“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21
Lent invites us to examine what we truly treasure. Jesus’ words challenge us to consider where our loyalty, energy, and attention are directed. If our treasure is comfort, convenience, and consumption, our hearts will follow. But if our treasure is God’s Kingdom — marked by justice, compassion, and care for creation — then our lives will begin to reflect those values.
This Lent, we are invited into a “Fast for the Planet.” Traditionally, fasting means giving up food or luxuries in order to focus more deeply on God. A planetary fast expands that vision. It asks us to fast from habits that harm the earth: overconsumption, wastefulness, excessive energy use, and indifference to environmental destruction.
The climate crisis reveals what we have collectively treasured. Our dependence on fossil fuels, disposable culture, and endless economic growth has come at great cost — rising temperatures, extreme weather, polluted oceans, and deepening inequality. The poorest communities, who have contributed least to the crisis, suffer most. To fast for the planet is to repent of this imbalance and to realign our hearts.
A Lenten fast for the planet might mean eating less meat, reducing energy use, limiting unnecessary purchases, walking instead of driving, or supporting local and sustainable products. It could involve prayer for affected communities, learning about environmental justice, or advocating for change. Each small act becomes a sign that our treasure lies not in endless consumption, but in the flourishing of all creation.
It also involves treasuring God’s Creation – saying prayers as the sun rises or sets, taking your family or church group out to a beautiful place in Creation. We will not protect what we do not love!
Lent prepares us for Easter — the promise of new life. When we shift our treasure toward what truly matters, our hearts change. A Fast for the Planet is not about deprivation; it is about devotion. Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.