Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Corinthians 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39)
So, you like aged wine.
It is so mellow that you let it linger on your tongue. In today’s gospel Jesus compares the old way
of practicing faith in God to your savory wine.
It is quite rich and satisfying.
But it fails to bring transcendence, at least the transcendence that Jesus
is bringing into the world.
The new wine, who is Jesus Christ, makes its drinkers high in
the sense that they are raised to a level near that of the Son of God
himself. They can love others as God
loves them, not because they are good, but despite their shortcomings. Those who savor the new wine can find peace
where there is antipathy, and hope where there is discouragement. They know that Christ is their brother and
that he makes all the difference.
We take the new wine in the Eucharist. It is contained in the host that we allow to
linger on our palates, and it more tangible in the Blood of Christ, where the
priest permits it to be given to all. The
new wine contains the Holy Spirit who acts as a stimulant moving us to thank
God and to assist others.
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