A reading of the holy Gospel according to MT 9:14-17
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,but your disciples do not fast?”Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mournas long as the bridegroom is with them?The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,and then they will fast.No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.People do not put new wine into old wineskins.Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
REFLECTION
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
In trying to become a new person, sometimes we change only the outward appearances. And the more people comment on our prayer life and our attitudes, we start thinking that we are in full control of our holiness. And we don't change interiorly. Then we become frustrated, hurt, angry, anxious or start beating ourselves since we are still trying to be in control
God is always present in our lives. Always in the present. Are we aware of His nearness to us? Do we live our lives continually to be near Him? Or are we looking back, reminding ourselves of the misdeeds of the past, or looking to the future" because just like that" we can foretell disaster is on the way.
No matter how much we try on our own, unless we live daily in His presence, always aware that He is right there with us, we will not become new.
With new wineskins, all that God has in store for us, the graces He gives us will pour in to us. God will shine in us. Kindness and love will grow, as our faults become smaller and less frequent.
To earn heaven we must become God-like. And the Holy Spirit will lead us to that goal. Gradually we become better, less slip ups, more self discipline. It takes effort on our part, a life of prayer, sacrifice and work.
May we become more aware of the presence of God in our lives.
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