Lent is a season of returning — returning to the heart of God and returning to the world God so deeply loves. It is not simply a season of self-denial, and it is certainly not about giving up coffee or cussing. The real question for us at Lent is not what are you fasting from? But what are you fasting for?
Isaiah 58 and the Fast God Chooses
In Isaiah 58, the prophet reframes fasting altogether.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?”
Biblical fasting reorients our lives toward the liberation of others.
Too often, our fasting remains private while injustice remains public. We fast from small comforts while ignoring the systems that create suffering. Lent invites us to examine and heal that disconnect. What if we fasted from consumption and fasted for generosity? What if we fasted from silence and fasted for speaking truth to power?
Lent and Justice: More Than Private Spirituality
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
Lent exposes our silence. It presses us to consider where we have been quiet when courage was required. How can we live justly when our spirituality centers on ourselves?
A fast for justice means refusing neutrality when human dignity is at stake.
Lent and Solidarity: Following Jesus into Justice
Jesus showed us the way of sacrificial solidarity. He lived in a land that was occupied by an empire, walking roads in what we now call Palestine. Following Jesus means that we care about land, power, displacement, and the people most impacted by violence.
Lent invites us to walk with Jesus into solidarity with the people of the land—those who are displaced, marginalized, and unheard. As we reflect on the life of Jesus, we must ask: what does our fasting lead us to do? Who does it move us toward? Justice or solo spirituality?
This Lent, choose a fast that costs you something.
Fast from consumption.
Fast from neutrality.
Fast from a siloed social life.
Fast for courage.
Fast for solidarity.
Fast for justice that is embodied and local.
Lent is not about self-improvement; it’s about alignment.
Alignment with the God who hears the cry of the oppressed.
Alignment with the Jesus who stood among the marginalized.
Alignment with a Spirit who still disrupts unjust systems.
Join us this Lent, and choose a fast that points the world to the sacrificial solidarity of the cross.
A Lent Series By Palestinian Christians
In this season of reflection and prayer, join us as we walk in deeper solidarity by learning from the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice’s six-week devotional, Becoming Peacemakers: A Lent Series by Palestinian Christians. Each week features scripture, guided prayer, and teaching from a Palestinian Christian theologian. This guide helps us become peacemakers who are rooted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Sign up to receive access to the free guide here.
Sandra Maria Van Opstal, a second-generation Latina, is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice, a movement led by people of color to mobilize a lifestyle of faith and justice. She is an international speaker, author, and activist, recognized for her courageous work in pursuing justice and disrupting oppressive systems within the church. As a global prophetic voice and an active community member on the west side of Chicago, Sandra’s initiatives in holistic justice equip communities around the world to practice biblical solidarity and mutuality within various social and cultural locations
The views and opinions expressed on the Chasing Justice Blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Chasing Justice. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors is their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, anyone, or anything.
