Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. – Colossians 1:15

       The Gospel was perfect for the occasion during Fr. Peter Coching’s last Mass in our parish before his reassignment. It was the story of John the Baptist saying, “(Jesus) must increase, I must decrease.”

      Fr. Peter told the story of a family who had invited him for a despedida lunch. The parents came not just with their kids but with grandparents and an aunt, too. They thanked the priest for his touching sermons while he served at our parish. But throughout lunch, none of them called him by his right name. The parents called him Fr. Bong. The kids corrected them by saying, “He’s not Fr. Bong; he’s Fr. Raul!”

       Fr. Peter began to doubt if he was really the one they wanted to treat or they had invited the wrong priest. But this he realized: “In the end, it wasn’t my name that was important. What’s important was that I fulfilled my mission in this parish.” Just like John the Baptist, Fr. Peter was content to leave the mark of Christ in the hearts of the parishioners he served.

       Friends, are we the “image of the invisible God” to people who encounter us? Rissa Singson Kawpeng (justbreatherissa@gmail.com)

Reflection: “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion — it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” (Billy Graham)

Lord, bless our priests and all those who’ve offered their lives to serve You. May we be Christ to our world. Amen.

St. Rose of Viterbo, pray for us.

Jesus is the heart of the Gospel message. Everything rests upon what He has done. St. Paul reflects on this today in an almost mystical way. Paul was in awe of Jesus, not fully understanding how He worked. Like Paul, no one can fully understand the mysteries surrounding Jesus. The Church tells us what we must believe, but the rest is left up to our personal experience.

15 Brothers and sisters, Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the Body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the Blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 4, 5

R: Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; 2 serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. (R) 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name. (R) 5 For he is good, the Lord, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

The proclamation of the Gospel by Jesus, began a new era of God’s revelation. He told the people that there was a new wineskin and the old one has been replaced. We should have a fresh perspective when studying the words of Jesus in the Gospel. The Old Covenant has passed and a new one has dawned. Let us embrace all that God is offering us through His Son, Jesus.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

33 The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees dothe same; but yours eat and drink.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. 37 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

think: No one can fully understand the mysteries surrounding Jesus. The Church tells us what we must believe, but the rest is left up to our personal experience.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Psalm 51-55

NOVA ET VETURA

Sometimes the old is good; other times it is not. There are people who collect antiques, not for functional reasons but only for aesthetics. But there are others who shun anything that could remotely be considered old, and that can mean even the previous model of cell phone, computer or car.

       What is it that drives us to be up to date in some aspects of our lives and yet are happy with the old in others? As I grew up in Canberra, Australia, for most of my formative years, the motto of the archbishop was “Nova et vetura,” which in Latin means “the new and the old.”

       In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us that there are times when the new displaces the old. These are times when we no longer need the old ways of doing things as we face new developments in society. Those who have lived through the ‘80s and ‘90s of the 20th century experienced firsthand with the advent of personal computers and cell phones. Access to information has been revolutionized through the use of the Internet. Are these good or bad developments?

       The answer to my question lies in how we use this new technology. It can be used for both good and bad. That it is new  technology is irrelevant to its moral character. Jesus tells us that there are times when we need to embrace both the new and the old. There is a lot of wisdom enshrined in the knowledge of the past that we need to honor. We also need to embrace new developments and use them for good. This is a challenge for us all — to discern what we need to embrace in the present and what to hold on to from the past. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How do you embrace the new and the old in your faith? Do you truly respect the wisdom of the ages through the lives of the saints and their writings?

Holy Spirit, open my heart and mind to the wisdom of the Church in the writings of the saints. Help me to deepen my love for them and learn from their example.