Today's Reflections
Mt 9:14-15
14The disciples of John approached [Jesus] and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?” 15Jesus
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.”
Reflection:
Can the wedding guests mourn?
A wedding feast is a joyful occasion, a time for celebration. Jesus is
the bridegroom; the disciples rejoice and celebrate while Jesus is with
them. Fasting, instead, paints an atmosphere of gloom. There is pain to
bear and sacrifice to make. The disciples cannot be fasting while Jesus
is with them. They are to cherish and enjoy his company, hear and live
his words.
Jesus does not deny the value of
fasting done for the right motives. Fasting is not meant to be purely
external, done only to fulfill the law or to give one a feeling of
superiority over other people who do not fast. It is not equivalent to
dieting or hunger strike. Fasting should lead to conversion expressed
in concrete acts of mercy and works of charity. John Paul II saw the
purpose of fasting as “solidarity with the hungry, sensitivity of the
sufferings of others and consequently, greater generosity to respond to
their needs.”
“Fast from criticism, and feast on praise.Fast from resentment, and feast on contentment…Fast from fear, and feast on faith”(Arthur Lichtenberger).
From what do you fast? On what do you feast?
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