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Archbishop Alfred Louis Lankenau

1930 - 2010

Letter for Lent 2010
 
Dear Companions in Faith and Ministry,
 
Leviticus 16:29 sets out a law for the faithful: “And this shall be to you a law for all time: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial; and you shall do no manner of work, nether the citizen nor the alien who resides among you.  And again in 23:27 we read “Mark, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: you shall practice self-denial, and you shall bring an offering by fire to the LORD.”
 
Read literally, the phrase “practice self denial” is “afflict yourselves.” With this legislation, Jews over age 12 and in good health are required to purify their souls by abstaining from drink and food for an entire 24-hour day, as we see in Psalm 35:13, “I afflicted myself with fasting.”
 
I like the literal rendering, for refraining from food and drink is for many, if not most of us, a genuine affliction! We are a culture not given to self-restraint, and especially so with food. Our poor choices have made us an overweight and unhealthy society, and even the thin among us often live with foods laden with chemicals. And for those who eat sensibly, the question is often quantity more than quality. Admittedly, fasting isn’t easy, not in the least, because food is everywhere, and within reach. Are we not, then, setting ourselves up for instant failure if we choose to fast during Lent? Won’t we have cheated before the ashes have been washed from our heads?
 
Perhaps a reply to the law of Leviticus is the proclamation of Isaiah 58:6-7, where we read, “The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor.
 
There is the key! We are not absolved from self-discipline (or the more biblical self-affliction) of fasting, but taught that what fasting is worth. It moves us to be more than feel sorry for the people without food. Fasting teaches us compassion and empathy. Empathy leads us to action, the kinds of decisions that Isaiah writes of so eloquently.
Having experienced hunger—if only for a day—how can we look on the really hungry without responding?
 
There’s more, of course. A single day of abstaining from food won’t transform us. Lent is all about transformations, so we are asked to fast on a regular basis during this season of introspection. How we act on such a resolution is entirely personal. Some might choose to fast for several days in a row, while others will choose the same day each week. In suspending our almost automatic reaching out to satisfy food cravings, we may learn how to manage the cravings for other kinds of non-essentials.
 
Now to the nuts and bolts. No one should enter a period of fasting unprepared. The Jewish tradition is that fasting is done after a good meal on the night prior to the fast. In Christianity, we observe Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
 
Also, either in the early morning or the late evening of the fast day, it will be good to pray, study, and reflect. The Book of Psalms is excellent for use in such times as these.  Or reflect on the readings of the week or of Sunday. And speak to God in your quiet time, transforming your fast to a gift to Almighty God from a member of the Household of Faith.
 
As the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America begins this holy Lenten season, you are invited to join with millions of people worldwide who set aside a specific time to abstain from food. Do so joyfully and prayerfully; do it alone or with a companion on the journey to Pascha; do it for your self or for those who have no choices about not eating today.

Blessings,

Metroplitan Archbishop