The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to authentic actions that proclaim our solidarity with the suffering of people who work for justice and peace for all God’s children in our world.
The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah examines our Reasons for Judgment and exhorts us to Authentic Fasting That Leads to Blessing.
* [58:1–5] The prophet is commanded to condemn the formalism of the people, specifically their hypocritical fasting.* [58:6–12] Fasting is not genuine without reforming one’s way of life. A true social morality will ensure prosperity. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 58 | USCCB, n.d.)
* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]). (Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses The Question About Fasting.
* [9:15] Fasting is a sign of mourning and would be as inappropriate at this time of joy, when Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom, as it would be at a marriage feast. Yet the saying looks forward to the time when Jesus will no longer be with the disciples visibly, the time of Matthew’s church. Then they will fast: see Didache 8:1. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Rev. George Meze, SJ, comments that true fasting means sacrificing comfort for the good of others, following Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the Cross; to lose the self in serving God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that while He is with us, we rejoice, but when He is taken away, we fast. This teaches that we celebrate and fast with Him, participating in both the joys and struggles of our neighbors, in whom Jesus is ever present.
A few weeks ago, I met a student who faced a painful Christmas with her sick and dying grandmother. She was reluctant to go home, fearing the pain it would bring. Yet she chose to spend Christmas with her grandmother. There was sorrow, but amid the tears came great consolation in being present for one another. True togetherness in such difficult moments is always expressed in the quiet celebration of love. In our faith, fasting becomes an opportunity to celebrate God’s love and to bring consolation to others. The grace to fast for love is itself a gift. (Meze, 2026)
Don Schwager quotes True fasting, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD
"All the endeavors for fasting are concerned not about the rejection of various foods as unclean, but about the subjugation of inordinate desire and the maintenance of neighborly love. Charity especially is guarded - food is subservient to charity, speech to charity, customs to charity, and facial expressions to charity. Everything works together for charity alone." (excerpt from Letter 243, 11) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments the passage from Isaiah comes from the experience after the exile when the people returned to Israel and things were not going well. They complained that God is not taking care of them. Isaiah observes the people are not embracing service of God and others. Almsgiving is a religious activity of God. Why do we practice fasting? It helps to keep Christ at the centre of our life. It is a sign of solidarity. The death of a beloved in many societies is marked by fasting because things are not normal. We fast to recall Jesus died for us. Friar Jude reviews the traditional Catholic rules for fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday that involves meals and abstinence from meat. We don’t have to overdo it. Fasting is not restricted to food, but to anything that keeps us from reaching out to our neighbour.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:14-15 comments that St. John Paul II once called fasting a “therapy for the soul.” It can help us “in the interior effort of listening to God” (Angelus, March 10, 1996). Denying ourselves, even of the most basic things, like food, can help us identify the attitudes that separate us from the Lord. Through fasting, we can release these attitudes to God and so come to a deeper conversion.
Even if health reasons keep you from fasting from food, there are always other things you can do. You can take some of the time you spend watching TV or scrolling on social media and pray instead. You can “fast” from selfishness or from resentment against a neighbor. Whatever you do, know that God wants you to make a sincere offering to him. He wants you to turn your heart to him so that when Lent is over, you will “taste” more of the joy of his resurrection.
“Lord, help me to turn my heart to you.” (Meditation on Matthew 9:14-15, n.d.)
Fr Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Author Lisa Colón DeLay reflects on the purpose behind the asceticism that is commonly found in the teachings and stories of the early desert spirituality.
All the desert abbas and ammas show us that one-off special insights are not what bring us spiritual maturity or peace. Through the layering of situations, struggles, and seasons, we grow more devoted, mature, and wise. The inheritance in the kingdom of heaven means possessing Christlikeness; this inheritance comes in slow disbursements that take diligence and attention to learn and receive. We accomplish this not over weeks or months but over decades—over our lifetime and even into and throughout generations. The place is slow. Let’s get accustomed to that and settle in for the long haul.
The spiritual seeds the ammas and abbas once planted in the fertile soil of seekers can still beautifully bloom now in the soil of you, more than 1,500 years later. This is how the glory of God works. You are the glory of God made manifest. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the Wisdom of the Spirit as we contemplate our Lenten “fasting” and act with a focus on deepening our relationship with God and the people we encounter without hypocrisy.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 58 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/58?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?14
Meditation on Matthew 9:14-15. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/20/1505893/
Meze, G. (2026, February 20). Daily Reflection February 20, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-20-2026
Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?3
Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Living Tradition. Center for Contemplation and Action. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/living-tradition/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Fasting for the Kingdom of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 20, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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