First reading Amos 9:11-15
I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
It is the Lord who speaks:
‘That day I will re-erect the tottering hut of David,
make good the gaps in it, restore its ruins
and rebuild it as it was in the days of old,
so that they can conquer the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that belonged to me.’
It is the Lord who speaks, and he will carry this out.
‘The days are coming now – it is the Lord who speaks –
when harvest will follow directly after ploughing,
the treading of grapes soon after sowing,
when the mountains will run with new wine
and the hills all flow with it.
I mean to restore the fortunes of my people Israel;
they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them,
plant vineyards and drink their wine,
dig gardens and eat their produce.
I will plant them in their own country,
never to be rooted up again
out of the land I have given them,
says the Lord, your God.’
Responsorial Psalm 84(85): 9,11-14
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people and his friends
and those who turn to him in their hearts.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
Gospel Matthew 9:14-17
When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast
John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. 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.’
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The new wine of God’s love
Our Christian faith is one of joy, not sadness. It is a deep joy that comes
from the certainty that God is with us and loves us unconditionally and
faithfully. His living presence brings gladness to our lives. In today’s
gospel, John’s disciples regarded God as God of the law. Therefore, they
could not understand why Jesus’ disciples did not fast as required. Jesus
told them that His disciples did not fast because He had come to bring
the new wine of God’s merciful and unconditional, and thus, it was a time
of joy.
from the certainty that God is with us and loves us unconditionally and
faithfully. His living presence brings gladness to our lives. In today’s
gospel, John’s disciples regarded God as God of the law. Therefore, they
could not understand why Jesus’ disciples did not fast as required. Jesus
told them that His disciples did not fast because He had come to bring
the new wine of God’s merciful and unconditional, and thus, it was a time
of joy.
Jesus continues to offer us the new wine, the good news of God’s love.
The new wine that Jesus brings requires us to let go of our old ways of
relating with God, old ways of scrupulously observing laws, and old ways
of life that do not reflect God’s loving presence. Instead, Jesus calls us
to have a new wineskin, i.e. a new way of knowing and loving God, a
new way of living joy and sharing God’s love with others.
The new wine that Jesus brings requires us to let go of our old ways of
relating with God, old ways of scrupulously observing laws, and old ways
of life that do not reflect God’s loving presence. Instead, Jesus calls us
to have a new wineskin, i.e. a new way of knowing and loving God, a
new way of living joy and sharing God’s love with others.
Question for reflection:
Does my faith in God bring joy to my life?
Does my faith in God bring joy to my life?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
