"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Along with the disciples of Jesus, the Pharisees and the disciples of John were competing visions for what it meant to be religious or devout. And the thing was, both the disciples of John and the Pharisees seemed to be expending more effort than those of Jesus. They appeared to be trying harder which seemed to indicate that they cared more.
Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
Jesus explained that the paradigm that explained his disciples' behavior was different from the one understood by the Pharisees and John's community. The one that guided the Pharisees and John's disciples was derived from the Old Law, and the one that guided the disciples of Jesus was from the New. And Aquinas mentions in his commentary on this passage that, "the Old Law had its beginning in fear; the New, in love". The interlocuters of Jesus thought of themselves as being more committed to God. But it was clear from their comparison and criticism of others that they saw this virtue as something originating from themselves rather than grace. And if it was from themselves they would always be desperate, always afraid it wouldn't be enough, or that that they would eventually give up or fail. But the New Law was given by one who was the bridegroom of those to whom the law was given. It was given out of love, not to insight fear but rather to elicit a loving response.
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
Everything in the new law was centered around the presence of Jesus, the nearness of God, the extreme extent of his love for his creation. It wasn't that fasting had no place. Rather, it had a different place. It couldn't be done apart from a proper disposition of the heart. That disposition was always meant to be a deep longing for more of Jesus himself. His physical, incarnate presence among the people made it unfitting to fast. It was, in fact, time to party. He was with them to teach them and to guide them. This called for celebration Fair enough. But what of the presence of his Spirit, of whom he said, "it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you" (see John 16:7)? It is true that the presence of the indwelling Trinity is even closer to us than the incarnate Lord was to those around him. But we ourselves are not always as close to him as he is to us. We couldn't, in fact, be quite so far away if he was in the same room, visible to us. But in this age there is both greater possibility and greater peril. He is nearer than ever, but also even easier to forget. That is why we fast. We desire his presence to remain with us and for us to be increasingly present to him.
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Jesus is also present in the poor and the oppressed. But we are not always particularly attentive to this presence either. Fasting can also serve us in drawing near to him in this 'distressing disguise'. It not only frees us to share our resources with others but it draws us nearer to them in the love which is his own.
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