually when we are “yoked” to demands that we always have our way? Do our hearts go out to the hungry and homeless, and do we look upon our unfortunate brothers and sisters in this world as part of our own “flesh”? There is more to penance than giving up pleasures for Lent. God calls us to conversion, a change of heart.
Choose lenten practices in the light of God’s expectations. Give up an abusive tongue or some mannerism that offends others. Break the “yoke” of a bad habit that is harming your health. “Free” someone from your criticism or lack of forgiveness. “Loose the bonds of wickedness,” by capitalizing on your capacities for doing good. Be generous with your possessions. Is there any way you can help feed the hungry, or find shelter for the homeless? Rather than giving up a treat or a feast for Lent, consider giving more of yourself to others.
(From: Entering the Lectionary)
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