March 7, 2025

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Lectionary 221

Matthew 9:14-15

"When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast."

Meditation

Fasting isn't what it used to be. I remember my grandmother weighing out on a postal scale the exact amount of meat allowed back then – a long way from the modest fasting rules for today. Fasting is ordinarily thought of in terms of reducing food consumption. Fasting can, however, be applied to other areas of our lives. We can fast from television viewing and instead engage in a real conversation with others in the household. We can fast from music or news to allow ourselves, in the ensuing quiet, to get in touch with what is going on inside ourselves. We can fast from our opinions – this, admittedly, is a tough one – to put aside our view of things, our way of doing things, our way of praying, and allow another to touch our mind, heart, and even soul.

Mary at La Salette reminds us to fast: "During Lent, they go to the meat markets like dogs." Fasting is not strictly a Lenten practice. We make room for God when we abstain, which should be a daily practice.