Fr Paul Gooley reads today’s Gospel from Mark (2: 18-22) in which Jesus is questioned about his followers not fasting, when the disciples of others are. Fr Paul says today’s reading comes from Mark’s collection of several confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees in Galilee. The Pharisees were absolute sticklers for observance of the practices of the Jewish Law. Fasting was originally a sign of sorrow and repentance – if you are really upset, like with a death of a family member, you might not want to eat much. Presumably, the disciples of John the Baptist fasted also as part of their change of lifestyle or conversion in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ reply shows that the joyful moment of the coming of the Messiah, the coming of the Kingship of God, has already burst upon them. It is a time not for mourning but for an explosion of joy. He appeals to the idea of the splendid wedding-feast, to be celebrated when the sovereignty of God is completed and God’s love for his people is sealed in a marriage-bond. But he adds the warning that a time is coming when the bridegroom will be taken away. Jesus might be referring to his own passion and death, or to a time where it might seem that Christ is absent from his Church. Then comes a little group of images, perhaps sayings of Jesus originally independent, all teaching that our behaviour must be totally new: it is no good mixing new habits with old. Today, Fr Paul says, we might ask ourselves…What behaviours do I need to change in my life?