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In this verse Jesus moves on the third important form of Jewish worship: fasting. Fasting was an important part of piety in this period. All Jews were expected to fast on major holidays, such as the Day of Atonement, but some far more often, sometimes twice a week. Jesus' views on fasting parallels his views of other forms of worship.
Fasting (verses 16–18) is Jesus' third example of 'pious deeds', [1] after almsgiving (verses 2–4) and prayer (verses 5–6). [2] The previous verse attacked how the hypocrites made a show of fasting and made everyone around them aware of their pious suffering. In this verse Jesus counsels his followers to hide any discomfort.
[29] In the New Testament, Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray for forty days and forty nights; it was during this time that Satan tried to tempt him (cf. Matthew 4:1–3). [27] The forty day and night fasts of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus prepared them for their work, and their examples were foundational to the establishment of Lent. [26] [28]
The previous verse stated that, unlike the hypocrites, Jesus' followers should present a clean and normal appearance even when fasting. This verse closely parallels Matthew 6:4 and Matthew 6:6 , and as in those verses, the message is that even if your piety is kept secret from those around you, God will still know about it and reward you. [ 3 ]
St. Thomas Aquinas comments on fasting in his homily on the verse "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry" (Matt. 4:2): S. Augustine says that it is the highest religion to imitate what we worship, so that, when Our Lord fasted, we ought to imitate Him in fasting. There are four reasons which ought to move ...
In 1731 Pope Clement XII issued a very minute code of instructions for the proper carrying out of the Quarant'Ore devotion, which is known as the "Instructio Clementina". The Plenary Council of Baltimore approved the Forty Hours Devotion for all Catholic dioceses in the United States in 1866.
[15] In the New Testament, Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days and 40 nights; it was during this time that Satan tried to tempt him (cf. Matthew 4:1–3). [37] The 40-day and night fasts of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus prepared them for their work. [14] Early Christianity records the tradition of fasting before Easter. [38]
He also relaxed the fasting requirement for the sick and travelers, those engaged in exhausting physical labor, and priests who celebrate several Masses on the same day. In 1957, with Sacram Communionem , he replaced the fast from midnight with a three-hour fast from solid food and alcohol and a one-hour fast from other liquids.