New Wine

Today's Gospel passage,(Mt 9:14-17), although not directly associated with our Independence Day celebrations across the USA, has a lot to offer, this year, in particular. If we are to preserve good wine, we cannot pour it into old wine skins, for they will burst and all will be lost. No, "Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved." (Mt 9:17).  Most of us have never seen a wine skin, so we just accept the analogy, but as we look around us this year of so much illness, death and discord, we know it's time to take a good look at our values, our life-styles, our beliefs and our religious practices.
In the USA we are celebrating our independence from our ruler, England, a move which required fighting and death,  Our victory led to the establishment of a country which recognized the basic rights and freedom of every individual, a utopia that has still not been fully achieved, and which is suffering severe growth pains today. Was it too much of a dream to conceive such a nation? Our history reminds us that the dream, though as difficult and challenging as it is to implement, has withstood other critical moments, the Civil War, being the most painful. When we return to prayer, humility and true love of God and one another, there can be peace.  We need new wine skins to hold our treasured wine of freedom and drink it as we would new wine.
Dear God, help us to turn to you so that we may see with clear vision how best to live out the ideals of our Founding Fathers.
Bro  Rene