A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 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.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the meaning of fasting. In fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies and practices, the coming of Jesus represents the beginning of a new era. A common practice in the Jewish tradition, fasting was a way to show repentance and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus, the Bridegroom, is present among his disciples, so the time to fast hadn’t yet come. However, the time would come for fasting, for his passion, death, and resurrection. “The days will come,” Jesus says, “when the bridegroom is taken away . . . and then they will fast.” The Lord reveals to Isaiah in the first reading what fasting is: “Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.”
God, help me understand the meaning of fasting as Jesus teaches it. Among the disciples, Jesus was a source of joy and consolation. The Messiah had come and was among them. In the time of his passion, the disciples mourned his loss. But now, after the time of his suffering and death, Jesus is present in his word, through his resurrection, and in the sacraments of the Church. Give me the grace, Lord, to fast during Lent in a way that strengthens my love for your presence. In detachment and self-denial, nourish me now with your presence, and prepare me for your resurrection in the Easter joy that is to come.
From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.