It may happen that we pray to God asking Him to give us this or that, to bless what we are doing, yet we still want to keep doing things our own way. It is as though we resist changing our habits, our way of thinking, our expectations, and we find it difficult to change, to allow Jesus to transform us. In today’s Gospel, He teaches us that His love cannot be poured into an old heart, a heart hardened by selfishness, pride or self-sufficiency, because it would simply be lost. He is the new wine which, as at Cana, comes into our lives to fill them with joy, grace and fruitfulness, but He needs new wineskins—that is, humble, docile hearts, open to the action of the Holy Spirit.

Spouses, Christ has not come merely to improve our marriage a little. He has not come to patch up a worn-out love, but to make it completely new, transforming it into a living image of His love for His Bride, the Church. To receive the “new wine” of sacramental grace, we must leave behind the “old wineskins” of selfish love and become new wineskins ourselves, allowing Jesus to change our hearts, and with them the way we look at one another, speak to one another, and love one another. Christian marriage is called to be continually renewed through self-giving, forgiveness, attentive listening and prayer. It is Mary’s “May it be done to me according to your word” that disposes us to receive life in Christ. Only then can married love become a living sign of Christ’s love for His Church.

Faith: While praying with today’s Gospel, I realised that I often ask the Lord to change certain things in our relationship, but almost always I’m asking Him to change you—to change the things about you that I don’t like.
Daniel: I do exactly the same, Faith. I want our conflicts to disappear, and I ask God for that, but I still cling to my own way of thinking and find it hard to let go of my pride. It’s like trying to pour new wine into old wineskins.
Faith: During prayer, I realised that Jesus doesn’t want simply to patch up our marriage. He wants to make it new from within, teaching us to love as He loves.
Daniel: And that begins with me—with changing myself, not demanding that you change. If I allow Christ to transform my heart, He will also transform the way I look at you, listen to you and serve you.
Faith: Yes, Daniel, I realised that I’m the one who needs to allow myself to be transformed as well. Today I ask the Lord for the humility to leave behind my old attitudes and to open myself to the grace we received through our sacrament.
Daniel: Me too. May we never be afraid to become new wineskins, ready to receive the wine of His love. Only then will our joy no longer depend on circumstances, but on knowing that Jesus, the Bridegroom, always walks with us.

Mother,

Guide us on our journey and teach us to trust completely in the Lord, just as you did, and to allow ourselves to be shaped by His love. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother. Praised be the Lord forever!