The question about fasting

THE disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

REFLECTION CAN THE WEDDING GUESTS FAST? Jesus is questioned by some people why His disciples do not fast while the disciples of John the Baptist and of the Pharisees are accustomed to fast. Jesus answers with a rhetorical question: “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” The bridegroom here refers to Jesus Himself. While Jesus is in their midst, the disciples cannot fast. A wedding feast, the time when Jesus is with the disciples, is a time of rejoicing, not of fasting. The time when the bridegroom is taken away refers to the passion and death of Jesus. When this time comes, then the disciples will fast. Jesus’ presence among the disciples should be a cause of rejoicing, not of mourning. After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to be our Consoler and Advocate, who will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus has told us (cf Jn 14:26).

Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for joy to radiate in our daily life.