Our world has seen more than its share of destruction and disaster in the first few years of our new century, both natural and man-made. Perhaps we may have experienced some of this personally. Sometimes one's own personal life falls apart. Amos assures us that this is never the end. God intends to rebuild everything, restoring His people to happiness and prosperity. It is God's promise. With God's help, we can overcome anything - life goes on, especially with God's grace. God is always the rebuilder and restorer; only humans destroy.

Some were offended because the disciples of Jesus were not fasting. His reply was simple: how can they fast, which is a form of mourning, when God is in their midst? They needed to think in new ways, as the parable of the wineskins tells us. When you try to pour new wine (ideas and concepts) into old wineskins, it doesn't work. The old is not strong enough to hold the new. We need new receptacles in the form of new religious consciousness. Pope Francis challenges us to understand the gospel in terms of mercy. Many people have resisted, but we need to begin to stretch our minds and hearts to receive and understand what God is trying to tell us in our own day and age. Beware of rigid thinking; always be prepared to be challenged in everyday life to think in new ways.