Matthew 9: 14-17
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.
Jesus scripture is as pertinent today as it was 2000 years ago. Our world changes constantly. Our lives change daily (either subtly or quickly). Change will occur with every generation.
I recently was given two boxes of photos my sister found under her stairs. She said she had received these boxes when Mom passed away in 2001 and for 25 years she forgot about them. When we went through the boxes there were photos, old music from when my Grandmother was 8 years old, jewelry, letters written between my grandmother and grandfather with information we never knew about their divorce in 1947. I sat sorting through this information for over 7 hours one afternoon captivated by new information and marveling at how change impacted our lives in the past 3 generations. This experience aligned well for today’s reflection.
Change happens. A new generation adopts new practices, creates new technology, the old gives away to the new. And yet change is hard, we grieve what has past, we wish the change had not happened, we are slow or may refuse to accept the change.
However, if our joy and belief is in God’s kingdom should we not trust that change can and will bring something good? If we are graced with faith - then by faith alone we should trust that God will reveal to us the value of the change; to recognize the good and an understanding of its value within our lives.
In today’s scripture Jesus also reminds us of joy. How we should celebrate recognizing “Joy for Joy”. Yes, our world can be described as a fallen, sinful world but there is so much to love and embrace about our world so let’s celebrate this grace. Let’s be willing to reshape our attitudes, engage new ideas, welcome the value change brings, and grow in our faith and pass our positive attitudes, and wonderful faith in God to the next generation so joy stays alive. God’s kingdom as Jesus shared with his disciples is alive and will continue to shatter our expectations but only if we open our hearts to the possibilities.
Cindy Costanzo
I have worked at Creighton University since 2005 as a full-time associate professor in the College of Nursing (CON), graduate school, and College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE). In 2023, I transitioned to part-time as a adjunct associate professor in CPCE within the Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Education department. I love working with doctoral students as they journey toward their terminal degree.
Reading and writing reflections for this ministry augments my daily meditation and allows me to grow closer to Jesus. Spending this time in prayer and meditation over the past several years has transformed me in ways I am forever grateful.
