Read Genesis 27:1-5,15-29, Ps. 135:1-6, Matthew 9:14-17
“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:15)
Some time ago, I saw a documentary on the process of wine brewing, and it was interesting to see how grapes are harvested, pressed and fermented to produce wine. What struck me while watching the documentary was the fact that the shape of the wine glass determines the taste of the wine.
How is it possible that the exact wine tastes differently in different types of glass? In today’s Gospel passage, we see that wine selects its container. You do not put new wine into old wineskins lest you risk losing the wine and the skins.
Just as wine selects its container, the Christian life also selects its environment, a particular mode of behaviour, and a specific type of spirituality that is befitting a Christian.
You cannot claim to be a Christian with a bad attitude. You risk losing your Christian Faith and even your very life itself. Again, you cannot be a Christian and still live a life of pretence or show-off, as the case may be. Otherwise, one day your “skin” will burst, and the whole world know you have just been deceiving yourself.
A genuine Christian acts based on conviction. Do not go about fasting just because you see people fast. If you must fast, then let your fasting be personal to you. Please do not make a show of it.
In today’s first reading, we saw how Jacob trickily obtained the blessing for Esau through the connivance of Rebekah, his mother. In truth, Esau himself had already sold his birthright to Jacob, and as such, Rebekah only assisted Jacob in getting what had become his. Some of the lessons we learn from this episode include:
a. There is nothing as precious as a Father’s blessing. The property will surely fade away, but the blessing remains forever.
b. We must guard against hasty pronouncements. Esau probably did not think it through before giving away his blessing for a porridge pot.
Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, may the wine of your sweetness find a ready skin in my heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of week 13 in Ordinary Time, Bible Study: Genesis 27:1-5,15-29, Ps. 135:1-6, Matthew 9:14-17).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu