We should be mindful of what Jesus means about fasting in this Gospel. Jesus is always with us, “I am with you until the consummation of the world.” However, that does not mean we should never fast. The time of the bridegroom is the moment leading up to Christ consummating His union with His Bride, the Church. When Christ dies on the Cross, He says, “It is consummated” – it is finished, it is accomplished, it is fulfilled. It is at the moment of Christ’s death on the Cross that his marriage – becoming one flesh with the people He came to save – is consummated. The fruit of that consummated union is the new life of the resurrection – the recreation in grace of those who unite themselves to Him and to His Body the Church by faith.
Saints Peter and Paul
CHRYSOSTOM:
The stricter the watch, the more wonderful the demonstration. This was done on behalf of Peter, who became more esteemed as a result, and to demonstrate his innate virtue. “Prayer was earnestly made,” it says. It was the prayer of heartfelt love. They all sought a father, a gentle father. “Earnest prayer,” it says. Listen as to how they were disposed toward their teachers. They did not divide into factions or make an uproar but turned to prayer, that true alliance which is invincible. In this they sought refuge. They did not say, “Am I, a lowly good-for-nothing, to pray for him?” For since they acted out of love, they did not give these things any thought.
Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
“In this life you will have trouble, but I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33) It is useful to consider the connections between sickness and sin when we hear about Jesus’ miracles of healing. Physical healing enables us to live our lives the way we were meant to. So long as we are suffering from some kind of illness, it is as though we are prevented from being fully alive – captive in some ways. Sin is not just a spiritual illness that prevents us from living our lives freely and completely, it is also really connected to physical death. The remedies, or the medicine that brings healing is certainly helped by science, but more importantly has to do with God’s mercy. Any sickness that we experience, be it physical or spiritual – any suffering that plagues us – can become an occasion to turn our hearts more completely towards God and receive his mercy and healing. Perhaps that is why tears represent the most effective means of healing. So long as those tears are from the heart and directed to God’s mercy, we are then in a position to receive the most essential medicine: God’s merciful love.