The Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him (Second century)
Apostle’s Fast. Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat
Read
Romans 5:17-6:2; Matthew 9:14-17
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
It is good to fast. For us as Greek-Catholics we are currently at the beginning of the Apostles’ Fast that runs until June 29 when we celebrate the feast of the Holy and Glorious Apostles Peter and Paul. In our tradition, fasting is, in part, a way for us to prepare spiritually to celebrate a great feast. This is why the Lenten Fast is particularly strict because during it we are preparing yet again to celebrate Our Lord’s Resurrection. Fasting is appropriate during this era of the Church -that period between Our Lord’s Ascension in glory followed by the birth of the Church at that first Pentecost and His glorious and awesome second coming which we anticipate. It is appropriate to fast because we need fasting as a tool of spiritual discipline so that we may deepen our prayer lives, be more respectful of the abundance we have received from God, and to assist us in our desire to enter more fully into communion with the Holy Trinity.
In today’s Gospel, Our Lord uses some interesting metaphors to explain why He and His disciples did not follow the fasting prescriptions of the day. These metaphors will seem foreign to us as we do not use wine skins anymore and our consumer culture rarely leads us to mend our clothing with new cloth. But beyond the metaphors is the question: “Why do you not fast?” The disciples do not fast because it is not appropriate to their circumstances -they are walking this earth with the Incarnate Son of God, the Bridegroom who has indeed come. While they did not come to fully know who Christ was until after His Resurrection, the disciples did not fast because they did not share a similar condition to us -their long wait for the promised Messiah was over. We have come to know Christ as Saviour and Lord, but we are again in a period of waiting much like the disciples and their forbears had been before Our Lord’s Incarnation and then His public ministry. We are waiting for Him, the Bridegroom, to return. And so, let us fast and may our fasting intensify our yearning for His love and His presence in our lives until He comes again in glory.