Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
At a recent 50th anniversary gathering for my aunt and uncle, the waiters carried trays filled with glasses of wine to distribute to the guests. Wine is in many ways connected to celebrations and joy. Wine and vineyards are frequently used in both old and new testaments to convey certain truths that God wants to share with us. Today’s readings remind us that despite our sinfulness, God continues to call us forth to fullness and love. This requires us to turn away from our old ways and choose God’s ways of love and mercy. When we allow this transformation, kindness and peace spill forth over our world.
In the first reading, Amos shares God’s promise of “the juice of the grapes” dripping down the mountains and over the hills. In this imagery, God illustrates how there will be a restoration to the people of Israel. The wine, gardens and fruits of the land show us how God’s mercy and love is abundant and overflowing. God calls the people to recommit to this loving covenant, and experience the fullness of God’s blessings.
In the gospel, Jesus uses wine and wineskins to help describe the importance of receiving God’s good news with a new heart. Jesus calls His disciples and all of His followers to see beyond the “rules” of the law to experience the truth of His new ways. Jesus reminds his listeners that there must be a conversion of heart to receive His message of love and mercy, or the individual will be unable to allow the fullness of God’s grace to be born within. Jesus message is a “new covenant” - one based on service, love, and forgiveness. This new wine has the potential to come to fullness and grow when the receptacle (disciple) does not remain rigid and set in their old ways.
How are we called to be recipients of God’s goodness- to be wineskins for God’s grace and truth? It seems that Jesus recognizes the need for conversion or newness for all of those who choose to receive His blessings. We are reminded that God calls us forward to new things and new growth always. I am reminded that being so set in my ways prevents the possibility for growth and newness in Christ. It is only when we remain open and receptive to God’s call to change and become our better self that we will experience joy. The hope of this promise stems from the fact that even when we have turned away from God, God is always ready and willing to welcome us back with abundance of love.
The Responsorial Psalm reveals what we will experience when we return to the Lord. Kindness, truth and peace will spring out all over the earth. At my relative’s anniversary, we all raised a glass and toasted to celebrate their special love. As a community we were united in this expression of their love for one another. I believe that God is calling us to raise a glass as we join together in celebrating the work of the kingdom where peace, love and mercy become the foundation of all that we think, do and say.
Loving Father, Jesus brings Your message of love and grace to us through His life here on earth. Send us Your Spirit so we can be open to receive your mercy and become open conduits for your love and peace. May we bring the fullness of Your love to the world around us, we pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN.
Marylynn Herchline