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| ” The Marriage at Cana” by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen, c. 1530 |
Reading I: Isaiah
62:1-5
For Zion
for Jerusalem
until her vindication shines
forth like the dawn
and her victory like a burning
torch.
Nations shall behold your
vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
you shall be called by a new
name
pronounced by the mouth of
the LORD.
You shall be a glorious crown
in the hand of the LORD,
a royal diadem held by your
God.
No more shall people call you
“Forsaken, “
or your land “Desolate, “
but you shall be called “My
Delight, “
and your land “Espoused.”
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his
spouse.
As a young man marries a
virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices
in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in
you.
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Commentary on Is
62:1-5
Isaiah prophesies
the coming of the Messiah with several references and images. The Messiah is identified as the vindication
of Israel
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
R. (3) Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the
nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you
lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his
name.
R. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day
after day.
Tell his glory among the
nations;
among all peoples, his
wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you
families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and
praise;
give to the LORD the glory
due his name!
R. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the nations.
Worship the LORD in holy
attire.
Tremble before him, all the
earth;
Say among the nations: The
LORD is king.
He governs the peoples with
equity.
R. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the nations.
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Commentary on Ps
96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
The psalm selection is one of
praise and worship. It begins with songs
of proclamation then moves to imploring praise and honor and finally an
instruction on attire and demeanor.
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Reading II: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Brothers and sisters:
There are different kinds of
spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of
service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but
the same God
who produces all of them in
everyone.
To each individual the
manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the
Spirit the expression of wisdom;
to another, the expression of
knowledge according to the
same Spirit;
to another, faith by the same
Spirit;
to another, gifts of healing
by the one Spirit;
to another, mighty deeds;
to another, prophecy;
to another, discernment of
spirits;
to another, varieties of
tongues;
to another, interpretation of
tongues.
But one and the same Spirit
produces all of these,
distributing them
individually to each person as he wishes.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 12:4-11
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Gospel: John
2:1-11
There was a wedding at Cana
in Galilee ,
and the mother of Jesus was
there.
Jesus and his disciples were
also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to
him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern
affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the
servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone
water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty
gallons.
Jesus told them,
“Fill the jars with water.”
So they filled them to the
brim.
Then he told them,
“Draw some out now and take
it to the headwaiter.”
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter
tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came
from
— although the servers who
had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the
bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine
first,
and then when people have
drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine
until now.”
Jesus did this as the
beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to
believe in him.
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Commentary on Jn
2:1-11
Ironically the
stone water jars were there for the ceremonial cleansing, the very Hebrew
custom John the Baptist took and created the call to repentance. The Hebrew custom was symbolic; the Lord
would later make it efficacious. We also note the Hebrew Numerology applied to
this scene. The number 6 represents one
less than the perfect number 7. It was
not yet Jesus time. The water became
wine, not his blood which was yet to be poured out for the salvation of
mankind.
The final
statement in this story; “…his
disciples began to believe in him” is the only time in John where there was any doubt about the
Lord’s true identity on their part.
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Reflection:
Today we celebrate the great
wedding feast of the Church. We have
heard in St. John’s Gospel the story of the
Wedding at Cana , one of what has been called
the “Wow” miracles of the Lord because it is so spectacular. The Lord, along with his disciples goes to Cana to a wedding.
While he is there, the host runs out of wine. It would be very embarrassing for the couple
to have this happen so Jesus’ mother brings it to the Lord’s attention.
We see the Lord struggle with
this. He tells his mother; “My hour has not yet come.” But she tells the servants; “Do whatever he tells you.” She knows, somehow, that
something remarkable is about to take place.
The Lord then tells the servants to fill six large stone jars with water. Ironically, the purpose of these jars was to
be used in a Jewish ritual which was the one John the Baptist took and expanded
into what became Baptism. Miraculously, that water becomes wine.
It is almost difficult for us
to look past the miracle to see all that this event says to us. We see the image of Jesus stepping out of
time.
-He at once is the wine; his
blood poured out for us.
-He is the groom who takes
the church as his bride.
-He stands with our Priest as
once more water and wine become our salvation.
-And we have a part too. We stand as the servants who hear Mary say;
“Do whatever he tells you.”
-We stand as the servants who
know where that “Best” wine came from and how it came to be in those stone
jars.
-We know there were only six jars
and not seven because it was not yet His time.
Is this just an Ordinary
sequence of events in the life of Jesus?
What a wondrous gift he has given.
And all he asks in return is our acceptance of that gift, accepting our
role as the children of that marriage of the Lord and His Church.
Pax
In other years Memorial of Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr or Saint Sebastian, Martyr
[2]
The picture is ” The Marriage at Cana ” by Jan
Cornelisz Vermeyen, c. 1530
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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