Commentary on the Gospel of
Fasting as Relative
Were the Pharisees and the disciples of the Baptist wrong in their fast? Not at all. Theirs was a preparatory fast, a fast meant to level the mountains and fill the valleys. It is a fast that speaks of a longing. It is a fast that is relative to a higher goal; a means to an end. But now that the end is here —that the Master has arrived—it is no good to keep fasting; for, what is needed now is a feast, a celebration. That’s why all references by Jesus to the coming of the Kingdom are in terms of a banquet. What Prophet Amos describes in today’s first reading is such a scene of celebration: on that day, the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the people shall eat fruits and drink wine to their heart’s content. If we can adapt the words from Ecclesiastes, there is a time to fast and a time to feast (cf. Eccl. 3:1-8)
