Homily – Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time (Cycle II)

📖 Readings: Genesis 27:1–5, 15–29 | Psalm 135:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6 | Matthew 9:14–17
Theme: “God Works Through Imperfect People and Makes All Things New”

👋🏽 Introduction – When Life Feels Complicated

Life doesn’t always follow a clear, honest script. Sometimes people make mistakes. Families are complicated. Faith doesn’t erase all problems—it invites God right into them.

Today’s readings remind us that God’s plan is not defeated by human messiness. He works in and through even the flawed, the scheming, and the unexpected to bring about His purposes.

🌿 1. First Reading – Genesis 27:1–29: A Messy Blessing

Isaac is old and blind. He wants to bless Esau, his firstborn. But through the scheming of Rebekah and Jacob, the blessing goes to the younger son.

This story is messy:

• There’s deception.

• There’s manipulation.

• Yet, through it all, God’s covenant continues.

Jacob, though imperfect, becomes the one through whom the 12 tribes of Israel are born.
God doesn't need perfect instruments—just available ones. His mercy transforms human brokenness into salvation history.

🍷 2. Gospel – Matthew 9:14–17: The New Wine of the Kingdom

The disciples of John question Jesus about fasting. Jesus responds:

“People do not put new wine into old wineskins…”

In other words, God is doing something new. The presence of Jesus marks a new covenant—a time of joy, transformation, and grace.

But here’s the challenge:
To receive the new wine, we must become new wineskins—open to renewal, growth, and grace.
Clinging to old ways—old grudges, rigid thinking, legalism—won’t hold what Christ wants to pour into us.

🔗 Bringing It Together

• In Genesis: God works through imperfect family drama.

• In Matthew: God invites us to be renewed vessels for His Spirit.
  Both reveal a God who doesn’t discard the broken—but redeems them.

💬 Quote for Reflection

“God writes straight with crooked lines.”
– Portuguese Proverb

✅ Life Application

• Where in my life is God calling me to let go of old ways to receive something new?

• Am I honest enough to admit my faults and let God still use me for His purposes?

• Can I look at my own family and see that God is still at work—even when things are messy?

🧎🏽‍♂️ Conclusion – Let Grace Flow Through You

God doesn’t wait for perfect conditions or perfect people.
He acts through what is flawed, unfinished, and even chaotic—
as long as there is a heart open to His grace.

Let’s allow Him to make new wineskins of our hearts,
and to work even through the tangled areas of our lives.

🙏 Prayer for the New Day

“Make Me a New Wineskin, Lord”

Lord God,
Thank You for this new day, full of Your mercy and possibility.
I give You everything in me—my successes, my failures, my plans, my confusion.

Sometimes my life feels messy, like Jacob’s family.
Sometimes I feel unworthy, like someone trying to steal a blessing.
But today, I trust that You still choose to work in me.

Jesus, pour Your new wine into me.
Renew my heart. Stretch me where I’ve grown rigid.
Help me to forgive, to hope, to start again.

Let me be open to Your Spirit—
not clinging to the past, but ready for the new thing You are doing.

Use me today, even with all my flaws,
for the good of others and for Your glory.

Amen.