The 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?” Jesus 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. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No 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. Likewise, 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today Americans celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who sought to stretch the hearts and minds of Americans politically, much like new wine poured into fresh wineskins.
His vision was most clearly outlined in his famous speech, I Have A Dream.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, and live out the true meaning of its creed…that all men are created equal,” he said.
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In today’ Gospel, Jesus uses the same imagery to stretch us spiritually.
When baptized, Christians become a new creation, capable of being stretched beyond our own natural limitations.
By God’s grace, we can not only love our neighbor, but also forgive our enemies…pray for those who persecute us… resist temptation… grow in virtue… and when the race is finished, inherit eternal life, becoming a new creation, much like new wine poured into fresh wineskins.
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Where is God stretching me spiritually? Or where mightI need to be stretched?
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I can imagine Jesus reinterpreting some of Dr. King’s words to address the entire world:
“I have a dream,” he might say, “that one day this world will rise up, and live out the true meaning of its existence…to see all people as created equal, and to love them accordingly.”
May the Lord stretch us until we love one another the way that God has loved us.
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Image credits: (1) Britannica (2) UConn Community Outreach (3) Growingtolive, WordPress
John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —, “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Many of us have pictures framed, hanging on our walls in our office or at home. Some may capture a moment with family, a dream vacation fulfilled, a work of art.
These pictures inspire us, reminding us of the blessings we’ve received in life. Can you imagine one of those pictures?
Now have you ever thought about the nail behind your favorite picture?
Without it, our picture frames would fall to the ground, shattering the glass. Yet as essential as they are for support, nails often go unnoticed by the viewer, simply taken for granted.
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Nails serve a dual purpose: they bring two separate objects together – in this case, attaching a picture frame to a wall. And they provide enduringsupport, keeping the frame steadily in its place.
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In today’s Gospel, we encounter the Apostle Andrew.
Think of him like a nail. Andrew brings people to Jesus, then provides enduring support. In fact, he introduces more people to the Lord than any other disciple in the Gospels!
He begins doing so immediately following his own conversion. Although Andrew still has much to learn about Jesus, he isn’t afraid invite others to, “Come and see,” starting with his brother, Simon Peter.
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One might think because of Andrew’s zeal that he would’ve been part of Jesus’ inner circle.
But he wasn’t.
In fact, Andrew was left out of some of Jesus’ most intimate moments in ministry.
For example, when Jesus went up on Mount Tabor, the place where the Transfiguration took place as he spoke with his Father and prophets from the Old Testament, the place where his body glowed and became dazzling white, Andrew was absent.
Jesus only invited Peter, James, and John.
Or when Jesus went off to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane during his final night on earth, he brought the same trio of men to keep him company – Peter, James, and John.
Not Andrew.
Perhaps most surprising of all, Jesus chooses Peter, not his brother Andrew, to be the rock of the Church.
Like any brother, Andrew could’ve been resentful. He wasn’t the center of attention, he wasn’t the rock of the Church, and he wasn’t present during some of Jesus’ most intimate moments.
But he didn’t seem to mind at all.
He was perfectly content with going unnoticed, providing background support to Peter and the others, much like the nail behind your favorite picture frame.
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And thus, Andrew models two important qualities for any disciple: he’s enthusiastic and humble.
The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek, en theos, meaning, “God within.” Andrew is passionate about the Lord; it’s this enthusiasm that inspires him to tell others about Jesus, inviting them to, “Come and see.”
Many of us share that enthusiasm. It’s partly how our parish has grown over these last three years. A number of you have either invited others – or have been invited – to, “Come and see.”
What a difference it’s made!
Being invited to church changed my own life. I remember asking my aunt a question about God when I was fourteen. The next week she invited me to attend her church – something I hadn’t done since I was a baby.
Suddenly, a seed was planted. Little did she – or I realize – that was the beginning of my journey to faith, and ultimately to the priesthood.
Three words changed my life: “Come and see.”
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Like Andrew, every Christian should not only be enthusiasticabout their faith, but also humble.
As CS Lewis once wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Andrew was never the center of attention; life always centered around the Lord.
Like a sturdy nail behind a picture frame, Andrew’s focus was simply to bring people to Jesus, and to provide enduring support.
Our parish vision statement now echoes Andrew’s invitation, “We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”
Following Andrew’s example, in what ways can we live out our vision statement with enthusiasm and humility this week?
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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy (2) iStock (3) The church of Christ on McDermott Road
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” –he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When celebrating the anointing of the sick, I often read today’s Gospel.
There’s a man who’s paralyzed, laying at the feet of Jesus. Everyone surrounding him is waiting to see what the Lord will do. Can he heal this man’s paralysis?
But Jesus simply looks at him and says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
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On the surface, it seems like an incredible let down. Four of this man’s friends have just dragged him on a stretcher, pulled him on top of their neighbor’s roof, ripped it open, and lowered him to the feet of Jesus.
After all that effort, all he gets from Jesus is forgiveness? What’s the point?
In the mind of God, the forgiveness of sins is more important than the physical state of our bodies, which is why Jesus offers this man forgiveness before he grants him physical healing.
While the body lasts for a number of years, the soul endures for eternity.
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Like the paralytic, I’m sure many of us have approached Jesus asking for some type of physical healing before – and, sometimes that healing has been granted.
In my own priestly ministry, I’ve seen several people healed from cancer, blindness removed, brain damage reversed, pneumonia disappear.
While the Lord can do all of these things, today Jesus reminds us what matters most: not the state of our bodies, but the state of our souls. That’s what endures forever.
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Am I in need of forgiveness? Or any form of spiritual renewal?
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Approach the Lord in faith as the paralytic’s friends did and you, too, will hear what matters most:
Your sins are forgiven… share your Master’s joy.
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Image credits: (1) Bob Young, Medium (2) Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man, Aaron Spong (3) Aaron Terrazas
