Embracing True Fasting: A Call to Authentic Transformation
Friday after Ash Wednesday, Feb 16, 2024
Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19; Matt 9:14-15
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three pillars of biblical piety. We were reminded about it on Ash Wednesday. Today, our readings help us to grasp the importance of a contrite heart and the meaning of fasting.
The true meaning of fasting comes in a powerful passage from Isaiah. In chapter 58, the prophet narrates to us a conversation between God and His people. The people ask God: "Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?" (Is 58:3). But God noticed what they would rather overlook, namely that, in the day of the fast, they oppressed their workers, quarrel among themselves, and even fight (see Is 58:3-4). And then comes one of the most surprising statements regarding the meaning of fasting. It has nothing to do with food, sackcloth, and mourning, but with deeds of justice and mercy.
This passage is worth re-reading. God is asking:
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?" (Is 58:6-7).
The issue of fasting comes also in the Gospel. The pious Jews fasted twice a week and on the Day of Atonement. But, such fasting was supposed to end with the coming of the Messiah imagined as a wedding feast. Today, Jesus tells the disciples of John that the Messiah/Bridegroom is in their midst and so fasting is replaced by feasting. The fasting that Christ's believers are going to undertake in the future would commemorate Jesus' Passion and Death.
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19, adds depth to our meditation on fasting by emphasizing the importance of true contrition. The poignant cry of his repentant heart highlights the fact that external acts alone are not sufficient without a genuine change of heart. Even if we would give away all we have and deliver up our body to be burned, but have not love, we would gain nothing (see 1 Cor 13:3). The psalmist offers God his contrite and broken heart and it pleases God more than any sacrifices we could offer.
The liturgy of the Word encourages us to examine the authenticity of our piety and the depth of our relationship with God. Are our religious practices helping us to be merciful and attuned to the needs of our brothers and sisters? Do we willingly yield our broken hearts to the Lord, trusting His divine power to heal and mend them? May our life of faith be marked by a genuine pursuit of justice, a contrite heart, and a keen awareness of the transformative presence of the Bridegroom in our midst.