Why do we fast? The prophet quotes the question of the people. Why do we fast much? The disciples of St. John the Baptist come to our Lord with this question. On this first Friday in the Lenten season, the first of several Fridays when Catholics, no matter where they are in the world, embrace together the practice of abstaining from eating meat, this question arises: why?
Isaiah tells us that the Lord is clearly not asking for fasting for fasting’s sake. That sort of thing simply ends in low blood sugar and bad attitudes: “Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw” (Isaiah 58:4). Such reasonless fasting leads to irrational, even animalistic behavior. So why fast? Love. The prophet proclaims a list of true forms of fasting (i.e., self denial): releasing those who suffer unjustly; sharing food with the hungry; sheltering those without any home; clothing the naked… These works of charity which eat into our time, our resources, what is our own: these truly require self denial. These truly direct us away from purposeless self seeking, and towards our neighbor whom God calls us to love.
So too in the Gospel, our Lord gives us the reason for fasting: “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15). Why do we fast? Love. As we remember the suffering of Jesus when He was taken in the Passion, like those who lose their appetite when they behold the suffering of those dear to them, we move food from the first place in our attention and concern. We allow the space that Christ and His Cross occupy in our minds and hearts to grow, making room for our God by setting aside our own concerns (even a very important concern like eating), at least for today. We fast, because it helps us allow love for God and love for our neighbor to make our hearts whole again. May the love of Christ crucified deepen our love this Lent.