September 7th, 2018

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
435

FIRST READING
1 COR 4:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.

PSALM
PS 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40

Response: The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart's requests.

Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.

Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
Criminals are destroyed
and the posterity of the wicked is cut off.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

GOSPEL
LK 5:33-39

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
"The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink."
Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days."
And 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.
Likewise, 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.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, 'The old is good.'"

Daily Reflection

7th September 2018

The Pharisees fasted as a sign that the present times were bad and that they hoped that God would usher in the Messianic time. Jesus uses three parables to answer the Pharisees’ question on fasting – mending a torn garment, wine and wineskins, and the old and new wine - highlighting that He is the Messiah and that their purpose of fasting is already being fulfilled.

The three parables appeal to everyday wisdom and invite the Pharisees to open their eyes to notice that, in Jesus, all the prophecies of the Messiah are coming true.

Paul, having just spoken of the folly of human wisdom, speaks now of the futility of judging by human standards. Instead, he insists on being stewards that are trustworthy and faithful. In doing so, he is urging the Corinthians to model themselves upon Jesus who came to serve and not to be served; who was faithful to his mission and showed himself to be trustworthy.

Our calling is to reflect Jesus... not create a new image of him!