TO FAST OR TO FEAST.
TO FAST OR TO FEAST, THAT IS THE QUESTION.
"FASTING GIVES BIRTH TO PROPHETS AND STRENGTHENS THE POWERFUL; FASTING MAKES LAWGIVERS WISE. FASTING IS A SAFEGUARD FOR THE SOUL.... FASTING REPELS TEMPTATIONS... " (ST BASIL THE GREAT).
“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" (Mark 2: 18 - 22).
Monday January 19 in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time.
To fast or not to fast, that is the question.
The Gospel of today deals with fasting.
Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving are the 3 pillars of Christian spiritual life.
Do you fast? How often? What do you fast from?
On the three pillars of the spiritual life, the Church teaches:
CCC 1434: "The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways.
Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others.
Alongside the radical purification brought about by Baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: efforts at reconciliation with one’s neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one’s neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity “which covers a multitude of sins.”
As for the concern of the scribes and the Pharisees with regard to the fasting and prayers of Jesus and His disciples, Jesus has a short answer for His challengers:
"New wine must be poured into fresh wineskins." (Cf Luke 5: 38). Meaning: Open your eyes and see. I am doing New Things!
"I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life." (John 8: 12)
Some Christians abstain from meat and alcohol on Friday and Wednesday.
Others abstain also from television, movies and gambling.
Fasting and abstinence are not options for a Christian. They are signs of a mature faith.
"The prayer of adoration at night has the power and efficacy of that prayer made with fasting that I recommended to My apostles as the means of expelling demons from the souls whom they torture and oppress. For this reason, the demons fear and hate adoration made at night, while the angels rejoice over it, and place themselves at the service of the soul who desires to do it." (IN SINU JESU page 240).
The Church honors the Most Holy Name of Jesus in January.
“To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living.”
(St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
No comments:
Post a Comment
23-Psalm1to2