Perhaps the thing we most associate with Lent is fasting. Jesus knew the value of fasting and promoted it in his teaching. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries saw fasting as physical and public acts of penance which they used to promote their ‘holy image’. “When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father” (Matt 6:16-18). Obviously Jesus wasn’t convinced by the practice of fasting used by the Pharisees. He knew there is a tendency in human nature towards attachment and addiction that is not healthy and balanced.
For Jesus fasting is not just about giving up things like sweets or cigarettes or alcohol. It is more about what we need to do to keep our hearts mellow and grateful. To keep our hearts mellow and grateful we certainly need to control our desire for possessions and power and popularity. As Jesus himself discovered during his retreat in the desert these are potent demons in the human heart that need to be tamed.
Fasting is unfashionable among Christians today. Yet never has it been so necessary. In the so called first world which is mainly nominally Christian we are now the most indebted, obese, addicted and medicated generation in history. Jesus’ teaching on fasting has the power to improve our health, our relationships and our environment. Yes, the real cause of climate change is our unwillingness to say, ‘I have enough.’ To fast is to say, ‘I have enough.’ Lent is a good opportunity to identify some area in my life that is out of control and to say, ‘enough is enough!’