Mk 2:18-22
18The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to [Jesus] and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. 22Likewise, 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.”
New cloth, old cloak; new wine, old wineskins: What do these old analogies mean for us today? We must adapt and adjust to situations and people or we follow the fate of the dinosaurs and face extinction. We should at least learn to dance with the youth and listen with the old, discover with the daring and sit with the reflective, love with the romantic and share with the pragmatic.
This does not mean that we simply go with the tide or lose our identity in the crowd. It means appreciating the new while holding on to the values of the old, being grateful for what we have while letting go of what we must give away, and standing for what we believe in, despite opposition and difficulty. It also means to be firm like Jesus but compassionate when the situation calls for it, and to be forgiving of the repentant but unwavering against evil.
To be with Jesus is to live as he lived, survive as he survived, and be ready to die for the Gospel and rise to new life.
Wineskins: When grapes are harvested, they are trodden in wine vats to extract the juice (wine). Wine is transferred to jars or skins for fermentation and storage. These skins are usually made from whole goat hides, the neck and the feet being tied. An opening is left to allow for the escape of gases formed by fermentation. Freshly made wine is put into new wineskins, lest the skins burst under the pressure. This means that the teachings of Jesus (the new wine) are to be welcomed with a new spirit and an open, joyful mind.