Gospel: Mark 2:18-22
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken
away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of
unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new
from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old
wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the
skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
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Reflection:
A renewed catholic had said that his life was never
the same since he had a personal relationship with Jesus. He said that since he
met Jesus he was always joyful. And even if there were problems he always
ensures that it would never ruin his day. His reason for his newfound
joyfulness and happiness was his reenergized faith in Jesus.
Fasting in the context of our gospel reading for today
is connected with self-sacrifice or self-denial. Which is actually not bad
because it strengthens a person’s faith and dependence on God. But there is
something that is very much supreme than fasting and it’s no other than Jesus!
If Jesus is in our life we have to rejoice.
For the reason that Jesus will teach us to fast without
anyone else knowing it and this is the more important form of fasting: Fasting
that is not for show and fasting that is not seen and known by anyone except
Jesus.
The disciples of John and the Pharisees in our gospel
were after the exterior fasting. Fasting that can be seen by the naked eyes and
Jesus surely hates this kind of superficiality. If we are already with Jesus we
would not be concerned anymore about superficial fasting. For the simple reason
that we will fast without broadcasting it for everyone to hear and
see.
Nobody will know about this kind of fasting except you
and Jesus. And this would surely happen the moment you learn how to surrender
your life to the Lord. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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