Unbroken. Medicine. Mercy, Fasting. (Ash Wednesday 2020)

2020-02-26 – ASH WEDNESDAY  __ Joel 2:12-18 __ Psalm 51 __  2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 

__ +Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 _  

[_01_]   “Unbroken” is the title of a biography/book (by Laura Hillenbrand) and a movie about a World War II American military man whose fighter plane loses altitude and crashes in the Pacific Ocean. 

          In 1943,  his plane crashes and seemingly disappears – but there are 3 survivors – Louis (Louie) Zamperini is one. He survives for 47 days – longer than anyone has ever survived in such harsh conditions.

          When the plane crashes, they discover that the raft is very badly equipped with supplies. They have a few tins of water and a few squares of chocolate.

          And, their fasting begins. They are fasting from the very beginning. And, it is the imposition of a fast.

[_02_]   We might say that Ash Wednesday is the imposition of a fast. We did not choose the fast or timeline.  It’s FEB. 26 – already !

          I did not even know Ash Wednesday was coming. It kind of sneaks up on us.

          So, there is also a certain sense in which the fast is MEDICINAL or “medical” like the doctor/nurse ordering us to fast or in Louie’s case (Pacific, 1943),they are forced to fast because they are on the raft floating.

          We are invited to fast as a religious observance.

          It’s not the fasting that we chose, it is chosen for us.

          Is it not true that we often do not choose which “sacrifices” to make – sometimes we make sacrifices because we know it’s good ..even though we would not

have chosen it.

[_03_]      In the “floating fast” of the Pacific, Louie makes a schedule. This the schedule, this the chocolate, this is the water, there are 3 of us. We each get this amount of chocolate and this amount of water at these particular hours.

          Then, they sleep the first night. The next day, they awake and discover that the all the water and all the chocolate is gone, because one of them (not Louie) ate all of the chocolate and drank all the water.

          His name was “Mac”. 

          In the book we read that Louie “curbed his irritation.”.  Larry David suggests you “curb your enthusiasm” …but Louie had to curb his irritation. That was hard.

          Excerpt: “Curbing his irritation, Louie told Mac that he was disappointed in him. Understanding that Mac had acted in panic, he reassured him that they’d soon be rescued. Mac said nothing.”  (Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience…, New York: Random House, 2010, p. 132.)

          So, it was remarkably forgiving – merciful statement to say “I am disappointed” and nothing more, given their crisis.

         

[_04_]      So, I’m suggesting that Louie moves from the “medicine” of required fasting to survive…to the mercy of fasting. And, because of that act of mercy, they are able to pull together, work together and Mac – as much as any of the 3 – is a key contributor to rowing and moving the raft and keeping them out of danger.

[_05_]     Fasting is an act of mercy on our part, and also an act of community and unity. It’s something we do together, even if we do not actually know what others are fasting from.

          Fasting is also a way for us to recognize that God is in charge of our lives.

         

[_06_]     We can fast on our own schedule and timeline.

          I can do this. A child does this.

          We learn to do this early lin life. Children are good at fasting, especially when they are not happy, such as when the babysitter is present.

And, the child says …. I am not going to eat or drink or smile or talk or sleep … until my parents come home.

That is a fast, a defined and defiant fast, a way of being in control.

I can do that as an adult too!

[_07_]     God is asking us for the mercy of fasting, also to recognize that we give up something that is good, for something that is a greater good.

          Now, we do that – for example for medical check-up for the doctor/nurse. We fast for a period of time so that our bodies can be checked, measured, tested, for a greater good we fast.

          We give up something good.

[_08_]     I’d like to give 2 examples of this

          I like to stay up late. I like to sleep late… And, then when I wake up later than I should, I also feel good. Nobody got hurt. It’s all good, right? Yes. It’s Ok.

          On the other hand, it would be good for me to go to sleep/bed earlier. That would be a fast.

          In other words, rather than looking at staying up late purely as a “negative” or “vice”, consider it is good. And, in fasting, we are called to give up something good for a greater good, to recognize God is in control.

That’s the sacrifice.  That’s also the prayer of Psalm 127 …. It is vain, to quote unquote build the house – or stay up too late…if we do not acknowledge God as in church as the builder of the house.  The Lord pours out his gifts on those who sleep/slumber. I need to keep this in mind that God is the builder of this house of our parish, and also the builder of your house, your family.

Louie ultimately reflects that after all his suffering – on the raft, as a prisoner of war and more – was that he believed that “divine love had intervened to save him … He was not ..worthless, broken, forsaken.”

(Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience…, New York: Random House, 2010, p. 376.)

Fasting is a way for us to experience God’s mercy and love in our lives, to be renewed on God’s timeline, beginning these 40 days.

[_fin_]