Prayer Prompt before reading MT 9:14-15: Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray well, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father and God the Son are so that I may know who I am.
“THE DAYS WILL COME WHEN THE BRIDEGROOM IS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM, AND THEN THEY WILL FAST.” MT 9:14-15
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
Why fast? As I continued to ask others how they discern what to do for Lent, I continued to search for the purpose of Lent. The Catholic Church requires (not optional) for us to fast. Why during Lent? It is to prepare ourselves, looking at the crucified Jesus, for His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The best answer I can come up with is quite simply because Jesus asks us to. Why? According to Fr. Schmitz, it is because being obedient to Jesus is pleasing to God and He taught us that it atones for sins.
According to Peter Kreeft, it is no longer a straight jacket in which we think God is taking away our fun or doing it because I told you to. It becomes pleasing to detach ourselves, make a self-sacrifice, because we want to please God. Why? We cannot take the nails and suffering from Jesus. God, in His plan for our salvation, made it so His only Son can die and go through a horrible passion, to atone for all of our sins. His love is so great! If it was justice, we should be scourged and die for each one of our sins, we willfully disobey Him, knowing full well that it would hurt our relationship with Him. Who else except someone madly in love with His creation would do such a thing. (Thank you Sarah Carter!) We have a Father who has kept His promises over and over proving His love for us.
We have an opportunity to fast to atone (pay for) our sins in a way that shows we love Jesus for what He did for us. God wants our yes. God wants to give us a way to pay in a very small way compared to the sacrifice Jesus made to show Him we love Him, we fast. In fasting, we slowly regain strength and begin to understand that with God’s grace we can control ourselves. We can sin less. We can grow in holiness. We can fight Satan. We can form habits that conquer sin in our lives, virtue. We can avoid the near occasion of sin by using our intellect to think about what or whom is leading me to sin and avoid it. Most importantly, He just wants us to rest in Him, giving our sin to Him over and over. Allowing ourselves to rest in Him and recognize our sinfulness. If we don’t, we take away the power of the cross.
It requires sacrifice and suffering and at these times we remember to fall to our knees and ask God for help, prayer. The more difficult the fast, the greater the suffering, the more we pray. The more we come to know our Savior and Creator and develop a relationship of love. He knows pain and suffering and He wants us to invite Him into ours. In a growing relationship with our God, we begin to trust in His Words. We begin to understand that He continues to sacrifice Himself hidden behind bread and wine to aid us on our journey. We learn to ask for forgiveness and forgive, we begin to be healed. Oh, what a great burden is lifted when we are unchained from sin and renew our relationships.
Therefore, sacrifice and fasting brings joy. Sacrifice brings the joy of the resurrection and in the resurrection our Christian hope is found. Through God’s grace, healing, and mercy we become stronger and grow in holiness. We realize we can overcome our sin and Satan. With prayer and reflection on Jesus, the Truth, we realize the power of the Cross. When we do not fight and believe, the Cross loses it’s power. It is impossible for humans to be holy and enter heaven, but through the resurrection, through God’s grace, through our yes to God, God makes the impossible possible.
Today’s challenge: Stay true to your fast (Lent, and all Fridays throughout the year, and any time you are struggling with a sin or addiction) for the love of God. Fall to your knees and beg for God’s mercy and begin to atone for your sins. Jesus died to have a relationship with us. One small ray of light entering into the hardest of hearts, can change a soul forever.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YODO (You Only Die Once; we will live again!)
We can sin less. We can grow in holiness. We can fight Satan. We can form habits that conquer sin in our lives, virtue. We can avoid the near occasion of sin by using our intellect to think about what or whom is leading me to sin and avoid it. Most importantly, He just wants us to rest in Him, giving our sin to Him over and over. Allowing ourselves to rest in Him and recognize our sinfulness. If we don’t, we take away the power of the cross. This stood out to me because the “we” in this is God and us, no one can fight satan by themselves without God, no one can sin less by themselves without God.
This Gospel is related to the one that says don’t proclaim your fasting because that is exactly what John’s followers are doing. So this Lent, try your best to not just give up candy or pop just so you can start eating candy or drinking pop right after Easter, but really try to better yourself and do something that will make you remember this Lent.
“THE DAYS WILL COME WHEN THE BRIDEGROOM IS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM, AND THEN THEY WILL FAST.” MT 9:14-15. Something that stood out to me about this was that some day someone that we love will be taken away from us. Another thing that stands out to me was that once that person has been taken away they will start to fast.
This is saying that people only need to fast if they are in need of getting closer to God. This is why the apostles didn’t fast; they were already as close to him as possible.
I feel like today’s Gospel was talking about how, some people may not fast. But there will be people who will eventually fast, due to loss, or something else. I also think this Gospel could help people believe that God is on their side, due to him defending the disciples, knowing they will fast once He dies on the cross. Anyway this Gospel could help people who dont fast see that God doesn’t hate them for not fasting, because their time for fasting is coming, from a great loss. Either from a person, or a very loved thing.
In the Gospel the disciples of john go to Jesus asking why they and the pharisees fast but not his disciples. Jesus says something that does not make a whole lot of sense but it is basically say that they are not fast because this is a happy time because Jesus is here.
I think the phrase ¨If it was justice, we should be scourged and die for each one of our sins¨. mean alot because what Jesus went through was terrible, and he did all of it for us. He didnt get anything out of it unlike us whos sins have been lifting because of his suffering. If things were equal we would all endure the same suffering as him but he wanted us to be free of our sin and for that the least we can do is fast, pray, and worship.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us about a wedding feast.
“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.”
This means that after Jesus dies, we all will fast and sacrifice, like what He did for us. We need to sacrifice a little every day, because Jesus sacrificed everything in one day. If we open our hearts and minds, and really try to understand the true meaning of lent, we will become closer to Christ. And, we will truly realize everything that He has done for us.
we fast beacuse we throw away are earthly things so then are focas is on the Lord.fasting during lent is also better beacuse there are other people fasting with you so you dont fell all alone when you do. we need to bring eachother up when someone fails there fast everyone needs help sometime in there lent journey.
In today’s Gospel, John’s disciples ask Jesus why His disciples aren’t fasting. But they were fasting, to fast is to rely on God only, as they were doing, following Jesus. We need to fast just like them only relying on Jesus.
God is with us and is through us during Lent and fasting is a Lenten sacrifice, fasting is what Jesus did for 40 days and 40 nights. We are also fasting because its showing Jesus that we can do something in honor of him. Its showing our strength and our faith with Jesus. Sacrifice is not something you should do because Lent is “forcing” you to give up something, its something you should do because you love Jesus through and through. And though some may not love God through and through, the Lenten sacrifice shows us that we will do anything for God’s love. Give up something for Lent because you WANT to, not because you need to.
The Pharisees fast for others to see to get praises from those around them. While the disciples fast to give to others in quiet. Jesus calls those who fasted in quiet out into the light.
when Jesus mentions the bridegroom and he will be taken away what he means is he is the bridegroom and that fasting will be necessary when he is taken away a prophecy of his Passion. Jesus teaches that spiritual disciplines like fasting are not just mechanical habits, but actions that show our love and his love for us and in him. Fasting is meant to be more than just denying food it is a sign of repentance to God.
In today’s reading, it is talking about how we fast during the time Lent. Fasting is something we do to grow closer with God. Lent is a time where your heart should be open to receive God more then you do everyday. Its also talking about how we should do good deeds for others because we might be in a moment some day. We should feed the hungry and give water to the ones who need this and they can’t afford these supplies. Jesus did the same thing when he people like them. He’d pray, care, and nourish for the person who was sick, dying, or stuck in their sin. Now it’s our turn to do the same thing like Jesus did. Have a good rest of your day. God loves you so much!!!! God bless you and he will never stop loving you. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
¨Sacrifice brings the joy of the resurrection and in the resurrection our Christian hope is found.¨ We sacrifice when we give things up in lent. We try to give up bigger things because the harder the sacrifice the closer we get to God.
today the Gospel talks about fasting during lent when you fast its like you give it up for God lent is a time of reflection where we take time to read the story of the crucifixion it was a very sorrowful time for Mary and we should offer God prayers because he is our heavenly father.
“The more difficult the fast, the greater the suffering, the more we pray. ” This is saying that the times we need help from God we can talk to Him and ask Him to help us, or just ask to pray for us and help us in these struggles that we are in.
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?” What this means to me is that we should not fast for pride and to brag, but to fast with a true desire because Jesus died for us so we need to be humble.
“God wants to give us a way to pay in a very small way compared to the sacrifice Jesus made to show Him we love Him” God ask that we give a sacrifice for our sins. H[Jesus died on the cross for our sins expecting nothing in return. When we give up out items we get closer to God by spending time with him.
I think that today’s Gospel is talking about how some people will fast and some will not. Some people will be like the Pharisees in Jesus’s time, trying their best to make it known exactly what they added or what they have up for Lent, just to get attention from others. Others fast just like Jesus wants them to. To do it in secret, where nobody but God knows how hard it is for us.
In today’s gospel it mentions an element of lent which is fasting. Fasting isn’t just not doing something you like, fasting is giving up something you often take for granted to realize how much God has given us in life. Fasting isn’t supposed to be easy, it can even be looked at as a form of suffering. But suffering is one of the best ways to get close to God. And when the fasting is extra hard remember to talk to Jesus. If there is anyone to know what it’s like to suffer, It would be our savior.
In this Scripture I think God is telling me that his presence should be over all things. He is the way and truth so if we follow and love and trust in Him he will help us throughout our life. But we must prepare our hearts for Him by fasting an doing other forms penance. Preparing our hearts will amplify what the effects of His love will have on us. It will create a deep sense of love and trust in Him, that we rely on Him not us us rely on ourselves. He gives us the perfect example of what that is and that He died on a cross for us.
“Why fast? As I continued to ask others how they discern what to do for Lent, I continued to search for the purpose of Lent. The Catholic Church requires (not optional) for us to fast. Why during Lent? It is to prepare ourselves, looking at the crucified Jesus, for His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. ”
this stuck out to me a lot because Jesus sacrificed everything for us during lent. now its our turn to sacrifice everything for lent. its the minimum we can do for Jesus when he sacrificed his WHOLE life for us.
This Gospel is talking about fasting during the 40 days of Lent. God reminds us everyday that He is with us during the 40 days we are fasting. He reminds us that we are fasting for him and for our sacrifice.
what I think the lord is trying to tell me is that fasting is not supposed to be something bad it is supposed to be a little sacrifice to get us closer to God.
Today Jesus shows his authority in the Gospel. He shows he has authority over man. His disciples don’t fast because they are the one who creates all laws. He is God. We should follow him.
What really stuck out to me was “The more difficult the fast, the greater the suffering, the more we pray.” This tells us that the times we need help from God we can talk to Him and ask Him to help us, or just ask to pray for us and help us with our struggles.
The tax collector left everything to follow Jesus. We are called to follow Jesus so that we can learn from Him and be like Him. Jesus wants us to love others and forgive others like He forgives us when we do wrong.
Jesus didn’t care that He was eating with sinners, He ate with them so that He could call sinners to repentance.
in the gospel today Jesus talks to the pharisees about fasting.
in todays gospel jesus talks about how it requires sacrifice and suffering and at these times we remember to fall to our knees and ask God for help.