Fasting and the Bridegroom

~~~1 Samuel 15:16-23 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Mark 2:18-22 ~~~

Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission than the fat of rams.

Samuel reprimands Saul for not being completely 

obedient to the will of God.

Saul has only partially carried 

out the task set before him from God.

He lets greed take hold of his heart.

Saul selectively carried out the wishes of the Lord.

Keeping for himself some of the best from the city.

He and his troops spared Agag and the best of the 

fat sheep and oxen, and the lambs. 

They refused to put under the ban 

anything that was worthwhile, destroying 

only what was worthless and of no account. 

Later he is so full of pride for his victory 

he erects a statue to honor himself.

When God sets us out to complete a task he expects 

us to complete the task in his name.

He does not give us permission

 to make exceptions for our personal satisfaction.

Saul is so blinded by his own accomplishments

 that he looses sight of his directive from God.

Jesus speaks of himself as the bridegroom in this chapter of Mark.

Fasting was common in among the local people at that time.

Of course Jesus knew of the prescribed fasting custom;

 he intentionally ignores it.

Instead he gives an analogy of the bridegroom,

which seems out in left field

It is true that when you are attending a wedding celebration

 few if any people would be fasting.

Jesus tries to present a different picture of the bridegroom;

namely himself. He is the bridegroom who will be leaving.

When he leaves it will be because he has been crucified.

His death and crucifixion will be the cause for fasting...

a fasting representing mourning.

But the days will come when the bridegroom

 is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.

Today we are encouraged by the our church

 to practice fasting during Lent and especially on Good Friday.

Fasting puts us in a better state to hear the Lord speaking to our hearts.

Food is no longer a distraction...our prayer life and our 

relationship with God takes on a deeper meaning.

...new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.

Jesus is the new wine. Everything about his way

 is in contradiction with the elders.

Jesus in effect is saying...whatever you thought 

you knew about God, you were so not right.

Jesus makes all things new...

even when we do not know anything needs to be changed.

It is so easy to just keep on doing what we have done for years.

Habits, good or bad, become a part of who we are.

They often reflect our system of beliefs.

Begin taking an internal assessment of your heart.

What needs to change? Ask God to help you see 

the ways you have held on to the old.

He wants to replace the old with the new;

but first you must identify the old.

We cannot change what we cannot claim as ours.

Blessings in having the courage and faith

 to look within for what needs to be removed.

Make room for the new wine.

Peace!

Connecting the Old and New

Memorial of Saint Agnes

 

~~~ Hebrews 5:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 110 ~~~ Mark 2:18-22 ~~~

 

Fasting or not...new wineskin or old...

We are routinely faced with the challenge of maintaining balance in our life.

There is a time for fasting, but certainly not when you are attending a festive occasion.

It would almost be rude to tell the host that you could not eat because of your

choice to maintain your fasting.

Celebrations such as weddings are not about fasting.

 

'... new wine is poured into fresh wineskins...'

 

How do you know when it is time for a new wine skin?

Is the old seasoned wine skin always inferior?

Is the new preferred?

 

God makes all things new.

Is new always better?

Where is the value in being aged?

Certainly aged wine is preferred...it becomes richer and full-bodied.

 

In light of the current trend to recycle;

an old wine skin would be valued.

But there is a deeper meaning here being made by Jesus.

He himself is like the new wine.

If we do not change our heart we are not capable of completely taking in the Lord.

If we do not have a change of heart then the presence of God

will send us into turmoil.

 

If you put the new wine into the old wineskin it will eventually spill out.

The seams will rupture and the contents will be lost.

So it is with the heart.

By the grace of our faith we are granted conversion of heart.

Conversion of the heart is making it new again.

That is the power of grace.

 

 

Looking at the comparison of the old with the new:

I cannot imagine not having the writings of the Old Testament.

So much about Jesus is rooted in the Old Testament;

after all he was raised as Jew.

Much of what he brought into the New Testament began

with something in the Old.

Jesus never indicated that once he came to live among us that we should

discard the prophetic writings of the Old Testament.

 

From the old comes wisdom and with this wisdom a better new can come into reality.

Jesus built upon the old; making the new a reality through his presence.

 

His new teachings brought forth a greater communion with God.

He came to do the will of the Father.

 

Through his ultimate obedience the old was given a counter balance.

The new was born in him, Jesus.

The one who came to save.

The God of wrath and destruction was now

revealed as the God of forgiveness and compassion.

 

 '...new wine is poured into fresh wineskins...

 

Jesus is both; the new wine and the new wineskin.

Within him we will find our balance.

Some things are better left behind

as we move forward to embrace the new.

 

Be Blessed today.

Juice of the Finest Grapes

~~~ Amos 9:11-15 ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 9: 14-17 ~~~

"The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountain, and the hills
shall run with it."

This is such a vivid visual. Imagine the juice of grapes...wine pouring down a mountainside. Rivers and streams overflowing with red and purple juice from the finest grapes. What a sight this would be to behold.

I cannot help but think of the outpouring of the precious blood of our Lord.

From the top of Calvary hanging on the cross his blood streamed down for our salvation. Jesus gave us the consecration of his body and blood
at the Last Supper.

He used wine, the juice of grapes, to represent his own blood for us.

He says,  “Drink from it, all of you,for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day

when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.”

(Matt. 26:27-29)

Jesus himself is both the new wine and the new wineskin.

He is one in the same; he came that we might have new life.

"...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."

If we remain unchanged when we hear the Lord or when we encounter him among us we are the old wineskins. The old wineskins are worn by use over the years. The old wine skins have lost their capacity for preserving new wine.

The old wineskins are more apt to rupture and spill the new wine.

We are given numerous invitations to become new wineskins...through many of our Sacraments. If we want to  be containers ready to receive the new wine then it seems that we would also want to be like new wineskins as well.

The psalmist sings for God to create a new heart in him; we too can sing to become new wineskins. New wineskins eager to embrace the wine of mercy and compassion.

The new wine poured out for us as the juice of finest grapes

flooding the streams and valleys with love.

So what are you going to do...hold on to the old wineskin and reminisce

or accept the new wineskin with hope and joy?

Freely drink in the new wine given to us by himself as himself of himself.