Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture readings

While reflecting on today’s Scripture, I am struck by the contrast between the relationship between God and human beings before and after Jesus. I started wondering what it must have been like to live in Old Testament times before the coming of Christ. The Incarnation of Jesus allows us the opportunity to live  'on earth as it is in heaven' right here and now.

In the first reading from the book of 1 Samuel, God has rejected Saul as king because he has not done what the Lord has asked of him.  He destroyed the Amalekites as God commanded, but took the sheep and oxen despite being told to destroy them as well. Saul tries to explain away doing what he wanted by telling Samuel he intended to sacrifice the animals as an offering to God. Saul was “sort of” following God’s will. In the end, Samuel makes it clear that God is more interested Saul’s complete obedience and commitment than his rationalizations and burnt offerings. In the Gospel, Jesus is asked why he and his disciples do not fast as the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees do. Adherence to the rules of fasting were not taken lightly in the time of Jesus. In fact, like many of the prescribed behaviors, the true purpose of fasting became less important than prescribed fast itself. Jesus’ reply to the question was as puzzling as it was shocking. “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.” (Mk 2:19) Jesus is revealing something completely new—and contrary—to the way generations of Jews had lived. Jesus explains metaphorically that this new way includes not only the externals (like fasting) but the interior life as well: “…no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine will burst the skins and both the wine and skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into new wineskins.” (Mk 2:22)

Jesus makes everything new. Hard as we may try, we cannot possibly fit Jesus into our old life as we had been living it. Jesus expands our hearts and carries us into a life far beyond our wildest expectations. Jesus brings us into a place we can only partially understand or express. With Jesus comes the promise of intimacy with God. And through this intimacy, we can experience—and share with others—genuine freedom and joy right here, right now, 'on earth as it is in heaven'.

Gail Lyman