In the coming days, Muslims will mark the start of Ramadan, Christians will approach the end of Lent, and Jews will begin the month of Adar, which includes the holiday of Purim and the Fast of Esther that precedes it. Despite the many ways in which these three traditions differ, adherents of all three find themselves in sacred time that calls for prayer and fasting.
This year, prayer and fasting carry a particular heaviness given the ongoing war in the Middle East. For many Muslims, Jews, and Christians, it will be difficult to fast without thinking of the thousands of men, women, and children starving in Gaza, the Israelis suffering horrors in captivity, or the many, many Muslims, Jews, and Christians across Israel and Palestine mourning the death of their loved ones. This is only a microcosm of the violence and suffering known by so many people caught up in war all around our deeply broken world.
Fasting can seem so solitary, but all three traditions see in fasting an act of solidarity with those whose hunger is not a choice. Fasting should strengthen relationships with God, but should also cultivate empathy for all human beings in need. Fasting can transform individuals and communities, who in turn can transform the world. The fasting of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the context within which God’s guidance came. In calling the Jewish people to prayer and fasting, Esther offered a powerful alternative to violence in the cause of justice. As he fasted in the wilderness, Jesus rejected the very human temptation to rule over others with force in favor of divine love.
In this sacred time, may prayer and fasting transform our apathy into action, our concern into commitment. May it bring about an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine. The killing must stop, people must have food and medical care, Israelis and Palestinians must have freedom and a future. May we play our part in working for peace. May we be among those who bring good news to the poor, healing to the brokenhearted, liberty to captives, and comfort to all those who mourn (Isaiah 61). In hope, we look to that day when the suffering and sadness of war give way to the joy of Purim, the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, and the light of Easter morning.
The Executive Committee
of the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding
tuohycenter@jcu.edu