Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday of the 22nd week in ordinary time, September 4, 2026.
The theme for our meditation today is: The Essence of Fasting. There is a man named Agustinus, a husband to his wife and a father of three teenagers. They know very well that every Friday their father fasts. He drinks only water and does not eat anything. He is also not looked for for any particular works or businesses. Things that are related to the house and guests who might want to meet him will be attended by the wife and children. In short, the Friday fast for Agustinus in essence is a presence but in fact it is an absence.
When some of his neighbors wanted to meet, they were sure that Agustinus was in the house, because they happened to see him at home. But when they asked his wife and children about him, the answer given was always an information that Agustinus was not at home. In other words, what Agustinus really does with his fasting is a way to create "nothingness" so that people around will know that he is not present. He is having a spiritual training which is fasting.
This understanding of absence when one fasts is what Jesus intended to teach people who did not understand the essence of fasting. Jesus said that when He was seen and was present among the people and His disciples, they needed not to fast. However, when He was no longer with them, then it was time for them to fast. The Lord indeed teaches us that, when there is a presence as people interact with one another, when they cooperate or complement each other and they build togetherness, they actually show an essence of the feast of life. In this reality, people are not in a situation to experience absence or sort of nothingness.
In fact, every time we fast we actually create an absence for ourselves and we choose to enjoy it. For example, a person who does not eat and drink as a way to fast. This means that he does not experience the presence of food and drink during his moment of fasting. A person who fasts and abstains from cigarettes and alcohol drinks, this means that he does not spend money for cigarettes and drinks. People who fast shopping for their favorite items to comfort themselves, this means that they have no chance and money for shopping such interesting things.
In the practice of spiritual life, people who fast are asked to eliminate worldly needs or interests, so that their souls are not contaminated with those influences, then they only concentrate on an intimate relationship with God. This is the essence of fasting. Thus, it is true with what Saint Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians as our first reading today, "God will show what is planned in the heart".
Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... Almighty God, look at us with Your compassion so that we can renew our spirit of faith from pretense or indifference to sincerity. Hail Mary, full of grace ... In name of the Father ...
