True Fast

March 7, 2025 - Friday after Ash Wednesday

Matthew 9:14-15

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—these three spiritual practices form the pillars of biblical faith. Every Ash Wednesday, we are reminded of them. But what does fasting truly mean? Is it just about giving up food?

In the Bible, fasting is often associated with mourning and repentance. During the Babylonian exile (586–538 BC), the Israelites established fasting days to remember the siege of Jerusalem, its fall, and the capture of their last king. Yet, through the prophet Zechariah, God challenges their fasting: “When you fasted and mourned… was it for me that you fasted?” (Zech 7:5). Their ritual, though sincere, had lost its true purpose.

This tension remains today. In the Church, only two days—Ash Wednesday and Good Friday—are required days of fasting. Yet, many choose to fast more often, embracing extra days of sacrifice. But before adding to our fasting calendar, we should ask: Are we fasting for God or for ourselves?

The answer comes powerfully in Isaiah 58. The people ask God:

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” (Is 58:3).

God responds by pointing out what they ignore: while fasting, they oppress workers, argue, and even fight. Their fast is empty because it lacks justice and mercy. Then comes one of the most striking definitions of fasting in the Bible—one that has little to do with food but everything to do with love:

“Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps 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 him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Is 58:6-7).

This is the fast that God desires. A fast that doesn’t just deny food but denies selfishness. A fast that isn’t just about personal sacrifice but about generosity, justice, and love.

So we must ask ourselves: Do we fast like this? Can we fast like this?

Do we dare to fast like this?