"One puts new wine into fresh wineskins." (Mark 2:22)

Prior to speaking the above verse, Jesus spoke about fasting. Although the two topics seem unrelated, there is a reason why Matthew put ‘fasting’ and ‘new wine’ together in the same story.

While he was on earth, Jesus had given his disciples an exemption from fasting. In another instance, however, Jesus pointed out that ‘fasting’ and ‘prayer’ are important criteria for expelling Satan.

In this gospel, the ‘new wine’ refers to the spirit of self-sacrifice; and the ‘new wineskin’ is a symbol of ourselves.

St. Paul once said, “Often I do not do what I should do; but all that I shouldn’t do, I do!” Thus his solution to this dilemma is to “remove the old me daily, and put on the new me.”

To renew ourselves, we must overcome our self-centeredness. The act of fasting is a reminder for us to exercise self-control. Therefore ‘fasting’ and ‘new wine’ are very much interrelated.