Jesus' first miracle at the wedding at Cana is a sign of his great love for marriage, Homily 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time, cycle C

 In today’s readings we hear of God’s desire to be one with us through the image of marriage.  The prophet Isaiah uses rich language of how special special the people of Israel are to God:   “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God.”  The people are so special to God, that they are seen as the crown jewel.  In the image of marriage Isaiah declares,

“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”

God desires to be in an intimate relationship with the people of Israel, portrayed in the image of a bride to a bridegroom. This marital image is fulfilled through Jesus, the Bridegroom and all people, the Church.

Our Gospel focuses on marriage in the wedding at Cana.  This is the first miracle that Jesus performs in the Gospel of John and is a sign of Jesus’ divinity. The miracles in the Gospel, are signs to bring about faith in people that Jesus, is the Son of God, the long awaited Messiah. I think that Jesus performing his first miracle at a wedding is a sign to us of how special marriage is to Jesus.

Today we heard that Jesus is with the disciples and Mary at a wedding in Cana.Weddings during Jesus’s time were celebrations that may have lasted for a week, and included many relatives and friends. An entire village may have been invited to a wedding celebration. Sumptuous food and drink were provided as a sign of joy for the couple entering into the marriage covenant. When Mary noticed that the wine was running out, she turned to her son for help. Running out of wine, would be an embarrassment for the bride’s family. Mary’s action at the wedding is a great example of how she intercedes on our behalf when we come to her in prayer. Jesus responds to Mary, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” This may sound a bit disrespectful, but I think he really was caring for his mother. Any intervention by Jesus would set in motion his public ministry, that would ultimately lead to his crucifixion.  I think Jesus was concerned about whether his mother was ready for this to happen.Also addressing Mary as “woman”, was not a sign of disrespect, but a reference to her role as the woman who said yes to God, as opposed to the disobedience of first woman, Eve. We hear Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospel as she addresses the servers, “do whatever he tells you”.  These are good words for us to follow from our Blessed Mother.

Jesus responds to Mary’s request by turning water into wine. Wine served at a wedding celebrations represents joy. If the wine ran out, the joy of the celebration would fade. Jesus’ presence at the wedding shows his desire to be part of the bride and groom’s lives from the very beginning of their marriage. He performs the miracle of turning water into wine in abundance, producing 180 gallons. The wine that Jesus produces is not just ordinary wine, it's much better than what was served earlier. The large quantity of wine that Jesus provides for the wedding feast represents the abundant grace to sustain the couples marriage in union with him. Jesus miracle of changing water into wine is a sign of the change of a natural marriage, which is good, to a supernatural sacramental marriage supported by the God’s grace.   

Over the past few years there seems to be a lot less people getting married in the Church. I think that some of this has to do with young couples not being connected to the Church, when they decide to get married. Many who were raised Catholic may not be aware that for marriage to be a valid sacramental marriage that it must be officiated by a Catholic minister, or permission granted for the wedding ceremony to be done in another faith tradition if there is a non-Catholic spouse.

Many weddings today are civil ceremonies at exotic destinations or extravagant venues and are more about the celebration of the wedding day rather than a lifelong marriage. Civil weddings are valid according to the state, but unfortunately are not considered valid sacramental marriage in the Church. Why does it matter that a marriage be sacramental? Because of the grace that Sacrament of Marriage provides with Jesus united with the couple in marriage. In a wedding ceremony in the Roman Catholic Church the bride and the groom marry each other in union with Jesus, upon which the sacrament is conferred. The priest or deacon are the Church’s official witnesses of the marriage. A sacramental marriage is made up of three persons, the bride, the groom, and Jesus. Jesus provides the grace to bring joy to a marriage and sustain it in the times of sorrow, suffering, and stress. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life.

What if you’re married civilly, but you now desire your marriage to be a sacramental marriage? The good news is that it’s possible by having your marriage con-validated. It requires meeting with a priest or deacon to understand the circumstances of the original marriage, and may require a few things to be done before the con-validation ceremony takes place. But once everything is in order the con-validation can be done and you will have the grace of sacramental marriage with Jesus at the center of your marriage to sustain you.

For those who a single the spousal image of being married certainly applies to you as well. God desires to be in an intimate relationship, and does so by becoming one with you. In Baptism you have become adopted sons and daughters of God. In receiving the Eucharist, you are joined in the wedding feast with Jesus, where the two become one flesh.

So as we continue with this celebration of the Eucharist, let’s rejoice in God’s desire to be one with each of us and in strengthening sacramental marriages through his grace.

Ponder like Mary in the new year, Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, which is the Eighth Day in Octave of the Christmas Season where we recognize Mary’s special role in being Mother of God.   

 

This is a Holy Day of obligation, but I like to think of it as a Holy Day of opportunity to spend another day to receive Jesus and be together with our family of faith during the Christmas season.

 

Many of us make resolutions for the New Year as a new beginning. 

 

I was curious about the most popular resolutions and found the Marist poll of annual New Year’s Resolutions with the top five being:

 

1)   Eating healthier

2)   Exercising more

3)   Being a better person

4)   Losing Weight

5)   improving one’s health

 

I really like being a better person.  One of the best models in being a better person is the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Of course, Mary always leads us to Jesus, the model we all strive for, as she was his first and best disciple. Mary brought about a new beginning for mankind through the birth of her son, Jesus, by her strong faith.  Mary’s faith and prayerful pondering are great examples as we make our own New Year resolutions.

Mary was prepared for her special role as being the Mother of God by being preserved from Original Sin from the time of conception. Even though she was given this special grace, Mary still had the freedom to choose in cooperating with God’s plan.  When the Angel Gabriel greeted her with, “Hail, Favored One, you will conceive a son who be the Messiah and Lord”, Mary must have really been tested.  Since she had no relations with Joseph, conceiving a child would have been a scandal and possibly life threatening. 

Trying to understand God’s plan, Mary asked the angel how this could happen. Who responded: Through Holy Spirit she would conceive the Son of God.  After pondering the angel’s response, Mary answered a resounding yes! 

Now what is pondering? 

For Mary it is prayerfully reflect on the meaning of life’s events in relation to God.  Our reading today tells us that Mary “kept all these things in her heart”.   She took the time to be quiet and reflect on God’s presence in her life. We hear today Mary’s pondering the shepherd’s message who came in search of the infant lying in the manger.  The angel’s message to the shepherds was: Good news of great joy for all the people!  A savior was born who would be Messiah and Lord. This was very similar to Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary.   

Another time we hear of Mary’s pondering was in response to Jesus being lost in the Temple where he says to his parents after being found, “Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house”.  When Mary ponders she’s prayerful reflecting over time of God’s plan for her and her Son.

Mary’s pondering gives us a good model to follow in reflecting on God’s plan for us.   She’s a very good intercessor in prayer for our own joys and sorrows.   Even though she’s the Mother of God, she has a lot in common with us.  She is a mortal human being like each of us and a mother who cared for and loved her child.  Mary experienced many joys and sorrows in her life that we can unite to ours:

-       She rejoiced to God in learning of her conception of Jesus.

-       She was told her heart would be pierced when presenting Jesus in the Temple.

-       She was a homeless refugee as she fled with Joseph and Jesus to Egypt.

-       She lost her child for three days in the temple.

-       She lost her husband and was a widow

-       She met her Son on his way to be crucified.

-       She witnessed her Sons’ crucifixion.

-       She received the Her Son’s dead body and buried her Son.

 

Mary is also like a mother to us.  She gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus, who made us children of God.  She is now in heaven with her Son and we can develop a relationship with Mary as our Heavenly Mother which will help us to grow closer to Jesus. Many of us ask our friends and family to pray for us when we have struggles.  So if we ask our friends and family to pray for us, why not ask our Blessed Mother in heaven who is closest to Jesus, to offer prayers for us?

So how can we ask for Mary’s prayers and follow her model of pondering?  One way is by praying the Rosary. The prayers of the Rosary, the Apostles Creed, Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory be, are all familiar to us. In praying these on the  beads of the Rosary it provides a quiet rhythm as we meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary through the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries.   While praying the Rosary, we can ask Mary to intercede in prayer for our life’s challenges.   Praying the Rosary allows us find some quiet time and peace to be with our Blessed Mother and our Lord.  

 

It also gives us an opportunity to become better disciples of Jesus, by meditating on his life.   If praying a full Rosary seems to be a challenge, consider praying just one decade to start.    Another prayer to consider is the Magnificat, Mary’s prayer of gratitude found in the 2nd chapter of Luke. Every evening clergy, religious, and even some lay people pray this as part of the Liturgy of the Hours.  It’s a good way to close each day reflecting on God’s blessings in your life and uniting them with Mary’s gratitude for the gift of Jesus.

So in making your New Year’s resolutions look to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of faith in saying yes to God and prayerfully pondering God’s will in your life.   The Mother of God can be a powerful prayer intercessor and lead you to grow closer to her son, Jesus.   Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!