Gospel 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.’”
Reflection:
“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.”
The scribes and Pharisees were considered the most religious men of their day. Many were good people, but scrupulous in their observance of the religious laws and traditions. They could not understand how Jesus and his followers who claimed to be of God, could live such a carefree life, seemingly unbound by rules and traditions.
Jesus explained by using the example of a wedding feast where all the guests are celebrating with the groom. He reminded them that just as there is no time for sadness and long faces at a wedding, our relationship with God should be one of happiness, joy, celebration, and mercy.
Today, Pope Francis, like Jesus, is encouraging Catholics and all Christians, to open their minds to apply the rules and traditions of our church in a way that considers love and mercy first, before strict application of the law.
However, like the scribes and Pharisees, we too can get caught up in rules and regulations.
When My Brother’s Keeper first announced our policy of “no prerequisites for service” i.e., that we would help people without requiring them to provide any qualifying information, we were looked at by some as being foolish.
In the early days of the ministry, an acquaintance who had years of experience serving others said, “They will take advantage of you. They will rob you blind.”
I was shocked at his remark because I knew him to be someone who had helped hundreds of people in his life. But sadly, in truth, he had become skeptical and untrusting.
At My Brother’s Keeper, we tell people who are worried about someone taking advantage of our services that it may possible to take advantage of the furniture, but it’s impossible to take advantage of the crucifix and our mission to spread the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
If we required people to qualify for assistance, it would be the same as saying to the person seeking help, “We will bring you the love and hope of Jesus Christ, as long as you can prove you qualify for the couch you’re requesting.”
As Christians, we must have the courage to extend the love and mercy of God, even when it makes us look foolish in the eyes of men.
“If you start to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving poor, you are finished at least as far as the gospel is concerned.” Bishop Kenneth Unterner