Isaiah 58:1-9 / Matthew 9:14-15
What we do and say express who we are as well as our values.
In other words, what fills our hearts will be expressed in our words and actions.
It can also be said that our spirituality is expressed in our activity.
So, if we do a religious act, then it should express what we believe in.
When we pray, it means that we are close to God and want to be like God in what we do and say.
When we fast, it means that we want to detach ourselves from earthly desires and also to express our need for God.
But if we pray, and yet do not live holy lives, then there is a contradiction.
If we fast, and yet we are dishonest and tell lies, then there is a contradiction.
That is what the 1st reading is saying about fasting:
You do business on your fast days, you oppress all your workmen.
Look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast and strike the poor man with your fist.
In the season of Lent, there is an emphasis on prayer, penance and almsgiving.
We do this because we want to draw nearer to God and repent of our sins.
May these spiritual disciplines also be a means for us to express our love for God and for others.