NEW WINE, FRESH SKIN

PRAYER MOMENT                          

Saturday 5 July 2014  

NEW WINE, FRESH SKINS

Pause. Recall that you are in the presence of God.

Reading: “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do the skins burst, the wine runs out and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.” (Matt. 9:14-17)

Reflection. Here is another sharp image on the kingdom of God, which is “among you.” The prophet Amos spoke of “re-erecting the tottering hut of David” (9:11), but patching and repairing won’t do in the new dispensation. Jesus has come to do something new. True, the Old Testament and the tradition and culture of people are the foundations on which the kingdom will be built. But the reign of God will be something new. Our life, our faith, cannot be a compromise with our own convenience and comfortable habits. Marriages sometimes stumble because one or both of the partners are unwilling to forgive. Peace between nations falters because people are unwilling to make the leap of imagination needed. And in our own individual lives we cling to what gives us least trouble.

  

Prayer. Lord Jesus, give us the courage and imagination to live the newness and freshness you call us to. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ