Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
September 6, 2019
Today, in Mercy, our readings challenge us to see things differently- to see with God’s eyes.
Paul invites us first with the glorious Colossians Hymn. No words can enhance it. Let us savor it in itself:
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the Body, the Church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the Blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
Jesus, in our Gospel, tells us we must become new wineskins in order to hold the vibrant gift of new life in Christ. He says the old ways, stiffened by pharisaical pretensions, have lost the elasticity of grace. He warns us to avoid the accretions of showy religious practice which may bury and inhibit sincere faith.
Jesus is the new wine of love and mercy, and our hearts must become his new wineskins.
As we pray, this poetic musical piece may inspire us. … in Him, all things hold together …
Music: The Christ Hymn – Alana Levandoski
Lavish Mercy 