Monthly Archives: January 2023

Today’s Gospel talks about the old and the new.  When Jesus was asked why his disciples didn’t fast like John’s and some of the religious leaders of the synagogue, Jesus said that they would fast after his death even though that was still in the future. 

When we think about fasting, there are several examples that come to mind.  We fast for an hour before mass.  We fast on Fridays in Lent.  We abstain or fast from meat on Fridays in Lent and some people do that year-round.  Jesus used a parable to explain the difference between the old way and the new way.  He talked about things that everyone listening knew were absurd. 

Jesus talked about sewing new cloth into an old garment.  He talked about putting new wine in old wineskins.  Everyone knew that you didn’t do that because of what would happen. 

The same is true for our lives.  When we think about our lives, there were probably many times when life was going along quite happily when suddenly everything changed.  The old and comfortable became new and different.  Sometimes it becomes difficult or even disastrous, a lot like the new cloth in an old garment that tears it when it shrinks or new wine in old wineskins that will burst as the wine ages.  

We sometimes ask ourselves “Why?” or resent what happened in the past.  It’s easy to carry frustration and hatred toward someone who hurt us, even though it may have been years or decades ago.  The old hurt is still tearing our hearts apart after all this time. 

The solution is for us to spend some time in prayer.  Not that God will necessarily change that person but pray that God will bless them and help me to become more loving and kinder in my heart.  I know that this is difficult for me at times.  That’s the hard part for most of us; striving to be the Christian that God calls each of us to be regardless of how we feel. 

Then, we must be open to God’s healing touch.  Praying that God will take care of everything is the easy part.  Opening our hearts for God to ease the pain is more difficult to do.  Sometimes it’s easier to hold onto the pain and resentment than it is let God work in our lives.  The result is that our hearts remain broken, and our suffering continues. 

We decide to fast for a couple of meals and instead spend that time in prayer to show God that we are serious in our request to help us change.  Fasting is not something we do very often today.  The Apostles and the Saints spent a lot of time fasting and praying for God’s mercy and direction which is one of the reasons they were so effective in spreading the Gospel. 

At the end of the Gospel, Jesus said, “Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined.  Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” 

Through prayer and fasting, we ask God to heal us and make us whole again.  We must also open our hearts to God’s healing, so we are not ruined like the old wineskins by our anger and resentment. 

May our hearts be like new wineskins ready to receive God’s healing power into our hearts.  Then God’s love and mercy will flow to us to draw us closer to him and flow to those around us. 

John the Baptist said “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.  I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” 

It’s interesting that John did not know who Jesus was to recognize him upon sight.  One would think that they would have been close friends.  After the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced the Incarnation and told Mary that Elizabeth would bear a child, Mary rushed to Elizabeth and stayed three months.  This would indicate a strong bond between the two women. 

However, we must keep in mind that after the children were born, life was very different for both women, but especially Elizabeth because of her age.  The primary means of travel was walking and traveling long distances would be difficult with an infant and even more so with a toddler.  Think about it: “I’m tired.  Can we stop?  My feet hurt.  When are we going to eat?  Are we there yet?” 

After the Magi came, Joseph was told to flee to Egypt to protect the child Jesus.  They had no choice but to travel at night to build a life in a new country.  When the Holy Family returns years later there is no record of the two families meeting, not even at the Temple on Holy Feasts. 

John knows and understands his life’s mission.  He is the person who is to identify Christ to the world.  While he is unsure who that person is in real life, he knows the sign that will reveal him.  John said “’A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”  This was John’s mission in life. 

John the Baptist said that Jesus was the Lamb of God.  Jesus himself said that he was God.  In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked the disciples “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 

Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus then said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”  Jesus said that he would build his church upon that Rock of faith which was revealed to Simon by his Father.” 

Peter Kreeft wrote: “Jesus does not give us the option of belonging to one church or another.  For him there is only one, and that is the one he spoke of when he changed Simon Peter’s name to Peter, or the Rock. 

Peter Kreeft continues: “If you are not convinced and convicted that Jesus is right about that, that the church is right about Jesus, that John was right about Jesus, that Jesus was right about Jesus – then you are not a Catholic Christian.  For that is the single essence and center of absolutely everything in our religion.” 

Strong words but it sums up our faith.  Are we convinced that Jesus is the Son of the Living God?  Do we really believe it?  Does the way we live our life show that we believe it? 

Even though Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter based on his conviction that Jesus was the Christ, Peter still struggled to live that faith.  When Jesus is arrested and put on trial, Peter, the Rock of Faith that Christ said he would build his church, denied that he even knew Jesus three times.  But Jesus saw something in Peter that he knew that Peter was the right person to lead his Church. 

That gives us hope that even though we sometimes fail and fall, that Jesus loves us and will give us strength to ask forgiveness and get up to follow him and proclaim to the world that Jesus is the Son of God. 

John the Baptist, Peter the Rock, Paul the Apostle, and all the Saints up to this day have testified that Jesus is the Son of God.  It’s one thing to hear it, it’s another to believe it, and still another to live it. 

Both Peter and Paul could be labeled failures because of their actions against Jesus.  Peter’s denial and weakness hiding from the Roman authorities; and Paul’s persecution of the early Church would seem to disqualify them for the positions that God chose for them to serve.  They were changed from failures to devout and passionate witnesses of the Risen Christ. 

At the end of today’s Gospel, John the Baptist said, “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”  Peter and Paul spread the same testimony throughout the world.  We are commissioned to do the same. 

I have often wondered how different my life would be if I truly believed that Jesus is the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world and was as passionate about Christ in my life like Peter and Paul after their encounter with the Risen Lord. 

We must each ask ourselves, “Do I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God?”  If we answer “Yes”, then we must examine our lives to determine if our life reveals it to the world.  We have the same mission as John the Baptist.  We must reveal Jesus to the world with the same passion and testimony as John the Baptist, Peter and Paul. 

Jesus sees something in each of us just like he did in Peter.  Jesus is asking us today, “Who do you say that I am?”