Friday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Colossians 1:15-20 & Luke 5: 33 – 39
Reflection Date: September 3, 2021
In today's Gospel, it is observed that while John's disciples and the Pharisees fast often, Jesus' disciples eat and drink. Jesus replies to them that people do not fast when the bridegroom is with them. He was speaking about Himself. He, the bridegroom, is still with His disciples who then must feast rather than fast.
Today, we, disciples of Christ, occasionally fast because the visible presence of the Lord has been withdrawn from us (though He remains present with us). Our fasting is a sign of longing for His glorious coming at the end of time and a preparation for it. Our fasting is also a way to come closer to God and to one another in spirit.
Moreover, fasting is an act of self-emptying, self-purifying, and self-denying for a greater cause. We empty ourselves, depriving ourselves of food and drink, knowing that the Lord is preparing a heavenly banquet for us and will come again to take us to the wedding feast of heaven.
How often do we empty, deny, and purify ourselves in our desire to come closer to God and one another? And those of us who fast, do we do it in a spirit of sacrifice, or is it a pretense? Let us ask the Lord Jesus to be within our fulfillment of desires.
Joseph Cardozo SJ | Contributor
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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