Friday after Ash Wednesday
WHY FAST?
People in the Old Testament ask: “What is the use of fasting?” God seems not to be near when they fast. The prophet tells them because real fasting consists in justice and love. Since God has made a covenant with his people, that covenant comprises also of justice and love from one person to the other. In the Gospel, the disciples of John, who fasted, were asking the disciples of Jesus why these didn’t fast. In the other parts of the Gospel, Jesus gives an answer similar to that of the prophet, but now Jesus said that because he has come and is with his disciples, they should rejoice rather than fast.
Reading 1 Is 58:1-9a
“Shout! A full-throated shout!
Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They’re busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’
“Well, here’s why:
“The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won’t get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
Gospel Mt 9:14-15
A little later John’s followers approached, asking, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees rigorously discipline body and spirit by fasting, but your followers don’t?”
Jesus told them, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to exercise moderation, but not now. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!”
Prayer
Lord of the Covenant,
we don’t have not to fear your judgment
if like you, we become rich in mercy
and full of compassion to our neighbor.
May we not only know that you ask us,
to practice with sincere hearts
sharing our food with the hungry
and to loosen the bonds of injustice,
that through us your light may shine
and your healing spread far and wide.
Be with us in your goodness.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Matthew 9:14 &15
Our fasting should help feed the hungry.
John the Baptist had an ascetic life and perhaps followed the austere lifestyle of the Qumran community, which had its life in the desert, away from the contaminations of the outside world. They spent their time studying the scriptures, intensely preparing for the coming of the Messiah through rigorous disciplines of body and spirit by fasting and penance. Evidently, the Baptist’s followers picked up the lifestyle of their master. The Gospels have recorded that some disciples of John the Baptist later became the disciples of Jesus. Consequently, the disciples of both John the Baptist and Jesus must have been friends and knew what was happening in each camp.
Now the Baptist camp was apparently a little envious of the more relaxed lifestyle of Jesus’ disciples. Maybe there was even a bit of self-righteousness in this question, implying that it was high time for Jesus to make his followers shape up and follow the standard practices of such religious groups.
We should not forget that the Gospel of Matthew, which was written over 40 years after the death of Jesus, was trying to address specific issues that the Community of Matthew was facing. The Judaisers in the early Church were making life complicated for the young community of believers by introducing all the rules, regulations and traditions of the Jewish religion. Matthew wants to clarify to his community that fasting or other traditional religious practices have value but not at the expense of faith in Jesus and his teachings. He teaches us to be people of joy and – joy of being friends of the bridegroom – the friends of Jesus.
We tend to complicate what could be straightforward. Jesus taught us to love God and Love God’s people. Anything that goes against the commandment of love and charity is not from God. The prophet Micah puts it this way: “Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love.”
Matthew chose to address a more important point than the issue of fasting. His principal concern, however, was the life of the community during the period between the crucifixion of Jesus and the expected second coming of Jesus. Jesus – the bridegroom is absent in this era in which his community was living. The physical presence of Jesus – was no more there. This interim time would be one when disciples would, indeed, “hunger and thirst for justice” – a time of longing for the Kingdom of heaven.
Now, two thousand years have passed since the bridegroom has been taken away. And the world is under the grip of destruction of war. Millions of people are displaced and are forced to flee their land. Their fasting is imposed and unwanted, a stark reminder of the sin of the world. The Church calls on us to protect the displaced, the refugees, those on the streets.