Lent – Fasting vs. starving

The drumbeat of early warnings of  historically high food prices leaning to  a major global crisis rooted might help put some perspective on the Lenten call for prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Food price spikes are more than a blip on the Chicago Board of Trade. The ripple effects start small but quickly grow. Rising prices in the markets mean families can buy only cups of grains instead of kilos. Mothers start skipping meals. People go hungry. Children stop growing for months at a time, if they survive at all.

Interactive hotspots of world hunger map (Link no longer active)

The Nine Billion People Question

Reflections:

• How can I unite in prayer with the billions of undernourished this Lent?
• What is the value of my fasting in this Lent?
• What “alms” might I offer to a starving world this Lent?