Trapped in the Old Wineskin

Mark 2: 18-22

"...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."

Well I have to admit when I first read these verses I am offended as I am getting up into the older segment of the population. Am I then to consider my self to be an old wineskin? A wineskin not worthy of new wine?

All joking aside the real issue in this chapter of Mark is the topic of fasting. Why or Why not? Obligation or not?

Once again we have the Pharisees trying to stir up trouble among the followers of Jesus. They try the same tactics a child may use with their parents. The child's argument may go something like...why does Johnny get to do ___, and I cannot? The Pharisees try to cause tension among the disciples. They try to make them believe that by not fasting as was customary they were doing something wrong. "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?"

Jesus responds with a reference to the wedding party where the guests would certainly not fast as long as they were with the bridegroom. Jesus is in effect saying this is one of those times when it is permissible to deviate from the norm. It is much like allowing your kids to stay up past their bedtime when their grandparents are visiting. When the grandparents leave things will return to normal; in bed at 8:30 pm. if that is the rule.

The Pharisees did not want things to change; and they certainly did not want Jesus to be the one instigating any changes. In reality the Pharisees felt very threatened by Jesus and all the he represented.

I do not think we are that different from the Pharisees. In many ways we do not like change either. Take a moment right now to think about the changes in your life that you do not like. I can think of many in my own life.

Fasting for that time period meant you did not eat anything not just meat. So you can imagine how grumpy some people were from not eating. Maybe that is the promary problem with the Pharisees; they were just hungry. I know when I am hungry I cannot even think straight; I get grouchy and short-tempered. (I am not trying to discuss the pros and cons of fasting here.)

Jesus was the new wineskin and the new wine the Pharisees were the old wineskins. They were blinded by their stict adherence to the old laws. They were unable to see any reason for not fasting. They could not rejoice in the Lord!

The original picture I chose for this kaleidoscope was of a bare winter tree,

because if we cannot change and move forward we will cease to grow;

we will remain as bare branches.

While I too am challenged by change I believe it is necessary.

May you find a way to embrace change in your life and see it as catalyst for growth.

Psalm 40 "Here am I , Lord; I come to do your will."

The perfect psalm to complement today's scripture from the first book of Samuel. For the second time since returning to ordinary time we have the familiar story of young Samuel and Eli.

Sleeping...waking

Listening...answering

Wise...novice

This scripture reminds us once again that God is persistent and patient. He keeps waking Samuel until finally Eli, in his wisdom, understands who is really calling Samuel.

Sometimes we all can benefit from a mentor or a spiritual director. Someone who perhaps is more intuned to the voice of God. Someone who can say to you, "Have you considered that God could be calling you?"

It is not enough to recognize the voice of the Lord. Your response is the important part. Samuel answers, "Speak, for you servant is listening." Samuel has no idea what the Lord has in mind for him.

It can be scary to allow the Lord to guide your life. Sometimes he leads you to places you would rather not go. Sometimes we choose to ignore the voice of the Lord even after we have heard.

That brings me back to psalm 40...I come to do your will. As Jesus goes about calling his apostles each in their own way proclaimed psalm 40...they got up and followed Jesus.

When you hear the voice of the Lord the least you can do is show up....

"Come, and you will see." John 1:39

This kaleidoscope image captures the spirit of hearing the voice of the Lord.

If you Come and See you will live in a better place.

The Light of Christ will fill your soul.



Living on the Edge

Mark 2: 13-27

Jesus calls the tax collector.

Jesus is walking along the sea...If you are walking along the sea you are at the edge of the water. Jesus was on the edge with his message too. He chose to preach a message of love, healing, and mercy. He chose to deliver this message to lepers, paralytics, prostitutes, and now tax collectors.
Tax collectors were not your most likely followers of Jesus. The tax collectors were considered by some to be in the the category of sinners.

Jesus was 'living on the edge'.

To live on the edge is an idiom which means to have a type of life in which

you are often involved in exciting or dangerous activities.

Jesus placed himself in exciting and dangerous situations throughout his public ministry. He was not fearful of confrontation. He was not concerned with what others thougth about his actions.

He was certainly aware as word spread to all of what he was saying and doing. He knew his personal safety was in jeopardy, but he kept calmly moving among the peoples. He was busy about his father's business....spreading love and compassion.

As Jesus walked along the edge of the sea he was able to see the solid land on one side and the fluid water on the other hand. On the edge he was part of both; he could see the contrast. He is always able to see the contrast between good and evil. He is able to see the contrast within a person's soul. He is able to see the contrast in what you say and in how you live your life.

He is able to see the contrast between what we appear to be and what we are really.

This can bring a certain amount of comfort...knowing that your intentions are clearly seen by God. Some choose to ignore or deny this quality about God.

We can live our life on the edge too...stand up for what you know to be truth...speak kindly of others...express appreciation for the small things in your life...love without boundaries.

I chose this image of a person walking on the beach in order to capture the contrast of land and sea.

This kaleidoscope image shows both edges along the hexagon and contrasting colors.



Astounded...Wonder and Awe

In today's scripture we have another recounting of the healing ministry of Jesus.
(Mark 1:40-45, 2:1-12)
Yesterday we saw him going out to the land of the lepers. Lepers, by necessity were set apart, out cast from the community at large. It was not a virtual separation it was very real and visible.

http://www.ucatholic.com/category/readings/
Here is a link to the daily readings I thought you might appreciate.

I can relate to this separation because when I was four I contracted polio and my parents were plunged into a place of separation. In that time the medical community was still trying to dertermine how one contracted polio. The friends of my family were acting out of fear; they did not want to risk being exposed to this crippling disease. It was difficult for my parents to give up some of their friendships.

With that background I can empathize with these diseased ridden lepers. It is particularly worth noting that Jesus went out to them; he sought them out for healing. While Jesus made himself available to the lepers we only see one seeking healing.

At this time Jesus was being sought after by the authorities, and yet he was willing to place himself in harms way through this healing. He admonishes the leper saying, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing..." The cleansing had to be verified before the leper could be accepted back into the commuity and more importantly before he could inter into the temple for worship.

Jesus 'remained in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.'

The very next chapter of Mark we encounter Jesus in a crowded room. News of his ability to heal is spreading. It is only natural to want to have your health restored, to be physically whole once again. The room was crowded and not all present had pure hearts. Not all present came to be healed some were there to trip up Jesus and criticize not only his actions, but also his intentions.

Some were filled with fear; fear for their own position in the community. Some came in judgment.

The crippled man on the mat was lowered down from the rooftop to be healed. All present "were astounded and glorified God, saying, We have never seen anything like this."

God wants to heal us, but more importantly he wants to astound us. God wants to overwhelm us with love, mercy, and healing. The dictionary includes 'shock with wonder or surprise' in defining astound. When we are astounded how can we resist giving glory to God?

There is a reason why the gifts of the Spirit include Wonder and Awe.

Butterflies represent the Wonder and Awe of God. The color green is about growth and healing.

The Listening Servant

Okay I have a confession to make....I am addicted to the Internet. I was not able to post yesterday due to our modem ceasing to work.

The scripture for yesterday was the beautiful story of young Samuel. So Hannah was indeed blessed with a son...Samuel. It seems she made sure to keep her promise to God and arranged for Samuel to reside in the temple with Eli. How convenient when you have promised to give your child back to God.

Samuel in his youth is unfamiliar with the voice of the Lord. While he is sleeping he mistakenly thinks that Eli is calling him. He has gotten used to being called by Eli. Eli is his teacher, Eli is his mentor in the ways of God.

God is patient with the young boy and calls him not once, but three times. God is often persistent when he calls us too. Through the wisdom and guidance of Eli Samuel answers the Lord with a most profound response.  "Speak Lord for your servant is listening." Those words are so meaningful to me. Whenever I am faced with discerning a choice in my life this short verse comes to mind.

Part of praying is being able to humbly and sincerely speak those same words to the Lord. Once I have committed to listening to the Lord the whole game changes and I become God's instrument. I accept his invitation to "Come follow me". Sometimes listening to the Lord can be challenging, because sometimes he calls you where you do not want to go. Other times I have been listening and God is silent. When God is silent I sometimes get frustrated and confused about where he wants me. It is hard to wait.

I pray that you may recognize the voice of the Lord in your life and that you will respond appropriately. The Lord used Eli to alert Samuel to the voice of God and God can also use people in your life in the same fashion...to help you discern the voice of the Lord.

When you listen to the Lord you are filled with the brilliance of Love.

This image was captured from a glass candle holder etched with the letters

L O V E.

Prayers of Hannah

The book of Samuel 1:9-20

We find Hannah distraught with being unable to conceive children. She goes to the temple to pray, which is admirable, but she is bitter. She prays 'weeping copiously'; not too surprising for a woman to be crying. Right? Then she makes a deal with God.

I used to watch a television show called Deal or No Deal. People on this show would make unbelievable choices always  motivated by the lure of making a better deal. May be some food for thought there.

So back to Hannah. She not only begs to conceive a son; she goes on to make promises on behalf of this son. Now I am the mother of two sons and if I even begin to try to tell them how to live their lives they would resist. I am not sure about making these kinds of bargains with God, especially when they go beyond yourself. While I certainly pray for my children; I do not think our prayers should be bargains. When we come to the Lord in prayer it is 'Deal or No Deal', but God is in control.

The best attitude for me is to pray that I will have the grace to accept God's answer, especially when it is contrary to what I want. But as we read on in the book of Samuel God does bless Hannah with a son. He does answer her prayers.

Hannah's prayer was 'prompted by her deep sorrow and misery'. St. Catherine of Sienna, a Doctor of the Church says, "...never let your soul give in to sadness or discouragement, for the devil would like nothing better." She warns us that these feelings tempt us to give up on God; even to stop praying in some cases.

I admire Hannah because she does take her sadness to God in her prayer.

"May the spoken words of my mouth, thoughts of my heart, win favor in your sight, O Lord."

(Ps. 19:15)

Let our prayers rise up to God like fragrant incense, carrying our sadness and disappointments to him. If you focus on the smoke from incense, it first rises filling, clouding the air for a moment and then it slowly disappears. This rising incense becomes one with the surrounding air leaving behind only it's fragrance as evidence of its presence. (More about the importance of fragrance another time.)

Hannah called out to the Lord in prayer and she was blessed by his answer...Samuel.

"Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,

which are the prayers of the holy ones." (Revelation 5:8)

Music and incense, ambience for prayer.

I chose this original picture because it captured the incense smoke rising.

I am eager to be overshadowed with the fragrance of God.

The Beloved

Today's reading is the Baptism of the Lord. "After the Lord was baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Mt. 3: 16-17

The other time Jesus is referred to as the beloved was at the Transfiguration.
It is such an endearing statement...my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Every child longs to hear that they are loved by their parents. Many times, as parents we say words that do not project the emotional content. In some cases the words do not even match the emotion; they are simply empty words. The letters of the words are only outlined with nothing inside. Children have this uncanny ability to see through hollow words and often reject the person.

In this passage God saturates our senses with vivid details. Visually we can picture the clouds billowing apart swirling about until a clearing is revealed. We are given another more beautiful image in the Spirit descending like a dove. We can easily picture a beautiful white dove, wings outstretched, fluttering down upon Jesus. God gives us this image so that we have something tangible to identify the Spirit. God wants us to be able to accept what is taking place. He gave us eyes so that we can see and believe. sometimes the Spirit comes like a wind, but this time it is a dove.

...the voice of the Fathered thundered...thundered is such a powerful word. If you are intently watching a movie and all of a sudden there is a loud sound it is natural to be startled or even frightened. So when the invisible voice came unexpected and like thunder it must have made a huge impact.

I want to invite you to place yourself into this scene and confidently hear the Father speak these same words to you. This is my Beloved daughter/son (add your own name here too), in whom I am well pleased.

Isaiah records in chapter 42:1 the Lord saying, "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whomI have put my spirit...". He continues in verses 6-7 with a beautiful image "I have grasped you by the hand". If we place our hand in the hand of the Father we will only want to do what pleases him as we walk together.

The original image was of a white dove amidst the clouds. I chose this kaleidoscope image because to me it captures the beauty of being a 'beloved' child of God's.

Walk hand in hand with the Lord.