Liturgical Colour : Green


Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s readings are reminder for us to live in accordance with the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ, as how He had taught us, and not in accordance with the ways of the world. And that was presented clearly through the parable which many of us are probably familiar with, that is the parable of the wineskins and the coat.

The context of the event that happened on that day was such that the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist existed alongside the disciples of Jesus. The Pharisees together with the teachers of the Law deemed as the elites of the society, who were supposed to be guardians and masters of the Law of God, while the disciples of John were those who listened to St. John the Baptist and followed him much like how the people followed Jesus.

But they followed the old path, that is the Old Testament and Covenant between God and mankind. They walked through the Covenant which had been made null not by the action of its Maker, the Lord our God, but rather through the disobedience which their ancestors, the ones with whom God had made His covenant with. Those people have sinned and disobeyed the commands of the Lord and profaned His holy covenant.

Yet, God still wished to remake that Covenant which had been broken, and reestablish it so that through the new Covenant He was bringing to them, His rebellious people may have a chance at redemption if they repent from their sins. And to that extent, He brought about a new Covenant which He made not through the sacrifice of the imperfect and worldly animals and blood, but instead through the perfect offering and sacrifice of the Blood of the Lamb, God made that new Covenant with us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that new Covenant was more complete and perfect than the first covenant. This new Covenant revealed to the people what He expected from each and every one of them, that is to show genuine faith and love for Him, and not just to show it through sacrifices and offerings as what the people in the past had done.

Especially for the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they were so fixated on their rites and traditions, in how they have preserved the observances and the Jewish customs, that they have neglected what they ought to do, that is loving and showing devotion to God. They were too focused on things that are superficial, and in the end, they end up misleading the people of God into the wrong paths.

The New Covenant of God showed forth new norms and ways that ought to be obeyed. And we are all people of the new Covenant. We no longer live under the bonds of the old one, and we are promised the glorious and joyful outcome of the new Covenant so long as we are able to fulfil our commitment to God, showing forth our devotion and love for our God.

And if we are all people of the new Covenant, then can our actions be representative of those who truly belong to it? If we do things that are not in accordance to the Lord and His ways, then we may bring about scandal upon ourselves, and not just to ourselves but also to the Church and to the people of God. Let us all reflect on this, so that in all the things we do, we may always proclaim the greater glory of God.

May the Lord bless us and keep us, and may He protect us all, and guide us, so that we may learn how we ought to seek Him, and approach Him, that through our many works, through our actions, we may find our salvation through being steadfast to the new Covenant God has established with us His people. May God bless us and keep our paths to Him straight and secure. God be with all of us. Amen.