Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen, to loose the chains of injustice ... to set the oppressed free ... to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter?
—Isaiah 58:6-7a
Lent will be drawing to a close soon, but Catholics and many Protestants may still be fasting in preparation for Easter. In ancient Israel, fasting usually meant giving up food. Today, many Christians still fast this way, but you can give up other things. It’s common, for example, to forego sweets, television and other pleasures
during Lent.
While most of us try to enter Lent with a humble and expectant attitude, some of us use it as a way to monitor our behavior. This isn’t wrong in itself, but too much focus on behavioral modification can lead to self-righteousness and self- focus. That is, fasting the wrong things can make you focus on what you’re missing rather than on what God can show you through the act.
This may be why God gave today’s message to Isaiah. Again, He doesn’t condemn traditional fasting. Instead, he rebukes Israel for dwelling so much on outward signs of religion that they forget their fellow man. God exhorts His people, both ancient Israel and contemporary society, that true fasting isn’t about what we give up for our own benefit. Rather, it’s about the sacrifices we make to show God’s love to others.
Think about how you can participate in true fasting this month. Maybe it involves volunteering at a food bank or soup kitchen or opening your home to someone who needs a place to stay. You can raise awareness of a social issue, such as human trafficking, in the effort to end oppression. Whatever you choose, your sacrifice of time and resources will be counted as a true fast.
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