A [well, sort of] LECTIO DIVINA FOR LENT

Not looking forward to fasting? Isaiah has some alternatives for you.

"HERE is the way I want you to fast.

Set free those who are held by chains without any reason. Untie the ropes that hold people as slaves. Set free those who are crushed. Break every evil chain.

Share your food with hungry people. Provide homeless people with a place to stay. Give naked people clothes to wear. Provide for the needs of your own family.

THEN the light of my blessing will shine on you like the rising sun. I will heal you quickly. I will march out ahead of you. And my glory will follow behind you and guard you. That is because I always do what is right. You will call out to me for help. And I will answer you. You will cry out. And I will say, 'Here I am.'

Get rid of the chains you use to hold others down. Stop pointing your finger at others as if they had done something wrong. Stop saying harmful things about them.

Work hard to feed hungry people. Satisfy the needs of those who are crushed. THEN my blessing will light up your darkness. And the night of your suffering will become as bright as the noonday sun." (Isaiah 58:6-10 NIRV - New International Readers Version)


"THIS is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. THEN when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.' If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people's sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
(Isaiah 58:6-10 MSG - The Message)


“I will tell you THE KIND OF FAST I WANT:
>Free the people you have put in prison unfairly and undo their chains. Free those to whom you are unfair and stop their hard labor.
>Share your food with the hungry and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes. When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours, and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.
>THEN your light will shine like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your God will walk before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. THEN you will call out, and the Lord will answer. You will cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
>If you stop making trouble for others, if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others, if you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, THEN your light will shine in the darkness, and you will be bright like sunshine at noon." (Isaiah 58:6-10 NCV - New Century Version)

[ABOUT LECTIO DIVINA: It is a practice some do to help them absorb the full meaning of scripture for their real lives. There are various approaches. It is common to read a scripture three times, pausing between each reading to meditate on the meaning, wisdom, and application . . . or, at least that's how I do it :-) --Steve ]