The Kind of Fasting that God Asks of Us

In today's first reading, Isaiah 58: 1-9a,  the prophet Isaiah spells out clearly the kind of fast God asks of 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."

We might choose one of the following ways of fasting for ourselves and also include one or more of these in our Lenten prayers:

• Fast from corrupt ways and choose integrity in all of our dealings with others
• Fast from deceitful ways and choose to be honest in our relationships
• Fast from violating the basic human rights of anyone and promote that which is right for all
• Fast from being ignorant of the industry of human trafficking and learn how to protect our children from this crime
• Fast from being blind or deaf to the dangers of illegal drugs and abuse of alcohol and encourage a healthy lifestyle among our children/youth
• Fast from ignorance of forced labor or labor trafficking; take time to learn about this criminal reality and protect innocent children from this curse,
• Fast from judging persons who are incarcerated; take time to learn about unjust incarcerations and work for justice
• Fast from judging homeless people and take some time to learn about the causes of homelessness,
• Fast from judging victims of sexual abuse--incest, sexual assault, rape--and work for justice for victims of these crimes 
• Fast from viewing pornographic materials, if so involved, and work to educate others about this dangerous addiction
• Fast from addictions--all addictions have the potential to destroy healthy relationships and thwart our growth in love; if necessary, seek support from groups that help each other become free of addictive behaviors
• Fast from discriminating against people whose sexual orientation, religion, culture, race, background is different from one's own; befriend a person who is different from yourself 
• Fast from treating others as inferior to oneself and acknowledge the other person's giftedness
• Fast from ways in which humankind treats human beings inhumanely, beginning with oneself

Reread Isaiah 58: 1-9a.  What kind of fast is God asking of you this Lenten season?