Dear Friends, 

We are just a couple of weeks from the beginning of Lent. I won't encourage you to jump into fasting and such just yet. I do want us to take a moment to prepare ourselves and consider what this fasting is all about. One of the options for lessons on this Ash Wednesday is Isaiah 58:1-12. In this passage, some people have expressed that they feel like they fast but God does not respond. The prophet is told to declare that the people keep their fasts, but continue to treat others poorly. They neglect the poor, quarrel with one another, and even act violently. God chooses another fast.

Isn’t this the fast I choose:
    releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke,
    setting free the mistreated,
    and breaking every yoke?
Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry
    and bringing the homeless poor into your house,
    covering the naked when you see them,
    and not hiding from your own family? (Isaiah 58:6-7, Common English Bible)

This understanding of fasting takes it beyond individual piety. If I am giving up chocolate then perhaps I can seek to understand climate change and working conditions. If I am fasting from television, how might I use that time to learn, serve, and advocate? When I make time for prayer am I then embodying that prayer by seeking to meet the needs of those I pray for? 

I am challenged by this. May we all be challenged as we prepare for and enter into Lent. May our fasts not be simply self-serving abstinence. Instead, may we make room for God's justice. Making some space in our bellies or our calendar can open hearts to draw near to God and how God is working in the world. 

Make plans for a holy Lent. Your clergy are glad to offer guidance on various practices. Join with the community in prayer, study, and service. Join in God's fast of breaking every yoke. 

Blessings,
Fr. John Mark