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Jesus is the bridegroom whose presence calls for celebration and feasting.
Luke 5: 33 – 39.
In response to the Pharisees and the scribes who complained that neither Jesus nor his disciples fasted while theirs and John’s did, Jesus said that the time will come when the bridegroom would be taken away and then they will fast.
The Wisdom passage comes to mind which says that there is a time under heaven for everything (Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 11). Fasting itself is not about right or wrong, it is about appropriate or inappropriate time. While the bridegroom is present (which suggests a wedding) it is more appropriate to celebrate and feast not fast. Jesus is the bridegroom whose presence calls for celebration and feasting.
For the Catholic community, Jesus himself is the feast. When he calls us to gather for the celebration of Eucharist he provides the best feast of all – his Body and Blood – as food and drink. Catholics do not go to Mass to fast, they go to feast because the bridegroom is present. Fasting will take place, but in its own time.
