By Deacon Richard Hay
“Always invite Jesus and Mary…”
Everything feels so different when we transition from Christmas season to Ordinary Time each January because the decorations are all gone. It makes things up here in the sanctuary feel so empty – all of a sudden we have all this extra room. You all probably go through this experience in your homes as well.
In reality, it is the same sanctuary we always have – the change is part of the movement of our lives – moving along normally in the life of the church.
Today, on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, in our readings we have heard John’s Gospel about Jesus’s first miracle which happened at the Wedding Feast in Cana.
First though – a little story – Many years ago, during an episode of the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson was interviewing an eight-year-old boy who was asked to appear on the show because he had rescued two friends from a coal mine near his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny started asking him questions, he quickly realized that the young boy was Christian. He asked if he attended Sunday School to which the boy said yes, and so Johnny asked him what he was learning in Sunday school.
“Last week,” the boy replied, “our lesson was about how Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine.” The audience burst into laughter and applause at his response. Johnny, with a straight face, then asked “And what did you learn from that story?”
You could immediately tell that the young boy had not thought about getting asked this question. However, after squirming in his seat for a bit, he turned to face Johnny and replied, “If you are going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus and Mary!”
In that reply this young boy, in a very simple and straight forward manner, has stated in part what the message of today’s Gospel is all about. We must make sure we invite Jesus and Mary into our lives – into all parts of our lives – no matter where we live or where we go – they should always be present.
The miracle at the Wedding Feast in Cana is Jesus’s first one after beginning his public ministry although, based on what we heard in the Gospel today, it didn’t sound like that was going to be the case.
Weddings were multi-day events in those days, and it would have been extremely embarrassing for the bride and groom to run out of wine during their wedding feast – no one wants to start their marriage under those circumstances. A modern day parallel might be either the bride or the groom saying an ex’s name during the exchange of their vows. Hard to recover from that happening.
Mary understands this and she goes to Jesus and says, “They have no wine.” In reply though, Jesus says to his mother, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”
Sounds like the beginning of a long conversation, doesn’t it? Not in this case. Mary simply turns to the servers and says to them, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Jesus then turns to the servers, and we know how this finishes with the six stone jars being filled with water and the headwaiter, after tasting it, going to the bride and the groom, who were almost embarrassed at their wedding feast by running out of wine, to praise them for saving “the good wine” for last.
John then closes this part of the Gospel by writing that “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.”
Why a wedding for His first miracle? Why water being turned into wine? Would it not had been much more impactful if Jesus had for instance raised Lazurus from the dead instead? Wouldn’t that turn many more heads and hearts towards Him? The reason is because it’s all about the covenantal relationship that God desires for us.
Jesus is the new covenant – we hear Him say this at the last supper about His body and blood being that covenant for the forgiveness of sins.
– By definition, a covenant is a solemn agreement or promise between two parties.
– More than a mere contract; it is a binding commitment.
– Often initiated by God and reflects His sovereign will and purpose.
– Based upon mutual commitments, involving promises, obligations, and rituals.
Sounds a lot like a marriage doesn’t it?
If we continue with the covenant as marriage theme, then we must understand that…
– Jesus is the bridegroom
– We, the Church – all of us – are his bride
– Our faith and therefore our relationship with him should be one of intense intimacy
– God loves us like a bride; He rejoices in us, takes delight in each and every one of us individually – just as we should rejoice in our own spouses.
In the rite book that we use for celebrating marriages, in the introduction, it says this about Jesus being at the wedding in Cana:
“By his presence, Christ brought blessing and joy to the wedding at Cana, where he changed water into wine and so foreshadowed the hour of the new and eternal covenant: “For just as of old God made himself present to his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so now the Savior of the human race offers himself to the Church as Spouse, fulfilling his covenant with her in his paschal mystery.”
In our personal relationship with Christ, the bridegroom, we must be fully in His Word – the scriptures – and in the body and blood of Christ – the Eucharist – the true presence of Jesus. Once our personal relationship is thriving in Christ, then, on that core, we must build the relationships around us, with our spouse, our children, our family, our friends, and those we encounter.
As we consider the miracle at Cana, let us remember that Jesus’s first public miracle was not just a display of divine power, but a profound sign of God’s abundant grace and transformative presence in our lives.
In a moment of potential embarrassment and crisis, through his mother’s prompting, Jesus brought forth the finest wine from simple water, demonstrating that what He offers us is infinitely better than anything we could imagine. This transformation invites us to open our hearts to His presence, trusting that He can bring renewal and joy, even in our most ordinary moments and challenges.
As we continue through this upcoming week, may we carry the assurance that God is at work in our lives, ready to bring forth new beginnings and unexpected blessings. Let us live with faith, hope, and openness to the miracles God wants to perform in and through us.
One of the ways we can do all of this is to remember to invite Jesus and Mary to everything in our lives and fully participate in the sacraments of the church which were given to us through the new covenant.
Like Mary said to the servers, in the only instruction she gave throughout the Gospels, she says to us now:
“Do whatever he tells you.”
