Catechism Links[1]
CCC 528: At Cana, Christ shows himself to be Messiah,
Son of God, Savior
CCC 796: The Church as Bride of Christ
CCC 1612-1617: Marriage in the Lord
CCC 2618: Mary’s intercession at Cana
CCC 799-801,
951, 2003: Charisms at the service of the Church
 |
| “Wedding at Cana” by Mattia Preti, c. 1655 |
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
“Since the sixth century, Christian
tradition has used this poem in the liturgy of Christmas Day. The birth of
Jesus has brought about the joyful union of God and mankind in a way that
surpasses that described in terms of spousal union. A monk of the Middle Ages
made this beautiful comment: ‘Like the bridegroom who comes out of his chamber
the Lord came down from heaven to dwell on earth and to become one with the
Church through his incarnation. The Church was gathered together from among the
Gentiles, to whom he gave his dowry and his blessings -- his dowry, when God
was made man; his blessings, when he was sacrificed for their salvation’"
(Fausto de Riez, "Sermo 5 in Epiphania"). [5]
The restored “new Jerusalem” is
formally called Zion. Isaiah, using poetic language, prophesies the coming of
the Christ [Messiah] with several references and images. Christ is identified
as the vindication of Israel. Once the Lord has delivered his salvation, the
land will be called the Lord’s delight. Finally, the image of the bridegroom
and the bride are used as a common metaphor for the Messiah and the people of
God (see also Hosea 2:11-15).
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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
Psalm 96 is a hymn of praise. 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 during acts of worship.
CCC: Ps 96:2 2143
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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
St. Paul associates different
gifts (charisms from the Greek: charismata)
within the community to the same Holy Spirit. He thus calls out the beauty of
diversity and the need for it within the community of faith. All gifts serve
the same purpose, the greater glory of God. All gifts are needed within the
body of Christ which is his Church.
"Charisms are given as
personal gifts but not merely for private benefit (1 Corinthians 12:11 [above]).
They unite us with the Spirit's mission to build up all members of the Church
and bring them to salvation (1 Peter 4:10-11). Catholic
teaching distinguishes between sanctifying grace, which imparts the gift of
divine sonship, and charismatic or ministerial grace, which equips
the saints for service to others (CCC 2003)." [6]
CCC: 1 Cor 12 1988, 2003; 1 Cor 12:3 152, 449, 455, 683, 2670, 2681; 1 Cor
12:4-6 249; 1 Cor 12:6 308; 1 Cor 12:7 801, 951; 1 Cor 12:9 1508
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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
St. John gives us the story of
Jesus' first revelatory action following his baptism by St. John the Baptist in
the Jordan. He and his disciples are invited to a wedding and the wine runs
out. Jesus’ mother lets her son know that the time has come for his revelation,
even though Jesus does not think so.
Ironically the stone water jars
were there for the ceremonial cleansing, the very Hebrew custom John the
Baptist used in his call to repentance. The Hebrew custom was symbolic (as was
St. John's invitation to be baptized in the Jordan); the Lord would later make
baptism efficacious as sins were forgiven. We also note the Hebrew numerology
applied to this scene. The number six represents one less than the perfect
number seven. 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 the Gospel
of St. 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, which has been
called one of the “Wow” miracles of the Lord because it is so spectacular. The Lord, 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, these jars were to be
used in a Jewish ritual of repentance, 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 on this date
the Optional Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation
for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture is “Wedding at Cana” by
Mattia Preti, c. 1655.
[4]
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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[5]
The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002,
pp. 267-68.
[6]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp.
302-03.
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