Daily Catholic Lectio. Fri, 20 February ‘26. Fasting and Conversion

Daily Catholic Lectio

Fri, 20 February ‘26

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Isaiah 58:1–9a. Psalm 51. Matthew 9:14–15

Fasting and Conversion

Today the Word of God places before us two inseparable realities: fasting and conversion. At the beginning of our Lenten journey, the Church does not ask us simply to give up food or to follow external practices. She invites us to examine the heart. Fasting without conversion becomes an empty ritual. Conversion without concrete expression becomes a vague sentiment. The readings today unite both.

In the first reading from the Book of the prophet Book of Isaiah (58:1–9a), the Lord speaks with unusual sharpness. The people fast, they bow their heads, they perform religious gestures — yet injustice continues. Workers are oppressed. The hungry remain hungry. The poor remain neglected. God rejects a fasting that does not change life.

The Lord asks: “Is this the fast that I choose?” And then He answers. True fasting is to break the chains of injustice, to share bread with the hungry, to shelter the homeless, to clothe the naked. In other words, fasting is not first about the stomach; it is about the heart and the hands. It is not withdrawal from food alone; it is a turning toward the suffering neighbour.

Fasting, therefore, is social. It is relational. It touches how we treat others. When we abstain from food, we are meant to feel hunger — not only our own, but the hunger of the world. If our fasting does not make us more compassionate, something is missing. The prophet insists that worship and justice cannot be separated.

The Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 51, deepens this message. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Here the focus moves from external action to interior transformation. David understands that God does not delight in burnt offerings if the heart remains hardened. The sacrifice God desires is humility, repentance, and openness.

Conversion begins within. It is easy to change diet. It is harder to change attitudes. It is easy to avoid certain foods. It is harder to avoid pride, gossip, resentment, selfishness. Yet this interior fasting is what prepares the ground for authentic charity.

In the Gospel from Gospel of Matthew (9:14–15), the disciples of John question Jesus: why do His disciples not fast? Jesus answers with an image: can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom is taken away; then they will fast.

Here Jesus reveals something profound. Fasting is not an end in itself. It is connected to relationship. It expresses longing. When the bridegroom is absent, the heart feels the need. Christian fasting is not mere discipline; it is desire for God. It is a sign that we are waiting, searching, hungering for deeper communion.

Even during Lent, our fasting is not gloomy self-punishment. It is preparation. It creates space. By simplifying our lives, we make room for God. By restraining ourselves, we rediscover what truly satisfies.

The readings today challenge us to examine the quality of our fasting. We may abstain from meat, but do we abstain from harsh words? We may reduce our meals, but do we reduce our judgments of others? We may limit comforts, but do we increase acts of kindness? The Lord is not impressed by external signs alone. He looks at the transformation of the heart.

There is also a modern form of fasting we must consider. We live in a world full of noise and distraction. We spend hours on screens, scrolling, reacting, consuming information. Perhaps fasting today could mean limiting our digital habits. The time saved could become time for prayer, for visiting someone lonely, for listening to a family member, for serving the poor. Fasting then becomes love in action.

True conversion always moves in two directions: toward God and toward neighbour. When Isaiah speaks of breaking chains and sharing bread, he describes conversion that heals society. When the Psalm speaks of a broken heart, it describes conversion that heals the soul. When Jesus speaks of the bridegroom, He describes conversion as renewed intimacy with Him.

Lent invites us to a higher fasting — a fasting of love. A fasting that frees others. A fasting that purifies the heart. A fasting that creates space for Christ. If our fasting leads to greater compassion, deeper prayer, and sincere repentance, then our light shall break forth like the dawn, as Isaiah promises.

May this Lenten season not remain at the level of ritual. May it become a journey of authentic conversion. Let our fasting be justice. Let our fasting be mercy. Let our fasting be longing for the Bridegroom. Then the Lord will say to us: “Here I am.”

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy