THE NEW VESSELS OF GOD'S GRACES - 9/2/22 (Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time)

Luke 5:37

“No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090222.cfm

Blessed Friday! In the analogy of Jesus Christ, the new wine is not poured into old wineskins but on the new wineskins. The wine represents the graces and the mercy that God gives to us. This means that we should be new persons in Christ for us to accept His graces, and by doing so, we become His new vessels for His presence in this world. We first became a new creature in God when we were baptized. This was the time that we received the Holy Spirit and became members of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church. At the same time, the sacrament of confession is present for us to be new creatures again after falling to sins, especially grave sins. We receive God's graces through the sacraments, and it's important for us to live out our faith in order to not waste the graces that our Lord bestows on us. 

How can we act and live our faith as new persons in Christ? This can be done by fully submitting ourselves to the will of God. To be a new person in Christ means to be conformed to His image. Everything that happens in our lives is in accordance to God's will. Even though there may be negative events, God allows it for us to persevere more in holiness and in virtues. When there are events or people that annoy us, let's remember that these are opportunities to practice patience and love for our neighbors. Trust in God is necessary in our lives. If we are united with God's will, then we will love to do what is good and to avoid what is bad such as sins because we know that this is not pleasing to God. 

As we grow in love for God, we also share His love to our family members, friends and others. We become God's vessels for them. However, even though we may be new in the eyes of God, there are times that the "old man" seems to be awake. This refers to our sinful tendencies. Sometimes, we may be attached to the satisfactions and attachments to sins that make us fall to temptations like in our past. Even after persevering to be gentle and loving with our own family, we may still fall to pride and anger which lead to belittling others and judging them. These are the opportunities to trust in God's mercy even more. He is our refuge. He will not abandon us during these times because He is always with us. When we feel the strong urge to commit a sin, let's immediately turn to God because He is with us. And, even if we fall, may we stand up with Christ and continue walking with Him as we repent of our sins. He will enlighten us and guide us in our path. Let's open our hearts to Him, and His love will fill our empty vessels. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls