2nd Sunday of the year – Year C
Is. 62:1-5; Psalm 95; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Jn. 2:1-11
Read: There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. As they ran out of wine, Jesus’ mother said to him: “They have no wine”. Jesus said: “Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not yet come”. Jesus’ mother told the servants: “Do whatever he tells you”. There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews. Each could hold about one hundred or one hundred and twenty litres. Jesus said to the servants: “Fill the jars with water”, and they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them: “Draw out some now and take it to the president of the feast”. They did so; the president tasted the water that had been turned into wine, and having no idea where it came from – though the servants who had drawn the water knew – the president of the feast called the bridegroom and said: “Everyone serves good wine first, and the worse wine when the guests are well wined, but you have kept the best wine till now”. What was the first of Jesus’ signs was made at Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him.
Reflect: The religion taught by the Jewish Rabbi at Jesus’ time was based on how much merit one gained before God by adhering scrupulously to His laws. We frequently fall into the temptation of following the practice of the Jews ….. doing what we do because we are obliged to, in the belief of obtaining merit before God. And we end up feeling unhappy, we rebel …. and we give up.
When the Mass becomes a simple ritual and not an experience to which we come gladly, full of happiness, enthusiastic …. the “wine’ will have finished.
When what we should be doing in Church, in the family, at work is done because of compulsion, heartlessly, without eagerness, unhappily …. the “wine’ will have finished.
If we notice that in any part of our life the “wine” has finished, let us emulate Mary and turn to Jesus telling him faithfully: Our wine has finished. Let us be aware that the water of life comes only from Jesus through prayer, the sacraments, listening attentively to God’s Word. When we drink of the water given by Him, that water becomes in us “wine” … it turns within us into love, happiness, enthusiasm.
Pray: Lord, we would like to welcome you into our Christian community, in our family, at our place of work, wherever we may be. Thus, we will be able to experience your goodness, generosity and creativity. Give us the water of life that only you can give and, within us, this will be changed into “wine”.
Act: “Do whatever he tells you”…not by compulsion, but heartily, with love, with faith and with eagerness.