Saturday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Today is Independence Day (for those of you who receive this message in the United States)! What a wonderful day to give thanks for the blessings we have. These are times of great social upheaval and uncertainty. However, we can look to Scripture to gain guidance as to how to respond. We have a great message about renewal in today’s Mass readings.

          Yes, days are coming,
          says the LORD,
          When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
          and the vintager, him who sows the seed;
          The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,
          and all the hills shall run with it.
          I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; Amos 9: 13-14

Here what Amos is saying essentially that the last will be first in the Kingdom of God. It’s not enough to live with a “go along to get along” mentality. We are so used to a certain order in life. We expect society and the World to be a certain way. Society always has a tendency to set a certain social order or power structure in place, then expect all people to follow it. One thing that Scripture puts forth is a call to change, to upend the status quo in life. The common perception is that the Bible is stagnant. How could anyone turn to the Bible as a guide to reform or change? Yet the truth is the Bible holds many passages that command us to seek justice. One example is the Magnificat of Mary (Luke 1: 46-55). Mary sings in this hymn that God has “cast down the mighty from their thrones” and “lifted up the lowly.” The Magnificat was banned from public display by tyrannical governments in Guatemala and Argentina because it challenged the status quo.

Now, this doesn’t mean we should go and start a war. It does mean that there is a time and place to seek justice, to call for changes in society and in life for the good of others. Jesus speaks about old and new wine in today’s Gospel selection. At times the “old wine” is enough to guide people through life. At other times the “new wine” will not be satisfied by the “old wineskins” and thus there is a call for change. Jesus wanted His disciples to learn while they were with Him. They were all observant Jews, yet Jesus allowed them to celebrate while they were with Him. He knew that one day, “the bridegroom would be taken away from them” and then they would fast. Then would be the time to fast, then would come the time to sacrifice and seek renewal.

This juxtaposition is hard. There are times to simply abide and to let life be as it is. There are times we encounter injustice and we will have an obligation to fight it. It takes good discernment to know the difference, and much courage to do what is right. We can turn to Jesus, the Bridegroom of the Church, as an example of this courage.

Question: Are you feeling called to take part in a social justice movement or a Christian initiative? Can you turn to Jesus the Bridegroom as a model and inspiration for your work?

Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB