FIRST READING
“All things were created through him and for him.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (Colossians 1:15-20)
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — 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 first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 100:1-2.3.4.5 (R. 2b)
R. Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy. R.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us; we belong to him.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock. R.
R. Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him, and bless his name. R.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age. R.
ALLELUIA John 8:12
Alleluia. I am the light of the world, says the Lord; he who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 5:33-39)
At that time: The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He told them a parable also: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, ‘The old is good.”’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
The mystery of the human person can never be fathomed. There is a hidden facet in each of us. The closer we get to anyone, the more we realise how far we are from really knowing him or her. In today’s Gospel, the word “new” used by Jesus seven times, reminds us we are mysteries and he invites us to open ourselves to these mysteries. The dawn of each new day can bring out new and unique things that can only be explored by those open to newness, who are willing to live a life unrestrained by rigid traditions and principles. The Pharisees in the Gospel had built walls impeding them from seeing the newness in their midst. Newness is a quality God brings to our lives. May this new day lead us to the new graces that Jesus brings, especially at the Holy Mass.