"The old is good."— (Luke 5:39)

First Friday of September
Colossians 1:15-20
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Luke 5:33-39

The first reading for today is an example of St. Paul crystallizing the identity of Christ. He said, "Christ is the image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15)

To carry this thought further we recall that through our baptism we are made in the image of Christ. What an awesome thought!
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Old skins, new skins, old cloth, new cloth, old wine, new wine . . . .

These are the words that struck me throughout today's Gospel.

I get a little confused at first because I would think that something that is new would be better—new skins, new cloth, new wine, but then in the end the Gospel says, "The old wine is better."

The point is not about something new vs. something old, but about appropriateness of things old and new. In other words the substance of our choices must suit the requirements of the moment and yet be able to stand the test and stress of time.

It is likewise with forms of worship and praise. Be they old or new, they must be fitting praise to the Omnipotent God. They may for a time seem appropriate, but as needs and circumstances change, so too do our prayer forms. It doesn't mean necessarily that one is better than the other, but that one currently seems more suitable. You don't want to say the Grace Before Meals as you're going into surgery, or the prayers of the sick before dinner (unless your spouse is a terrible cook! lol). Likewise, you may not have the time to say a complete rosary, or even one of the longer prayers, like the Apostle's Creed. There might even be times, as Mom explained to my nephew Alex a couple of weeks ago, that we are in situations where a formal prayer can't come to mind. In this case, I've found that a simple and sincere "God, I believe!" or "Jesus, help me!" are the most potent prayers I can say.

Of course, you can never go wrong by asking Our Blessed Mother to pray FOR you. You have to believe that she knows just the right words to say!

Perhaps in the end we might say, "The old is better,"—like the first prayers we learned to say with all the love, praise and sincerity of innocent hearts:

The Sign of the Cross, "In the Name of the Father . . . . "

"Glory Be to the Father . . . . "

"Our Father who art in heaven . . . ."

"Hail Mary full of grace . . . . "

"O my God I am heartily sorry . . . . "