First reading Colossians 1:15-20
All things were created through Christ and for Christ
Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –
all things were created through him and for him.
Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.
As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross.
Responsorial Psalm 99(100):2-5
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Cry out to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
Gospel Luke 5:33-39
When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast
The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’
He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.
‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’
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Jesus, image of the invisible God
In the first reading, St Paul reminds us that “Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God.” This is the central truth of our Christian faith: Jesus took on human flesh to reveal the very essence of God to humanity. Let us take a moment to reflect on this profound reality. The life of Jesus, marked by His compassionate acts, His words of reconciliation, and His unwavering commitment to selfless service, reveals a God whose essence is love. His invitation calls us to come to know the God He reveals. Knowing God involves not just an intellectual understanding but also a friendship based on trust and faith in Him.
In today’s gospel, Jesus challenged the Jewish religious leaders to go beyond the rigid and legalistic observances and to relate to God in a new and deeper way. Jesus invites us to embrace the joy and freedom of God’s presence today. True spirituality stems from a joyful intimacy with God, rather than from strict adherence to rituals.
Reflective question:
How can I express my love for the God revealed by Jesus?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
