The Gospel Proclamation Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast? Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Gaze at Jesus “Likewise no one pours new wine into old wineskins ... Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins. (vs. 22) Let us gaze at Jesus, or enter into the mind of Jesus in and through these words. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, enlighten us ... Disciples of John the Baptist, and Pharisees belong to the old testament era. Jesus came to inaugurate the new testament. Old and New ... old practices and new practices ... Jesus says that He came not to annul the old testament but to fulfil or complete it. And so, Jesus seems to say that one needs to comprehend, understand the implications of the New Testament upon the Old Testament, to understand them in the correct perspective. Otherwise, there will be chaos - “no one pours new wine into old wineskins, ... will burst the skins ... both the wine and the skins are ruined.” (vs. 22)
Prayerful Awareness Today’s first reading, 1 Samuel 15:16-23 seems to give the clues to understand the Gospel reading. “Does the Lord so delight in holocausts and sacrifices, as in obedience to the command of the Lord? Obedience is better than sacrifice and submission than the fat of rams.” (vs. 22) The Old Testament understanding of “sacrifice” is now changed according to the New Testament, from offering a holocaust, to offering one’s own will, or surrendering one’s own will in favour of the Will of God. In other words, in being obedient to the commands of the Lord. - “Obedience is better than sacrifice and submission than the fat of rams.” (vs. 22) This, Jesus Himself did on the cross - “Father, let your Will be done, not mine.”
Prayer Starter Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; Fulfill your vows to the Most High Then, call on me in time of distress I will rescue you and you shall honor me
