Monday,
1/16/12
In
today’s Gospel with two metaphors Jesus tells us we cannot just use our
Christian faith as something extra to add to the comfortable lives we have
worked out for ourselves.
The
demand of our faith cannot be like a square of fresh cloth that we use to fix
up our worldly life style. In Our Lord’s example the fresh patch by its shrinking
at the first washing would pull rents in the older garment. By the metaphor
Jesus was saying that the new life of faith would not fit in with our old worldly
life style. It would create a need for honesty and kindness that wouldn’t it
our selfish life style.
Then,
there is the thing about storing wine in goatskins. A goatskin has just enough stretch in it to let the goat put on weight one time, and
this bit of elasticity will be needed when the skin forms a bag for storing grape
juice. The grape juice will expand as it ferments into wine, and it will use up
the last bit of elasticity in the goat skin. But, an old wine skin with all its
stretch used up, won’t accommodate itself to the bursting energy of fresh grape
juice. So, the necessary expansiveness of a life of faith won’t fit into the
narrow life restricted by heavy drinking and cheating. Or, something!
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