Word to the Wise
Friday, February 28, 2020 - Friday after Ash Wed.
[Isa 58:1-9a and Matt 9:14-15]"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish : releasing those the thongs of the unjustly, untying the thong 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]
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020 FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
[Isaiah 58:1-9a and Matthew 9:14-15]
"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish : releasing those the thongs of the unjustly, untying the thong 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]
Isaiah takes dead aim at some of the dramatic ways some people had of public repentance. Their actions outside those public displays showed that they were anything but sincere. Instead, he proposes actions that benefit others and not just oneself. Notice that some of what he proposes appears in the list in the Last Judgment scene in the Gospel According to Matthew [25:31-45].
Perhaps his standard could be ours? What if we adopted the standard that any Lenten observance had to benefit others and not just be a personal, individualistic activity, even if sincerely undertaken? Who could we free from the "yoke" of hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, illness? Ask anyone who works for Catholic Charities or the St. Vincent de Paul Society. They can point you to many people in those situations. Ask anyone working with the immigrants at our borders.
What Isaiah is proposing could revolutionize our observance of Lent! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
87 ms
4
