Do you know how and why you were created? St. Paul gives us the answer to that in today’s first reading from Colossians 1. In speaking of Christ Jesus, St. Paul writes, “All things were created through him and for him.” So, you were created through Christ Jesus and FOR Christ Jesus. Let’s remember to live our lives today just like that: THROUGH Jesus and FOR Jesus!
In the Gospel reading today from Luke 5, Jesus tells 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.” Now, I’ve never used a wineskin, and today clothes are pretty much disposable, so we’re not too familiar with patching clothes. So what’s the point?
Jesus is saying that when we put on the new, when we become a new creation in Christ, there is no room for the old bad stuff. It doesn’t fit. In other words, if we’re living for Christ (the new cloak) but we want to hang on to some of our old sinful ways ( the old cloak), it will do more harm than good. This is a great reminder to me that walking with Christ, living in the Spirit, is an all or nothing proposition. Time to get rid of the old wineskin and the old cloak. Behold, new things have come!
Father, you know that we so often want to hang on to parts of our old selves. Rid us of those sinful and selfish things that we might become the new creation you are calling us to be. Amen.
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