In the Gospel of Mark, people come to Jesus with a sincere question: “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?” It is a question about religion, discipline, and tradition. But Jesus answers by revealing something deeper—about relationship, timing, and the new life God is offering.
Jesus begins with a striking image: a wedding feast. “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” In Scripture, a wedding is a moment of joy, celebration, and abundance. By calling himself the Bridegroom, Jesus is saying: God is present among his people in a new and intimate way. This is not a time for mourning, but for rejoicing.
Yet Jesus does not reject fasting. In fact, he says clearly: “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Fasting still has a place—but its meaning has changed.
Christian fasting is not about showing holiness or earning God’s favor. It flows from love and desire. We fast not because God is absent, but because we long to love him more fully. We fast to make room—for compassion, for prayer, for conversion.
True fasting is not only about food. It is also about:
• Fasting from anger and choosing forgiveness
• Fasting from selfishness and choosing generosity
• Fasting from noise and choosing silence with God
This is the fasting that fits the new wineskins—a transformed heart, flexible and open to grace
Have a wonderful Week
