The conflict of fasting reflects the situation in Luke’s community where the Jews adhere to strict compliance to the rule on fasting, whereas the new Christian members who include non-Jews are flexible on the matter. The Jewish perspective is founded on the old Mosaic legalistic traditions and practices, but Jesus introduces a new way of life that brings joy and liberation in all aspects of life—cultural, religious, and spiritual. It will later be made clear in Peter’s vision, “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane” (Acts 10:15). In other words, the Jewish dietary laws or the holiness code (kosher) need not apply to Christians. From another angle, Paul looks at the Mosaic Law as an interim phase in the salvation story. “The law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian” (Gal 3:24-25). Jesus, the Divine Teacher, is at hand. Gospel • LUKE 5:33-39 The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ” SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2019,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.