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: The first day of Spring is March 1. When we think of spring, we think of new beginnings. As a baseball fan, spring training has begun where player get ready for the new season ahead. Players come to spring training to practice and get back to the basics of baseball. Does not matter who you are, a star player or rookie, all participate in the same drills. Hitting, fielding, throwing and running, the basics of the game to get ready for the long season.
The same is true for our spiritual life. Does not matter who you are, the pope, bishop, priests, deacons, religious brother/sister, or a faithful lay catholic. We all need to get back to the basics of our spiritual life. Lent is that time for us. Ash Wednesday begins 40 days of “spring training” to get back to the basics, the fundamentals, of our spiritual life. It is a time for self-examination, to look at our self, our inner being, and see what we need to change or do differently.
Today’s short Gospel, only two verses, focuses on fasting, one of the three pillars of our spiritual practices of Lent, almsgiving, prayer and fasting. 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.
Today is 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:
Thank you. God bless.