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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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2 Ordinary Time
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2nd
Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C
John 2:1-12
The little boy of a Christian father with a forever gloomy face saw a
horse. He shouted, "Daddy, he must be a Christian. He too has a long
face."
Today's Gospel is I suspect an all-time favorite of everybody and his
sister. No less an august personage than Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski
was enchanted by it. In The Brothers Karamazof, he wrote, "Cana, the
first miracle, the compassionate one when Jesus joined not in human
sorrow but in human happiness."
It is only John the Evangelist who tells us of this miracle. Very
possibly the teen-ager John was among the guests present. And of course
he wrote of it as an old man. We must assume that the Cana incident was
something which he could never forget. No doubt he dwelled upon it
often. I am certain he wrote of it because he felt the miracle has much
to teach us. How correct he was!
The tale tells us a good deal about Mary. As we know, it was she who
informed her Son that the wine had run out. How did she know? One
author answers. She was working in the kitchen with the bride's parents
and helping them to cook the food for the buffet. There she saw her
brother-in-law's alarm. There is an old tradition that the bride's
mother was in fact Mary's sister.
So, we must immediately conclude that Mary was very much a warm Jewish
woman. She was most anxious to help her sister and her niece keep the
costs down by volunteering her own labor. This picture of Mary may well
be a fresh one for many of us. That is especially true of those of us
who think only of Mary as a woman in permapress blue and white. But the
latter is the picture of a plastic person who is constantly looking
ever so devoutly into the heavens with hands folded. She apparently has
nothing else to do. Thus, the clever John is deliberately drawing for
us a flesh and blood Mary. Your prayers to her will come easier I dare
say if you keep this tableau before you.
Furthermore, the miracle reveals that whenever Mary found herself in a
pinch or a bind, she instinctively turned to her Son. Having lived with
him for thirty years, she knew that He would deliver. What do you think
she is telling us? And will you and I take her advice?
Even when her Son apparently turned down her request, Mary did not
throw in the towel. Quite the contrary! She turned to the bartenders
and instructed them to stand ready. Her faith and trust in the Christ
remained firm and solid. She knew He was such a soft touch that He
surely would do something. He would not see the bride and groom
humiliated in front of their guests. Is not John instructing each of us
that our faith in the Teacher must be similar to that of His own
mother? Could it be that we take no for an answer too often and too
soon?
Notice too where this miracle takes place. It is situated in the home
of working class people in an inconsequential, even run-down town in
Galilee. This is a word-picture of Christ the populist. He is willing
to squeeze Himself into our kitchens, slip off His old sandals, and
take a seat at our scarred tables. God is obviously more than willing
to involve Himself in the humdrum of our everyday lives. The same God,
who keeps the cosmos alive in the palm of His hand, is likewise willing
to concern Himself with my very mundane problems. If I do not bring Him
my nickel and dime requests, it is I who am foolish. It is I who have
misread the intent of today's Gospel of John.
Notice too the occasion. It is of course a wedding. It is a time for
laughter, music, and very obviously wine. John draws for us a Jesus who
Himself enjoys a good time. A party was obviously not something which
was beneath Him. It was something He sought. He was clearly no party
pooper.
A Christian who walks about with a long face should meditate long and
loud on this Cana tale. He or she has much to learn and, more
importantly, to change. The sooner the better! Remember the remark of
the boy who began our reflection.
Anytime that we genuinely welcome the Teacher into our lives, a miracle
takes place. What was colorless becomes a rainbow of colors. What was
prosaic becomes poetical.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
2 Ordinary Time
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Second Sundayof the Year
Shout It Out: Jesus has Given Us His Blood
Today's gospel contains a dialogue between Jesus and his mother
Mary. The dialogue is not just thrown in to keep the story
interesting. It is essential to an understanding on Jesus' mission on
earth as well as to the understanding of how we must live our Christian
lives.
First of all, the setting: It's a wedding feast at Cana in
Galilee. In the Gospel of John, where the wedding feast is found,
this is the first public appearance of Jesus with his disciples.
At this point in the Gospel of John Jesus had not performed any
miracles. When Mary tells Jesus that there is no wine, Jesus
appears to snap at her by saying, "How does this concern of yours
effect me? My hour has not yet come." Then Mary seems to ignore this by
telling the waiters to do whatever He says.
The
dialogue was not about wine. It was about setting into motion the
events which would lead to Jesus' crucifixion, death and
resurrection. Once the people saw Jesus' glory, as the reading
for today concludes, they would proclaim Him as Messiah, making His
hour, His death, inevitable. Mary does not respond to
Jesus' question because she herself knows who He is and knows that it
is now time to put His mission into motion. Jesus transforms the
water into wine, by doing so he will soon transform wine into His
blood.
The
reading is about the gift of the Body and Blood of the Lord on
the cross and in the Eucharist.
“For
Zion’s sake, I will not be silent. For Jerusalem’s sake, I will
not be quiet.” That comes from the first reading for this Sunday
from Isaiah 62. When something wonderful happens, people talk
about it, loudly. Or, at least they should. Consider the
world of sports. In case you are living in a cave somewhere and haven’t
heard: the Yankees won the World Series last Fall. Sorry, all you
Red Sox and Phillie fans, but they’re back. Now, most Yankee fans,
including me, have been really vocal about the team, and to the
victors belong the spoils, at least on the sports
field. But, there
is something I want to point out. We are very loud about some
things which in the long run do not effect the vast majority of us,
such as sports, but are quiet about the one event the really
matters and that has an infinite effect on each of us: the Christ
event. We need to be proclaiming Jesus Christ with our lives as
well as our words.
Think of this. We have received the greatest Christmas present
there could possibly be. We have received the Lord. The
gift is not a one time event. He keeps giving Himself to us in
the Eucharist.
We
need to be shouting to the world that Jesus is here in His Body and
Blood. Instead, we are silent when it comes to the
Eucharist. Perhaps, in our efforts to find common ground with our
Protestant brothers and sisters, we barely mention what the Eucharist
means to Catholics. Even among ourselves, we speak at length
about every aspect of Christianity, but tend to gloss over that which
makes us distinctly Catholic, the Body and Blood of the Lord.
A
number of years ago a man met with me who was coming into the
faith. He said, “Father, maybe I am not becoming Catholic for the
right reasons. I, really, really believe in the Presence of the
Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and I really want to receive
communion.” I told him that I could not think of a better reason
for him to become Catholic. The fact is that the main reason why
adults join our faith is to be admitted to the Eucharist.
What
is it that these adults realize that we “cradle Catholics” have taken
for granted? Perhaps, they sense the Sacramental Presence of the
Lord in our Churches, in our tabernacles. Perhaps, they see us in
prayer at communion time or before the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic
Adoration and realize that there is more to Catholicism than the
fellowship of the Christian community. Perhaps they sense that at
communion time each Catholic has an individual meeting with the Lord
within him or her.
Sometimes a person might ask you, “What is it about the Catholic Church
that grips you? Is it the services, the music, the pageantry? Is
it the fact that Catholics know where they stand in areas of dogma,
faith, and morality? What is it that grips you?” What is it that
grips us? We need to look closely into ourselves and respond with the
deep reality of Catholicism: “We really believe in the Presence of the
Lord in the Eucharist. We love receiving Him in communion.
This to us, is fundamental to our faith life.” When we take our
young people on retreat, we spend hours planning talks and
events. But every single time if you ask them what was the
highlight of the weekend, the retreat, the vast majority will say,
“Eucharistic Adoration.”
“For Zion’s sake I will not be silent. For Jerusalem’s sake I will not
be quiet.” In Isaiah, Jerusalem or Zion, was not just a place, it
was the action of God in the world. The prophet shouts
because he wants the world to realize what God is doing. He wants
others to join the transformation of the world into the Kingdom
of God.
We
proclaim the Eucharistic Presence so that others can join us in union
with Jesus at the Last Supper, on the Cross and at His
Resurrection. We proclaim the Eucharistic Presence so others can
join us in the Lord’s re-creation of the world through the gift of His
Body and Blood.
Water has been changed into wine. Wine has been changed into
blood. Don’t be quiet about it. Tell the world: God loves
us in ways infinitely beyond our deepest hopes and gives us a gift
infinitely greater than our deepest needs. |
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
2 Ordinary Time
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Each
Holding Twenty to Thirty Gallons
(January 17, 2010)
Bottom line: Jesus turned the water into wine because he wants us to
have every blessing - in abundance.
Let me begin with a disclaimer: In the early years of my priesthood, I
gave up alcohol. I did it for personal and pastoral reasons. In the
course of my ministry, here and in Peru, I have seen the evil one use
alcohol to enslave people so he can spread misery. And, unfortunately,
children suffer most from adult abuse of alcohol. I invite anyone here
to consider whether alcohol - or any other mind altering substance - is
bringing suffering in its wake. I will do whatever I can to help you by
prayer and an appropriate referral.
Now, with that disclaimer I am going to talk this Sunday about a
miracle that invovles alcohol. It was his first miracle - and he did it
at the request of Mary, his mother. At a wedding banquet, to save a
young couple from shame, Jesus turned water into wine. He didn't
produce a few liters for a final toast. No, he made an enormous
quantity. As the Gospel says: Six stone jars "each holding twenty to
thirty gallons." That's a lot of wine - between 120 and 180 gallon.
Maybe we could split the difference and say, a hundred and fifty
gallons. That could keep St. Mary's parish supplied for several years.
Moreover - as the Gospel notes - wine of best quality.
One could say a lot about this miracle, but I would like to emphasize
this: the abundance. When Jesus does something, he does it right. He
gives overflowing abundance. In a supernatural sense, of course, no one
can measure his abundance, as I will bring out shortly. But before
talking about the supernatural, I want to speak about the everyday,
natural level. Those who follow God's path can expect visible
blessings.
A recent best-selling book illustrated the blessings that come to those
who believe in God and practice their faith. The author has no stake in
promoting a Christian agenda. He is a secular, Jewish man: Dr. Frank
Luntz, who has gained fame as an prescient observer of American
society. His book ("What Americans Really Want...Really") contains a
chapter on religion practice in our country - and the effect of
religious practice on the rest of one's life. Based on extensive
studies, Dr. Luntz makes this observation:
"In general, people who have God in their lives are happier, healthier
and more content compared to nonbelievers and nonpracticioners."
That is quite a statement - "happier, healthier and more content."
Luntz gets specific: "They (those who believe in God and practice their
faith) are more likely to be happily married and more likely to spend
time with their children. They are more likely to do volunteer work and
less likely to engage in antisocial activities. They are better
adjusted and closer to family and friends."
After enumerating how religious belief and practice correlate with
desirable benefits, Dr. Luntz makes this conclusion: "Every type of
positive pathology that we believe is good for the human condition has
a direct correlation with religious activity."*
So - on an everyday, natural level - following God's path brings
blessings. Even though we acknowledge hypocricy and backsliding among
religious folk, still - in general - people's lives do get better when
they take God seriously.
God, Jesus, wants to give us blessings - not necessarily a million
dollars, but those things that make for a happy, joyful life. He wants
us to have an abundant life. Jesus turned water into wine to rescue a
young couple from embarrassment and to bring gladness to those
celebrating their marriage. This does not mean that no trials will come
- they will - but Jesus gives the means to get through them.
Now, that is the natural significance of Jesus' first miracle: He
desires abundance for those who follow his way.
The miracle also has a deeper, supernatural significance. John
carefully notes that the six jars held water used for "Jewish
ceremonial washings." Later in this same Gospel, Jesus washes the feet
of his disciples - signifying his power to wash away sin. And during
that Last Supper, he takes a cup of wine and says, "the cup of my
blood...shed for forgiveness of sins."
Both the water and the water-become-wine point to the supernatural gift
of forgiveness. Appropriately, Jesus performed this miracle at a
wedding feast. No marriage can last without forgiveness. Any couple who
has achieved five, ten or more years of marriage can tell you they
often needed forgiveness - from God and from each other. Every human
relationship requires forgiveness, but especially marriage.
Jesus loves young married couples and gives help in good times and in
bad. He wants them to have abundance - both naturally and
supernaturally.
Young married couples are vital for the future to our society and our
Church. I know that you, like me, are concerned that so many have
fallen into cohabitation, that they are not making the commitment to
marriage nor are they having their marriages blessed by God. These are
huge concerns, both for our society and our Church.
Still, I do see some positive signs: A recent poll brought encouraging
news. It compared those born between 1961 and 1981 ("Generation X")
with those born after 1981 (the "Millennial Generation"). Sixty-seven
percent of those age 29-49 said they agreed with the statement,
"marriage is a life-long commitment." Sixty-seven percent is a solid
majority, so Generation X has a strong feeling about life-long
marriage. But it's even better among the Millenial Generation - those
28 and younger. Eighty-two percent agree that marriage is a life-long
commitment.**
It's encouraging that so many young people believe in life-long
marriage. But it is one thing to believe - and another to put into
practice. A smaller - but significant - number put their belief into
practice. In spite of widespread promiscuity, many young people have
decided to practice chastity - to wait until marriage. Chastity before
marriage is one of the greatest predictors of satisfaction and
perseverance in marriage.
I have had young people ask me to bless a purity ring that says, "love
waits." That's not an easy commitment, especially today. It requires
grace from Jesus. And if a person falls, it takes Jesus' help to return
to the right track. Jesus can do that especially through the sacrament
of confession. He loves young people - and wants them to have the
satisfactions and joys of marriage, in abundance.
Today's Gospel shows Jesus love for married couples. It must have
devastated those newly weds to run out of wine at their reception. But
Jesus - through the intercession of his Blessed Mother - helps in a
time of crisis. He gives an abundance of every blessing that brings
joy. Above all, he desires for us the greatest blessing - the
forgiveness of sins and the power to forgive one another. As a sign of
those blessings, Jesus today turns some hundred and fifty gallons of
water into wine. Yes, if we make the effort to follow God's path, he
gives every blessing - in abundance.***
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*In his final chapter, Dr. Luntz lists "Reestablishing the Respect for
Religion in America" as Priority #3. After stating that he does not
wish to offend non-religious believers, he gives interesting data on
how religious belief and practice affect the way Americans behave:
Religious Americans are much more likely to reject
instant-gratification ("Two-thirds [66 percent] of nonreligious
Americans agree with the statement, 'If it feels good, do,' despite its
selfish, dangerous undertones. By comparison, fully 71 percent of
relgious Americans disagree with the concept of instant
gratification.")
Relgious Amercians are more likely to prioritize family.
Religious voters vote religiously. (That, we are more likely to vote in
every election that nonreligious voters.)
Religious employees are more dedicated to their jobs and more fiscally
prudent.
Religious Americans are more satisfied sexually. (I will let you read
Luntz' explanation, but it does give a whole new meaning to Jesus'
saying, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all
good things will be added unto you.")
**From a 2009 CARA poll, published in Jan 3, 2010 issue of Our Sunday
Visitor.
***A final note: Evidently there is something abroad today called the
"Prosperity Gospel." I am not sure exactly what it is, but Wikipedia
defines it as a "religious belief centered on the notion that God
provides material prosperity for those he favors. It implies both that
people who are favored by God will be materially successful, and also
that materially successful people are successful because God favored
them."
I hope the final paragraphs make it clear I am not preaching a
"Prosperity Gospel" in the sense that material blessings prove God's
favor or that material blessings will automatically result from
religious practice. And even when those blessings come, they are not an
end in themselves, but point to something greater. Both the water and
the water-become-wine point to the new life God desires for us. This
new life has an abundance greater than anything this world offers.
For that reason, some Christians have put aside worldly blessings to
witness to that greater abundance. For instance, St. Francis: He had
fine clothes, delicious food and the means to travel. He travelled with
his merchant father to France and came back to Assisi singing the new
French love songs. Even though he was baptized "Giovanni" (John) people
started calling him "Francesco" - the French one. Francis had
everything a young man could want, but one day he gave it all up to wed
himself to "Lady Poverty" and thus embrace the cross of Christ - the
source of every spiritual blessing.
General Intercessions for Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C (from
Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
2 Ordinary Time
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January 17th, 2010 A.D.
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Lk 4/14-2
Background:
The scene in today’s Gospel is not quite as spectacular as the one in
the first reading, but in a sense it is much more dramatic when it is
read from our perspective. Jesus is laying down a claim to be the sign
of the messianic age.
Though later he would on occasion dodge the question of whether
he was the messiah because the role of that person was so badly
misunderstood (as a military and political leader), he made clear at
the beginning of his ministry that the messianic age, properly
understood as a new age of creation, was also beginning.
The people in the synagogue must have been thunderstruck. They
knew Jesus and liked him, but how could anyone claim to be fulfilling
personally the prophecy of Isaiah?
Story:
Once there was a truly great high school basketball team that
everyone said would win the city championship without even trying. So
they swept through the season without even trying. Why work hard to
beat a time that was no big deal. That year there were no big deal
teams in the whole city, except our friends. So they won all their
games by fifteen points or more and were hailed as the best ever. That
came the championship match against a team they’d already beaten twice.
However, the other team was all pumped up, the refs were manifestly
unfair, and crowd was for the other team. The coach, who had warned
them all season about being flat on the wrong day, screamed at them to
know avail.
Then at the beginning of the second half he screamed at the refs
for a blatantly unfair call. The refs threw him out and then the
assistant coach who screamed and the refs through him out too. So the
only adult on the bench was the second assistant who was just out of
college and who had played on the team a couple of years ago (and
wasn’t truly great) took over. He called time out and said, look, guys,
we may be down by ten but we can beat these clumsy oaf and I’m going to
tell you how. They’re rotten ball handlers. We’ll put on a full course
press and steal the ball from them every time they try to bring it
down.
What does he know a couple of guys said as they returned to the
court?
Who does he think he is?
But they put on the press and caught up almost at once and were
ten points ahead when the final quarter started. We’ve got them on the
road, guys, the acting coach said, keep up the press. But the guys were
fed up with this punks enthusiasm and decided to ease up. What
happened. The score was tied with only three minutes left and they were
five points down with two minutes left. Let’s do the press, someone
said. Only by now they were too tired. So they lost by ten points.
Moral: You take your prophets wherever you can find them.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
2 Ordinary Time
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Jan,
17, 2010
John 2: 1-11
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Summary
There are several unusual features about this story in today's gospel.
First of all, it is not customary for Jesus to perform a miracle merely
to help friends avoid embarrassment. Secondly, this is the only time in
John's gospel that we see the mother of Jesus intervene to ask a favor
of her Son. Finally, Jesus addresses his mother as "woman," which is
not the way one addresses one's mother, then or now.
All of these features warn us to be alert for symbolic meaning in this
story. This should not surprise us, for symbolism has always been the
language of religion. It gives wings, as it were, to earth-bound words
so that they can rise to the level of divine meaning. Thus, contrary to
what many suppose, symbolic interpretation is not opposed to what is
"real" or "historical;" it is opposed to what is spiritually
meaningless!
And so, when Jesus calls his mother "woman," he is recognizing in her
the role of new Eve, "mother of all the living" (Gen 3:20), because she
is his mother and he represents a new creation. When Jesus resists her
request because his "hour has not yet come," we are reminded of the
only other place in John's gospel where Jesus addresses his mother as
"woman," and that is when his "hour" has in fact arrived (19:26-27). At
that time, Mary, suffering now with her son on Calvary, becomes mother
of all who are inspired by the new life of faith and who accept the
wisdom of Jesus about unselfish living.
Life Implications
We can accept as historical fact that Mary gave birth to Jesus.
However, she bore him again on the spiritual level when she stood by
his cross and became the spiritual mother of the whole Church, whose
members are united with him in faith and in the Eucharist, sacrament of
love. Thus, although Jesus is willing to respond to the family crisis
at that wedding feast, John needs also to remind us that Jesus did not
really come to make wine out of water but to save us by the kind of
love that includes suffering and death. And his mother will be forever
our model as she stands by her Son's cross and embraces his wisdom.
This new life is symbolized by zestful wine and is therefore so much
better than the colorless and "watery" life that we experience before
conversion. Faith enables us to begin already to experience this new
life as we embrace the wisdom of Jesus and Mary. This will mean
embracing the cross also because unselfish love is always a little
dying, just as it is also learning to live in a "divine" way.
When the gospel tells us the "the disciples began to believe in him,"
it means that they began to see that Jesus alone could offer them the
new life that is symbolized by the "good wine" that is saved till the
end of the feast. In fact, Jesus has come in these latter days to save
us all from the embarrassment of a meaningless existence as he offers
us the secret of a truly festive life of gentle sacrifice and generous
trust.
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
2 Ordinary Time
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SECOND
SUNDAY
Isaiah 62: 1-5; Psalm 96, 1-3, 7-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11; St. John
2: 1-11
Our Lady has interceded for those who approach her divine Son from the
very beginning of his public life and ministry.
Mary was invited to a wedding at Cana, and "Jesus also was invited to
the marriage with his disciples". Our Lady informs Jesus "they have no
more wine". Though he hesitates, saying "My hour has not yet come", he
yet accedes to her wishes and the needs of the wedding guests and
changes water into wine upon our Lady's instruction to the servants:
"Do whatever he tells you." We also are invited by our Lady to render
obedience to her Son: "in that all Christian holiness consists: for
perfect holiness is obeying Christ in all things". (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Comm. on St. John, in loc.).
In the public life of Jesus Mary appears prominently; at the very
beginning when at the marriage feast of Cana, moved with pity, she
brought about by her intercession the beginning of the miracles of
Jesus the Messiah (cf. John 2: 1-11). In the course of her Son's
preaching she received the words whereby, in extolling a kingdom beyond
the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, he declared blessed those who
heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mk 3:35; Lk 11:27-28) as she was
faithfully doing (cf. Lk 2:19; 51). Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in
her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with
her Son unto the cross, where she stood (cf. Jn 19:25), in line with
the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of
his passion, with his sacrifice, associating herself in her mother's
heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim which
was born of her. Finally, she was given by the same Christ Jesus dying
on the cross as a mother to his disciple, with these words: 'Woman,
behold thy son' (Jn 19: 26-27)" (Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium,
58).
"At Cana, Mary appears once more as the Virgin in prayer: when she
tactfully told her Son of a temporal need, she also obtained an effect
of grace, namely, that Jesus, in working the first of his 'signs',
confirmed his disciples' faith in him." (Paul VI, Marialis cultus, 18).
Why are Mary's prayers so effective with God? The prayers of the saints
are prayers of servants, whereas Mary's are a Mother's prayer, whence
flows their efficacy and their authority; and since Jesus has immense
love for his Mother, she cannot pray without being listened to...To
understand Mary's great goodness, let us remember what the Gospel
says...There was a shortage of wine, which naturally worried the
married couple. No one asks the Blessed Virgin to intervene and request
her Son to come to the rescue of the couple...; it stirs her to act as
intercessor and ask her Son for the miracle, even though no one asks
her to...If our Lady acted like this without being asked, what would
she not have done if they actually asked her to intervene?" (St.
Alphonsus Mary Ligouri, Sunday Sermons, 48).
By God's design Mary is uniquely a Mediatrix for us, our Mother in the
order of grace (CCC 967-970) just as she was for the wedding guests at
Cana. No other creature shares in the privileges she enjoys as
cooperator in the work of her Son.
"This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues
uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the
Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the
cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to
heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold
intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal
salvation...Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under
the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix." (Second
Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, 62) (CCC 969)
Blessed Lady, intercede for us that we may do whatever the Lord tells
us and so may, like the wedding guests at Cana, see his glory and
believe in Him.
Let's pray for each other until, together next week, we "meet Christ in
the liturgy", Father Cusick
(See also nos. 486, 495, 1335, 1613, and 2618 in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church.) (Publish with permission.)
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
2 Ordinary Time
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Second Sunday of Year C
We are in Year C of the Liturgical Calendar and the Gospels for the
Ordinary Sundays are taken from the Evangelist Luke. Knowing this, you
will surely be asking why then is it that the Gospel for this Second
Sunday of the Year comes from John, surely that breaks the system? If
you look at the other two years in the cycle the same thing applies. So
what is going on?
First of all, there is no Year of John. The Lectionary operates on a
three-year cycle and there are four Gospels. Each of the three years is
dedicated to one of the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke.
However, John’s Gospel is used to fill in some of the gaps in the other
Gospels and especially in the Advent, Lent and Easter seasons.
In all three years of the liturgical cycle the First Sunday in Ordinary
Time is celebrated as the Baptism of the Lord and today, in what is
called Year C, we are presented with John’s account of the Marriage
Feast of Cana.
It is not too difficult to work out the logic of this. Since the
Baptism of the Lord marks the beginning of the Public Ministry of Jesus
it makes perfect sense to begin with an account of the first miracle
which is only to be found in the Gospel of John.
So much for the liturgical technicalities; it is, however, a bit of a
mystery as to why the other Evangelists don’t have an account of this
first and rather significant miracle.
We must acknowledge that not all the miracles or actions of Jesus are,
or even could be, included in a Gospel of forty or fifty pages in
length. John himself says that, “There were many other signs that Jesus
performed… but they are not recorded in this book.”
One of the reasons for the differences between the Gospels is that the
Evangelists had to pick and choose which material to emphasise.
We don’t doubt that the Apostles were present at the feast; indeed John
specifically says that they were there and so the other Evangelists
were surely well aware of the Marriage Feast of Cana.
What has happened is that John has uniquely seen its full significance.
Not only is it the first miracle, which is something that has its own
relevance; but there are several other reasons for him to stress its
importance.
One is certainly that the miracle took place at a marriage. We don’t
know the names of the happy couple, but perhaps that is deliberate
because in a certain sense they surely stand in for all married people.
It always has been the doctrine of the Church that marriage is a sign
of the love God has for the Church. Here with this first miracle Jesus
is pointing up this parallel.
It also marks the beginning of a ministry which was to end up with
Jesus giving his whole life for our salvation and therefore it teaches
us as much about what is required in a marriage as it does about the
love of God.
Moving on to look at the actual text, some people think that Jesus is
being a bit rude when he fails to name his mother. Also his words sound
something like a rebuke. “Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come
yet.”
First of all let us examine this the word Woman. It should be noted
that Mary’s name is never given in John’s Gospel and so no disrespect
could have been meant. Scholars tell us that the use of this word is
not rude as it would be in English. We should understand that Jesus
meant something very respectful like Madame or Ma’am such as is used to
address the Queen.
We must also understand the importance of Mary’s presence at this feast
in Cana which John has taken the trouble to point out right at the
beginning. By being there and playing a key role at this important
event marking the outset of his ministry Mary becomes associated with
the whole of it. Also her role as Jesus’ first disciple is pointed up.
In the text Jesus expresses reluctance, “Why turn to me?” This is like
saying today, “What’s it got to do with me?” These words are
notoriously difficult to interpret but to me they only express the same
sort of thing that was going on in the Garden of Gethsemane when, as
recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus said “Take this cup away from
me, but let your will be done, not mine. Jesus expresses reluctance but
then goes on to perform the action with wonderful consequences for all
concerned.
What about the auxiliary phrase, “my hour has not come yet”? Of course
it has not come yet because his “hour”, his propitious moment, was to
occur three years later on the Cross of Calvary.
However, Jesus certainly knows it is time for him to begin his ministry
because he has just undergone Baptism and has gathered the disciples to
him and this could have been for only one purpose, so that he could
begin his work of proclaiming the Gospel.
What is happening here is that the idea of an “hour”, or an
extraordinary denouement to the story, is being introduced right at the
beginning to alert us to the fact that Jesus’ public ministry is going
to come to an extraordinary end.
The Church has down the centuries realised the importance of this
Miracle at Cana. The changing of water into wine is rightly regarded as
a sort of Epiphany in which Christ is made manifest to the people.
Also the water has always been understood to represent the old order
which in Christ gives way to the new. Here we mark an important stage
in the unfolding of God’s plan for the salvation of the world.
Like any good overture quite a lot of the themes that are to come are
introduced to us and hints are dropped that are only given meaning
later on. It is the same with this first miracle. It takes place at a
feast which hints at that much greater feast to come, the Eucharist
which itself looks towards the great banquet of heaven.
The wine also points to the Eucharist; and the sheer quantity of wine
is a clear indication of the overwhelming generosity of God. If our
creation comes from the overflow of love within the Holy Trinity then
our salvation the result of this same extraordinary outpouring of God’s
love and mercy.
There is much for us to think about and to rejoice in as we contemplate
this wonderful account of the Marriage Feast of Cana. There is even
more to be gained as we make further connections due to its position in
the liturgical calendar immediately following on from the Christmas
season.
Yes, there is much for us to think about, plenty of food to nourish our
contemplation and a great deal to rejoice in as we unfold the riches to
be found in the scriptures and in the sacred liturgy.
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
2 Ordinary Time |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author. |
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