Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 8, 2019
First Reading: Isaiah 58.1-9a
1"Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.2Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.3'Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.4Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.5Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?6"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?8Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.9Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Psalm 51
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.11Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.16For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;19then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Gospel: Matthew 9.14-15
14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"15And Jesus said to 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.
Sermon
The first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel from Matthew both invite us to reflect on the true meaning of fasting and its connection to our relationship with God and others. In Isaiah, the prophet calls out the people for their superficial fasting, which has become more about outward appearances than genuine conversion. He emphasizes that true fasting is not just about abstaining from food but about living justly, loosening the bonds of oppression, and caring for the marginalized. Isaiah’s words remind us that fasting should lead to a transformation of heart, where we prioritize compassion, forgiveness, and solidarity with those in need.
In the Gospel, Jesus responds to the question about why his disciples do not fast by using the image of the groom and his guests. While the groom is present, it is a time for joy and celebration, not mourning. However, Jesus also hints that there will come a time when fasting will be appropriate, not as an end in itself, but as a means of deepening our relationship with God and preparing our hearts for spiritual renewal. Together, these readings challenge us to move beyond external practices and focus on the inner transformation that fasting and prayer should bring.
In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to examine how we practice our faith. Are our spiritual practices, such as fasting or prayer, leading us to greater love for God and neighbor? Or have they become empty rituals? Let us use these readings as an invitation to reflect on how we can live out our faith in ways that bring light, healing, and justice to the world. True fasting, as Isaiah and Jesus remind us, is not just about what we give up but about what we give—our time, our resources, and our hearts—to those in need. By living in this way, we draw closer to God and become instruments of His mercy and love.