Please explain

  • Thread starter Thread starter anu
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

anu

Guest
Hi

I often come across this saying and could not really understand what it actually conveys to me. Can anyone please let me know what exactly is the meaning of this.

“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.”

What does this indicate?

Thank you in advance
Anu
 
Hi Anu, I’m Belle 🙂

Here’s the full reading as listed in the daily Mass reading section on EWTN (for today):

Matthew 9: 14 - 15
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 And 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.

My understanding of this is that Jesus was foreshadowing His death. He knew the day would come when His disciples would mourn Him on the cross and in the tomb. But, until that actually happened, the disciples weren’t in mourning, because He was still with them. I think He used the example of a bridegroom at a wedding as an example because it was a social event that all of them (and us) could relate to.

As far as the fasting part of it, I would guess that it was part of the Jewish tradition to fast (at whatever time/event this reading took place). Since Jesus was establishing a new kingdom, perhaps that’s why His disciples didn’t fast…but once he died and was resurrected, after that then they would fast out of devotion to Him. I’m no scholar, so someone correct me if I’m wrong please…again, these are just my thoughts on the reading. 🙂
 
In the Byzantine Churches during Holy Week, we have a series of services called the Bridegroom. They are a rememberance of Christ’s passion.

From our Church, Images of Holy Week on this one (name removed by moderator)articular they use the Bridegroom melkite.org/HolyWeek/HWednes.html
melkite.org/HolyWeek/Hweek.html

This link is to a Catholic site which has the Ressurection Matins. byzantines.net/liturgy/resurrection_matins.htm

This is an Orthodox site that explains it pretty well
lent.goarch.org/bridegroom_services/learn/
 
anu said:
Hi

I often come across this saying and could not really understand what it actually conveys to me. Can anyone please let me know what exactly is the meaning of this.

“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.”

What does this indicate?

Thank you in advance
Anu
Click to expand...
in a practical sense it means we do not fast during Eastertide, or on Sunday, which is an Easter celebration

in the context, it is a reminder to the apostles of who Jesus really is, what is his relationship to the Church, and in the context of the banquet, always a reference to both the Eucharist and the Mystical Body of Christ, the community brought into reality through the Eucharist.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top