Fasting with intention

I must confess, I have been thoughtless in my Lenten practices. In the daily rush of work; transporting kids to school, practices, and activities; and completing a long list of errands; I have spent more time thinking about what I will make for a meatless Friday dinner than considering why I am preparing a meatless meal in the first place. Fasting is meant to be a meaningful experience, not just a task we check off a list.

Making a Lenten fast meaningful requires that we engage in the activity in a thoughtful, prayerful manner.

For example, while abstaining from meat on Fridays, take a moment to consider the impacts of certain meat production processes on our Catholic values. As you travel past the meat case at the store, pause for a second and consider where that product comes from. Was the cow that will be part of your meatloaf on Saturday herded by an undocumented immigrant? Was the worker who performed the task of leading the cow to slaughter paid a wage that truly reflects his value to the process? Did the ranch that raised the cow practice good environmental stewardship?

Now consider the salmon you might make for your meatless dinner. Where did it come from? Is it factory-farmed in Chile, in a process that destroys the coast line, leaving small family fishermen with polluted waters and fewer fish? Are those fishermen able to walk into a grocery store and choose from an array of items for their meatless meal?

Is there a different meal we might make to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have far fewer options on a daily basis? Catholic Relief Services offer a number of meatless recipes from different countries, along with stories of people from those countries to help make our fast more meaningful. Visit www.crsricebowl.org for recipes, stories, and daily reflections.

In fact, there are many opportunities to experience solidarity with others during a Lenten fast. Fasters can join the Fast for Families campaign by skipping a meal, eating smaller meals, or going without (as health permits) on Wednesdays in Lent. By doing so, fasters join others across the country who are fasting in solidarity with families who are impacted by our failed immigration system.

Visit www.fast4families.org to learn more.

Fasters might also consider an act of solidarity with local families living in poverty. One option is to try living for a week or a few days as those in "food deserts" do – relying on convenience stores for meals because there are no nearby grocery stores offering fresh, inexpensive alternatives. Try maintaining a healthy diet on convenience store foods, while also living within a food stamp budget of $4.20 per day to experience the daily life of many Utahns.

For a global perspective, use Lent to try living in extreme poverty like roughly 1 billion people worldwide. This means trying to survive on $1.25 a day. That $1.25 has to get you where you need to go, feed you and your family, and meet any other needs you might have during the day. It also means using only 5 gallons of water per day.

Pope Francis tells us, "It is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability in which we are called to recognize the suffering Christ. ..."

Lent presents a unique opportunity to draw near to poverty and vulnerability, including our own.