Become New And Fresh

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 

Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But 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 unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:18-22)

Jesus is the new wine.  Are we fresh wineskins?   Or, are we old skins and incapable of holding the wine.  Are we old cloaks trying to repair our torn selves with unshrunken cloth?  In other words, are we prepared and willing to really hear what Jesus has to say to us, or do we refuse to turn the page and adapt to changing circumstances in our lives especially those that challenge our morality?

To become new and fresh we first need to review and perhaps adjust our moral compasses.   Are there tears in our compass?  Is it pointing us in the right direction consistent with Jesus’ teaching and Christ’s light?  Have we caused tears in the eyes of those close to us?

Most of us never think of our moral compass.  It is to guide us through the dark times in our lives, and even our nation.  Let’s hope the "Pastis rats" among us have a change of heart and their compasses’ needles begin to point to right and just actions.

Deacon David Pierce