Trên thực tế sự chay tịnh là một việc làm rất có giá trị và hiệu quả của đời sống tinh thần, Việc chay tịnh giúp chúng ta làm chủ được những sự ham muốn của chúng ta và khắc phục những tật xấu nơi chúng ta. Việc ăn chay còn giúp chúng ta đổ bỏ đi (empty) tất cả những rắc rưới trần thế như niềm tự hào, lòng ích kỷ trong tâm hồn của chúng ta để chúng ta có thể mở rộng tâm của chúng ta để đón nhận lời của Thiên Chúa. Việc ăn chay cũng giúp cho chúng ta thấy rõ hơn về những yếu điểm của chúng ta. Đó thực sự là một cuộc chiến tranh tinh thần chống lại những sự ác đang tiềm ẩn ngay trong tâm hồn của chúng ta.
`= Trong bài đọc Thứ Nhất hôm nay, Tiên Tri Isaia cho chúng ta biết là:Thiên Chúa cảnh báo chúng ta là cần phải để ý và chống lại mối nguy hiểm trong việc ăn chay. Sự nguy hiểm đó là gì? Ăn chay có thể là một mối nguy hiểm và thiệt hại cho đời sống tinh thần của chúng ta, nếu như chúng ta ăn chay với những mục đích riêng, có nghĩa là chúng ta xem việc ăn chay này như là một cách để tự khoe khoang hay tự biện hộ chính mình. Cách tốt nhất để tránh sự nguy hiểm ấy là chúng ta cần phải biết hãm mình, làm việc tông đồ giúp nguời với tấm lòng từ tâm, bằng tất cà những khả năng mình sẵn có. Việc ăn chay sẽ mang lại cho chúng ta những hoa quả tinh thần tuyệt vời khi chúng ta biết quay lưng lại với chính bản thân mình để làm những việc bác ái, xã hội với lòng biết thương xót đến người khác.Nếu không thì việc ăn chay này sẽ trở thành vô nghĩa, như Tiên tri Isaia khiển trách những người ăn chay mà chỉ biết tranh giành ảnh ưởng, cãi nhau và chưởi bới nhau vì mối lợi riêng tư.. Hơn nữa, việc ăn chay phải được thực hiện trong một ý thức với giá trị cao hơn trong tâm hồn chúng ta.
Mỗi Mùa Chay, chúng ta được mời gọi để tẩy sạch tâm hồn và bản thân để sống lại như là một người Kitô hữu tốt hơn trong Chúa Nhật Phục Sinh. Vì vậy, chúng ta nên phải chọn lựa sự ăn chay của chúng ta như thế nao trong Mùa Chay Thánh này?
Lạy Chúa, xin vì việc ăn chay, hãm mình và những việc làm bác ái từ tâm sẽ mở rộng tâm hồn của chúng con để chúng con biết đón nhận được quyền năng và ơn chữa lành trong tình yêu của Chúa . Lạy Chúa, chúng con biết rằng những tội lỗi và sự những thiếu xót của chúng con luôn luôn đi trước chúng con, Vì vậy, Lạy Chúa xin Chúa chấp nhận trái tim tan vỡ và lòng khiêm tốn của chúng con và ban cho chúng con đươc ơn tha thứ.
Friday after Ash Wednesday
“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish,” (Is. 58:6).
Fasting is a very valuable and fruitful practice of spiritual life. It is through fasting that we master our desires and overcome our vices. It is fasting that also helps us to empty our hearts from earthly “rubbish” and pride in order to be totally open to God’s voice. However, anyone who has ever fasted even for a short time, knows how difficult this practice is. Many times temptations attack us more often when we fast. Fasting also shows us more clearly the whole truth about our weaknesses. It is a real spiritual battle against evil that is in us and around us.
In today’s reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah God warns us against another danger of fasting. What is this danger? Fasting always brings harm to our spiritual life when we carry out our own pursuits that means when we see it as a way of self-perfection or self-justification. The best way to avoid this danger is the way of charity. Fasting will bring wonderful spiritual fruit when I turn away from myself in order to do the work of mercy — releasing those bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed and not turning my back on my own. Lord, may fasting and acts of charity open my heart to the healing power of Your love. O Lord, I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Accept, O Lord my broken and humble heart and grant me Your forgiveness.
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.” Matthew 9:14–15
Fasting is an essential spiritual discipline. It signifies humility, repentance, and a sincere turning toward God, while also strengthening the virtue of temperance. This enables us to overcome inordinate desires for food, drink, and other appetites of the flesh. Given its significance, John the Baptist’s disciples were surprised to see that Jesus’ disciples were not fasting. They approached Jesus with a genuine question, seeking to understand. Jesus responded with a profound truth, explaining why fasting was not yet necessary for His disciples.
In His rhetorical reply, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus identifies Himself as the Bridegroom whose presence brings joy and celebration. While He was with them, fasting was not needed. However, Jesus makes it clear that a time will come when the Bridegroom will be “taken away”—referring to His Passion and death—and at that time, fasting would be essential as His disciples take up their own crosses to follow Him.
This passage not only teaches us about fasting, it also offers insight into how we should respond to both spiritual consolations and times of dryness in prayer. When we experience God’s closeness, we should respond with gratitude and joyful praise. However, when those consolations fade, God invites us to enter into a deeper spiritual journey—through fasting, increased prayer, and penance. God often gives us moments of consolation to prepare us for the more challenging periods when our faith is deepened and purified. Thus, we should savor the joyful moments but embrace the difficult ones as opportunities for even greater spiritual growth.
It’s also important to note the disposition of John’s disciples in this Gospel. Unlike the Pharisees who often questioned Jesus with malicious intent, John’s disciples came in humility with a sincere desire to understand. They were not trying to trap Jesus or find fault with Him; they genuinely sought clarity. John had already pointed them to Jesus, identifying Him as the Lamb of God. When they noticed a difference in practice—that Jesus’ disciples were not fasting—it was difficult for them to reconcile that with their own spiritual customs. Rather than doubting or criticizing, they approached Jesus openly, and He responded to them with gentle instruction.
This teaches us a vital lesson: We must approach God—and others—with humility and openness, especially when we are confused or in conflict. When misunderstandings or disagreements arise, it’s easy to condemn or judge, but doing so is a lack of humility and rarely leads to peace or reconciliation. Like John’s disciples, we must always seek to understand, especially in matters of faith.
In our relationship with God, this humble disposition is essential. When things don’t go as we expect, we can become frustrated, even feeling abandoned by God. In such moments, it’s tempting to distance ourselves from Him or rely on our own understanding. However, any conflict or confusion we experience in our spiritual lives is never because God is distant or indifferent. It is often our sin, lack of trust, or misunderstanding that clouds our judgment. God’s will is always perfect, and we must approach Him with faith, knowing that He never abandons us.
Reflect today on the example of John’s disciples who approached Jesus with a heart open to understanding. Use their example in your own life, especially when you experience confusion or conflict—whether with God or others. Embrace humility and openness, and you will be granted the grace of understanding and peace.
My perfect Lord, You are always present to me, always attentive, and always leading me into Your perfect will. When I become confused, grant me the graces of humility and openness, so that I may seek Your will and come to know Your way. Help me to approach others with the same humility and charity, free from judgment and harshness, so that Your peace may reign. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I recognize that I have sinful tendencies. I recognize my weakness and inability to overcome them. With you, all things are possible. I trust in you and am confident in the help of your grace.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Fasting Twice a Week: The disciples of John the Baptist were concerned that Jesus’ disciples did not seem to practice fasting. The Pharisees fasted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. The disciples of John the Baptist likely fasted also on Mondays and Thursdays. These two days were considered the “market days” in first-century Judaism. Rural people would come into the towns and villages to buy and sell. Many synagogues in the first century held public readings of the Torah on those Market days. The Pharisees likely wanted to be an example to the people, especially on the day when they would encounter them. When the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., the Jews had a practice of fasting. They fasted because God’s Spirit left the Temple. They were fasting because they were mourning the absence of God with his people. And so, the Pharisees would fast twice a week to do penance because God’s Spirit had left the Temple. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were still waiting for the visible return of God’s Spirit.
2. Celebrating with the Bridegroom: Although the Pharisees would fast twice a week, they did not fast during a week-long wedding feast. When Jesus calls himself the bridegroom, he is announcing the return of God’s Spirit. God is not absent, but present to the people in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the redeemer Bridegroom sent by God the Father. While Jesus the bridegroom is present, his disciples, called elsewhere the “friends of the bridegroom,” and the other wedding guests, should not fast.
3. The Days will Come: Jesus uses the question about fasting to speak about his death and ascension into heaven. The day of Jesus’ death will be his wedding day. “Although the disciples cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, Jesus concludes the parable by declaring that the time will come when his disciples will take up fasting” (Pitre, Jesus the Bridegroom, 90). By speaking about “being taken away,” Jesus is referring to a particular part of the seven-day wedding celebration in First-Century Judaism – the night of consummation. “On the night of consummation, the bridegroom would leave his friends and family and enter into what was known as the ‘bridal chamber’ (Hebrew huppah) in order to be united to his bride, not to emerge again until morning” (Pitre, Jesus the Bridegroom, 90). Jesus, the bridegroom, will be taken away on the Cross on his wedding day. His bridal chamber will be the cross. And as we await the return of our bridegroom at the end of time, we should, at times, practice fasting.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you fasted forty days and forty nights to give us the supreme example of self-denial. When tempted to turn stones into bread to satisfy your hunger, you resisted. When tempted with the wealth of the kingdoms of the earth, you resisted. When tempted to make a display to earn the admiration of the crowds, you resisted. Help me in my battles against the unquenchable desire for pleasure, the insatiable hunger for luxury, and the insistent craving for renown.
“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15
Our appetites and fleshly desires can easily cloud our thinking and keep us from desiring only God and His holy will. Therefore, in order to curb one’s disordered appetites, it is useful to mortify them by acts of self-denial, such as fasting. But during Jesus’ public ministry, when He was daily with His disciples, it appears that self-denial was unnecessary for His disciples. One can only speculate that this was because Jesus was so intimately present to them every day that His divine presence sufficed to curb any and every disordered affection.
But the day did come when Jesus was taken away from them—first by His death, and then shortly after by His Ascension into Heaven. After the Ascension and Pentecost, Jesus’ relationship with His disciples changed. It was no longer a tangible and physical presence. It was no longer a daily dose of authoritative teaching and inspiring miracles that they saw. Instead, their relationship with our Lord began to take on a new dimension of conformity to Jesus’ Passion. The disciples were now being called to imitate our Lord by turning their eyes of faith to Him interiorly, and exteriorly acting as His instrument of sacrificial love. And for that reason, the disciples needed their passions and fleshly appetites under control. Hence, after Jesus’ Ascension and with the beginning of the disciples’ public ministry, they greatly benefitted from fasting and all other forms of mortification.
Each one of us is called to be not only a follower of Christ (a disciple) but also an instrument of Christ (an apostle). And if we are to fulfill these roles well, our disordered fleshly appetites cannot get in the way. We need to allow the Spirit of God to consume us and lead us in all that we do. Fasting and all other forms of mortification help us to stay focused upon the Spirit rather than upon our weaknesses and fleshly temptations.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of fasting and mortification of the flesh. These penitential acts are not usually desirable at first. But that’s the key. By doing that which our flesh does not “desire,” we strengthen our spirit to take greater control, which enables our Lord to use us and direct our actions more effectively. Commit yourself to this holy practice and you will be amazed at how transforming it will be.
My dear Lord, I thank You for choosing to use me as Your instrument. I thank You that I may be sent by You to share Your love with the world. Give me the grace to conform myself more fully to You by mortifying my disordered appetites and desires so that You and You alone can take complete control of my life. May I be open to the gift of fasting and may this penitential act help to transform my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Hypocritical Fasting: The prophet Isaiah today presents us with two different types of fasting. The first kind is hypocritical fasting. This is where someone has all the outward appearances of fasting but, at the same time, tolerates injustice and neglects the needs of the poor. When the hypocrite asks why God is ignoring their penance and fasting, God responds that while they are fasting, they are doing evil things, like exploiting others and fighting with others. Because of this, God asks the hypocrite a rhetorical question: “Is this really an acceptable fast?”
2. Fasting and Love: Isaiah teaches us that the type of fasting that God truly desires from us goes hand and hand with love for our neighbor. Our fasting is useless if we continue to turn our back on those in need around us. We learn in the New Testament, that when we help the oppressed, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless, we are doing these things to Christ, our bridegroom. These deeds of righteousness, justice, and charity are woven into our wedding garments! (Matthew 22:11-13; Revelation 19:7-9). Isaiah promises blessings for those who care for the poor and oppressed. Their light will shine, their wounds will be healed, the glory of God will protect them, and the Lord will answer their prayerful cry for help.
3. Jesus the Bridegroom: When the disciples of John ask Jesus about the practice of fasting, Jesus responds that his disciples will fast one day when he, the Bridegroom, is taken away from them. Jesus is referring to the day of his passion, crucifixion, and death. This is when Jesus will consummate his marriage to his bride, the New People of God. In our day, Jesus the Bridegroom has been taken away and yet also mysteriously remains with us in the Eucharist and intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. Because of this, it is good that we dedicate time both to fasting and to feasting while we await the return of our Bridegroom at the end of time (Matthew 25:1-13).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have the greatest love for your Bride, the Church. You laid down your life for her and poured out your cleansing blood for her on the cross. You have prepared a home for her in heaven. Help me to imitate you today in giving myself to others so that I may reach my heavenly home.
Resolution: Lent is an appropriate time to fast as we contemplate the passion and death of our Bridegroom on the Cross. Easter will be an appropriate time to feast and celebrate the resurrection of our Bridegroom. Let us make sure that our fasting this Lent goes hand in hand with generous charity for the poor. Otherwise, our fasting this Lent is in vain.
No comments:
Post a Comment