16 January, Monday — New Wine, New Wineskins

Monday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time

Heb 5:1-10
Mk 2:18-22

“And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine, fresh skins!”

As we settle into the new year, both Liturgical and Gregorian, how are you doing with your new year’s resolutions? Did you make any?

Christmastide marks a time where we wait in anticipation for the coming of our Saviour, but it is also a time to begin again for Catholics — much like the new year is a time to begin again for the rest of the world, with resolutions that are often abandoned.

What is this new beginning? A fresh start. In every sense of the word. We begin again as Christians, in preparation for our journey to know and love God, towards Heaven, towards eternal life and eternal happiness. 

Like any new year’s resolution that is geared towards our health, we need to change our habits. If becoming healthy is a concern of yours, you would change your eating and/or exercising habits. We cannot become healthy unless we work at it and give up things that affect us negatively. Similarly, if our intention is to get closer to our Lord, to become one of His disciples, we must change our habits, our old sinful ways. We cannot be a disciple in words only and not follow suit with our actions. We must live His Word in every aspect by changing our hearts, our minds, our passions, our desires and our attachments. If we retain our old ways, we will be like the new wine in the old wineskins; it will burst and all the graces that we have received will be forfeited because we didn’t treasure it enough.

In this new year, let us be transformed in body, mind and soul. Let us be like a new creation, like new wine put into new wine skins, may we shed the habits, desires and interests that deter us from being the best version of ourselves.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please pour Your grace onto us, to transform our lives and help us to gear towards You in all things. Help us to be like new wine in new wineskins, a new creation in communion with You, our Beloved Father.

Thanksgiving: Dearest Lord, thank you for Your mercy and love. For never tiring to call us to You to become a new creation with a new lease on life, an eternal life with the Heavenly Father.