FRIDAY, FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Is 58: 1-9 Ps 51: 3-6, 18-19 Mt 9: 14-15
FASTING: PERFORMANCE OR TRANSFORMATIVE?
In today’s Gospel, we see the disciples of John miffed with Jesus and his disciples for not fasting as they and the Pharisees do. According to the law of Moses, the Jews were required to fast at least once a year on Yom Kippur; i.e. the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29, 23:27). The phrase of the exhortation in the Scriptural passages is variously translated as “deny yourself”, “afflict your souls”, “humble yourself.” During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees fasted twice a week. Jesus had no problem with the practice. However, what He was against is the way they went about it. The two days of fasting that they preferred were Monday and Thursday – the market days of the week when the crowds on the streets were at their peak. Many Pharisees roamed the streets with faces painted white to look pale and make a show of their fasting. The practice became more of a performance than something transformative.
Jesus uses this opportunity to explain the true meaning of fasting; i.e., that it should be centred on God and directed towards Him alone. Consequently, when God is in their midst, there is no need for fasting. Jesus teaches “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them…” and again, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others….”
Did Jesus change the teaching of the Law of Moses? Is the God of the New Testament different from the God of the Old Testament? Absolutely not. Today’s first reading proclaims what fasting is and what it is not, echoing the teaching of the Gospel. Fasting is a disconnection from our flesh to strengthen our connection with God. Our fasting is true, if it resembles Isaiah’s words in the first reading (vv.6–8): “break unjust fetters… free the oppressed… feed the hungry… shelter the homeless… clothe the naked…”
Response: A broken and humbled heart, O God, you will not spurn.
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