The Holy Gospel according to Luke (5:33-39).
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: The scribes and the Pharisees were always challenging and questioning Jesus about things he did and said. Here they questioned Jesus about why his disciples do not fast and pray. Jesus answered them with a parable, explaining that no one sews a new patch on an old cloak, nor puts new wine into old wineskins. Both the cloak and the wineskin will be ruined. Jesus’ message is clear. Jesus has come to bring something radically new to the people he met. He brings something new that cannot simply fit into their “old” ways.
Today’s Gospel invites us to reflect on how Jesus calls us to embrace “new” things. We are called to be open to conversion, transformation and change in our spiritual lives. God’s grace is always new and abundant, asking us to grow in love and faith. As Catholic Christians, we are called to grown in wisdom and knowledge of our faith. We cannot be stuck in our old habits.
I recall our spiritual life being compared to trying to fit into our baptismal or first communion garment. We would not fit into them now because we have grown. Our spiritual life is also called to grow so that the new ways of Jesus can “fit” in. The newness that Jesus brings and the new life He offers us should transform and reshape our lives to bring us closer to God, if we allow it. That is our choice.
Action of the Day: Think of some of our “old” ways that keep us from experiencing the newness that Jesus brings to us. Are we stuck in our “old” ways? By embracing the new life that Jesus offers to us, we allow His love to reshape us and bring us closer to God’s kingdom.
Audio Reflection:
