Monday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2:18-22)
Jesus brings Israel a new holiness. Seeing saw how many practitioners of the law have
become hard-hearted, he provides a fresh interpretation. He extends some precepts like love to include
one’s enemies. He also accentuates what
the law has taught for centuries with uncommon vigor. He compares this new holiness to “new wine”
and warns that it requires “fresh wineskins.” By this he means that the people
need to change the way they live. They
must move from an obsession with personal righteousness to heart-felt care for
others.
Today marks the ninety-seventh birthday of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. In a very significant
way his ministry resembles that of the Lord Jesus. He too strove to change people’s minds and
hearts. Where many people thought that
laws were fair because they were “on the books,” he showed that some were
patently unjust. Almost as important, he
always preached respect, even love, for others.
Dr. King is not only an American hero exemplifying both courage and racial
justice. He is a kind of Christian saint
dying, like Christ, out of selfless love.
We can test ourselves as being “fresh wineskins” by
asking how we see people of different skin color. If we judge them inferior mentally or morally
for that reason, we are old wineskins.
We will fall apart trying to accommodate Jesus’ teaching. But if we respect them for their differences,
then we should be able to follow Jesus to the end.
