Fasting

Homily for Friday after Ash Wednesday

Once again, we are faced with something of a paradox in the readings for today’s liturgy. In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, the people who are fasting are criticized. In the Gospel text for today, the disciples of Jesus are criticized for their failure to fast.

During Lent, we prepare for the celebration of the Paschal mystery using a threefold charter that the Gospel of St. Matthew introduced on Ash Wednesday. We are to pray, fast, and give alms. Isaiah criticizes the children of Israel because although they are fasting, they are still driving their laborers, quarreling and fighting, and even striking others. What good is fasting if our hunger makes us so depressed or anxious that we act out of anger when dealing with others.

When the disciples of John the Baptist meet Jesus and his disciples, they criticize them for their obvious lack of fasting. Jesus counters their argument by reminding them that John came to herald the coming of the Messiah, of the bridegroom. Fasting during a wedding feast was unheard of.

The response to these two readings is David’s penitential Psalm 51. Before David says anything about his sin, he mentions God’s mercy, God’s loving kindness, and God’s compassion. If we look at the Hebrew words that are used to describe these three attributes, we find that they intensify as he goes on. Only after mentioning mercy, kindness, and compassion, as David mentioned his offense, his guilt, and his sin. Again, if we look at the Hebrew words used here, they diminish in intensity. This is David’s way of saying that no matter what a person does in disobedience to the commandments, God’s mercy is great enough to cover it all. There is nothing that God cannot forgive.

Our love for God is not measured by the intensity of our fasting, the number of prayers we say, nor the amount that we donate to charity. All three of these things must be done with the correct motivation. Love of God and love of neighbor are the two things that are foremost as we continue our Lenten journey.