Matthew 9: 14-15
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."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention - for those you know who are away from the Church, that this season my be a time of their "coming home".
"The time of Lent reminds us that the bridegroom has been taken away from us. Taken away, arrested, imprisoned, slapped, scourged, crowned with thorns, crucified ... Fasting in the time of Lent is the expression of our solidarity with Christ. Such was the meaning of Lent throughout the centuries and such it remains today."
- Blessed Pope John Paul II
I used this quote from Blessed John Paul II last year and I thought it would be good to use it again.
We can wear wristbands that remind us to imitate Christ. We can sing songs that talk about Our Lord's sacrifice. We can pray the prayers the Saints have prayed.
I don't think that Christ wore a wristband.
What would Jesus do? He fasted for 40 days and didn't eat or drink anything in His passion until He said, "I thirst." We can talk about how to imitate Christ, or we can experience it in our own bodies. We can experience the ache of Our Lord Who could have had the finest meals and could have worn extravagant clothing. In experiencing how Christ lived in our own bodies, we are in solidarity with Him, as the quote from Blessed John Paul II states.
In our fasting, let us be reminded that we are imitating Christ, and in that, when we encounter others, let us image the living and true God to a world that needs Him. Take care and God Bless.
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