More on fasting and the life around it.
Fasting remained primarily an act of worship and an act of witness to universal truth. It formed part of the Hindu dharma (religion, duty) and therefore of India's witness to the religious truths implicit in the very structure of cosmic reality. Hence for Gandhi to speak, write, fast, and exercise nonviolent resistance in behalf of the Harijan (outcastes, untouchables) and of Indian freedom was at the same time to bear witness to the chief truth of Hinduism: "The belief that ALL life is one, i.e., all life coming from the One universal source, call it Allah, God or Parameshwara..."
All life is one... It is not only difficult to imagine, it is so odd and foreign that even when we want it to be true, we so often fight against it in so many ways. But how else do we begin to move beyond the place in which we find ourselves living every day. The discipline is vital. I cannot even discipline myself to take care of my person health by working out...how in the world can I begin to discipline my life to stay focused on the oneness of all of God's people!?! And yet, we are not hearing about anything more than one human being who was inspired to stay focused even when the powers of the world attempted to create a blur. This is another one of those times when it is so obvious to me that I need a community of contrary people who long for this oneness. In that way - in my stumbling - there will always be others who are ready to be the encouragement and the promise alive for all of us.
Connection: There are so many times that we are given the opportunity to open up our lives to others and the others become for us the sustaining power for change and new life.
Come, O Spirit of God, and with your constant touch and encouragement, lead us and push us and pull us and comfort us and stir us up and bring us together as one. Amen.
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