The Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion
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Philippians 1:12-20; Luke 5:33-39
An important aspect of the spiritual life is the combined practice of prayer and fasting. This was normative for the Hebrew people especially going back to the time of Moses and onward. It was done as a way of preparation for encounter with the Divine—Moses fasted for 40 days prior to the giving of the Law (Exodus 34:28); at times of grief, sorrow—a seven-day fast was held when the bones of Saul and his sons were buried (1 Samuel 31:13); and to show sincere repentance—after David’s sin of adultery (2 Samuel 12:16). Fasting and prayer was a way of setting aside that which is good and necessary for that which is even more important and the source of everything. It is a way of preparation, of intensifying prayer, of magnifying and emboldening our request to the Lord. Anyone who is serious about the spiritual life must pray and fast. And for this reason, the Jewish authorities challenge the Lord on this topic.
The Lord’s response teaches us that there are an appropriate time and place for celebration and joy and repentance and fasting. It would be seriously inappropriate for one to attend a wedding and not rejoice and celebrate. Present in their midst was the Bridegroom—the one who unites heaven and earth or the divine with the human. He is the Saviour and fulfilment of the longing and prayer of all our hearts and so it was time to rejoice and celebrate. By refusing to celebrate and rejoice they rejected the Lord’s gift of love. Jesus assures them that a time will come, after the Ascension of the Lord, when fasting will become a normal part of Christian life again. The Lord calls all of His disciples to seriously enter into the spiritual life, but with balance and joy. Apostolic Christians experience the gift of the calendar year when we communally fast and feast. During times of fasting we repent, intensify prayer, intercede for those who need spiritual help, but always orient ourselves toward Christ our Saviour and encounter with the Divine in the joy of the great feasts of our Lord. For Christians fasting and feasting becomes a way to grow in our life in Christ.