Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Isaiah 58:5-7
As my spirituality has grown in my clerical development during postulancy, I have begun to see Lent as a season of reorienting myself to G-d. I take on practices of fasting and penitence—not simply to give up things, but to give for G-d’s justice.
The Christian tradition teaches us that anything we do in prayer and practice should transform the mind, body and spirit toward/for the Divine. And through that transformation, as we read in Isaiah, the fruits that we reap are inherently made of/for justice seeking—feeding the hungry, breaking the bonds of the oppressed, and clothing the naked.
This year, as I think about Lenten practices that might allow my spirit to focus on G-d more, I think about what distracts me from the Holy. I have to admit that on any given day I am immersed in the material world and all its distractions. When I stop paying attention, I easily become wrapped up in the values of Capitalism—consumerism and productivity. These values start to shape everything in my life, even my spirituality. My prayer time becomes another activity to check off a list, something to complete instead of something to live into.
As we follow the liturgical year, Christian spirituality has a flow to it, a rhythm of being and doing; with G-d in ourselves, and with others. What I do in my interior spiritual life will affect how I interact with my exterior life, my relationships with Creation. Through consistent spiritual practices, I’ve learned that the goal of my prayer life is to let the Holy shape Her image in me more fully, so that I can embody Her justice in the world. As Paul says, “it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives within me.” Said differently, I strive for G-d to be the thing that animates the way I live, and love, in the world.
So, through this same theo-logic, Lenten practices then become practices of resistance to the ways of the world. This Lent I feel called to fast from and resist the structures of Capitalism by not consuming things I don’t need. I won’t make that late night Amazon Prime purchase for G-d knows what. I’ll log out of social media and let go of my doom scroll consumption, and spend that time doing something that actually nourishes my spirit. I can turn off the TV at night and read a book instead, or call a loved one to catch up and check in. I can volunteer my time serving in my community; I can get outdoors and connect with Mother Nature; I can be more intentional with delighting in all the ways I’ll encounter G-d throughout the week; I can let G-d’s character of justice change the way I see/do my work and my relationships.
We get to make choices every day for how we spend our time. Imagine how much time and mental/spiritual space we would have if we slowed down and stopped consuming, even just for a few moments a day. In reclaiming and taking back that time and space, we can actually repurpose our time for participating in G-d’s values.
In the simplest terms, consumerism and the culture of busy-ness are designed to distract us from what really feeds us in life—our relationship with G-d and others. It also distracts us from seeing systemic issues of oppression in our communities. Even worse still, the constant barrage of wanting and ‘the pursuit of more’ keeps us from having the time, energy or desire to do anything about those issues when we do see them.
So, if we want to fast for G-d’s justice-making in the world like Isaiah suggests, how do we do that? What can we give up to make space for this transformation to occur in our hearts and minds? How do we care for our neighbor and those less fortunate?
I invite you, during this season of Lent, to take on practices of resistance instead of giving up things that make no lasting impact on your spiritual life. Do it because reorienting ourselves to G-d could very well change the world.
—Sarah Smith, Postulant for Holy Orders
Soon to be attending Seminary of the Southwest