January 12, 2016

                R. Always check with God.

                Ask Him if He wants you to do something.

                Pray about it.

                If your actions are determined
                    by envy, pride, anger, jealousy,
                    slothfulness, lust or gluttony,
                    then it isn't coming from God.

You are opposing His will

 

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 62: 1-5

The splendour of Jerusalem

About Zion I will not be silent,
about Jerusalem I shall not rest
until saving justice dawns for her
   like a bright light
and her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will then see
   your saving justice,
and all kings your glory,
and you will be called a new name
which Yahweh's mouth will reveal.
You will be a crown of splendour
   in Yahweh's hand,
a princely diadem in the hand of your God.
No more will you be known as 'Forsaken'
or your country be known as 'Desolation';
instead, you will be called
   'My Delight is in her'
and your country 'The Wedded';
for Yahweh will take delight in you
and your country will have its wedding.
Like a young man marrying a virgin,
your rebuilder will wed you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride,
so will your God rejoice in you.

  

Psalm 96: 1-3, 7-10

Sing a new song to Yahweh!
Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!
Sing to Yahweh, bless his name!

Proclaim his salvation day after day,
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvels to every people!

Give to Yahweh, families of nations,
give to Yahweh glory and power,
give to Yahweh the glory due to his name!

Bring an offering and enter his courts,
adore Yahweh in the splendour of his holiness.
Tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, 'Yahweh is king.'
The world is set firm, it cannot be moved.
He will judge the nations with justice.

 

1 Corinthians 12: 4-11

There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good. To one is given from the Spirit the gift of utterance expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance expressing knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; to another, faith, from the same Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual.

 

John 2: 1-11

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said, ‘Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to 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 twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ and they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.’ They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. 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.’

This was the first of Jesus’ signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.?

 

 

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 20, 2013

INTRODUCTION – (Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11) For almost fifty years, the Jews were captives and exiles in Babylon (modern day Iraq). Then the Persians (modern day Iran) conquered the Babylonians, and they allowed God’s people to return home. The Persians were even willing to give them financial aid to rebuild their Temple, their homes, their cities and their farms. The prophet in today’s first reading announces this wonderful event that God would bring his people back home. During their exile, God had not forgotten his people and would take his people back to himself as his bride. The image of Israel as God’s spouse is an important biblical image, found in several of the prophets, and is the best symbol from our human experience that can be used to describe the affection God has for us. This wedding image prepares the way for the gospel account of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana.

HOMILY – A man was just getting ready to step into the shower and his wife came into the bathroom to get her medicine. The husband asked her this off the wall question (maybe he was expecting some kind of a compliment as an answer): “what do you think the neighbors would say if I cut the grass dressed like this?” Giving him a casual glance, she replied, “They’d say I married you for your money.” (Reader’s Digest: Laughter, the Best Medicine, pg 178) Our gospel reading is about marriage and Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding celebration (which I understand went on for several days in the culture of that time - not surprisingly the wine ran out.)

    I want to connect this Sunday’s gospel with two feasts we’ve just celebrated. Two weeks ago we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany. As I said the last two Sundays, the word Epiphany means appearance or manifestation. On Epiphany we reflected on God’s manifesting his Son to all the nations through the coming of the Magi. Last Sunday, the feast of the Baptism of our Lord, God manifested his Son at Jesus’ baptism when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and a voice came from the heavens that said: “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Today’s miracle of changing water into wine fits into this theme. Jesus is manifest as a wonder worker in his first miracle, and his disciples began to believe in him. This is one theme we can see in today’s gospel. When one reads from John’s gospel, however, there are various levels of meaning we can find in one passage.

    I would like to reflect on another theme that is central to today’s gospel: the idea of “change.” Jesus’ life was all about change. He came to change the world, to teach us how to do a better job of loving God and loving one another. He changed people who were sick and made them well. He changed sinners by forgiving them and telling them to live good lives (sin no more). He changed people who were possessed and set them free from the demons that controlled them. In his first miracle, he changed water into wine and changed what would have been a failed celebration into a great party.

    He continues to call us to change. When he began to preach, he called people to change their lives, to get their priorities straight, and to put God first. He continues to work miracles of change in the special meal he gave us the night before he died. He took bread and turned it into his body and changed wine into his blood.

    When Jesus called people to change their lives, it didn’t always happen. We have a free will to accept what God has spoken to us or to reject it. Every other time Jesus told something to change, however, it always happened, whether he was changing a blind person into a person with sight, or a lame person into one who was ambulatory, or whether it was a storm on the sea that he told to calm down. Why do many people then not believe in the Eucharist? Because he said at the Last Supper as he handed the apostles bread: “this is my body,” and likewise with the cup of wine: “this is my blood.” We can believe that the bread and wine were truly changed when he said those sacred words. We just can’t see it. I might add, we can’t always believe what we see, but we can always believe what Jesus said.

    This changed bread and wine that becomes Jesus’ body and blood will change us. We will become more like him and grow closer to him. Our faith is not a static thing, it is dynamic because the power of Jesus is at work. Later on in John’s gospel he tells us, “I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” I think this is one of the most powerful lines in the gospel. If we believe in him and if we let him, Jesus will keep changing us until we come to the fullness of life. Amen