18th, January, MondayI. Heb 5:1-10
II. Mk 2:18-22
Theme: Open your hearts to something new
The Gospel of today focuses on the meaning of fasting. Mark tells us that the disciples of John and the Pharisees typically fasted. Several individuals approached Jesus and said to him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus did not directly answer their question but rather posed a question to them. “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus went on to say, “The day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away and then it will be time for the disciples to fast.”
Jesus then used metaphors to make his point. He told the people, “No one sews new material onto an old piece of cloth. The new material will pull away from the old cloth.” Jesus’ point was that the old has gone, the new has come. The two are not compatible. To put new wine in old skins ruins both the skins and the wine. New wine requires new skins.
Doing good things doesn’t solve the problem of our alienation from God. Our pride, our selfishness, the sin in our heart, is still there. Jesus was clear that his message and teaching was very different from the teaching of the Pharisees. Imagine the reactions of the people who were listening to him. Some of them must have been shocked by his teaching. Jesus’ message and His presence are new every single day. Be open to the gift God is offering you and allow God's love to be poured into you. Today, we pray for the grace to experience that love, that gift, in our hearts, and to share it with others.
Bro. Ruban
II BTH