Friday after Ash Wednesday

Gospel – Matthew 9:14-15

I Give Up!

Gaming in the Old City

Back when I was a high school Junior in the seminary, I learned to play bridge and it became an obsession.  With 3 of my best friends, we played every chance we could!  So it felt appropriate, when Lent rolled around, that we bond together and, as a group, we gave up bridge for Lent.  It was painful!  So as soon as midnight Easter Vigil services were over, we raced down to the rec room and proceeded to revisit our passion after 40 days of ‘fasting’.  We played non-stop for 12 hours! 

So what really happened?  Yes, it was a painful experience and yes we suffered.  But at the end of Lent, what really changed?  We went right back to what we were doing beforehand! Did it matter?  Did we change at all? Did we grow at all?

There must be more about fasting, about giving up something, than just the pain and sacrifice!  Shouldn’t there be a change in the person, something that lasts beyond 40 days?  Shouldn’t it be more than just to develop an appreciation of whatever it was we gave up?

Maybe it’s about giving up something I ‘think’ is important and then realizing it isn’t! Maybe it’s about learning what things, what habits, I need to permanently let go of!  And maybe we fast in order to become a better person, better neighbor, better child of God, more loving and more forgiving!  Maybe fasting is about increasing our spiritual health and losing many of the earthly distractions that make us feel comfortable. 

Today’s Gospel speaks about fasting but Jesus links it with the joy of a wedding feast.  Maybe that’s it.  Maybe it’s about letting go and giving up, of sacrifice and a bit of pain, but only in anticipation of the joy to come!  What meaning can Lent really have without the joy of Easter!