Of Fasting and Feasting

Lent is a time of feasting and fasting:
Feasting on the love and mercy of God...
Fasting from anything that would block that love and mercy from our own hearts and the lives of our sisters and brothers.

The Lenten invitation to feasting and fasting might provide us with just such an opportunity.

Let us fast from judging others and feast on seeing the best in people.
Let us fast from despair and feast on hope.
Let us fast from words that destroy and feast on the power of encouragement.
Let us fast from violence and feast on hospitality.

Let us fast from discontent and feast on gratitude.
Let us fast from anger and feast on patience.
Let us fast from being negative and feast on the positive.
Let us fast from blindness and feast on seeing
Let us fast from busyness and feast on holy leisure.

Let us fast from worry and feast on trust.
Let us fast from complaining and feast on appreciation.
Let us fast from hostility and feast on peacemaking.
Let us fast from frenzy and feast on silence.

Let us fast from bitterness and feast on forgiveness.
Let us fast from paralysis and feast on freedom.
Let us fast from fear and feast on courage.
Let us fast from constant activity and feast on slowing down.
Let us fast from self-concern, and feast on compassion for others.

by Fr. Vinny, CSP