Dear Saints,

Saint Ambrose once said that “no one heals himself by wounding another.” We all know it to be true. Never once have our broken hearts been mended by inflicting pain on someone else - not even the one who did the breaking. And yet, who among us has a perfect track record of cheek-turning?

The instinct to meet injury with injury is natural and rooted in something noble. In the face of unfairness we crave justice; in the face of wrongdoing we yearn to be made whole. That’s good and right. But it can become disordered if it causes us to turn in on ourselves, and it usually does. We become so preoccupied with our due that we become unconcerned with giving others theirs, which is nothing less than our unending love.

One of the great benefits of fasting is that it helps us develop the habit of detaching from our first instincts, even the good and necessary ones like hunger. We learn to respond instead of react - that is, we make decisions not out of our own immediate needs and wants, but with a clearer head and calmer heart.

This is incredibly important for the healing process. It gives us the wherewithal to step back and remember the wisdom of Saint Ambrose. In fact, it strengthens us to go a step further: not only will we not inflict pain because we’re in pain, we’ll meet injury with forgiveness. And that is how we will be healed.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ