Is 58:1-9a
Mt 9:14-15
“Shout
out, do not hold back!” In Isaiah we are challenged to a life of true worship.
Not just squeaking by checking off boxes, making sure that we are following the
letter of the law. Following the law is important, but Isaiah lets us know that
this is not enough for God. Isaiah speaks of sharing our bread with the hungry,
bringing the homeless into our house, clothing the naked. It is never an
either/or with God but always a both/and.
We begin by looking inward to see what we need to fast from; then we are
then called to look out into our world and examine the fruits of those
practices. Those fruits, we may find are a feast for us and for others. The
prayer below was posted on Facebook. I hope that you find it is a good tool to
use in this first week of Lent when we are still fine tuning our practices,
that we might strive to give our all and not hold back.
Fast from pessimism; feast
on optimism.
Fast from criticism; feast
on praise.
Fast from self-pity; feast
on joy.
Fast from bitterness; feast
on forgiveness.
Fast from idle gossip; feast
on purposeful silence.
Fast from jealousy; feast on
love.
Fast from discouragement;
feast on hope.
Fast from complaining; feast
on appreciation.
Fast from selfishness; feast
on service.
Fast from fear; feast on
faith. Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from self-concern;
feast on compassion for others.
Fast from discontent; feast
on gratitude.
For Lent this year I want
to:
Fast from… So I can feast on…
- by Patty Larger
