Matthew 9:15

Figuratively; This His answer, that while the Bridegroom was present with them, His disciples needed not to fast, teaches us the joy of His presence, and the sacrament of the holy food, which none shall lack, while He is present, that is, while one keeps Christ in the eye of the mind. He says, they shall fast when He is taken away from them, because all who do not believe that Christ is risen, shall not have the food of life. For in the faith of the resurrection the sacrament of the heavenly bread is received.

"The children of the bride-chamber cannot fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them." Thus, when others were to be spoken for, the publicans I mean, to soothe their wounded soul, He was more severe in His reproof of their revilers; but when they were deriding Himself and His disciples, He makes His reply with all gentleness.

Now their meaning is like this; "Granted," say they, "Thou doest this as a physician; why do Thy disciples also leave fasting, and cleave to such tables?" Then, to make the accusation heavier, they put themselves first, and then the Pharisees; wishing by the comparison to aggravate the charge. For indeed "both we," it is said, "and the Pharisees, fast oft." And in truth they did fast, the one having learnt it from John, the other from the law; even as also the Pharisee said, "I fast twice in the week."

What then saith Jesus? "Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them." Before, He called Himself a physician, but here a bridegroom; by these names revealing His unspeakable mysteries. Yet of course He might have told them, more sharply, "These things depend not on you, that you should make such laws. For of what use is fasting, when the mind is full of wickedness; when ye blame others, when ye condemn them, bearing about beams in your eyes, and do all for display? Nay, before all this ye ought to have cast out vainglory, to be proficients in all the other duties, in charity, meekness, brotherly love." However, nothing of this kind doth He say, but with all gentleness, "The children of the bridechamber cannot fast, so long as the bridegroom is with them;" recalling to their mind John's words, when he said, "He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice."

Now His meaning is like this: The present time is of joy and gladness, therefore do not bring in the things which are melancholy. For fasting is a melancholy thing, not in its own nature, but to them that are yet in rather a feeble state; for to those at least that are willing to practise self-command, the observance is exceedingly pleasant and desirable. For as when the body is in health, the spirits are high, so when the soul is well conditioned, the pleasure is greater. But according to their previous impression He saith this. So also Isaiah, discoursing of it, calls it "an affliction of the soul;" and Moses too in like manner.

Not however by this only doth He stop their mouths, but by another topic also, saying, "Days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast."

For hereby He signifies, that what they did was not of gluttony, but pertained to some marvellous dispensation. And at the same time He lays beforehand the foundation of what He was to say touching His passion, in His controversies with others instructing His disciples, and training them now to be versed in the things which are deemed sorrowful. Because for themselves already to have this said to them, would have been grievous and galling, since we know that afterwards, being uttered, it troubled them; but spoken to others, it would become rather less intolerable to them.

It being also natural for them to pride themselves on John's calamity, He from this topic represses likewise such their elation: the doctrine however of His resurrection He adds not yet, it not being yet time. For so much indeed was natural, that one supposed to be a man should die, but that other was beyond nature.

(Verse 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 will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. Christ is the bridegroom: the Church is the bride. From this holy and spiritual union, the Apostles are born, who cannot mourn as long as they see the bride in the bridal chamber and know that the bridegroom is with the bride. But when the wedding is over and the time of his passion and resurrection has come, then the sons of the bridegroom will fast. Some believe that after forty days of the Passion, fasting should be observed: although the immediate arrival of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit indicate the celebration to us. And on this occasion, Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla also observe Lent after Pentecost: because, with the bridegroom taken away, the children of the bridegroom should fast. However, the custom of the Church comes from the passion of the Lord and the resurrection through the humility of the flesh, so that we may be prepared for the spiritual nourishment of the body through the fasting of the flesh. According to the tropology, it must be known that as long as the bridegroom is with us and we are in joy, we cannot fast or mourn. But when he departs from us because of our sins, then fasting must be announced, then mourning must be undertaken.

Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride. Of this spiritual union the Apostles were born; they cannot mourn so long as they see the Bridegroom in the chamber with the Bride. But when the nuptials are past, and the time of passion and resurrection is come, then shall the children of the Bridegroom fast. The days shall come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

Hence some think that a fast ought to follow the forty days of Passion, although the day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit immediately bring back our joy and festival. From this text accordingly, Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla enjoin a forty days' abstinence after Pentecost, but it is the use of the Church to come to the Lord's passion and resurrection through humiliation of the flesh, that by carnal abstinence we may better be prepared for spiritual fulness.

Or; When He has departed from us for our sins, then is a fast to be proclaimed, then is mourning to be put on.

(Serm. 210. 3.) Otherwise; Every one who rightly fasts, either humbles his soul in the groaning of prayer, and bodily chastisement, or suspends the motion of carnal desire by the joys of spiritual meditation. And the Lord here makes answer respecting both kinds of fasting; concerning the first, which is in humiliation of soul, He says, The children of the bridegroom cannot mourn. Of the other which has a feast of the Spirit, He next speaks, where He says, No man putteth a patch of undressed cloth. Then we must mourn because the Bridegroom is taken away from us. And we rightly mourn if we burn with desire of Him. Blessed they to whom it was granted before His passion to have Him present with them, to enquire of Him what they would, to hear what they ought to hear. Those days the fathers before His coming sought to see, and saw them not, because they were placed in another dispensation, one in which He was proclaimed as coming, not one in which He was heard as present. For in us was fulfilled that He speaks of, The days shall come when ye shall desire to see one of these days, and shall not be able. (Luke 17:22.) Who then will not mourn this? Who will not say, My tears have been my meat day and night, while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God? (Ps. 42:3.) With reason then did the Apostle seek to die and to be with Christ.

(De Cons. Ev. ii. 27.) That Matthew writes here mourn, where Mark and Luke write fast, shows that the Lord spake of that kind of fasting which pertains to humbling one's self in chastisement; as in the following comparisons He may be supposed to have spoken of the other kind which pertains to the joy of a mind wrapt in spiritual thoughts, and therefore averted from the food of the body; showing that those who are occupied about the body, and owing to this retain their former desires, are not fit for this kind of fasting.

When he wisheth to eat everything, and not to restrain himself by forbearance from any meat, he beginneth to repeat that which was written by our Lord, "It is not that which goeth into a man which defileth him;" for his ear is only pierced to hear such things as can be thought to support his lust, and in the face of the hearing of other things he shutteth the door of his attention. For he is not willing to hearken unto the other verse which saith, "Whosoever wisheth to be My disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me;" nor unto the other which saith, "Whosoever wisheth to make his life to live shall destroy it," nor that which He spake unto His disciples, saying, "In the world ye shall have tribulations;" nor the words, "When the Bridegroom shall be taken from the children of the bridechamber, then shall ye fast."

When John's disciples approached … they questioned him even while he was at table, in the manner of a physician with the publicans: "Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, whereas your disciples do not fast?" Do you see how the same jealousy motivates and provokes birds of a feather and is made keen by the cruel goad of envy? On the one hand, it set the Pharisees, who boasted about being teachers, against the Teacher. For that reason they also said, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On the other hand, envy set John's disciples against Christ's disciples. That is why they also said, "How come your disciples do not fast?"

It is with the words of John, your own teacher, whom you esteem so highly, that I answer you. Keep it in mind, and you will have the answer to your question. When John bore witness concerning me, he said, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom." So, if I am the bridegroom and you don't make a liar out of your own teacher, you know in advance that it is important for my disciples, while they are the children of the marriage … to be gay and joyful and not to become upset or miserable over fasting. In certain respects, fasting is a source of annoyance and can also be arduous for those without a mature disposition.

"And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." "Now is the time for rejoicing as long as I am with My disciples," Jesus says. He calls Himself the bridegroom, as One Who betroths to Himself the new congregation, the old having died. The "sons of the bridechamber" [i.e. the wedding guests] are the apostles. Jesus says, "After I have suffered and ascended, the time will come for them to fast with great hunger and thirst and to be persecuted." To show that His disciples are not yet perfected, He adds:

For while each holy soul was sighing for the presence of Christ, bearing with difficulty the delay of the kingdom, greeting from afar the desired homeland with groans and sighs: does it not seem to you that any soul that had so acted on earth was fulfilling the role of the groaning and most chaste turtledove? From that time therefore and henceforth the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. Why should not the absence of Christ move me to frequent tears and daily groaning! "Lord, before you is all my desire, and my groaning is not hidden from you" (Ps 37:10). "I have labored in my groaning," you know; but blessed is he who was able to say: "I will wash my bed every night, with my tears I will drench my couch" (Ps 6:7). And not only for me, but also for all who love his coming, these groanings have been experienced. For this is what he himself was saying. "Can the sons of the bridegroom mourn," he says, "as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they will mourn" (Mt 9:15); as if he were saying: And then the voice of the turtledove will be heard.

And Jesus said to them... Here Jesus answers in a subtle way: first, he assigns a cause on his part; secondly, on the part of the disciples (v. 16).

In regard to the first he does two things: first, he determines the time for feasting; secondly, of fasting (v. 15b).

He says, therefore: Can the wedding guests [children of the bridegroom] mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? Where he says mourn, another says "fast"; for although a fast involves some joy, yet as it says in Hebrews (12:11): "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant." Hence there is a fast of spiritual joy, as it says in Daniel (9:3): "Then I turned my face to the Lord, seeking him by prayer and fasting and sackcloth and ashes." Likewise, it is mournful and afflictive, as when it involves pain.

The Lord answers concerning both. For the bridegroom is Christ; the one who has the bride is the bridegroom. For he is the bridegroom of the entire Church and is its source. The Old Law has one source; the New, another. For the Old Law had its beginning in fear; the New, in love: "You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship" (Rom 8:13); "You have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb 12:22). The origin of the New Law was in love; consequently, he should nourish his disciples in love. Hence he calls himself a bridegroom and the disciples children, because they exist in the name of love. Hence it is good that I preserve them; consequently, I do not want to impose anything burdensome on them, lest they detest it and thus withdraw. Therefore, those who are new in the religious life should not be burdened. Hence Ambrose in a book scolds those who lay great burdens on novices. And this is what Christ says: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn? As if to say: It is not fitting that they fast, but that they live in a gentle atmosphere and in love, so that they may accept my law in love, as it says in Romans (6:4): "As Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life." Hence from Easter to Pentecost are not fasts, because the Church is then celebrating the newness of life.

The days will come, namely, when you succeed in achieving it, when the bridegroom will be taken away, and then they will fast. And he foretold this to them, saying: "You will weep, but the world will rejoice" (Jn 16:20). Those who lived before Christ, as Abraham and Isaiah and the other prophets, and desired the presence of Christ. Likewise, after his death his presence was desired by the apostles; hence Peter suffered continual grief on account of Christ's absence, and Paul said: "I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ" (Phil 1:23). Hence this was the time for fasting. Another reason why they were not bound to fast in the time of Christ was that a fast should be undertaken as taming the flesh, so that it does not prevail against the spirit. But when he was present, he guarded them from excesses; therefore, it was not fitting that they fast. Hence John (17:12): "Father, while I was with them I have guarded them." But John the Baptist did not have this power; consequently, his disciples were expected to fast. Hence Paul says in 1 Corinthians (9:27): "I chastise my body and bring it under subjection."