Gospel: 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.”
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Reflection:
Do you
practice fasting?
The
church teaches us that we have to observe fasting during Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday. Does it have any basis in the Bible? Yes just to name a few: Jonah 3:7,
Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they
shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Matthew
4:2: “He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.”
Matthew
6:16: When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they
disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.
To
practice fasting is an edifying experience for we would discover that we can
still be productive even without food. For as long as we focus our attention to
Jesus who observed fasting for forty days in the desert. And in the process was
tempted in-vain by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).
But more
than the voluntary denial of food it also requires us to fast from doing
anything that would offend God and our fellowmen. From doing anything that
would defile us physically and spiritually. For example we fast from committing
sin, we fast from judging our neighbor and so forth.
In the
gospel Jesus was asked by the Pharisees and John’s disciples why His followers
were not fasting. Jesus answered them that there’s no reason yet for them to
fast for the reason that He is with them (Matthew 9:15).
When are
we going therefore to be with Jesus so that we will not anymore practice
fasting? It’s when we die and eventually ascend to heaven, there we will be
with Jesus and we will not be fasting anymore. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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