TOTAL PACKAGE
Our apostolic work as a congregation of priests and brothers engaged in spreading the Good News through various modern ways of communication challenges us to be shrewd and business-like in some of our dealings. Well, on second thought, Jesus Himself taught that His disciples should be clever as snakes, while at the same time be as innocent as doves.
We have to live with the fruits of our work, and so we have to see to it that our publications and our bookstores are earning. The apostolate should be able to support itself. Along this line, we must also “read” our market, and meet the needs of the people. We found out that one peculiar buying behavior of Filipinos is that we love retails — small “economical” packs that can be bought at less cost. Things can be more saleable, too, when they can be procured by installment.
Today’s Gospel gives an opposite lesson: Jesus is a radical and very demanding “customer.” He wants everything new, no matter what the cost. He wants a total package for Himself: new wine, new wineskins, new clothes, and not simply repaired ones with patches.
To follow Jesus is to be ready for a total remake — inside and out: heart, mind, will, thoughts, words and actions. He does not settle for a phase by phase, calculated change. His call is for a “metanoia”— a change of mentality and outlook. Therefore, His call may demand from us a readiness to break away from a life we have been most comfortable with.
No wonder, the Gospel gives us stories of people who came to ask Jesus how they could be disciples. But they stopped at that — by being “would be” disciples. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you ready for total and swift changes and surprises? Or do you prefer slow, little-by-little changes?
Grant me the grace to be ready for whatever You may ask of me, Lord.
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