Seventy times seven
Peter said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but until seventy times seven."
Peter thinks he is being generous. Seven is a complete number. And Jesus takes it and breaks it, because forgiveness that keeps count is not forgiveness yet; it is a ledger with a generous limit. Four hundred and ninety is a way of saying: stop counting. Forgiveness is a settled disposition rather than a series of decisions, a mind that has decided in advance not to carry the weight. That mind is lighter. It sleeps better. It fasts more easily, because resentment is a kind of hunger too.
Today's practice
When a grievance surfaces today, notice the counting: "again," "how many times." Then say inwardly: "no count." Let the tally go.
The fast
Daily fast. No sugar, no alcohol, nothing from a bag: the Daniel table, kept without a sad face.
By the calendar, today is Day ?.