Monday January 19th: No one puts new wine into fresh wineskins

Those of us who offer ourselves in stewardship in parishes must be formed and mentored in ‘gospel values.’

Mark 2:18-22 

“Behold I make all things new.” Jesus introduces a new freshness to an old way of thinking and being. A friend of mine said that she did not attend parties and cinema because her pastor forbade it- as evil. This is common practice. Gospel values are reduced to strict laws and piety so that festive celebration is frowned upon.

When the Catholic band first came for Carnival, there was a furor about Catholics associated with and involved in the revelry of the mas. It was a new and fresh way of being immersed in the creativity of Carnival to transform from within.

Jesus’ preaching and actions were certainly counter-culture and required a new and fresh approach. He chose simple, ordinary, broken people, sinners as disciples. He befriended, formed and mentored them. “…no one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” As if he knew that choosing the disciples from Pharisees how disastrous his mission would be, torn apart by “putting new wine into old wine skins.”

Similarly, those of us who offer ourselves in stewardship in parishes must be formed and mentored in gospel values, thinking, acting – listening, discerning, relating and self-emptying.