My Disciples Will Fast: Friday after Ash Wednesday (Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19; Matthew 9:14-15)

The Gospel passage where Jesus makes it abundantly clear that His disciples will fast is one that seems to catch my attention when I hear it read.  It always make me reflect back through history on how fasting requirements within the Church vary and have changed over the years.  

Even today, other Rites of the Church actually have much more stringent fasting requirements throughout Lent compared to the requirements we have in the Latin Rite.  As you know, we have only two days of required fasting, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, with of course those days along with every Friday during Lent being a day of abstinence from meat.   

That said, we are invited and even encouraged to practice fasting and abstinence more often, particularly on Fridays throughout the year, which continue to be considered a day of penance in honor of the Passion of Christ.

In consideration of our readings today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a moment to reflect on why Jesus may have made the point that His disciples will fast and why the Church requires the practice of fasting and abstinence to be part of our spiritual lives.   

Saint Teresa of Avila sums it up well when she said, “Restraint at table is often the first line of defense against the spirit of the world.”  Let’s break it down.

1.  Fasting helps us temper our temptations.

Let’s face it, we live in a culture that seems to continually seek instant gratification in all things.  The practice of fasting and abstinence teaches our senses to ignore this cultural programming by focusing instead on our need for God.

Further, the practice of fasting and abstinence gives us a spiritual defense against the seven capital sins; particularly gluttony.  In those times we are tempted to fall to a capital sin, the practice of fasting and/or abstinence can give us an alternative focus to avoid the temptation.

The idea is that if we can learn to control our appetites, if we can learn to control our hunger, then we can learn control all of the temptations to capital sins; anger, lust, pride, and so on.

2.  Fasting helps us grow in gratitude.

An attitude of gratitude is immensely important for our spiritual life.  The practice of fasting and abstinence helps develop this attitude of gratitude in that we come to a deeper appreciation for the food that we ultimately consume.  This appreciation can then spread to all of the other gifts and blessings God gives us in our lives.

3.  Fasting can be a very powerful form of prayer.

To give us an idea of how powerful of a prayer fasting can be, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew that some unclean spirits will only come out through prayer and fasting.  And, in Acts of the Apostles, we see how important fasting was as part of a prayerful discernment process in the early Church.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are all intended to be practiced hand-in-hand (which is one of the themes of the first reading).  

When we practice fasting, abstinence, and/or almsgiving, we can offer that sacrifice in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for any prayer intention: in reparation for our sins and the sins of others, our marriages, our families, a holy soul in purgatory, vocations, or as an expression of love for Jesus Christ.  Really, any prayer intention on our heart can be conveyed through the practice of fasting and abstinence.

4.  Fasting can strengthen us in virtue.

Not only can the practice of fasting and abstinence help us temper our temptations and help us be more grateful, but it can go beyond that to strengthening our virtues.  Acceptance, patience, fortitude, temperance, and humility are just a few examples of virtues that are often exercised and strengthened through the practice of fasting and abstinence.

5.  Fasting spiritually empties us.

If we allow it, physical hunger can become a manifestation for spiritual hunger and a deeper longing for God.  This is one of the reasons why we have the Eucharistic fast before Mass.  We want to make sure we are truly spiritually hungry for the Lord when we come here to receive Him in the Bread of Life.

Similarly, the practice of fasting and abstinence regularly helps us nurture this sense of spiritual hunger…a hunger that can only be satisfied by God’s grace.  Fasting and abstinence helps us make room in our psyche for the strength, love, and presence of the Holy Spirit in order that we may be a true temple of the Indwelling Trinity.

Ultimately, the self denial involved in the practice of fasting and abstinence helps us follow the model of John the Baptist in that we decrease in order for Jesus to increase through us to the world around us.

These are just a few examples of how fasting on a regular basis aids us in our spiritual lives.  Ultimately, the practice of fasting and abstinence is a gift Jesus has given to His disciples in order to foster a deeper relationship with God and to seek Him more earnestly with a humble and contrite heart.

Thanks be to God!

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Holy Obedience: Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Sirach 17:1-15; Psalm 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18; Mark 10:13-16)

Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.

I am looking forward to spending some time with my grandchildren later today.  When I am able to spend time quality time with them, I find I am able to access my inner child in a positive way.  

Now my wife would probably say there are plenty of times I access my inner child in a not so positive way, but that is a homily for another day.

When I am with my grandchildren, I see awe and wonder.  I see love and openness.  I see curiosity and eagerness to learn.  I see innocence.  I see humility and simpleness.  Above all, I see obedience.  

Even at times when they may be feeling out the boundaries and exploring limits, there is still a pervading sense of obedience.

That makes me think about what it means to be a Christian.  When we think about what it means to be a Christian, we may think of it in terms of the theological virtues: faith, hope, and love.  

As we learned from our Gospel last Sunday, even non-Christians love.  And, as we hear stories from the Gospel similar to the readings on Monday, we might start to wonder if Satan and the evil spirits might have faith….perhaps more faith than some of us do, myself included.  

So, it makes me wonder: what makes faith a true Christian faith, hope a true Christian hope, and love a true Christian love?  I propose the answer is true obedience.

The Lord said to Saint Faustina, “You will receive a greater reward for your obedience and subjection to your confessor than you will for the practices (fasting and mortification) which you will be carrying out. Know this, My daughter, and act accordingly: anything, no matter how small it be, that has the seal of obedience to My representative is pleasing to Me and great in My eyes.”

My grandchildren exhibit an innocent obedience to their parents and grandparents.  There is no way they can possibly understand the reason behind why there are certain rules and expectations in place, they simply obey out of love.

I am sure we all have memories from our childhood where our parents had certain rules and expectations for us that we didn’t understand at the time.  

Why can’t I ride my bike in the dark?  Why can’t I have cookies for breakfast?  Why do I have to go to bed now? Why do I need to eat my vegetables?   Why do I have to wear my coat?

Now that we have matured into adulthood, we understand why those rules and expectations were in place.  If you are like me, we are probably grateful for them now because we realize how they fostered our development and formation into mature adulthood.

At the same time, we need to appreciate the parallels of this analogy to our spiritual maturity.  Currently, each of us are in our spiritual childhood.  How we live now will impact what our mature spirituality will look like when we enter into eternity.

I realize some of us struggle with some of the challenging teachings of the Church.  I get it.  I know there are struggles over the Church teachings related to contraception.  I know there are struggles over the Church teachings related to in vitro fertilization.  I know there are struggles over why it is so important to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.  I know there are struggles over why it is imperative to go to Mass on Holy Days of Obligation.

We must always remember that just as obedience to our natural parents was the immensely important to our development as children and our maturing into adulthood, our obedience to our spiritual mother, the Catholic Church, is immensely important to our spiritual development and maturity.  Our obedience to our spiritual mother, the Catholic Church, ensures we have true Christian faith, true Christian hope, and true Christian love.

This Lent, let us take a serious look at those teachings of the Church that we struggle with.  Instead of resisting these teachings, lean into them.  Accept them, as an obedient child, even if we don’t fully understand them.  Trust that God has given us a good spiritual parent in His Holy Catholic Church, the bride of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His Representative on Earth.  Allow holy obedience to transform us into a true child of God.  The Lord’s kindness truly is everlasting to those who fear Him, but only through holy obedience.

Thanks be to God!

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Love and Marriage: Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Sirach 6:5-17; Psalm 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35; Mark 10:1-12)

In the Gospel, we see the discourse playing out between the sacramental bond of marriage, conjugal love, and the human person.  Jesus is contrasting the purity of the original innocence of humanity to the sinfulness that is one of the consequences of the fallen nature of humanity.

In doing so, Jesus is confirming that human dignity is found in the image and likeness of God, which is found uniquely in humanity.  

As you know, a man leaves his parents and cleaves to his wife.  Through the sacramental bond, they become one flesh.  This sacramental bond, joined by God, is divine in its unity and indissolubility.  Regardless of what the world tries to tell us, humanity simply does not have the capacity to separate what God has joined.

Going back to the beginning, God created man to be male and female, both modes of mankind bear the divine image in the body.  Male and female are meant to be the perfect gift of self to the other.  A total gift of self in a reciprocal relationship.

This reciprocal relationship of deferential love is similar to that of the Holy Trinity.  In fact, Holy Matrimony is meant to be a sacramental image of the Holy Trinity. 

As you know, the Holy Trinity is a communion of persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Holy Trinity is an eternal union of love.  A love where each person is a total gift of self to the other.  A love that is humble and self-deferential, putting the other before Himself.

That is the image in which God designed us.  We are designed for that type of relationship…the relationship that is intended to be Holy Matrimony.

Regardless of what the world tries to tell us, Holy Matrimony is not the product of chance, evolution, or even human design.  It is part of the sacramental plan of God for our salvation and sanctification.

It is through the mutual gift of the husband and wife to the other, a gift that is exclusive and specific to them alone, that develops the union of the two persons.  Through this union, each person is perfected.  They perfect one another through cooperation with God’s grace communicated through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Incarnate Word's Marriage Enrichment Ministry creates opportunities to enrich our understanding of God's plan for us through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.  The ministry offers several different types of programs and events throughout the year specifically for this purpose.

For those of you that are married, I highly encourage you to avail yourself to these resources that you may more fully realize the sacramental marriage that God intended for you from the beginning of time.

For those of you (or anyone in your families) that are having difficulty in your marriages, are in irregular relationships (such as married outside the Church), or perhaps suffering from divorce, separation, or even widowed; there is help and support for you as well.  God’s love for us and the invitation to a life of grace is available for all.  If you are suffering in one of these situations, please reach out for support.

All of that being said, we must always remember that the secular worldview tries to deny the divine nature of marriage in order to treat relationships as temporary and experimental.  In doing so, the human dignity of those impacted is violated.

However, we know the truth.  We know the truth of the sacramental worldview.  We know the truth of the Gospel.  We know the truth that reminds us of God's love for us.  We know the truth that is made visible in a special way through the inseparable aspects of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.  

Let us renew our commitments to cooperate with God’s grace in our marriages (and really all of our relationships) in that we may be a sign of the glory of God to the world around us.

Thanks be to God.

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Pride and Humility: Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15; Mark 8:34—9:1)

Our readings today give us a stark contrast between pride and humility.

The first reading describes the pride that was rampant in the land of Shinar.  The whole world clambering to build great things and obtain great achievements, not for the glory of God, but rather for themselves.

We see in this self-interest and self-motivation that great things were accomplished…great by the standards of the world.  Regardless of how “great” it seemed, the ultimate outcome was the destruction of their civilization as they were scattered all over the earth.

In contrast, the Gospel reminds us there is no profit to gaining the whole world, if it means forfeiting our lives.  

There is nothing wrong with accomplishing great things in this life, but we must have the right intention.  Does our motivation consist of vainglory, or is our motivation for the Glory of God?  Are our efforts a serious attempt to expand the Kingdom of God into the world around us, or are we simply trying to build our own kingdom?

It is this type of humility that we are called to embrace in our daily walk with Christ as we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.  

This type of humility is not a situation where we think less of ourselves, but rather, think of ourselves less…making sure that we are trying to think of God and others in everything we do.  

This type of humility is not a situation where we deny ourselves of things to the effect we create a sense of artificial martyrdom, but rather, a situation where we recognize the things we have are gifts from God and that we are stewards of these things as opposed to possessors.

In a recent General Audience, our Holy Father said, “Humility is everything. It is what saves us from the Evil One, and from the danger of becoming his accomplices. And humility is the source of peace in the world and in the Church. Where there is no humility, there is war, there is discord, there is division. God has given us an example of [humility] in Jesus and Mary, so that it may be our salvation and happiness. And humility is precisely the way, the path to salvation.”

Of course, starting the journey of being humble is in itself an act of humility.  We must realize that being humble is something that is very difficult for us to achieve on our own.  We need the grace of God to truly be humble.

Let us renew our resolve to follow the path of love and mercy.  Let us be watchful of those moments of pride, fear, anger, envy, and greed that inevitably surface.  When we encounter these temptations, let us surrender the emotions and related situations to the Lord.  Let us renew our trust in God’s providence in all things.  Let us pray for the grace of acceptance and detachment.

Through humility, we truly receive the full blessing that comes with being chosen to be His own.

Thanks be to God!

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