Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 19, 2026
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
The Bible is filled with similes and parables, many of which do not seem immediately relevant to life in 2026. No, I have not tried to sew an unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, nor have I ever used a wineskin. I imagine few of us have. Hard-to-follow references can leave me feeling lost or distant from the gospel text.
But moments of unfamiliarity are as commonplace in life as they are in the Bible. Whether it is finding ourselves in an unknown train station, at a restaurant where we don’t know the cuisine, or trying to figure out something new and intimidating in the workplace, many things in life are not immediately obvious.
When it comes to the gospel, maybe a little discomfort is what God intends. It is in the act of investigating the unfamiliar that we hear God on a personal level. Unfamiliar moments, no matter where they arise, invite us to actively listen.
Today’s parables remind me there is a time and place for everything. Whether it be fasting or feasting, old wine or new wine, each has its role. Jesus’ words remind me that habits are not all good or all bad—sometimes we must work, and other times we must rest, sometimes we must show restraint, and other times we must be outspoken.
May God guide us in all times and places, and help us navigate and embrace unfamiliarity.
Prayer
O Gracious Christ, you feed us well beyond our imagining. You claim us when we are confined by human cravings and boundaries. You feed our starving souls when we wander into deep resistance and even thicker despair. You nourish us with heavenly food that restores our hearts and perspectives. Your genuine authority enlivens our daily service among all who are starving and in need. Help us journey into freedom, being sustained from your eternal and merciful presence. Amen.
Saint of the Day
As king of Denmark, St. Canute expanded the Church’s reach and power, and he is remembered as the first Danish saint—and the namesake of Notre Dame’s most famous football coach.
He was born in 1042, and ascended to the throne in 1080. He was ambitious and devout—he appropriated land for the Church and arranged for the support of clergy by enforcing tithes. He was generous in building churches and schools.
Canute was the grandson of another king Canute, who reigned over England, Denmark, and Norway in his age, and the young Canute imagined himself the rightful heir to this territory. He assembled his fleet to invade England in 1085, but was delayed by infighting and the attack was eventually abandoned.
Though he made the Church into a strong ally, he alienated his subjects by strictly enforcing tithes and the observance of feasts. A rebellion arose, and at one point, Canute was cornered by rebels in one of the churches he built. Canute received Communion and confessed his sins, even as bricks were being thrown through the windows. The rebels eventually broke through the doors and stormed inside, slaying Canute at the altar, along with his brother and 17 others.
Though he is noted as a martyr, it is not clear that he died for the faith, and his cause for sainthood might have been politically-motivated. Nevertheless, there were reports of miracles happening at his tomb. He was canonized in 1101, and as the first Danish saint, he is patron of Denmark. St. Canute is also the namesake of Notre Dame football coach, Knute Rockne (who immigrated from Norway).
Relics of St. Canute rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Canute, patron saint of Denmark and Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Canute is in the public domain. Edited from the original. Last accessed November 22, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
