Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
If you have spent any time with young children, you know the word “why” can be asked roughly 100 times per minute. They are trying to understand the world, and they have little shame in asking the same question over and over (and over). Talking about a shared experience is how they learn. Our (sometimes exasperated) hope as teachers is that they can make intentional choices based on learning and shared experiences.
In today’s Gospel from Matthew 9, we read: “No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.”
In this portion of his response to a “why” question from the disciples of John, Jesus uses shared experience to make his point. We can read this passage knowing that Jesus is relying on a “why” these disciples likely asked as young children and have witnessed the reasoning for time and again in their lives. (As the “laundry owner” in our home, I can easily imagine the potential catastrophe of “Let’s get one more use of this old wineskin!”)
Jesus makes clear that the “easy” way, the “let’s get this done and move on” option is tempting, but it’s not lasting. It’s a fruitless use of effort. He’s coaching for the long game, rather than a seemingly quick fix. He’s encouraging intentionality of action and an understanding of the “why” behind it.
Where in your life today might you be overlooking the long game in favor of a quick fix? Are there places where intentionality has been slighted in favor of moving on to the next thing? Are you choosing the action that is most meaningful in the long term?
Jesus, as we move about our ordinary lives, help us to be open to the lessons we’ve learned and those we need to relearn. Help us to live with intention and focus on the long-term work of building your Kingdom.
—Meghann Naveau