Daily Mass Reading and Reflection:
First Reading (Colossians 1:15-2)
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities. All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Responsorial Psalm (From Psalm 100)
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
Eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Gospel Acclamation:
(John 8:12) Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.
Alleluia.
Gospel: (Luke 5:33-39)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
Reflection:
Dear friends, Saint Paul reminds us today that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. An image is a representation, whether a drawing, painting, or sculpture. God the Father is unseen and invisible, but in Jesus, the unseen God is revealed. As Jesus himself said: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
Jesus is the image of the Father because he is one with the Father, consubstantial, eternal, uncreated. He shows us love and mercy, for God is love, and in Jesus we see that love lived out. He is before all things, with the fullness of God dwelling in him, the source and sustainer of creation.
But friends, we too are made in the image of God. Created male and female in his likeness, our very bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. God lives in us, so when people encounter us, they should encounter him.
This is a profound responsibility. To say we are images of God means our lives must reflect his holiness, truth, and love. If we hate, lie, steal, quarrel, or seek revenge, we give a false image of God. But if we love, forgive, and act with mercy, then we reflect God’s true image.
As the psalmist reminds us, God crowned us with dignity and entrusted us with dominion over creation. He has given us the gift of his likeness.
So let us ask ourselves today: When people see me, do they see God? Do I give a true or false image of the One in whose likeness I was made?
Lord, hear our prayer.
May God bless you and have a wonderful weekend.
Pal Ronnie
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