Ash Wednesday

And they said to him, ” The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink” . Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the day will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and they will fast in those days” Luke 5 33-35

Today is Ash Wednesday, a high Holy Day. A day of fasting and abstinance. It is the beginning of our Lenten journey to Easter. Some people love lent, some people not so much, and some simply don’t care. Be that as it may, I don’t know about you, but fasting is hard for me. I marvel at people who fast with apparent ease. Food is such a huge part of life…we are always in a “wedding celebration”. But fasting, because it is so hard for me, means something. It means the I shutoff my auto-pilot and I think about the actions of my day.

In reality, I know I am suppose to replace fasting with prayer, but prayer is a natural part of my everyday so I am not sure that happens. The other purpose of fasting is to remind us of the people all around the world who go without food, daily. This to me is the more meaningful aspect of fasting. My grocery bill has tripled over the past year and yet I think how many people could be fed on my grocery bill? As Catholics, we are called to this mindfulness. We are called to look at the needs of our brothers and sisters. When we fast we are to get out of our own comfort zone and acknowledge the poverty and destitution that exists in too many areas of the world. We don’t like to talk about this, it makes us uncomfortable, but what value does the message of Jesus bring if not to make us recognize our unity with each other? What kind of a follower of Christ am I if I am unwilling to recognize the role I play in all of this? To some extent I am my brother’s keeper. Jesus spoke to a people not unlike us, there was great poverty where he spoke and his purpose was to be the great equalizer, his message was that God valued each person. So as I try to cheerfully fast through this Lenten season, I pray that I can remember the people who do not fast, but rather starve. I pray that even if only in my acknowledgement I can be part of some solution.

The bridegroom has left the building…

Pray, Fast, Give Alms to the Poor