Friday February 19

FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

 

       WHY FAST?                

 

Introduction

      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 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 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.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord of the Covenant,

we have not to fear your judgment
if like you we become rich in mercy
and full of compassion for our neighbor.
May we not only know that you ask us
but practice with sincere hearts
to share 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.

 

Reading 1: Is 58:1-9A

Thus says the Lord GOD:
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Tell my people their wickedness,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the law of their God;
They ask me to declare what is due them,
pleased to gain access to God.
“Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?”

Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,
striking with wicked claw.
Would that today you might fast
so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 51:3-4, 5-6AB, 18-19

R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R.  A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R.  A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R.  A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

 

Verse before the Gospel: Am 5:14

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the Lord will be with you.

 

Gospel: Mt 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.”

 

Intercessions

–         For a Church that is concerned that no one is trampled upon or exploited, we pray:    

–         For the leaders of nations, that they may being justice to their people and care for the poor, we pray:

–         For all of us, that we may have eyes, ears and hearts for people in need, also for those who try to hide that they are distressed and poverty-stricken, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God of mercy and compassion,
you have invited us at the table of your Son,
that we may learn from him
to share our food and ourselves
with everyone in need.
Do not allow us ever to forget
how good you have been to us
and how you let Jesus raise us up
from our selfish greed.
Let his love grow and shine among us,
for he is our Lord for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Merciful God,
we are seeking you
and we want to be close to you.
Accept our thanks that you let us find you
in the lively, challenging word of Jesus
and in his presence among us
as our food and drink of life and joy.
Make us bring him especially
to people who suffer and are in need.
Let this be the way we ourselves
find healing and compassion,
through Christ our Lord.

 

Blessing

Jesus wants to stay with us as the source of our life and our joy. May we recognize his presence among us in the weak and the victims of injustice. May God bless you for this task, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

JOY

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 in study of the scriptures, preparing for the coming of the Messiah through rigorously discipline body and spirit by fasting and penance. Evidently, his followers followed the lifestyle of the master. The Gospels have also recorded that some of the disciples of John the Baptist later on became the disciples of Jesus. Hence, the disciples of the Baptist and Jesus must have been friends and knew what was happening each camp.

Now the Baptist camp perhaps must have been 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 common 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 certain issues that Community of Matthew was facing. The Judaisers in the early Church were perhaps making life complicated for the young community of believers by introducing all the rules and regulations and traditions of the Jewish religion. Matthew wants to make it clear for his community, that fasting or any other traditional religious practices have their value but not at the expense of faith in Jesus and in his teachings. He teaches us to be people of joy and – joy of being friends of the bridegroom – the friends of Jesus.

We all sometimes make our lives harder than they need to be, by taking on more than Jesus expects of us. We complicate what could be straightforward. Jesus taught us to love and God and Love God’s people. Every other regulation that goes against love and charity, is not from God. The prophet Micah put it this way: “Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously.”

May be we should avoid getting tied up in knots trying to figure out minor details of life. Otherwise, we could end up missing out on the fullness of joy and peace that comes from God. This is the Year of St. Joseph. Remember the statue of sleeping St. Joseph? Pope Francis had said he loves this statue. When confronted with complicated issues, he would write a note and place it under the statue of St. Joseph and go to bed for a peaceful sleep! Let us be joyous people of the resurrection!