Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 2, 2022
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
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.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Today’s parable directly follows the recruitment of Matthew, the tax collector, as an apostle. When John’s disciples asked why Jesus’ disciples weren’t fasting, did they pointedly stare at the scandalous new guy? Did Matthew look sheepishly back at them?
I put myself in Matthew’s shoes. Was he apprehensive about his new decision? Did he ever wonder if he was qualified to be an apostle? Perhaps he surprised himself by dropping everything to follow Jesus.
I imagine this gospel as Jesus offering words of encouragement and resolve to Matthew about embarking on the unfamiliar path of discipleship. Jesus doesn’t hide the realities of what it means to be a disciple, admitting that difficult times lie ahead and hinting at transformational change. Yet, Jesus also offers great hope—that the bridegroom is with us—so we have reason to rejoice.
This summer I am studying for the bar exam. When I first opened the bar prep books, I thought to myself, “Well, there’s really no turning back at this point.” It’s a decision, while not nearly as big as Matthew’s career change, that I know will significantly affect the course of my life.
During this season of change and new beginnings, I’m inspired by Matthew’s courage. And I’m heartened by God’s promise to be by our side through the inevitable challenges of discipleship that await us.
Prayer
Lord, our God, help us to truly believe that you are always with us, that you are always present because you cannot be absent. Help us to know that you are present at every moment of our existence, independent of the content of the moment. You will never be taken from us. Open our minds and hearts to your presence everywhere, in every one, at all times. Make of us fresh wineskins that you may pour your new wine into us. Help us to have a theology of abundance and generosity. We pray this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Monegundis was a woman who lived in Chartres, France, in the sixth century. She married and had two children, both daughters, whom she adored.
Both of her daughters died in childhood, and Monegundis was thrown into a deep depression. She decided to fill the hole in her life with devotion to God, and she began to spend her time in prayer.
With her husband’s permission, Monegundis became an anchoress—a person who lived in a small, walled-up cell attached to a church. Such people spent their days in prayer, and acted as a spiritual director for many who would come to visit them and speak to them through the one, small window in their cell.
Monegundis lived on nothing but bread and water, and her cell was furnished with only a small mat on which she would sleep for a few hours. After living this way for several years, she moved to Tours and built a hermitage near the tomb of St. Martin of Tours.
Over time, Monegundis became known as a holy woman, and other women began to join her there in a life of solitude and prayer; eventually, they built a convent there. She died of natural causes around the year 570, and miracles were reported at her tomb.
St. Monegundis, you were the mother who grieved the death of both of your daughters by giving yourself to God—pray for us!