Jesus defends His practice, and that of His disciples, of not only eating on days the Pharisees fast, but also eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus compares Himself to a bridegroom entertaining His wedding guests and asks how you can require them to fast during a wedding celebration. Jesus' public life lasted approximately three years, and those years were a special time for Him to be with us. After His Ascension into Heaven, His disciples and the rest of us would miss His physical presence.

More importantly, however, is the fact that Jesus' teaching and practice were fundamentally different from that of the Pharisees. It was 'new wine.' While the Pharisees were very strict in following the rules and regulations of the Mosaic Law, Jesus placed greater emphasis on the attitude and interior disposition of each individual in following the Law. Was fasting, for instance, meant to be merely a formal following of the letter of a law, or to be an authentic expression of a desire to change one's heart and behaviour to conform more closely to the spirit of the Law?

Today when we fast, it may make greater sense to fast from using one's phone or computer in order to avoid addictive behaviour, or share the cost of a meal with someone in need. The Church invites us to ask ourselves, what form of self-denial will actually help us to become more free, more detached, more loving, in other words, more like Christ?