Daily Gospel Reflection for September 3, 2021

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Kerri Baunach

Today's Gospel: Luke 5:33-39

Is the old wine good enough for you? Or have you accepted the new wine? Let me first say that the last line of this Gospel reading threw me off when I first read it. The reading as a whole is familiar, but I guess that last line had never registered with me previously. So what exactly does Jesus mean when He says that those drinking the old wine don’t desire the new?

Remember that He is speaking to the Pharisees, who loved rules so much that those rules often overshadowed God Himself. Now here is God in the flesh calling people, even the Pharisees, to a new life. The Pharisees were too stuck in their lives to give it up: they thought “the old is good” and were unable to accept a new life in Jesus.

Are we like the Pharisees? Have we fully embraced the new wine in all aspects of our lives? I think it would be disingenuous to think we are not like the Pharisees. If we take an honest look at our lives, we can likely identify areas in which we have not fully accepted Jesus and His Church. Let’s be real, if we think we are only drinking the new wine and have left the old behind, why would we need the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

We all have areas in our lives where our way of doing things seems good enough. Maybe deep down we know we need to change, but it seems too hard. It is hard! Detaching ourselves from bad habits or sinful actions is no easy feat. But we need Jesus, we need to follow His ways, and we need to let go of the old and embrace the new.

Ponder:

In what areas of your life do you need to change, and would you benefit from a visit to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Pray:

Holy Spirit, guide and assist me in recognizing where change is needed in my life. Help me, Lord, to make a good confession. Amen.

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Copyright 2021 Kerri Baunach

Kerri Baunach lives in Lexington, KY with her husband and three boys. She’s a Benedictine Oblate with the Archabbey of St. Meinrad in Indiana, heads up the Vocations Ministry at her parish, and is a former writer and editor at CatholicSistas.com.