The Fabric of our Lives

In a simple yet profound way, the Lord tell us today that real change is needed , and it is not easy. Rather thank just a small patch, our lives sometimes need to be completely changed. Using common experiences, Jesus likens our efforts to live the faith to putting a patch of new cloth on an old cloak, or putting new wine into old wineskins. Neither will work, because the old and new cannot tolerate each other. The repair will pull away and the skin will burst.
So too in our lives. If we really want to live the gospel, we have to discard whatever will not fit into the life of a follower of Christ. Old habits or associations that will not be conducive to our life as a Christian have to be cast aside. This is no small feat, since these old ways of doing things and bad influences are probably part of our everyday lives. And that is exactly the problem. If God will us to behave in one way and we are used to behaving in another, one must go. They cannot coexist.
What are the ways of doing things that lead us into sin? Are there any people with whom we should not associate? Have we become comfortable with temptation? With the devil himself? Today's Gospel (Mark 2: 18-22) is a challenge to examine our lives, see what is not compatible with the life of a believer and then discard it. Only then will we be able to become the person God intends us to be. Only then will our faith become integrated into the fabric of our lives.