The practice of fasting and abstinence is so valued by the Church that she makes it a precept: there are certain days in the year when we must observe fasting and abstinence. However, if we just observe this precept simply because that's what the Church demands, we may miss out on some important spiritual benefits. Isaiah warns us of the sort of fasting that 'will not make your voice to be heard on high' (Is 58:4). Fasting without any regard for the hungry, the homeless and the oppressed is a waste of time.
Another crucial aspect of fasting comes across in today's Gospel. When Jesus was with His disciples, they didn't fast; it was only once Jesus was taken away from them that they fasted. Thus fasting also symbolises a longing to be reunited with Jesus Christ. So there are two important aspects of fasting, and perhaps by way of analogy, we can see how these two aspects point to the cross. When we make the sign of the cross, we are reminded of how we participate in the life of the Trinity, and the shape of the cross is significant. It is not a horizontal beam or a vertical pole, but it has two dimensions, the horizontal and the vertical. When we participate in the horizontal dimension, we see creation from God's perspective, how His love extends to all humanity. And when we participate in the vertical direction, we are raised up to see how God sees His very self; we share in the inner life of the Trinity.
The horizontal and the vertical should not be separated from each other. Our salvation comes to us through the cross, and so in our fasting and in all our Christian living, we should make visible these two dimensions, the love of neighbour and the love of God.
The horizontal and the vertical should not be separated from each other. Our salvation comes to us through the cross, and so in our fasting and in all our Christian living, we should make visible these two dimensions, the love of neighbour and the love of God.
Thank you Br. Robert, as excellent and informative post.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!!