FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL
A TIME OF TRANSITION
(Part 9)
NEW WINE INTO A NEW WINESKIN
July 4, 2020
Today’s gospel: Matthew 9:14-17
Jesus says, “people do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins and both are preserved.” (v.17). Jesus is saying that his teaching is not just a patching up of Judaism. Though the basics of God’s call to His chosen people remain, his teaching is entirely fresh and new. As such, the gospel cannot be contained within the limits of the Mosaic law.
Now wine produced by a vineyard is the same. Same vines, same soil, same pruning, same harvesting, same processing. But a new batch of wine is not put in old wineskins but in new. New wine expands, and so puts pressure on the wineskin. If the wineskin is old, it is not pliant and does not expand. Thus the combination of both causes the old wineskin to burst, and both are lost.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit is ever new, ever creative, but it is always the same Holy Spirit.1 It is of course the eternal Spirit of God, which was there sweeping over the waters at creation,2 and is with us until the end of time.3 God is eternal and does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.4 So the same Spirit acts throughout salvation history.
But the Holy Spirit acts in and through different movements and groups. First God formed a people, Israel. Then God raised a sect within Judaism which became Christianity. Within Christianity, there have been very many movements, all intended to help revive and renew the Church. Within the Catholic Church, there had been the rise of the mendicant religious orders5 of the 13th century and the charismatic renewal in the 20th century. Towards the end of the 2nd millennium, God raised the Ecclesial Movements and New Communities.
Within the charismatic renewal, there were also new movements being raised by the Spirit. And this is the story of MFC. God usually works in stages, revealing more of His plan to a people as they journey with Him. And so it was that out of charismatic renewal emerged Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (LNP), and out
of LNP emerged Couples for Christ (CFC), and out of CFC emerged Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life (CFC-FFL), and out of CFC-FFL has emerged Missionary Families of Christ (MFC).
Why could God not just work with a particular group? God of course does work with groups that He raises. But when God is about something new, though within the unchanging context of the proclamation of the gospel, then He produces new wineskins.6
Why were there splits? Because people were putting new wine into old wineskins. They would not recognize that the Spirit was about something new. God does go ahead with His plans, but if a new wineskin is not used, then the old one bursts.7 LNP did not realize that God did not just want an outreach to couples, doing a limited work, but wanted a whole new movement of family renewal and massive evangelization. And so as things were starting to burst, there was a split and CFC went on its own. Then CFC on the other hand veered away from God’s intent, neglecting the basic work of spirituality and evangelization in favor of work with the poor.8 So some leaders in CFC were changing the wineskin, and so before that would cause the wine to be ruined, God provided a new wineskin. There was a split, and CFC-FFL was established.9
Now CFC-FFL has become MFC. This is basically a change of name, but reflects the greater understanding and greater focus on what God from the very start had been intending. After 38 years (last year), our vision and mission is crystal clear. The call to engage in spiritual war in these very dark times is clear. MFC is called to be the Army of Mary, composed of Christ’s holy warriors.
So the Holy Spirit has put new wine into a fresh wineskin, which is MFC.10 May God’s purposes be accomplished in and through us, as He intends.11
1 The gender of the Holy Spirit is subject to disagreement. In Hebrew, “ruah” is both masculine and feminine. In Greek, “pneuma” is neuter. In Latin, “spiritus” is masculine. The Holy Spirit is of course a Person of the Trinity, but it is not unacceptable to refer to the Holy Spirit as “it.” In fact, the usual depiction of the Holy Spirit is as a dove.
2 Genesis 1:1-2.
3 Matthew 28:20b.
4 Hebrews 13:8.
5 Like the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites and Augustinians. They took vows of poverty and renounced all worldly goods.
6 LCSC is also a new wineskin. It is not intended to replace MFC, but has a particular focus (basically bringing our Church back to mission mode) that differs from MFC. MFC and LCSC work together, with MFC being the backbone for LCSC.
7 If not for the splits, both with LNP and later with CFC, then the wineskin would have been ruined. As it is, the splits allowed LNP and CFC to be preserved, and carry on with their mission, with the particular wine originally given them by the Spirit.
8 Even to the extent of getting support from pharmaceuticals dispensing contraceptives, which the Vatican said was not permissible for a Catholic org to do.
9 Here is proof that our going our own way was right. Some years after CFC left LNP, LNP’s other outreaches also followed suit. For example, the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (CBCP) also became autonomous and on their own. Then some years after our split with CFC, CFC split again, into CFC and CFC-GK. Note that the veering away with greater emphasis on GK (Gawad Kalinga) was the basic cause of the original CFC split.
10 Just as Jesus did not do away with the Old Testament, MFC is built on everything that has gone before, including the different communities of LNP and CFC.
11 As well as through all the other wineskins God has raised, as they realize their respective calls and charisms, and live these out.
