Matthew 9:14-15, the Gospel at Mass
on the Friday after Ash Wednesday
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."
In the Gospel at Mass on Ash Wednesday, two days ago, Christ spoke of our fasting, our self-denial, for the sake of a secretly rewarding relationship with the Father.
Then, yesterday in his Gospel, though not naming fasting, he said if we wish to follow him we must take up our crosses daily and deny ourselves.
In today's Gospel, he said we would fast once he was taken away from us.
We practice concrete self-denial in fasting as part of calling to mind that he denied himself, took up his cross and died on it to let death take him away as a sin offering to reconcile us sinners to the Father.
Forty days after Christ died and rose, he ascended into heaven, the Father taking him away to seat him at his right hand.
So we fast in self-denial as part of hungering for Christ's return.
With this season of fasting, prayer and merciful works, we mark the days until Good Friday, the great memorial of Christ's suffering and death.
We have been baptized into his suffering and death, but also into his resurrection and ascension.
Following Good Friday and Holy Saturday, we shall again swear the oaths of our baptism on the day of his resurrection.
By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we are baptized and anointed for Eucharistic Communion with God the Son in his Passover of suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.
That is the new and eternal covenant for the forgiveness of sins, so that we might rise to live in freedom as the sons and daughters of God the heavenly Father.
In his embodied and glorified humanity, the Son of God as one of us is already enthroned in intimacy with the Father.
For us to be finally and fully at home in that intimacy is the goal of our prayer, fasting, self-denial and works of mercy.
Our goal has its presence, promise and preview in the Body and Blood Christ.
If we imitate what they contain, we shall receive what they promise.
