2/17/2026
My Dear Friend & POTUS, DJT,
Have you ever fasted? I’m asking because this week lots of folks around the world are disciplining themselves to ignore the desires of the flesh as a way to get closer to the divine.
The Hindus just did their Maha Shivaratri which honors Shiva’s appearance as a blazing column of fire having no beginning or end. Not only do they abstain from food for a day, they stay up all night.
Today is the start of Ramadan when the Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad for a whole month. I’m always amazed when athletes play on an empty stomach! That takes grit. I wonder how many of the Olympic athletes will be fasting this week.
Lent starts tomorrow & some folks will observe it by giving up something as a way to honor Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness.
I’ve fasted for 12-hours for various medical procedures, but maybe I’ll try a longer one to see if ignoring my physical hunger enables me to attend to that still, small voice mentioned in 1 Kings 19:12.
You don’t have to give up food to observe Lent. You could follow Pope Leo’s advice which he shared in this year’s Lent message where he invited us to consider "a very practical & frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend & hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words & rash judgement, refraining from slander & speaking ill of those who are not present & cannot defend themselves.”
It warms my heart to imagine you telling the world that you are going to do your best follow this advice for the next 40 days.
In closing I share a quote from today’s Jerusalem Post warning that in Burma, the “military’s ambition, the people’s fury, & the geopolitical chess game are destroying the large Southeast Asian country. When leaders ignore their own people’s anger, when global powers treat instability as a nuisance rather than a crisis, & when the world looks away out of fatigue or indifference, collapse becomes unstoppable.”
It’s not too late to do something, but you need to act soon.
BYBS,
