Invitation
May I hereby call your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with you the joy of the Gospel.
Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening his heart
to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
Recital
Today’s readings highlight fasting from different aspects:
-Fasting is an explicit precept in the O. T. ( Isaiah) but it requires a proper understanding in order to
be pleasing to God. It is not about performance but about God and fellow man.
-Fasting also occurs in the Gospel. On Ash Wednesday, we listened to three reflection texts
from the Sermon on the Mount: almsgiving, prayer, fasting. Fasting is on the same level there
but again it warns against achievement and mere outward show.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks very nuanced about fasting. Fasting is not the ordinary rule in life. It is an exception. One does not fast when there is a feast. Then it does not fit. The presence of Jesus was like a wedding feast. But there come days when the bridegroom is gone. Then we miss Him, and we fall back on ourselves. Then we have to fast.
FIRST READING Isa 58, 1-9a
Is this sometimes a fast that pleases Me.
From the Prophet Isaiah
Thus speaks God the Lord :
“Shout it out loud, do not hold back,
let your voice be like a trumpet ;
and reveal to my people their transgressions,
the house of Jacob its sins.
“Surely, they consult Me from day to day,
striving to know my will,
as if they were a people who practice justice
and do not despise the law of their God.
“They ask Me for righteous judgments,
crave the presence of their God.
“We fast, why dost Thou not see it?
“We humble ourselves, why dost Thou not take heed?
“Behold, while ye fast, ye seek your own gain
and exploit your workers.
“It is with strife and argument that ye fast,
and furiously thou smitest with thine fist.
“If thou shouldst fast thus
your prayer in heaven finds no answer.
“Is this sometimes a fast that pleases Me,
is this the day that man must humble himself:
Hang his head like a reed,
laying down in sackcloth and ashes?
“Call this fasting,
is this what you call pleasing the Lord?
“The fasting I desire is this :
To break the chains of sin, to break the beams of the yoke,
let the oppressed go free, break every yoke,
divide your bread with the hungry,
take the homeless wanderers into thy home,
clothe the naked that thou seest,
and turn not away from thy own flesh.
“Then thy light shall shine as the dawn,
thy healing shall be prosperous ;
thy righteousness shall go forth before thee,
the glory of the Lord shall follow thee closely.
“When ye then pray to the Lord He shall hear you,
when ye call unto Him then shall He answer:Here I am!”
Thus speaks the Lord Almighty.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 51(50), 3-4, 5-6a, 18-19
What I sacrifice, God, is my penitence,
A crushed and humiliated heart Thou dost not reject.
God, have mercy on me in your charity,
wash away my sinfulness in Thy mercy.
Wash my guilt completely from me,
cleanse me from all my sins.
I acknowledge that I have sinned,
always I have my offence before my eyes.
Towards You alone have I sinned,
what is contrary to Thee I have done.
In gifts Thou hast no pleasure,
whatever I offer You, You do not want.
What I offer, God, is my penitence,
a crushed and humiliated heart Thou dost not reject.
VERSE Ps. 130(129), 5 and 7
In the Lord I put my hope,
in his word I trust ;
for the Lord is ever merciful,
his mercy infinite.
GOSPEL Mt 9, 14-15
When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
On a certain day
the disciples of John came to Jesus asking :
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast ,
but not your disciples?”
Jesus spoke to them :
“Surely the friends of the bridegroom
can’t be sad
while the bridegroom is with them?
“There will come days
when the bridegroom is taken away from them ;
then they will fast.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
91. A sense of intimate communion with the other creatures of nature cannot be authentic if at the same time there is no tenderness, compassion and concern in the heart for human beings. The inconsistency of those who fight against the trafficking of animals in danger of extinction, but remain totally indifferent to human trafficking, have no interest in the poor or are determined to destroy another human being they do not like, is obvious. This compromises the sense of the struggle for the environment. It is no coincidence that in the chant in which he praises God, St. Francis adds, “Be praised, my Lord, for those who forgive for your love.” Everything is interconnected. Therefore, a concern for the environment is required that is linked to a sincere love for human beings and an ongoing commitment concerning the problems of society.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for the weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation