Clear Your Ears
Cesar Chavez and Spiritual Fasting
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately on mysticism and social action. It’s fascinating to see how many of our country’s most impactful social activists were profoundly influenced by their spiritual practices. In my research I found an interesting article on the fasting practices of Cesar Chavez.
The author of the article argues that Chavez, labor-leader and perhaps the most well-known Latino social activist in American history, was primarily informed by his Catholic spirituality. He notes that Chavez prayed for an hour a day, attended Mass almost daily, and had mystical experiences while fasting.
He writes:
“He stated that his fasts were ‘a very personal form of self-testing and prayer’ and were primarily ‘a very personal spiritual thing.’ Thus, the goal was internal transformation. He stated, ‘The fast was first and foremost directed at myself. It was something I felt compelled to do to purify my own body, mind, and soul.’”
He further quotes Chavez on fasting:
“About the third or fourth day—and this has happened to me every time I've fasted—it's like all of a sudden you're up at a high altitude, and you clear your ears; in the same way, my mind clears, it is open to everything. After a long conversation, for example, I could repeat word for word what had been said. That's one of the sensations of the fast; it's beautiful. And usually I can't concentrate on music very well, but in the fast, I could see the whole orchestra and everything, that music was so clear… There haven't been in the last four or five years any major decisions that I didn't make while I was fasting.”
You won’t be surprised that I was taken by this last quote. Through extended fasting, Chavez was able to open his ears and his mind in an extraordinary way and this openness to others and God led to his successful social activism.
Over the course of his life, Cesar Chavez led a movement that achieved fair wages, medical coverage, humane living conditions, and countless other rights and protections for hundreds of thousands of farm workers in America. What might be possible if we spend time in the presence of God seeking to discern God’s dream for our communities?
*Note: Fasting can be harmful to people with certain medical conditions and you should talk to your doctor before trying it.