This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those unjustly bound, untying the thongs of the yoke of oppression, sharing bread with the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and clothing the naked. Fasting is one of the three practices that characterize the Lenten observance and which the Church encourages us to adopt as the outward sign of our Lenten observance. It is a rich practice that can, unfortunately, be obscured by the sometimes too literal approach with which it is observed. Why do we fast and what do we fast from? We always take fasting to be the same as abstinence from food, drink, or any other activity in which we indulge in order to placate our bodily appetites (such as smoking). And there is nothing wrong with such an approach, since when we fast from food or drink as a Lenten observance, we do so in obedience to a law of the Church. However, fasting has a much broader scope than food, and our Lenten fasting should reflect this broader understanding. The Lord, speaking through the prophet Isaiah in the passage constituting today’s First Reading today, could not have said it any better. In our list of priorities, self-preservation and happiness tops the list. In our list of people to love, the I/ME in us occupy the first place. We want better jobs, better neighborhoods, better cars, and better schools for our children. We even expect and sometimes demand better treatment from others. This is not in itself bad. God does want us to be happy. God does want us to lead a good life. God wants the best for us. However, in our attempts at looking after our own good and happiness, we sometimes end up hurting or disregarding others. This happens because in the pursuit of our own interests, we lose sight of who we are and what we are about (the purpose for which God created and put us in this world). We tend to forget about the existence of the other as we become blinded by our attempts at self-preservation. We lose sight of who we are whenever we utter words that aim at putting down the other person. Lent is a time for taking stock of our lives. It is time for slowing down in order to pay attention to my surrounding, a time to recognize those brothers and sisters of mine who have become invisible to me because I am too busy with other things or because I just don’t care about them. Lent is a time for recollection, a time to reflect on my life and see in what areas I have been selfish or have refused to live as a member of a community. Fasting helps me to remedy my acts of self-centeredness. Lent calls on me to fast (desist) from acts of selfishness such as refusing to forgive those who might have wronged me. Lent calls upon me to desist from engaging in bribery and similar corrupt acts that lead to oppression of the poor. Lent is a time of fasting from words that kill the happiness of others as well as words that cause discord in the community. Lent is a time of fasting that aims to build. This is the kind of fasting that the Lord requires from us.