EHF E-Zine Volume 2
Written by David Mayberry - Ontario Foodgrains Bank Staff
The Hebrew people, to whom Isaiah is speaking, have just returned from exile to find their country in shambles and their beloved city in ruins. They want to get back to the way things were before, to their old rituals and traditions, to their former socioeconomic system, complete with its rights, privileges, classes and divisions. But Isaiah says to the people that the old practices of fasting (and feasting) are not working, they do not please God. What is required, says Isaiah, is a new vision, or version of community, where rituals become realities, where our self serving becomes self - less serving, where justice is no longer for just us.
This new vision or version of community can only begin when we each see that we are all connected, to each other and to the challenges and problems facing the world. For the most part, hunger is caused by the actions and interactions of people. When we recognize that global hunger in a world with enough food is not a crisis, but rather a crime against humanity and that we are all implicated, then perhaps we will be ready to make some changes. Isaiah warns us that the “fast” God requires is not one of temporary depravation, but of lasting social change, where community comes before commodity and commitment to others replaces contentment with one’s self.
This change, or transformation, needs to be both a personal and a communal effort. As the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, both as supporters and as an organization, we all need to show leadership. Fasting and talking about our over consumption, our huge carbon foot print, our squandering of the earth’s resources, is not good enough unless it leads to real change. Are we prepared to significantly lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, not just by purchasing carbon credits, but by reducing our overall consumption? Are we prepared to share the wealth of creation with all of creation or will we continue to create global rules that favour the rich and powerful? Are we prepared to seek justice for all when we know that it might require our concessions and confessions?
When your fasting is over, the time for change has begun.
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