What Have You Given Up for Lent?

This question is often asked this time of year, inviting faithful of all ages to consider how they will fast and prepare themselves for the resurrection of our Lord.  For children, they often respond that they are giving up sweets.  Adults might select something more… well, adult, such as alcohol, or perhaps social media (although there are plenty of children on social media these days).  As I was reflecting on the question of what I might give up for this Lenten season, I was drawn to this quote from the first reading for today from the Book of Isaiah:

This, rather is the fasting that I wish:
Releasing those bound unjustly,
Untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
Breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
Sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them, 
and not turning your back on them (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Perhaps, like me, you have been reflecting on how to make your fast this Lenten season more intentional.  For me, this passage offers clarity about the purpose of the fast - that it is to loosen the yoke of oppression that is shouldered by the poor, marginalized, and those in most need of God’s love.  Those who are oppressed are all around us, we merely need to lift our gaze to see them in our midst. 

Perhaps we have already reflected on these realities in our Lenten preparations.  If we have, then maybe we have already noticed the effect that this kind of reflection can have on us.  But if we haven’t, it is definitely not too late to reflect on these realities as we move through our Lenten journey.

My prayer for us is that after we give up the usual material goods, that the remaining space will be filled with an inspired desire to connect more with those who would benefit most from our love and attention.  Together, may we find ways to notice and serve the hungry, marginalized, and excluded - to give from the heart - so that those efforts become habit.  And as we take our time during this season of waiting and anticipation to commit more fully to the needs of the other, may those experiences satisfy the thirst that remains after our fast, so that we too will eventually flourish and bloom like a watered garden; a flowing spring whose waters never fail (Isaiah, 58:12).