2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10 (3)
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
January 16, 2022
Two Sundays ago, we celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord. Last Sunday we ended our Christmas season with the Baptism of the Lord.
Monday, we began the first week of Ordinary Time. Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time and we are in Year C. For year C, we hear predominantly from Luke’s Gospel.
So why do we hear from the Gospel of John today?
The word “epiphany” means “manifestation.” On the Epiphany of the Lord, we celebrate the Lord made known in human form to the magi, and, thus, to all the world.
On the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus and the voice from Heaven said, “You are my beloved Son.” This is seen as another “epiphany,” as it was made known who Jesus is.
The wedding at Cana when Jesus changed the water into wine was “the beginning of his signs…and so revealed his glory.” The changing of the water into wine signified the power of God at work through Jesus.
From this the Epiphany of the Lord, the Baptism of the Lord, and the Wedding at Cana were celebrated as united revelations of who Jesus is. To honor this in our tradition, in Year C, we hear the story of the wedding at Cana.
Let’s talk about the wedding at Cana. First, I will note Jesus’ presence at a wedding indicates to us that weddings are important events. The fact that He does his first miracle at a wedding adds to this.
Mary, his mother, was also there. As the celebration goes on, a problem arises. They ran out of wine. Mary hears of the problem. What does Mary do? She takes the problem to Jesus. This is what Mary does when we ask for her intercession for our needs. She takes it to Jesus.
When Jesus hears they had run out of wine, He says to her, “how does your concern affect me?” Jesus isn’t interested in the fact that they had run out of wine, but He is interested in the needs of the people and Mary’s intercession.
So, Jesus tells the servers to fill the jars with water. He turns the water into wine. This isn’t chemistry. Water doesn’t have all the elements in it to become wine. This is the power of God. It is a miracle. It is a sign that Jesus is the Son of God. The sign reveals his glory.
Jesus does this because He cares about his people. Mary knows this. She trusts He can help. Please note that Mary does not tell Jesus what to do. In fact, she says to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Mary doesn’t know what Jesus will do but she knows, she trusts, that He will make things better.
We can trust God to help us in our needs. God loves us and cares for us.
All this happened at a wedding. A man and woman unite in a marital relationship. In the vows they make, they make a covenant with each other. Their covenant of love becomes a sign to the world of God’s covenant of love with us.
Jesus is the bridegroom who marries his bride the church. We are part of his church. Jesus loves us.
God has always been in relationship with his people. The covenant God had with Israel at the time of Jesus was formed when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
Israel had broken that covenant. In doing so, they had sinned. For their sins, God allowed them to be defeated by the Babylonians. Many were taken away in exile.
In exile they were called “forsaken” and “desolate.” At the time of today’s first reading, the Exile was over. God brought his people back. “Nations shall behold your vindication.” They were given a new name, “espoused.”
God had not given up on his people. “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 loves you. None of us is perfect. At times we sin. God is willing to forgive us when we ask with a repentant and contrite heart.
God loves you. Open your heart and offer your love to God.