Reading 1
Heb 5:1-10
Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my Son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
In the days when he was in the Flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4
Responsorial PsalmR. (4b)
You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
Gospel
Mk 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
Meditation: Mark 2:18-22
“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them.” (Mark 2:20)
Imagine the scene-—Jesus’ creative mind colliding with the more rigid, traditional mindset of some of his peers. We’re used to seeing followers of God fast. Why don’t your disciples? The people were familiar with the covenant of Moses and its call to fasting, but Jesus was introducing a new way. Imagine him answering them: Fasting, when I’m present, would be like trying to listen to a cassette with a CD player. You would be mixing old and new technologies. Let’s enjoy our time together while I’m here, because one day I’m going back to my Father.
So where does that leave us? Jesus has gone back to his Father, but he is also present in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Does that mean we should fast—because he is back in heaven? Or does it mean we shouldn’t—because he is in our hearts?
The answer is both yes and no. Jesus is with us; he hasn’t left us orphans. This means that our lives should be marked by joy and peace and fulfillment. At the same time, we aren’t always with Jesus. We all know what it is like to feel far from the Lord, whether because of unconfessed sin, complacency in prayer, or just the busyness of the day. We may be vessels of the Holy Spirit, but we are earthen vessels, prone to sin, selfishness, doubt, and times of weak faith.
This is why Jesus wants us to fast: so that we can draw closer to him. He knows that as we deny ourselves—in whatever way we choose—we are telling ourselves that we want more of him. We are telling ourselves that the world is not our final home and that we are longing to see Jesus more clearly. Fasting refines us. It softens our hearts. It helps us deepen our faith.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus is with us always, to the “end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He wants to do so much in our lives. He wants us to enjoy our life with him. All he asks is that we turn our hearts toward him. May we all learn to decrease just a little bit more so that he can increase in us!
“Jesus, I trust that you are always beside me. Help me stay close to you.”
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