"Why don't your disciples fast" is the question some people asked Jesus in the portion of Mark's Gospel that we read today. The disciples of John fast, and the disciples of the pharisees fast, the people point out. So why don't yours, they ask. There are two aspects of jesus' response that we might consider as we reflect on our own practices of fasting and other physical practices iontended to bring us closer to God. Jesus' first response is to use a wedding analogy --- one that the Church uses a lot. Jesus calls Himself the bridegroom and reminds His listeners that at the wedding feast no one fasts while the bridegroom is there. So, Jesus is suggesting, since Jesus is present with His disciples-- at the wedding feast-- there is no reason to fast. Of course what Jesus said was true 2,000 years ago, but in a very real sense it is also the case that Jesus is with us now in the Eucharist. Reminds us, I suppose, that of all the spiritual practices in which we might engage-- prayer, fasting, meditation, you name it-- regular reception of the Eucharist is the most important and the most productive. We are truly with the Bridegroom. The other aspect of Jesus' response to the "why don't your disciples fast" question bears a bit of thought as well. In that second response Jesus uses analogies to tell us that He is doing something completely new and so, by analogy, the old covenant practices of ritual sacrifice and fasting need to be viewed in a new light. In Matthew's Gospel (12:7) Jesus makes the point explicitly when He responds to the criticism of the Pharisees that He and His disciples are picking grain on the Sabbath, in violation of the rules about doing work on that day, by reminding the Pharisees of the words of the prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." The characteristics of the heart-- love, mercy, compassion, joy-- are a greater gift to God than any fasting could ever be. Perhaps fasting and other physical practices can lead us to the characteristics of the heart that truly matter-- or, put more accurately, can help us remove obstacles that stand in the way of God's working within us to develop those characteristics, attitudes and behaviors that truly matter. So, if today we hear His voice, harden not our hearts!