Mk 2: 18-22
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.
“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Being Open to Change
“The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.”
We all have tried and true ways of doing things that serve us. Frankly, habits and customs can help us get things done faster with less work and less thought.
Today’s scripture, though, speaks of the importance of being willing to embrace change, especially in the spiritual life. Fasting was an expected spiritual practice for religious disciples in Jesus’ time. However, Jesus explains that new spiritual realities require new responses, new practices. As disciples, our own spiritual practices, whether praying with a favorite text or reciting a certain set of prayers or devotionals, should not be like pushing a button or checking a box, but rather a response within a growing and dynamic relationship. If our relationship with God is to grow and deepen, we must be open to change.
Recently, I began meeting with a new spiritual director, who is encouraging me to pray in new ways. At this stage of my life, I am learning to once again embrace change and grow in my relationship with God.
Spend some time reflecting on your own prayer and spiritual practices. Are you being called to move in new directions?
—Christine Curran is the executive director of the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a Jesuit ministry providing spiritual retreats and companionship to people in recovery from homelessness and addiction in 20+ cities.
Prayer
Lord, you continue to invite me to an ever deeper relationship with you. Open my heart to be open to your invitation to grow, adapt, and change in ways that bring me closer to you. Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team