“A sincere effort to remove from our hearts all evil."

As the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus.

 

Day of abstinence from meat (age 14 and up).

St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, martyrs

Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.　----- St. Perpetua

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Isaiah 58:1-9a

Cry out aloud for all

You are worth; raise your voice like a trumpet blast; tell my people of their offenses, Jacob's family of their sins.

Is it true that they seek me day after day, longing to know my ways,

as a people that does what is right and has not forsaken the word of its God?

 

They want to know the just laws and not to drift away from their God. "Why are we fasting,

" they complain, "and you do not even see it? We are doing penance and you never notice it."

Look, on your fast days you push your trade and you oppress your laborers. Yes,

you fast but end up quarreling, striking each other with wicked blows. Fasting as you do will not make your voice heard on high.

Is that the kind of fast that pleases me, just a day to humble oneself?

 

Is fasting merely bowing down one's head, and making use of sackcloth and ashes?

Would you call that fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord? See the fast that pleases me:

breaking the fetters of injustice and unfastening the thongs of the yoke, setting the oppressed free and breaking every yoke.

Fast by sharing your food with the hungry, bring to your house the homeless,

clothe the one you see naked and do not turn away from your own kin.

 

Then will your light break forth as the dawn and your healing come in a flash.

Your righteousness will be your vanguard, the glory of the Lord your rearguard.

Then you will call and the Lord will answer, you will cry and he will say, I am here.

 

Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19 A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊     

Matthew 9:14-15

When the disciples of John came to him with the question,

"How is it that we and the Pharisees fast on many occasions, but not your disciples?"

Jesus answered them, "How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?

The time will come, when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then, they will fast.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"We give up things to give up selfishness."

Why do we fast in Lent? Fasting is a spiritual exercise which helps us to give more space to God and to others in our lives.

If all our attention were given solely to satisfying our desires, we would be completely self-absorbed, unaware of others'

needs and unaware of God. The practice of giving up a favourite food, drink or activity throughout Lent,

along with eating less, is both a penance, in sorrow for our sins, but also a spiritual exercise of self-control,

that we might grow in this virtue, thus enabling us to give greater attention to God and our neighbour.

 

In this way, fasting from things leads us to fast from selfishness and injustice,

as we are more aware of our actions and of the difficulties of others. Thus, our fasting strengthens our sense

of justice and of solidarity with others, which leads us to break the fetters of injustice, to share our food with the hungry,

to house the homeless, to clothe the naked and to be reconciled with one another.

We give up things to give up selfishness. We give more time to prayer and charity to give more to God and to others.