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This is a blog that I post to several times a week although not necessarily daily. These reflections are triggered by the scripture found in the lectionary used by many Christian denominations. While I am part of the Catholic tradition, these posts are not --or rarely--sectarian. I try to put myself in the space of a of Jesus Christ and listen to words that come to me as I read and pray the scriptures. Each post also includes a photograph. These rarely have any connection to the content of the post but are simply pleasing images that I capture as I make my pilgrimage through life.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Do I really know what I want?

Manhattan Beach sunset

"And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,for he says, ‘The old is good.’ " Luke 5:39
There are two ways to understand this passage.  "I have exprienced fine, well aged wine (life of the spirit) and thus have no interest in new wine (life of the world)."  Or, "I am geting along fine with the old wine (religious practices) and have no interest in newer wine (spirit filled justice and mercy.)

My own experience confirms the second as the one that has meaning for me.  If I am getting along OK the way I am, why would I expend energy to make changes in my life?  If human behavior arises to meet needs and my needs are being met well enough, why would I change?  For someone in my life circumstance (healthy, secure, and loved), the answer can only be that somehow I sense that I could be or have more.  That "more" can be expressed in terms of the material things and relationships of the world, or that "more" could ex experienced as the fullness of life about which Jesus spoke.

This is where faith enters in.  That fullness of life is a participation in the interior life of the Triune Divine One, something is simply unknowable within the confines of the world, its values and its thought.  It is only through some kind of personal relationship with the Divine One that I can begin to glimpse this fuller possibility.  Because of this glimpse, I am offered the opportunity to take a sip of the new wine...if I dare.

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