The Advent fasting period originally lasted 40 days and ended on Christmas Day (25 December).

The fasting that Jesus spoke of is not centred on renunciation. Rather, fasting means letting go of something in order to spend time with God.

Fasting is not a hunger strike. Rather, fasting is a declaration of love to God. It is a way of saying: You are more important to me than eating and drinking.

When we fast, it is not the people around us who should notice, but the heavenly Father (according to Matthew 6:18).

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It’s all a question of motives

In Matthew 6:1-6, Jesus shows that it is possible to do the right thing even with the wrong motives.

The point is that we do not act and believe because of expectations or threats, but because we are fascinated by God’s love and mercy (cf. 1 John 4:18-19).

There is extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. The question is: Do I want to do something, or do I HAVE to do something?

With an intrinsic desire, I am fascinated by something, I want to deepen something, have new experiences, create something. I do things without somebody needs to motivate me to do them. I also do them without being seen. For example: I talk to God because I want to spend time with him.

Jesus says: ‘Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.’

Therefore, we don’t act in order to be loved, but we act because we have experienced God’s love. That is why the right does not need to know what the left is doing (6:3). We don’t have to count up.

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