FASTING AS A PREPARATION

Sep 7, 2018

FASTING AS A PREPARATION

Luke 5: 33-39

My Italian friends talk to me that, the best wine is the old wine. But, I never distinguish between the old and new wine. For me, I just only enjoy the wine putting on the table. I can say which is good and not but I never complain about it. They talk more about the preparation to get the old wine and I talk more about my preparation to enjoy that wine.

In today’s Gospel, we listen to Jesus who talks to the Scribe and Pharisees. Jesus stresses more about interior spiritual than exterior spiritual. What we look in daily life is more exterior than interior. The Pharisees and Scribe are the same as us who like to see the exterior spiritual.

When they see something that out of the religious law, they like to judge it. They look at Jesus’ disciples who don't fast like the disciples of John the Baptist. For them, this is out of the ordinary life. Jesus asks them to see the interior spirituality and not only the exterior.

Jesus in today’s Gospel is really a reformer who bring the new idea. Fasting for Him is a preparation for welcoming God. Like for us practice fasting before Easter and Christmas. The main purpose of this spiritual fasting is to prepare ourselves to receive our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, if we are with Jesus we don't need to fast. When are we with God? When we pray, when we talk to Him personally, when we meditate His Word, when we serve the others. Many occasion could be the time with God. So, at that time we don’t need to fast. We fast before these activities. On the other word, fasting is our personal preparation.

Fasting in this sense means not only don’t eat some kinds of food or reduce some habits but really is an interior preparation. We can consider the time before attending the mass as a spiritual fasting.

Let us prepare ourselves to welcome God in our interior life.

Gordi SX