Fast and Slow: Friday after Ashes

Today is a day of fast - no meat. Whoever said we were supposed to eat fish? What kind of sacrifice is baked salmon or stuffed halibut with asparagus tips? Fasting should slow us down and give us time to pray, to give thanks, and time for others. Isaiah the prophet today reminds us that God will say, "Here I am" if we call upon him with slower hearts; hearts that have time to listen and to act on behalf of others. Our prayer is action - from God we go to God in others. For God desires that justice, compassion, and mercy in his name be the true fast. But only when we go without can we then give what we receive from Him.