People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. (Mt 9:14-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070525.cfm
New wine/fresh wineskins. Perhaps we need to give up our old prejudices and hatreds and acquire a new way of thinking and acting if we want to receive the newness of grace that God wishes to pour into us. The Virgin Mary, who was full of grace, reminds us to treasure all these things and reflect on them in our heart. The Virgin of the Grapes is by Pierre Mignard (1612-1695) and is located in the Louvre, Paris.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saturday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 5
