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.
Every religion on earth has dietary practices. Hindus don't eat beef. Jews don't eat pork. Muslims observe a full month of Ramadan when they eat nothing between sunrise and sunset. Ordinarily, I suppose, these religions offer reasons for their fasting; and it's often to atone for sin. Some irreligious people also are vegan.
Jews and Muslims explain their abstinence from certain foods as obedience to God. If there were some ancient, forgotten reasons for avoiding those particular foods, (e.g. trichinosis) they're largely forgotten. God wills it is reason enough.
Jesus calls upon his disciples to fast in mourning: "...when the bridegroom is taken away." We mourn the suffering and death of a man we love dearly. Thinking of his passion, we lose our appetite. How can I indulge in food as my Savior dies in agony?
And then, when we remember that our personal sins, of omission and commission, both public and private, which have contributed to the sorry state of humankind, wasted our home planet, and made his suffering worse, we must fast.
In grief for our loss, and with that awareness of both personal and public guilt we fast, pray, and give alms. Like the practice of putting new wine in new skins, these religious responses are appropriate. They make sense.
Those who do neither mourn the Lord's death nor take responsibility for their sins, obviously do not fast. The practice makes no sense to them, or they argue that it's not really necessary. As if they know God's will better than his people do.
Our grief comes with our gratitude. We know the Lord; we know his tender, passionate love for us. Even as we ponder the tragedy of his death, we thank God for the sacrifice of his only beloved son, and we await the Resurrection with ecstatic joy.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.