Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year C

The readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year C may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011925.cfm

Today, the evangelist Saint John tells us about the wedding feast at Cana, where Jesus performs the first miracle of His public ministry.

Turning water into the best wine.  

Interestingly, the wedding feast at Cana only appears in the Gospel of John, 

Theologians speculate this is because it was St. John who Jesus told from the Cross to “behold your Mother” and who took Mary into his home from that point forward.

You can imagine this miracle at the wedding feast being a joyful memory for Mary, 

and a story she likely told St. John many times.

Now, wedding feasts like the one at Cana could last for seven days straight.

And wine was an indispensable part of meals and celebrations used to create a festive atmosphere.

I suppose the role of wine hasn’t really changed much in two thousand years.

Jesus’ participation in this wedding feast is a good reminder for us that Jesus participates in the events of our life.  

He isn’t just for church on Sundays - He is for every day of the week!

And Jesus was there by invitation, He didn’t just show up, like some wedding crasher.

And that invitation put Him in the position to solve the problem, to turn that water into wine.  

The lesson for us is clear.

No invitation.  No Jesus.  

No Jesus.  No wine.

Like the wedding feast, our life doesn’t always go as planned.  

It’s good to know that when problems do come, as Mary did, we can take them to Jesus.  

Jesus understands our pain and feels our need.

Jesus is waiting for us to come to Him.

Instead of barging in, instead of being a wedding crasher, He waits patiently for our invitation.  

But, do we invite Him in?

Too often, we leave Jesus on the outside looking in.  

Now, Mary plays an important role at this wedding and in the process gives us an example of what to do when things do go wrong.

First - take it to Jesus.  

No situation, however hopeless it may seem, is beyond God's power to change.

Second - do what He tells you.

Always mindful that God's timing is perfect, even if it doesn't align with our expectations.

Trusting in God's guidance, even when the path forward isn't clear.

The lesson for us is clear.  

When problems come - and this life seems to offer a never ending supply of them - 

The best thing we can do is bring them to Jesus and listen patiently to what Jesus tells us to do.  

To go to Him.  To cast our cares on Him.  To Trust Him.  

To do what He tells us.

And if we do this, Jesus can transform ordinary aspects of our lives into something extraordinary,

just as He turned water into the best wine.  

Now, it may not be exactly how we think He should do it or when, 

but God never sleeps 

And He will move on our situation if we invite Him to do so.

Few people in the world may understand what we are going through, but Jesus does!  

To everyone else at the wedding, on the outside looking in, 

it was just wine, 

but to those closest to Jesus, to those who knew the truth, 

it was more than just wine, it was a miracle.

And what does this mean for us?

Jesus is tied to the events of our life.

If we invite Him in and are close to Him, 

by talking to Him, regularly, practically, matter-of-factly, 

through an active prayer life, 

by staying in communion with Him each day and not just on Sundays,

 

and by being reconciled to Him through the Sacrament of Confession.  

Jesus cares about the smallest details of our lives.

And He waits for us to call Him into our times of joy and need 

so that He can minister to us.

What is our need today?  

What is the burden we’re carrying?  

Are we having difficulty forgiving?   

Are we caught in a pattern of sin that we don’t know how to get out of?  

Are we losing hope?

Some circumstances may be out of our control, 

That is exactly why we need to bring them to Jesus and do what he tells us.  

And if we do that 

and do it consistently and thoughtfully and lovingly, 

Jesus will not only turn water into wine for us, 

He will turn it into the highest quality, 

best wine we’ve ever had, 

and He will do so in abundance.