“But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” (Lk 5:35)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
1 COR 4:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 5:33-39
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 5:33-39
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In the Word of God in today's Gospel, God teaches the disciples as well as everyone: do not have a heart that compares, judges, and calculates like people in the world.
He reminds those who have an impure heart, that they do not belong to God but belong to the world: God does not want His children to walk in darkness: that is when their hearts are always judging and jealous of their brothers and sisters. God does not want people to use human reason to judge and condemn anyone, because no one understands the hearts of others. Only God alone has the right to judge and condemn the thoughts and actions of their brothers and sisters.
Today's Gospel recounts the story of the Pharisees blaming and condemning Jesus' disciples for not fasting. They intended to blame the disciples for not having a moral, holy and sacrificial life like the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees. Through this story, God wanted to remind them that: where God is present, there is happiness, joy and peace, so people do not need to fast; because they sacrifice and fast to wait for God to come to save the world, and He is already present among them. Therefore, Jesus said, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, they will fast. God never criticizes or condemns people for sacrificing, fasting, and mortifying themselves. But He wanted to teach His disciples the meaning of fasting and repentance to strengthen their faith and convince them why people fast.
To talk about keeping the law, Jesus gave the parable: 'new wine with new wineskins', and 'old clothes and new clothes'. These are two images symbolizing the Old Law and the New Law. Through that, He wants to emphasize to everyone that: When God brings the New Law to people, people must live in accordance with this New Law, which is the law of Love. God does not tell people to give up fasting and self-denial, but He wants to emphasize and call on each person to be aware of their sinful condition and to be awake and aware of their actions before God. We must always examine ourselves and check our conscience before God: have our words and actions pleased God? Have we listened to and obeyed the law of love that God has given us? Only then will our souls always be converted and renewed so that we can live more pleasingly to God every day.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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