20260704 A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
04 July 2026, Saturday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Amos 9:11-15 |
I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
It is the Lord who speaks:
‘That day I will re-erect the tottering hut of David,
make good the gaps in it, restore its ruins
and rebuild it as it was in the days of old,
so that they can conquer the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that belonged to me.’
It is the Lord who speaks, and he will carry this out.
‘The days are coming now – it is the Lord who speaks –
when harvest will follow directly after ploughing,
the treading of grapes soon after sowing,
when the mountains will run with new wine
and the hills all flow with it.
I mean to restore the fortunes of my people Israel;
they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them,
plant vineyards and drink their wine,
dig gardens and eat their produce.
I will plant them in their own country,
never to be rooted up again
out of the land I have given them,
says the Lord, your God.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 84(85): 9,11-14 |
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people and his friends
and those who turn to him in their hearts.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:135 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 9:14-17 |
When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast
John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.’
A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [AMOS 9:11-15, MT 9:14-17]
This world is made up of all sorts of people, each with different characters and mindsets. Very often, it is a fixed mindset that causes division and misunderstanding among people. Some are comfortable only with rules and structures, believing everything must be organised and work like clockwork. They cannot tolerate changes or modifications, and they get very upset if anyone alters the system or the schedule. This group of people feels a strong need to be in control of their lives and situations; they simply do not like surprises.
This was precisely the case with John’s disciples when they came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?” Indeed, they were brought up in a religious tradition where they were taught to fast. In itself, fasting is good for both the soul and the body. Even Jesus Himself fasted forty days and forty nights in the desert after His baptism, before He entered into His ministry. He also advocated fasting and prayer when the disciples could not exorcise an evil spirit from a boy suffering from epilepsy (cf. Mk 9:28f).
But there is a time for everything, and this is the core point of today’s Gospel reading. Just because fasting is good, it does not mean that we should be fasting day and night. Doing so would rob us of the joy of living and the beauty of creation. God created the world for us to enjoy, not to shun. In the Book of Genesis, the Lord gave humanity dominion over the earth, as well as the right to use what the earth produces for food (cf. Gn 1:27-29).
However, because the things of this earth are plentiful, we must discipline ourselves and not allow the world to dominate us. Humanity is called to be the steward of creation — to multiply and steer creation to its fullness. We must not destroy or abuse creation; otherwise, we will suffer the backlash of natural forces. For example, if a person does not control his diet, he will fall sick and die. Hence, in the Book of Genesis, immediately after speaking about creation and its use for human pleasure in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 tells the story of how the Lord placed man in the Garden of Eden. There, He planted many fruit trees, but in the middle of the Garden stood the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man was commanded not to eat of its fruit. Humanity was put to the test to see whether we would grow in maturity and make proper choices for our own well-being and the good of others. In other words, we must learn to practise self-control.
Consequently, for Jesus, fasting is just a means, not the end itself. We do not fast for the sake of fasting. It is meant to be a discipline that strengthens our will to do the right things by controlling our sensual appetites. In this way, we avoid becoming slaves to the world. A person of God must practice self-control over their appetites, whether for food, sex, or pleasure. Otherwise, an addiction to the pleasures of life will cause them to lose perspective. Fasting is useful because it helps a person transcend the world so that he can touch his spiritual hunger. It supports a healthy prayer life and fosters a life of wisdom and self-awareness.
Hence, Jesus gave three examples of when it is the right time to fast. He replied, “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.”
Indeed, it would be incongruous and odd for the bridegroom’s attendants and guests to fast on a wedding day. It should be celebrated as a day of joy. Life is not always gloom and doom. God wants us to celebrate and be happy, so we should not be afraid to do so. This explains why, even in the Church, we do not fast or abstain from meat on Sundays and Solemnities, because these are days of celebration. We should not be so robotic that we fall into the routine and custom of fasting simply because we are used to doing it.
This is the real problem with the rule of abstinence from meat on Fridays. Many Catholics practice and observe this rule purely out of routine. Unfortunately, they forget the true spirit of fasting, which is to remember the passion of Christ so that we might rekindle His love and mercy within ourselves. As we contemplate His sufferings, we are meant to love our neighbours the same way He loved and forgave us. Thus, while many Catholics are observing the canonical law of abstinence on Fridays, they are missing the spirit of the fast. It becomes even more ludicrous when people use it as an occasion to dine in luxury on Fridays by ordering seafood, which is often far more expensive than eating meat!
Another reason for fasting is to long for God. We fast because we have lost our bridegroom. Through fasting and prayer, we hope to focus our hearts on God and on heavenly things, as St. Paul urges us: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory” (Col 3:2-4). Because of our sins and hardened hearts, we can no longer hear what God is saying to us. That is why fasting must always go hand-in-hand with prayer; otherwise, it becomes merely an exercise of human will. Instead of making us humble, it could end up making us like the Pharisees — self-righteous and proud of our own achievements. If fasting does not help us pray better and identify with the suffering of Christ, we have completely missed the point.
This basic principle applies to every area of life. We should not be slaves to rules and customs. Rather, we must observe the spirit and intent of the law. We are called to live a life of freedom in Christ. The only law, as St. Paul says, is the law of love: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom 13:8,10). We must be consistent in what we do and why we do it. If not, we are acting hypocritically.
While we must act in freedom regarding laws and customs, this freedom presupposes that we are mature, wise, and enlightened enough to act with purity of heart and sincere intentions. Many, in the name of freedom, disregard all laws when they are actually just using freedom as an excuse for self-indulgence. Unless we are spiritually mature, it is wiser to observe the rules when we are unsure. It is always better to err on the side of the law than on the side of falsehood.
Yet, another truth in life is that we are often ignorant. Like the Israelites, who turned away from God and suffered the consequences of their complacency, injustice, and superficial religiosity, we face the natural consequences of our actions. God allowed the natural course of history to unfold, and they were punished by the Assyrians. We, too, often come to self-realisation only when we face the consequences of the wrongs we have committed. If we are lustful, we suffer the consequences of a broken marriage and family, or find ourselves open to blackmail. If we do not eat healthily, we fall sick and develop chronic illnesses. If we are overly ambitious, we create enemies and find no peace. Indeed, most of our sufferings are the direct consequences of our own folly.
But God is great, and He is patient with us. He knows the right time to act and how to help us come back to our senses. When the time is right, He calls us back. Conversion is always a grace from God. As the prophet says, “The days are coming now — it is the Lord who speaks — when harvest will follow directly after ploughing, the treading of grapes soon after sowing, when the mountains will run with new wine and the hills all flow with it. I mean to restore the fortunes of my people Israel; they will rebuild cities and live in them, plant vineyards and drink their produce. I will plant them in their own country, never to be rooted up again out of the land I have given them, says the Lord, your God.” Indeed, God acts perfectly in His own time.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
