Friday, February 27

Isaiah 58:1-9. Is this the manner of fasting I wish…that you bow your head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? This, rather, is the fasting I wish: releasing those bound unjustly…setting free the oppressed…sharing your bread with the hungry; sheltering the homeless; clothing the naked…and not turning your back on your own.

I cannot help but think of our new president upon reading these words—fasting is not about self-denial as such; it is about recognizing our responsibility for others. We are always members of a larger community—religious, educational, political—and we are tied to others not only through our membership in that community but also simply as fellow human beings. Doing our part to free the oppressed, to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, enables those others to live richer and more meaningful lives. But we also enrich ourselves, widening our circle of selfhood, acknowledging that we are more when we are with others. This seems to me to be President Obama’s vision of the community of the United States, a community that can be enriched by heeding the needs not only of our fellow citizens, but of all peoples who suffer under the weight of oppression.

                                                    - Lisa King, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department;
                                                      Director, Women’s and Gender Studies

 


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