Who Is “Our Own?”

PAINTING ON CANVASS BAG: RICHARD DURATE BROWN
Is this the manner of fasiting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That one bow his head like a reed,
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
realeasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Is 58, 5-7

Fasting desired by the Holy One is more demanding than giving up chocolate, texting, or movies. While the author of this section of Isaiah carries on the theme of social justice central to the earlier chapters of the book, he goes further, challenging us to expand our vision of just WHO is “our own.”

I can read the list of requirements of fasting that is pleasing to God and still maintain my distance from those I treat as “other.” I can drop money in a collection for Haiti or take used clothing to a local Saint Vincent de Paul shop and still not recognize and embrace the “others” closer to home.

This reading calls out to me to consider who are “my own,” and how I turn my back on them. The author of today’s OT reading proclaimed to his audience that salvation was open to all and that all are God’s beloved. (Is 56) That means everyone is “my own.” The gay man down the street, the transsexual at work, the popular crowd that makes life unbearable at school, the irritating neighbor, the homeless people on the streets of my own city. The list is endless.

Today’s reading doesn’t suggest I should not give alms or volunteer. Those are good things, but there is more to do. Lent reminds me that actions alone are not enough. It was not enough for the Israelites to participate in cultic rites and fasting. The Holy One was calling them to conversion of heart. They had to come to know that those suffering were “their own,” and when anyone is oppressed, all are oppressed.

The Compassionate One is asking me to share in her Great Heart, to reflect on how my life style contributes to injustice, to increase my awareness of the poor, and yes, those who have no access to health care or decent housing in this country of abundance. I am called to understand that in God’s eyes, no one is “other.” No one is special. No one is less.

Giving up chocolate was a lot easier.
© 2010 Mary van Balen