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Gospel Reading for January 19, 2026 – Mark 2: 18-22
STALE
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.”
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The disciples of John the Baptist fasted as a sign of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. As Jesus, the Messiah had already come, it was now a time for great rejoicing. When Jesus is taken away from his disciples in Calvary, fasting then, would be a time of mourning. As for the Pharisees, fasting had no real value because it was a ritual they used to show their piety and righteousness. The Pharisees insisted on many man-made traditions which were too rigid and burdensome, rendering their religion STALE. In contrast to Jesus’ teachings, they focused more on outward ritual rather than internal transformation. This was why Jesus called them hypocrites (Matthew 23: 13, 15, 23, 25, and 27).
There is a recorded 9.6 million devotees who participated in the January 9, 2026 Black Nazarene festivities in Manila. The Sinulog Festival of the Sto. Niño in Cebu yesterday, is said to have drawn 5.2 million people. These are what we call Popular Religiosity or faith and spiritual practices of ordinary people expressed through local and cultural traditions.
When we do rituals or practice popular religiosity, we also need to examine ourselves. Why do we participate? Do these practices enhance our relationship with God, inspire and move us to seek him in the sacraments? Do they touch our lives in a way that makes us strive to be better persons in our families/communities?
Hopefully, our practices of popular religiosity will not make the practice of our religion STALE, but instead, enliven and make richer the practice of our Faith so we may be a “Synodal Church” that emphasizes communion, participation, and mission.
All praises be to you, Lord God, the Most High!
