The Holy Gospel According to Matthew (9:14-15).
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: Whenever we read the daily Gospel, we should also read the first reading. More often than not, the first reading has a connection to the Gospel. That is the case today. The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah speaks of two kinds of fasting, hypocritical fasting and “real” fasting. Hypocritical fasting is when we fast but ignore those who are less fortunate than us. Real fasting is when we fast and our fasting leads to love of our neighbor.
In today’s short Gospel, John’s disciples question Jesus about why his disciples do not fast, but they do. John’s disciples fasted for the sake of fasting. Jesus responded with, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus wanted John’s disciples, along with his own disciples, to realize that while he was with them, it was a time of joy. The time for fasting will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them. Jesus is the bridegroom and he was referring to his passion and death on the cross. Then it will be the time for fasting.
Here we are on the Friday after Ash Wednesday and our Lenten journey is on its 3rd day. Friday is one of the days in which we remember the passion of Christ in his sacrifice on the cross for his love for us, and we pay respect to him by praying, giving alms/sharing and fasting. During Lent, Fridays is also a day when we abstain from meat. Hopefully our fasting will lead us to practice the corporal works of mercy and caring for those who are less fortunate than us.
Action for the Day: Lent is about getting back to the fundamentals of our spiritual life. Those fundamentals are the practice of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. During our Lenten journey, pray for the grace to return to these fundamentals so that we can grow in our relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, and become the best version of ourselves.
Audio Reflection:
