Fasting, Then Feasting

A Different Fasting

The Word became flesh
and came to dwell among us—

Now, in our isolated,
enfleshed dwelling-places
we forget the God incarnate,
disremember the Divine in flesh,
and dis-incarnate our
already-fearful-of-flesh-lives.

We are exiled from
This, my Body
This, my Blood…
captives to fasting
not merely from bread and cup
but from those
embodied, breathing sacraments
who stood with us, knelt with us,
prayed with us, listened with us,
sang with us, who spoke the Risen Word
“Peace”
with us.

Let us see beyond
this time of flesh
– as contagion,
– as crisis,
and be invigorated,
as Christ,
in memory of those who will
again one day
join with us, repent with us,
praise with us, thank with us,
eat with us
drink with us;
their unmasked breath
the Spirit who makes us one.

In this time of distance
let us recall and crave
a love that impelled
the celestial embrace
who fused with our flesh,
fused us all in the font,
and still fuses us now
in this fasting.

Once freed from this fast,
our self-giving,
not self-serving
must rouse our rising
to go, to help, to heal,
to lift, to live renewed.

—Word who became flesh,
come, dwell among us:
Now, then forever,
Amen.