And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering. For I tell you that I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15-16).

Even the helpers are starving. Even some “committed Zionists” are calling for adequate food aid to make it into Gaza. Even a former Green Beret exposes the evil of the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. 

This month as I write again about fasting in solidarity with the people of Gaza, I feel more hope. It’s morbid, angry, and grief-ridden, but it’s hope. Headlines from Al-Jazeera to BBC to NPR to Washington Post to MSNBC include famine in Gaza. And I checked: One America Network, CNN and Fox News are focused on “Ozempic face,” Chuck Schumer’s outrage about tariffs, and what Oreo and Reese’s are creating together. Nothing about Gaza.

Now that we’ve got official body counts of starvation victims, hunger in Gaza is all over the news, enough that even the president noticed. Hence my morbid, angry, grief-ridden hope.

I fasted the month of June with Veterans for Peace and Friends of Sabeel North America, consuming about 250 calories a day. I’m on a new 30-day fast and it’s not as strict (I added more vegan protein). I kept hearing Jesus’ words in my mind, “I will not eat this meal again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And realized that I would not eat a full meal – not alone, not with loved ones, not with my faith community – until Gaza sees 600 trucks a day roll in and people can safely unpack and eat this food.

I will take a fasting break after 30 days if these conditions aren’t met. Gaza doesn’t benefit if I suffer. Gaza may benefit if I sacrifice.

Our faith asks us to sacrifice, but does not ask us to suffer.

We each do still suffer, at times, but God does not let us suffer alone, joining us in every pain and despair, feeling it all with us.

Jesus felt hunger, betrayal, despair, grief, outrage and brutal physical pain. I’ve never thought his suffering saved me; his sacrifice, yes, but not his suffering. But his suffering does keep me company when I am suffering. The groans of the Spirit echo in companionship. I find the Inclusive Bible Translation speaks it most clearly:

I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed in us. 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs to deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:18, 26-27, NRSV)

In groans beyond words, for bodies too weak to cry, with the echoes of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” in every language, we urge the Spirit to plead for the people of Gaza with all insight and volume possible.

We were created to keep needing, to be thirsty and hungry and need to sleep over and over and over again. Each meal, each nap, is transient. There are so many opportunities to be interconnected, so many chances to make choices, so many invitations to freedom.

Jesus joined us in flesh, in pain, in hunger, with 40 days of temptations and testing and groaning. Where two or three are hungry, is Jesus hungry with them?

In groans beyond words, for bodies too weak to cry, with the echoes of “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” in every language, we urge the Spirit to plead for the people of Gaza with all insight and volume possible.

I drink protein powder and electrolytes every morning and pray that God is folding my efforts in with Jewish Voices for Peace, Adalah Justice Project and Mennonite Action. That all our efforts work together for good for the people of Gaza and the West Bank and Israel, too.

After taking the cup, Jesus gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves” (Luke 22:17), and Jesus’ friends sipped and passed the cup. There are five cups in a Passover Seder:

• Kiddush
• Haggadah
• Grace after Meals or Blessing
• Hallel
• the one for Elijah and/or Miriam.

Wikipedia articles are a great place to start learning; then check out the citations to go deeper. Scholars and scripture-lovers discuss just how much the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, and just which cups Jesus may have drunk or passed on.

Can you think of a ritual meal in your culture and practice that includes abstaining? There are the jokes about skipping a meal after gorging during Thanksgiving, but joining friends’ Passover Seder is my only memory of a ritualized abstention (the cup we all pass). In the past two years, public Seders have been served without any food or drink at all, to draw attention to hostages still held in Gaza, or to the starving people of Gaza.

The cup I celebrate most days as I fast is a watered-down hot chocolate. I’ve been drinking this for years simply because I enjoy it. It’s a treat without sugar, and there’s not enough caffeine to keep me awake if I drink this at night. Once I started fasting, I realized what comfort a warm mug of more-than-tea brings.

Hot chocolate

1. Put one tablespoon of cocoa powder in a half-mug of unsweetened almond milk in the microwave for 60 seconds.
2. Stir vigorously or use a little frother to mix. (Clumps mess with the joy of drinking.)
3. Add hot water to fill the mug.

For almond milk, I like Trader Joe’s, Blue Diamond and Silk vanilla versions. For a half-mug, this is 15 calories.

For cocoa powder, I buy higher quality than I might use for baking. This is the main flavor you’re tasting, and it really does matter if you find an organic brand like Terrasoul or Navitas. A tablespoon is anywhere from 12-25 calories, depending on the brand.