Listening and Fasting Together

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COZ148: Lent isn’t just “giving things up”—it’s training the heart.

Lindsay Sant, Caroline Knight, and Lino Saubolle reflect on Pope Leo’s first Lenten letter and why its three themes land so sharply right now: listening, fasting, and doing it together.

They begin with listening—not as a polite habit, but as a spiritual posture that makes room for the Word of God and reshapes how we hear the world. Pope Leo’s framing pushes beyond private devotion: learning to listen “as God listens” means recognizing the cry of the poor, the oppressed, and the suffering—materially, emotionally, and spiritually. The panel connects this to their own season of grief, and how loss can open unexpected doors: deeper relationships, more honest conversations, and a new patience for others who carry hidden burdens.

Then comes fasting. Yes, food matters—but Pope Leo’s practical challenge is even more confronting: fast from words that wound. No slander. No cheap shots. No harsh judgments—especially when people can’t defend themselves. The conversation turns to the real-life impact of public rhetoric and how language can either inflame fear or protect dignity. Caroline names it plainly: “fasting from hate” may be harder than skipping a meal—and far more necessary.

Finally, the letter’s insistence on “together” ties it all up. Lent isn’t a personal holiness contest. It’s communal conversion: families, parishes, and communities becoming places where suffering is welcomed, voices are heard, and hope replaces hostility.

Lindsay closes the segment with a powerful “fast from this / feast on that” reflection—fasting from worry, gossip, bitterness, and self-diminishing thoughts, while feasting on trust, integrity, gentleness, gratitude, and action.

And then—science! Caroline takes the mic with an astronomy update on Betelgeuse (yes, that bright red star in Orion): a January 2026 study proposes evidence of a hidden companion star (“Siwaha”) moving through Betelgeuse’s outer layers, creating shockwaves and a dusty wake that may explain its famous dimming cycle and even its puzzling rotation. It’s a reminder that the sky’s “steady” lights are often wild stories in slow motion.

Big question to take with you: If Lent is about conversion… what changes first—your habits, or your words?

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Catholics of Oz