HOMILY ON FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
By: Fr. Pops SJ
Last Wednesday, when we
were fasting, or at least, that’s how we called it, after enjoying a mountain
of pandesal, towards noon time namugnaw na akong mga kamot ug wan a ko hapit
umoy sa kagutom. I even wanted to forego
the noon prayer for fear that i would not last...i must confess fasting is
difficult for me. I think it is also for
other people we know...
Fasting has been part
of our traditional Lenten observance.
Its religious or spiritual value seems to lie in the act of denying
ourselves, at least momentarily of something essential so we can dispose
ourselves better before God in the spirit of dependence, and also in solidarity
with others who lack the bare necessities of life.
And yet, our reading
today, in this season of lent, reminds us of the relative-not absolute-value of
fasting. In the first reading, Isaiah
critiqued Israel for her desire to draw near to God but more by external
practices, especially fasting, than by more spiritual, more internal, acts that
truly matter before God. In the first
place, even the quality of their fasting was questionable: they fasted only to quarrel, to seek their
own pleasure. That is not real
fast! And so, God teaches Israel what is
true fasting: to help the poor, to
practice justice and righteousness, to liberate people from oppression, to
clothe the naked, to feed the hungry.
Yes, the readings today
remind us that fasting is only of value if it is not simply a mere external
observance, a mere act of will power.
Genuine fasting is not really pertaining to food, but depriving oneself
of our favourite “dishes”: wickedness,
injustice, oppression, egoism... this is
similar to what St. Paul teaches on circumcision: it is not something physical but spiritual;
not external but of the heart.
I am not a very avid
fan of fasting; yet, i recognize its value and i submit myself to it. What we are doing here in the
seminary—fasting so that other people may be able to eat from what we deprive
ourselves of-is i think in line with the spirit of the readings. Still, the greater challenge that remains for
us is “fasting” from what hinders us from becoming more Christ-like: so, when we take only soap or lugaw or
pandesal on Fridays in lent, let us also say to ourselves: “magpugong na gyud
ko sa akong dila karong adlawa, ako na gyong habwaon tong daghan kayo nakong
sinina sa aparador ug akong ipanghatag sa ubang nanginahanglan, mag fasting sa
gyod ko sa texting rong adlawa, momata gyod ko ug sayo ug mag-ampo...” kinsay nasayod kon ang Ginoo dili motubag
kanimo ug moingon: “buotan kang
viannista; himoon ta kang Obispo-30 years from now”!
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