Daily Readings - Fri Sep 03 2021
Colossians
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Luke
33They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking."34Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast."36He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.38No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.39And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter profound truths about Jesus Christ and the nature of His mission. The first reading from Colossians presents Jesus as the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, and the head of the Church. This passage emphasizes Christ’s supremacy and role in creation and redemption. The Gospel from Luke, on the other hand, offers a practical lesson about the newness of life in Christ. Jesus responds to criticism about His disciples’ lack of fasting by using parables of the patch, wineskins, and wine, highlighting the incompatibility of old practices with the new life He brings.
The context of these readings is crucial. Colossians was written to a church facing heresies that diminished Christ’s divinity and role in creation. Paul’s emphasis on Christ’s primacy serves to correct such errors. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus addresses critics who are tied to old religious practices, unable to embrace the freedom and joy of the Kingdom He proclaims. Together, these readings remind us that Jesus is both the foundation of all existence and the source of new life that cannot be confined by old ways of thinking or living.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are invited to reflect on our openness to the newness of life in Christ. Jesus calls us to embrace the freedom and joy of the Gospel, rather than clinging to outdated practices or mindsets that stifle growth. The moral lesson here is clear: our faith must be fresh and vibrant, like new wine in new wineskins. We are called to trust in Christ’s transformative power and to live in a way that reflects the renewal He brings to our hearts and lives. Let us, therefore, seek to live as people who are open to the new things God is doing, trusting that Jesus is always the source of true life and renewal.