DIVINE WHISPER with Fr. PiusRalph EFFIONG, SMMM

FRIDAY OF THE 22ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR 

Mystery of the day: Sorrowful 

Celebration: Ferial 

Liturgical Colour: Green 

Table of the Word 

First Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

Gospel: Luke 5:33-39

Theme: 

And the Lord Whispers: "The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Luke 5:35).

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to the question about fasting by presenting Himself as the Bridegroom. While He is present, His disciples live in the joy of His company; but when He is taken away, they will fast. The whisper here is a reminder that Christian life is a rhythm of presence and absence, of consolation and purification.

Our spiritual journey is not always filled with feasting; there are moments of silence, trial, and sacrifice. That is to say, Easter Sunday would not have been possible without Good Friday. Yet, these times of “fasting” are not empty, they prepare us to welcome the Bridegroom more deeply. The joy of union with Christ is always accompanied by the discipline that keeps our hearts open to Him.

The Church teaches that fasting expresses conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others (cf. CCC 1434). Just as new wine requires new wineskins (cf. Luke 5:38), our hearts must be continually renewed by prayer, fasting, and charity so as to carry the life of the Spirit.

The Fathers of the Church saw fasting not as deprivation but as a way of enlarging the soul’s capacity to rejoice in God as St. Augustine reminds us: “Do you wish your prayer to fly toward God? Give it two wings: fasting and almsgiving."

Beloved in Christ, embrace small sacrifices today (fasting from food, distractions, or selfishness) as a way of keeping your heart ready for Christ. Balance joy and discipline: celebrate God’s presence in prayer and Eucharist, and accept trials as moments that deepen your longing for Him. 

However, we are obliged to make a paradigm shift, an adjustment in our lives. Still in the gospel pericope, Christ talk about putting new wine in a new wineskins, let us make effort to renew our seal in service so that we may continue to experience the touch of the Bridegroom even when we feel He is not present.

Finally, let us rejoice over the abiding presence of the Bridegroom, and when He seems absent, let us seek Him with fasting and prayer, for I never truly leave us. Above all, let is know that new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 

+ Peace be with you. 

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