Fasting by Responding to the Materially and Spiritually Poor

In today’s first reading, Isaiah 58: 1-9a, Isaiah makes clear to us what kind of fast the Lord wants of us; namely, setting the oppressed free, clothing the naked, sharing bread with the hungry and not turning our backs on the poor.  Concerning penitential practices, such as putting on sackcloth and ashes, bowing your heads like a reed and keeping a day of penance, the Lord asked: “Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” when the poor are neglected, one’s neighbor’s needs are ignored, the oppressed’s oppression is not lifted, their homelessness not addressed?   What am I going to do to bring relief to those who are suffering, is the question I need to ask myself and the fast—giving of my time and devoting my energy to improve the lives of the unfortunate—God is asking o f me.

The naked might also be the spiritually naked, that is, those who need to be clothed with forgiveness,  love, compassion, understanding, affirmation; those whose oppressed spirit needs uplifting. The spiritually naked may be those not clothed in self-esteem, self-confidence, self- love and are thus unable to be loving and kind and understanding toward others.  What am I going to do today to shelter the spiritually naked person in my midst or who crosses my path today?

Jesus is King of all the earth

The psalm of today’s liturgy reads:

“I myself have set up my king

 on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the Lord;
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
This day I have begotten you.”

“Ask of me and I will give you

The nations for an inheritance
And the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
You shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”

And now, O kings, give heed;

Take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him;
With trembling rejoice.  (Psalm 2)

That king is Jesus, to whom the Father has given the nations for an inheritance. All the ends of the earth belong to Jesus, who is the ruler of all that exist. All that is not of God shall be destroyed. All that denies God shall not survive the grave!  Evil will not triumph.  The powerful and the arrogant, the proud and the greedy of this world, those who deny justice to the poor, to the widow and to orphans, to the sick and impoverished, the infirm and the needy, those who treat others with disdain and prejudice shall be shattered “like earthen dishes.”    Those, however, who serve the Lord with reverence by serving the poor and destitute, righting  the wrongs of society in which they live, confronting injustices and untruths, proclaiming liberty to captives—in short, living as Jesus lived, obeying the commandments of God and fulfilling the will of the Father—will rejoice with the Lord for all eternity!