Reflection
Today is Saturday, July 5. It is the Saturday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time. The Gospel of Matthew speaks of change, of viewing the circumstances of life differently, and of transformation. The Gospel talks about the fasting of the Pharisees and the feasting of Jesus’ disciples. The practice of fasting was prevalent in the lives of the Jewish people at the time of Christ. Fasting was practiced then, and is practiced now in our Catholic faith. However, Jesus is inviting us to be open to change; to be open to the seasons of life. There will be a time for fasting. However, there should also be a time for feasting. There will be times of mourning, but times of great joy. We are called to be “elastic”, rather than rigid, and recognize the need for change. We are called to seek the presence of God in all the seasons of life.
The Gospel also serves as a reminder that we need to be open to transformative change; open to being created into new wineskins. Often, we recognize the need for change. We sense the call to start anew. However, there is a tendency to try to simply patch up or cover over that which needs change in our lives.
God’s grace is sufficient for life-changing transformation. However, we need to prepare the vessel. How do we even begin the process of becoming a “new wineskin”? I think there is a clue in the First Reading from Genesis. We need to empty ourselves, to become more selfless. When Rebekah hears of the special blessing that Isaac wants to give his oldest son, Esau, she moves quickly to deceive Isaac. Jacob willingly goes along with this treachery and receives the special blessing reserved for Esau. Now we know we cannot deceive God, but we often deceive ourselves. We trick ourselves into thinking we don’t need to change, We fool ourselves into thinking that transformation in areas of our lives is not necessary.
The first step in becoming a “new wineskin” is the recognition that some things have to go out with the old. The next step is to prepare ourselves to receive what God wants to pour into us. We need to cleanse our soul through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We need to open our hearts to the graces and fruits of the Holy Spirit through adoration, prayer, and the receiving of the Eucharist.
Today we are invited to look at our lives and ask ourselves – “What in my life needs to go out with the old”? Ask ourselves, “What in my life needs to be made new.” We are invited to seek Christ who said in Revelation 21:5 – “Behold I make all things new.”