Feb
28
2020
By Anonymous (not verified)
Is this what you call a fast ... ? - Is 58:5
At the end of the movie "Oceans 13," the sly casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy García) is tricked into donating millions to a charity. Nobody who has watched this movie or its predecessors would ever consider Terry a philanthropist. Moviegoers can't help but chuckle during his interview with Oprah Winfrey as he struggles to explain how he was moved to give.
In today's first reading, Israel smacks of this same irony. They complain to the Lord, "Why do we fast, and you do not see it?" (Is 58:3).
Indeed, they did fast. Their problem is in thinking that performing the ritual on its own means that they're seeking God's will. They should know better. The Lord had already told them how to deal ethically with the poor and the oppressed - yet they remained as self-serving and unmerciful as ever.
Such hypocrisy lingers in the time of today's Gospel reading. Those who criticize Jesus' followers for not fasting begin by boasting that they do so often.
Jesus reminds them - and us - that there's a time for fasting and a time for feasting. On this Friday in Lent, our abstention from meat isn't just a show. It's an attempt to align our priorities with the will of God. Otherwise it's just laughable.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the food before me on this Friday in Lent. May my sacrifices help me to grow in compassion for others who are less fortunate.
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At the end of the movie "Oceans 13," the sly casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy García) is tricked into donating millions to a charity. Nobody who has watched this movie or its predecessors would ever consider Terry a philanthropist. Moviegoers can't help but chuckle during his interview with Oprah Winfrey as he struggles to explain how he was moved to give.
In today's first reading, Israel smacks of this same irony. They complain to the Lord, "Why do we fast, and you do not see it?" (Is 58:3).
Indeed, they did fast. Their problem is in thinking that performing the ritual on its own means that they're seeking God's will. They should know better. The Lord had already told them how to deal ethically with the poor and the oppressed - yet they remained as self-serving and unmerciful as ever.
Such hypocrisy lingers in the time of today's Gospel reading. Those who criticize Jesus' followers for not fasting begin by boasting that they do so often.
Jesus reminds them - and us - that there's a time for fasting and a time for feasting. On this Friday in Lent, our abstention from meat isn't just a show. It's an attempt to align our priorities with the will of God. Otherwise it's just laughable.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the food before me on this Friday in Lent. May my sacrifices help me to grow in compassion for others who are less fortunate.
See all meditations to date
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