Friday after Ash Wednesday Reflection

The Twentieth Century spiritual writer Saint Josemaria Escriva wrote, "Choose mortifications that don’t mortify others." So often during the season of Lent, I come across Lenten penances and practices that place a burden on those around us, rather than being true interior mortifications. For instance: a dinner party guest who needs to be accommodated because they gave up eating red meat on Mondays and Wednesdays; the friend who cannot meet up for coffee until Easter because they are only drinking water; or heaven-forbid, the university student who has chosen not to wear shoes for the next forty days. Sometimes, it seems, that Lenten penances grow into a practice that ensures others take notice we are fasting, and our practices become a penance for those around us.

The words of the Prophet Isaiah today speak of the type of fast that the Lord desires. The Prophet reminds us, "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 your own." (Isaiah 58:6-7) Isaiah’s prophecy encourages us in our penance and fasting to better love our neighbors – to have greater concern for the poor and greater care for the suffering. The Season of Lent and the practices we take on are not ends in themselves. Rather they are meant to prepare us to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ at Easter and enable us to be more aware of the presence of God in those around us.