Lk 5:33-39
33[The scribes and Pharisees] said to [Jesus], “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” 34Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”
36And he also told them 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. 37Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. 39[And] no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”
Reflection:
New cloak… fresh wineskins. What do these metaphors tell us?
1. Do not be afraid of learning new things. Do not be closed to new realizations. Do not run away from new discoveries. Do not get stuck in what you know. For more than 23 years now I have been reading the gospels and giving homilies on them, but I continue to be amazed by the new angles I see in the gospels. The fresh lessons and messages surprise me. The cardinal sin against change has been summarized in seven words: “We have always done it this way!”
2. Do not forget old people for their glorious lessons and simple ways. We can learn from their experiences and their ways that are easy. “No one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”
3. Go slow with some changes. Things cannot always be rushed. Besides, not all novel ideas are necessary.
We must be familiar with this prayer attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” This is the secret of serenity.
Learn some new things or tasks this week.