20260220 FASTING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
20 February 2026, Friday after Ash Wednesday
First reading | Isaiah 58:1-9 |
The sort of fast that pleases me
Thus says the Lord:
Shout for all you are worth,
raise your voice like a trumpet.
Proclaim their faults to my people,
their sins to the House of Jacob.
They seek me day after day,
they long to know my ways,
like a nation that wants to act with integrity
and not ignore the law of its God.
They ask me for laws that are just,
they long for God to draw near:
‘Why should we fast if you never see it,
why do penance if you never notice?’
Look, you do business on your fast-days,
you oppress all your workmen;
look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast
and strike the poor man with your fist.
Fasting like yours today
will never make your voice heard on high.
Is that the sort of fast that pleases me,
a truly penitential day for men?
Hanging your head like a reed,
lying down on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call fasting,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me
– it is the Lord who speaks –
to break unjust fetters and
undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke,
to share your bread with the hungry,
and shelter the homeless poor,
to clothe the man you see to be naked
and not turn from your own kin?
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you
and the glory of the Lord behind you.
Cry, and the Lord will answer;
call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):3-6,18-19 |
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5,7 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word,
because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or: | cf.Amos5:14 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | Matthew 9:14-15 |
When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast
John’s disciples came to Jesus 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.’
FASTING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 58:1-9; Ps 51:3-6,18-19; Mt 9:14-15]
In countries where food is plentiful and many indulge themselves in food and drink, fasting is also rather popular. Different people fast for different reasons. But one thing is clear; fasting is good for the human person, both spiritually and physically. Indeed, for those who are overweight, some go on strict fasting diets for health and aesthetic reasons. If we are fasting for these reasons, the goals are clear.
But the religious motivation for fasting is not so much focused on oneself, one’s health, or beauty. Rather, it is purely for spiritual reasons. Some fast thinking that they can please God and perhaps earn merits from Him. Yet the truth is that fasting does not do any good for God at all. He does not need us to fast. As the Lord in the Gospel says, “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them?” God wants us to share in His happiness and joy. So long as we are with the Bridegroom, fasting is not required, for God is not a joy-killer who delights in depriving us of pleasure and fun.
Again, as the Lord says, “But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them and then they will fast.” In other words, we fast because God is far from us in our lives. The absence of God in our lives brings about emptiness in our soul, and very often, this emptiness is filled by the world and the Evil One. Our hearts become inward-looking. We may become addicted to drinking, drugs, or pornography. We get obsessed with becoming rich and famous, resulting in unscrupulous competition, and even cheating. In other words, our lives are unsettled, and there is no peace or direction.
Fasting, therefore, is meant to help us slow down and get away from the noisy world so that we can spend time with the Lord and with ourselves. It is to help us to withdraw from the world for a while, so that we can be better disposed to silence and prayer and create the disposition for us to hear God better and enter deeper into ourselves. It is a way to discipline ourselves and gain control over ourselves, especially the weakness of the flesh. John the Baptist withdrew to the desert to pray. He was a voice crying out in the wilderness. He lived austerely, with “clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Mt 3:3f) So did Jesus at the beginning of His ministry. He was in the desert for forty days and nights in prayer, after which He confronted the Devil, who sought to tempt Him to take an easy way out in His mission. (Mt 4:10-11) We cannot undertake any spiritual warfare without first strengthening ourselves spiritually.
At the end of the day, fasting is to help us recognise our sins and bring us to repentance. This is what the psalmist says in the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. My offences truly I know them; my sin is always before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done. For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice, a contrite spirit. A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.” Fasting must lead to repentance of heart. It is only a means to an end. This is why retreatants and those who are spending time in deep prayer and contemplation are always encouraged to fast, or at least eat moderately, so that their bodies would not cause them to feel tired when they pray or meditate, and that through their physical hunger, they will be reminded to depend on God and seek spiritual fulfilment.
Hence, the first reading reminds us that we should not fast for the wrong reasons, namely, to impress God or, more likely, to impress others. This was what the Lord told the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah: “Shout for all you are worth, raise your voice like a trumpet. Proclaim their faults to my people, their sins to the House of Jacob. They seek me day after day, they long to know my ways, like a nation that wants to act with integrity and not ignore the law of its God. They ask me for laws that are just, they long for God to draw near: ‘Why should we fast if you never see it, why do penance if you never notice?”’ They were putting on a show. They fasted to gain God’s notice of them and so win His favour.
On Ash Wednesday, Jesus in the Gospel already warned us about putting on a show when fasting: “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Mt 6:16-18) In the first reading, God also told the Israelites, “Hanging your head like a reed, lying down on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord?” When we fast in that manner, it does us no good. Instead, it only reinforces our ego and makes us inward-looking. Worst still, it can make us self-righteous, thinking highly of ourselves as if we are better than others. As the Lord rightly said, “we have received our rewards” – that is, the rewards of this world.
But most of all, fasting without the desire to change our lives to one of integrity and honesty, especially in our relationship with our fellowmen, is even more hypocritical. The Lord reprimanded the people: “Look, you do business on your fast days, you oppress all your workmen; look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast and strike the poor man with your fist. Fasting like yours today will never make your voice heard on high. Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a truly penitential day for men?” Their fasting is supposed to help them to feel with their fellowmen in their suffering, their hunger, their privation, and their poverty. But their fasting was simply a ritual, perhaps to feel that they have done their duty as an Israelite to God by fasting. It is ironic sometimes, to see people who have suffered from injustice, unjust wars, and violence, themselves act vindictively towards other innocent people. It is also strange that nations that feel much for their people when they suffer the ravages of war do not feel for others who suffer innocently from war as well.
In truth, the real fasting that God wants is that we fast from evil, unkind words, from oppression, from injustice, from dishonesty and fraud, and from quarrelling. This is what the Lord said: “Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke, to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, to clothe the man you see to be naked and not turn from your own kin?” Fasting must lead us to identify with the suffering of our fellowmen. By experiencing hunger, we can grow in empathy for those who are suffering, which in turn leads us to do works of charity. When we feel their hunger and pain, hopefully, out of compassion, we will be moved to assist them in our own ways and alleviate their pain.
Truly, when we act in this way, fasting helps us to be ambassadors for God. We will shine the light of His love and mercy. As the prophet Isaiah says, “Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.'” It is a life of honesty, integrity and compassion that radiates the mercy and love of Christ in us. This is what the Lord asks of us when He told us the Parable of the Last Judgment: “Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'” (Mt 25:34-36)
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.
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