Friday – 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel - Luke 5: 33-39

Out With the Old, In With the New

Boat Chapel, Magdala

Generally I am the dishwasher in the family.  I’m not exactly sure how that chore originated but I honestly don’t mind the daily routine of washing dishes. The easy part is loading the dishwasher but that is not the case with pots and pans, ziplock bags and especially foil loaf pans!!!  I understand the practicality and the usefulness of re-using the plastic bags and foil pans.  But I also question – why bother!     I keep telling myself - there are plenty more where that one came from!  Why waste all that time!  I would much prefer to use it once and then recycle right away.  Either way, there comes a time when the pans/bags eventually outlive their usefulness.  They develop holes (I find that out the hard way).  Or they become too warped or out of shape!  So then I toss them out and buy/use new ones.  Yaa Me!

Out with the old and in with the new!  As parents we know this to be true!  You only have to look at the grade school parent Facebook page for the past couple of weeks and see the variety of school uniforms and gym clothes, shoes and sweats, that parents are offering up for anyone who can use them.  The kids have outgrown their clothes and it’s time to buy new ones or look for donated ones online.

And that is what we hear in today’s Gospel!  Out with the old and in with the new!  We cannot stay stuck in the past!  There comes a point when we must let go of the old ways, as painful as that can be, and move forward.  All of us who went through ‘Renew’ in the Chicago Archdiocese know what I am talking about!

We are all part of the “New” Covenant!  It is a covenant of love and compassion and forgiveness.  And it challenges us to change as well!  Every day we are called to conversion, to listen to God’s Word and allow it to guide our path!  Jesus tells the Pharisees that these changes are a good thing – new cloak, new wine, new wineskins.  This is a cause for celebration.  But the leaders don’t see it; they refuse to see it.

If nothing else, we have been given the precious gift of time, time to grow in our faith and time to learn from the Master.  Time to toss out the old wine and savor the new!  Time not so much to complain about what we miss but to appreciate all that we have and where we are heading!  It is not about throwing out the past; it is about moving forward toward the Kingdom.  We are all ‘new’ people, baptized in Christ!  And we are called to grow in faith!

Great Spirit, I know that every change is preceded by a struggle.  Help me through this struggle.  Pour down your grace and strength and courage and hope to face this new day.

 


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Feast of the Presentation Gospel – Luke 2:22-40 We Are Family Church of St. Joseph, Nazareth 5 extremely short stories to start the day! Once all the people in a village decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That is faith. When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That is trust. Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but we still set the alarm to wake up. That is hope. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That is confidence. We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and have children. That is love. Faith, hope, love, confidence and trust!   Sounds like a perfect list of values/virtues for a happy family! Today’s Gospel tells us of another family – the Holy Family going up to Jerusalem with the baby Jesus to present Him to the Lord in ...
Read more
Image
Sunday – Feast of Corpus Christi Gospel – Luke 9:11b-17 Loaves and Fishes Church at Tabgha Throughout those 2 years of isolation from Covid,   I really missed my St. Kateri community.   I missed my native brothers and sisters.   I miss crowding ourselves into the chapel on a Sunday morning for Mass.   And I miss our community potluck meal afterwards. I think that I missed that simple meal the most; it speaks volumes to me about the community and about the values that should define our lives.   I said a ‘simple’ meal but actually it’s more of a constant miracle.   Jody, our director, and/or Ginger provide the main course.   And that’s it!   All the rest – sides, salads, pasta, dessert, bread and drinks   - all of that is left to the community.   Bring something to share!   We never know how many people will come!   We never know what they will bring!   Ginger always calls it a “loaves and fishes” event! ...
Read more
Image
  Tuesday – St. Aloysius Gonzaga Gospel – Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Narrow Gate Old City, Jerusalem We celebrate today the Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.   He was raised in a wealthy and powerful noble family in northern Italy in the 16 th century.   As a youth, he served as a page for King Philip and afterwards trained to be a soldier.   However that career path was cut short by kidney disease.   After he recovered, he gave up all his wealth and title and entered the Jesuit order at the age of 19.   When the plague broke out in Rome, he volunteered to care for the sick.   Unfortunately he fell victim to the disease and died a scant 4 months later at the age of 22. He could have easily kept his title and wealth; he could have enjoyed a comfortable easy life.   But instead he chose a different path, a path that was not only uncomfortable but extremely difficult and   challenging. In terms of today’s Gospel, Aloysius chose the ‘narr...
Read more