…then they will fast

…then they will fast

Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Piety

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

Study

The Hebrew Bible is one, long story connected to the Exodus.  Probably more than Genesis, the Book of Exodus sets the stage for all the history and spirituality that follows. 

Jesus knows this history well.  He knows how separation from friends, family, and homeland can devastate people emotionally and physically.  Jesus also knows that for a brief time, the Children of God are living with their brother. The New Exodus will come again. But for the present moment, it is not happening.

Place today’s reading into this Exodus context. Fasting is a sign of mourning undertaken after the death (the ultimate separation) of a loved one.  Fasting is not appropriate at a time of joy.  Jesus proclaimed the kingdom and showed people the way to build it and to attain it. Fasting at a wedding feast is out of place.  Reconsider the miracle of the blessed water jugs at Cana. Jesus’ mere presence heightened the celebration. 

However, such rejoicing may not always be so. Today’s comments also foretell the time when Jesus will no longer be with the disciples – in person, even though he may return in the “persona” of the Holy Spirit.  That time of mourning is the time for fasting.

For now, it’s still morning in the Promised Land.  His friends and neighbors treat Jesus like a stranger in a strange land.  He seems to be “exiled” from John’s disciples and the Pharisees even when living among them.

Action

Exile does not have to be physical banishment.  You can live apart from people even when under the same roof.

If we are always seeking something better, something more, something more vibrant, something fuller, then we are exiled from our present moment.

The core of Exodus-exile is separation. It’s one thing to see the Jews enslaved in Egypt; it’s another thing entirely to see the divisions between people based on attitudes, customs, and laws.  These obstacles create “exile” from being in a right relationship to the community even if we live right there.

What is the cause of our “exile” and how can we get back to the Promised Land?