THE WORD
Am 9,11-15 / Mt 9,14-17
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” 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. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
IN OTHER WORDS
One of the greatest preachers of the early church, Saint Peter Chrysologus, vividly explains the meaning of the three key penitential practices: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving or mercy. He teaches that prayer, mercy and fasting are one: they give life to each other. There are three things by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures: prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one.
He adds, “Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. They cannot be separated.
If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself.”
“When you fast, see that others are also fasting. If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, give mercy. If you look for kindness, demonstrate kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.”
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus identifies himself with the bridegroom and his disciples with the bridegroom’s closest friends. How could a wedding celebration like it be sad and grim? This was not a time for fasting. There is a proper time for fasting and another time for feasting. A wedding party is a time for rejoicing. Similarly, to be with Jesus is a unique experience of joy and feasting. A person who walks with Jesus walks in cheerfulness and vivacity. Jesus, though, reminds his followers to be ready for both Christian joy and Christian sorrow. Life brings with it both joy and sorrow.
- Fr. Louie A. Punzalan, SVD | USC, Cebu City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
