Fasting is not passive, regressive, restive, or retreating.
Don’t be misled by a false notion that fasting in Lent means retreat from the troubles of the world. Or that it means resting a bit while whirlwinds of conflict—ideological or otherwise—swirl around us. Do not imagine fasting as a quaint, antiquated practice worthy of dabbling in for a bit of spiritual exploration. Do not make the mistake of fasting as a passive engagement in the face of the powers that be.
Tremendous forces are at work in our world. Principalities and powers can—and do—readily overwhelm those along for entertainment or a bit of enlightenment or daring to use them for their own ends. Half-hearted joy rides in Lent may draw one into raw power struggles in the depths.
When we dare to “deny oneself” we may be drawing a line in the sand of a heretofore silent and satiated ego that, offended, may well rise up and throw everything in the book at us to get us to return to “normal.”
If Jesus’ own temptations in his forty days of wilderness fasting are any indication, buckle your seatbelt and hang on. Whatever happens, keep your fast—no matter how trivial it may seem. Something bigger is happening that makes a simple self-denial hard to maintain.
For encouragement in this aspect of your Lenten journey, you might read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It seems to map the terrain of ego and temptation well.
Fasting, instead of disengaging us from real personal, interpersonal, and social/political/systemic struggles, may drive us more deeply into the heart of them. Perhaps there, in the depths and without a clear path through or out, we may experience something that will help us be part of liberation, equitable community, and change on the other side of the fast.
For now, however, stay lashed to the mast and endure the wild ride.
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