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 |
Readings for the Second Sunday
in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading I: Isaiah 62:1-5
For Zion’s sake I will not be
silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will
not be quiet,
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.
-------------------------------------------
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, and 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).
CCC: Is 62 1611; Is 62:4-5 219
-------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------
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.
CCC: Jn 2:1-12 2618; Jn 2:1-11 1613; Jn 2:1 495; Jn 2:11 486, 1335
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In this Second Sunday of
Ordinary Time, it is good for us to think about what this season brings to our
own lives of faith. The United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops posts this definition of Ordinary Time on their
web site:
Christmas Time and Easter
Time highlight the central mysteries of the Paschal Mystery, namely, the
incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ,
and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary
Time, on the other hand, take us through the life of Christ. This is the time
of conversion. This is living the life of Christ.
Ordinary Time is a time
for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to
penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up
in Christ. The goal, toward which all of history is directed, is represented by
the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King
of the Universe.
The Lord came, in addition to
providing us with our path to salvation, to fulfill the Law of Moses – to bring
into focus what our Heavenly Father wanted for us as a consequence of providing
those rules governing our behavior as we live our lives on this earthly
plain. Jesus also came as the one
predicted by the prophets. He is the
answer to all those riddles and inferences posed by Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah
and all the others, heroes of the stories in the Hebrew Scriptures.
We hear one of these
predictions in the first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah: “For
the Lord delights in you and makes your land his spouse.” His use of the
image of God being the bridegroom is fulfilled in Christ and prefigures the
image reinforced at the Wedding Feast at Cana.
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.
Our own journey of conversion
or spiritual growth requires that we once more look upon the miracle of Cana
and ask ourselves: “Do I believe that Jesus, with an act of his will,
transformed the water to wine as an act of compassion?” This question begs another. “Do I believe that Jesus, by stating that his
body is real food and his blood real drink (John 6:55),
provides us with our Eucharist, his real body and blood?”
If we have faith that the
Lord did indeed change water to wine and does, in our present time, changes the
essence of what we perceive as simple wine and bread into his real flesh and
blood, what does that mean for the way we are to live our lives? What are we being asked to change in
ourselves? This is the ongoing challenge
of our Christian lives. Many promises
have already been made for this New Year; can’t we include one more (hopefully
to be kept) to deepen our faith and to more accurately become the image of what
we eat?
Pax
[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.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[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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