BEADS OF JOY 02-16-18
“Then They Will Fast”
©2018 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15 (Question About Fasting)
“Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to 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.”
Reflection:
True fasting goes beyond not eating a plate of food. I used to fast all the time and I still do, but not as often. It is good to have a good, solid, meaningful reason to fast. Do not fast, just to fast. Do not fast to lose weight. Do not fast to impress others. No, Jesus specifically teaches us how to fast in Matthew 6:16-18, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
The whole objective of fasting is to turn our
focus away from, hunger for food, and instead have hunger for God. When our stomach
cries out, “Feed me” we should look
toward our Lord and pray and ask God to fulfill the hunger of our spirit and say,
“Feed me”. Prayer is a good thing to
be focusing on, in place of eating. During Chrissy’s illness she had to undergo
so many tests and so many scans and it’s so crazy looking back now what they put
her body through. I tell you all that because many of those tests required
fasting from the night before or the day of. To help lighten Christine’s load
of not being able to eat, I always fasted with her.
So, we both agreed that instead of making this
fast a medical fast and only for her; why not unite and make this a spiritual
fast of prayer together. So, we would Pray
The Rosary together (Sometimes all
the decades), a favorite prayer together, we have been praying together,
since we were first married. We used to Pray
The Rosary every single night before we went to sleep together, faithfully,
even after the kids were born, yes, even with 5 kids in the house. It was our
time together with our Lord and our Lady. We cherished this time together. Plus,
we would share scripture together when Chrissy had to fast. I would read a chapter,
or she would and then we would talk about it.
Pondering these thoughts today: Let us consider this, Basil the Great wrote: "Take heed that you do not make fasting to consists only in abstinence
from meats. True fasting is to refrain from vice. Shred to pieces all your
unjust contracts. Pardon your neighbors. Forgive them their trespasses."
Fasting takes many forms and we can use them all. I believe that through prayer;
our Lord will lead us in the direction we need to be focusing on when it comes
to fasting. I pray that you are all having a most blessed Lent. God Bless You.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Friday: We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries:
The Sorrowful Mysteries
1. Agony on the Garden (Sorrow for sin) –Matt 26:36-46
2. Scourging at the Pillar (Purity) –Mark 15:1-16
3. Crowning with Thorns (Moral Courage) –Matt 27:27-31
4. Carrying of the Cross (Patience) –Mark 15:20-22
5. The Crucifixion (Perseverance) –Luke 23:33-46
Thank you Lord for loving us so much…
Rosary Man Jim’s Sorrowful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-sorrowful-mysteries_11.html
