Should you fast?

Today’s Gospel Text: And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." 34 And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." 36 He told them a parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'" Luke 5:33-39

Reflection: People living together may rarely express their love to one another or it may be that their love which is expressed through many different ways is taken for granted.

This love is really manifested much in the absence or loosing of the other through feelings of great loss, sadness or remorse. One may get into depression, pain and loose all appetite for food.

People sometimes may loose all hopes and interest in life and may even want to die. Such is the nature of the uncontrollable feelings on account of the loss of a near or dear one.

Why does it usually happen only after the loss or death of a person? Sometimes, you hear the eulogy from the mouth of a familiar person about their bereaved one and you begin to wonder, whether there was so much care and love.

Why do such things happen? Yet love was rarely expressed among them in that way!

Do people fake this situation and deliberately are extra kind?

I am of the opinion that these things are rarely faked, rather they are spontaneous responses from close family members, who may have taken things for granted, when their beloved ones were alive.

However much, they may have fought or abused one another, deep within their heart there was always the lingering love which they were not attuned to and may have not acted upon. It is in the sinful human nature to take the love of our beloved for granted and then manifest it at their loss.

The Gospel text of today is an invitation to every disciple of Christ to manifest this latent hidden love. Now that Christ Jesus our bridegroom is always with us and yet we could be behaving with him as if he is not with us. We take his love for granted.

Hear then the words of Jesus, when he says: “The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days," (vs. 35)

Is it only the bride? No, Jesus is referring to the 'guest' who will fast, because they will feel the loss of the bridegroom.

                                                                                                              

Whether we are beloved’s or guests, let us unearth those feelings for Jesus that should be necessarily there deep down because of what he has accomplished for us on account of his great love, and seek him with all our hearts, even through fasting and prayer.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be aware of the deep love you have poured in my heart by your death on the cross and may I seek you with fasting and prayer.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Do you Fast?

Today’s Gospel Text:  Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to 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. 16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." Matt 9:14-17

Reflection:  Can someone approach a family and tell the children: “Why do we and your parents work to earn and you do not work nor labor in order to earn?”

I am sure no one would do that with small children, you cannot really tell that to a small child.

What happens to a grown up child of 18 or more and if they are not working? Can one approach and make a similar statement and ask them why they are not working in order to earn a living?

Wait a minute, who are we to do that if the parents have no objection to their children not working. 

Jesus in the Gospel communicates a similar attitude, not to burden God's children with the demands of the law, but allow the disciple the freedom, whether to fast or not.

He, by talking about a bridegroom communicates a very important message on fasting and penance, which though based on freedom of choice, could be an invitation to participate more vigorously then the law could demand of anyone.

Christian history has enough proof of the rigor with which the saints, not just the canonized ones but the non-canonized ones too, fasted for the sake of Christ.

How is that possible? It is possible if our relationship with Christ is like that of the Bride with the bridegroom.  As long as the bridegroom is there the bride is happy but the moment the Bridegroom is taken away, it is as if all happiness is robbed from the bride and she is willing to make any sacrifice, if within her means to return to her Bridegroom.  It is the deep longing for the bridegroom that does the miracle!

For the dedicated disciples, being with Jesus was a moment to grow in love and attachment to Jesus the bridegroom, but when Jesus the bridegroom would be taken away, suddenly and more so violently from them, they will definitely miss those great moments spent with the Lord and will fast and pray in order to grow in that closeness which was with them before and without which they cannot be noble instruments of God.

Similarly, the indwelling Holy Spirit and our constant encounter with him creates in our hearts the eager longing of that of a bride for the bridegroom and we are with a little effort from our side, able to seek that union with him through fasting, penance and prayer.

Prayer:  Lord, may we never lose sight of your calling and seek you with all our heart, soul strength and mind, even if this means fasting to seek your face.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us