Elevating mankind

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
 but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” (Mk 2: 18-22)

For pious Israelites, the mission of Saint John the Baptist was easier to understand than that of Jesus: John preached purification through penance and addressed the ‘old man’, while Jesus is the Incarnation of God, the ‘new man’. Christ’s simple presence is a source of hope, joy and strength. St. John the Baptist was the last of the prophets. He announced and prepared the way of the Lord, clearly and humbly pointing out, that he was not the one who would free mankind from the captivity of sin. To elevate man, Jesus, True God and True Man, is necessary, let us try not to forget this, so we may always be His humble disciples and thank Him every day.