Fasting From ... What?

Chaz enjoys better accommodations than most people.


Four days into this fast from flour and You Tube is a real challenge.

I went grocery shopping a couple of nights ago, and it was so weird to blow past the pasta aisle. I nearly picked up a loaf of French bread, but recalled my commitment to fast from flour. Thank God for Ezekiel bread, that amazing sprouted bread that contains no flour.

Last night we had our annual wine tasting fundraiser at the Museum, and my options were severely limited. I couldn't indulge in desserts, little sandwiches, pita bread with hummus, and a host of other delectable edibles from local eateries. Instead, I noshed on oyster bisque, crab dip, and a few other flourless, but cholesterol-laden foods. Come to think of it, I'll bet the bisque contained flour.

Then there was the broccoli and veggie dish from PF Chang's. As I bit into a piece of broccoli, I realized there was chicken in the dish. One Fridays in Lent, Catholics can't eat meat, so the chicken was cast aside.

Now, really ... what's the point of these dietary rules and fasting?

Yes, spiritual discipline is a huge part of it, but all the fasting in the world--from anything-- won't be completely successful unless it helps others in some way. For example, I should tally my estimated savings in flour-based products at the end of Lent and give that amount of money to my church, perhaps to the Haiti Fund where it will benefit people who are the poorest of the poor.

The other day I was reading a Lenten meditation where Jesus spoke of true fasting, fasting that means sheltering the homeless and giving bread to the hungry. There I sat in my four bedroom home, asking myself if I would ever take in a homeless person. My animals live far better than most people in the world.

The next morning, as I sat at a traffic light, I looked over at a man who held a sign that read "Homeless. Will work for Food." I had a few dollars on me. Why couldn't I just roll down my window and give the guy some money? True, he may have wasted it on cigarettes or alcohol, but my intentions would have been good. I avoided eye contact with him and drove away. Echoes of scripture verses popped in my mind, especially the ones saying people have entertained angels without knowing it, or that you're serving God when you reach out to feed and clothe others.

Maybe I have this fasting thing all wrong. Perhaps I don't fully understand it.

But I'll make this vow: I will estimate the money I'm saving on flour products and give it to the Haiti Fund. I may not be on the brink of letting a homeless person share my home, but there is much I can do.

And so this new Lenten journey continues ...