February 17, 2010 at Saint Mark Church in Norman, OK
Joel 2: 12-18 + Psalm 51 + 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 + Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
It is important to notice that Jesus says: “When you fast.” “When you give alms.” “When you pray.” He does not say: “If you fast” “If you give alms” “If you pray.” Living our faith is not a matter of “if”. It is a matter of “when.”
And so: when you fast, it is from more than food. For a nation that can boast of a diet industry that rivals the ross national product of more than half the world, this is something to take seriously not just for physical health. A hunger pain is a wake-up call to remind us that we do not live by bread alone. We will not put meat on our plate for the next six Fridays because by our tradition, this food has blood, and so we keep Friday without Blood to remember one Friday of this season when Christ’s blood shed for us all. By fasting, we may savor the sweetness of all God’s gifts. Rather than gorge ourselves we simply sip and savor just a little to remember how good it is. But taste is not the only sense of our bodies that should fast. The eye can fast by looking less and watching less.
The ear can fast when it is closed to gossip and slander. The tongue can fast when it speaks no evil, no anger, no lie, no rumor, no criticism. Silence in this season may be the sound of God’s call. The hand can fast when it leaves things alone, picks up nothing in the store that is not necessary, and touches only to heal, caress, and comfort.
When you pray it is both public and private in praise and in gratitude. It is alone and it is as a family. It is as a church in Eucharist, in devotion, and in adoration. The balance of all prayer is restored in this season when you pray. Public prayer is a witness that calls others to prayer. A blessing in a restaurant reminds others who may have forgotten who has provided what is shared. It is not for show and admiration. It is to acknowledge the source of all good things.
When you give alms, it is an act of charity and an unmistakable reminder that we are stewards of God’s gifts. Nothing is ours to keep. All has been entrusted to us for the sake of others so that none of God’s children would ever be in want. It is impossible to imagine that our God would leave someone in need! When we think, “Someone should do something.” We have forgotten who we are and failed our calling.
Pray, Fast, Give. This is how we live our faith. It is not a matter of if – but of when, and that time is the present.
In this we shall know the power of the cross with which we mark our heads this day recalling that we are dust and to dust we shall return. When we do return, we shall take nothing with us which is reason enough to begin to give it up now. When we do return to dust, what we shall take with us is what we have done with what we have had. Giving up is not all there is to Lent. Taking on is more to the point. So, the question today I propose to you is not: “What are you giving up for Lent?” But rather, “What are you taking on?” There can be only one answer: “A Life of Prayer” “A life of Fasting” “A life of Charity.” In this life you will find life – life everlasting.