Reading I
Is 58:1-9a
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Tell my people their wickedness,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the law of their God;
They ask me to declare what is due them,
pleased to gain access to God.
“Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?”
Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,
striking with wicked claw.
Would that today you might fast
so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
Gospel
Mt 9:14-15
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.”
Meditation: Isaiah 58:1-9
Come help us, O Lord!
O Lord, open our eyes to the contradictions that are around us and within us. Just as you confronted the Israelites long ago, help us to see our own inconsistencies. You saw through the emptiness of your people’s fasting and called them to take on a fast that would change their hearts—a fast that would lead them to care for the poor, the forgotten, and the weak.
Come, Lord, and do the same for us! Give us a that long not just for your blessings but to do your will as well. Teach us to offer the kind of fast that pleases you, a fast that fills us with compassion for those oppressed by sin or injustice. Free us from our pride over having the truth, and give us hearts that burn with the desire to share your atruth. Give us opportunities to tell people about your kingdom, and help us take advantage of those opportunities.
O Lord, may our fast not just be one day of physical deprivation among many days of comfort! Instead, help us to pray throughout our fast, so that our hearts may become like yours. Purify our faith so that we can see you in our family members, our neighbors, and our co-workers. Ignite our spirits to love the troubled and downtrodden, and to work for justice.
Heavenly Father, send us out in the name of Jesus, your Son, to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. Show us how to help in practical, not just sentimental, ways. Teach us to live more simply so that we can share our resources with the unfortunate. Embolden us to give not just from our excess but from our substance. Remove the blinders that shield us from the hurt, need, and loneliness all around us. Help us to see all your children as you see them, and to love them as you love them.
Lord, help us! Our skipped meals have no value unless they are coupled with acts of mercy. And our acts of mercy are diminished when we lack prayer. Grant us wisdom to make the sacrifices of time, food, and money that will bless your people and build your kingdom.
“Lord, may I be a blessing to others as I share your truth and your provisions with them.”
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