[Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96; 1Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11]
It is almost 40 years since I married my wife, Pam. I remember that around the time of our wedding we were invited to lots of other weddings of friends and workmates. On more than one occasion, after we arrived at the reception, I felt a need to leave; I felt physically sick. My nerves were getting the better of me, whether it was the thought of the commitment I was preparing to make or worries related to our wedding day, I will never know the answer. But this must have been extremely frustrating for Pam. Nevertheless, Pam saw past my weakness and decided to marry me anyway.
I wonder if the bride and groom from the wedding at Cana experienced similar concerns? I wonder if one of the things they worried about was running out of wine? Running out of wine at a wedding celebration would have been hugely embarrassing for the families involved. They would have been the subject of gossip for miles around, and the stigma associated with it would have been difficult to remove. When Our Lady noticed the predicament the couple and their families were in, she chose to intercede for them. She approached Jesus on their behalf and told Him there was a problem. Jesus’ initial reaction was to state that this was nothing to do with him and that His hour has not yet come. Mary then gives the servants; and us; an instruction – ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ The servants obey Jesus, and the wedding party are rewarded with more wine; wine which was judged superior to the wine they started out drinking. This encourages us to ask Our Lady to intercede for us. How wonderful that Jesus attended that wedding in person. I’m reminded of an image I saw the other day, where standing in front of the couple being married, stood the priest and above him an image of Jesus; reminding us that Christ is part of every Christian Marriage.
This was the first sign recorded in St John’s Gospel to show to the few witnesses that Jesus was different, He was so different that his disciples started to believe that He is the Messiah.
Traditionally at weddings people provide gifts for the newlyweds as they give themselves completely to one another. In the passage we hear from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we hear about the gifts of the Spirit and how varied they can be. Gifts given by the Holy Spirit need to be used to glorify God, they are never to be kept for oneself. The Catechism tells us that “charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church.” (CCC 2003). As St Paul says, the Holy Spirit “distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses” (1Cor 12:11). We cannot choose which gifts we are given by the Spirit, but we are compelled to use these gifts to build up the Church.
Do we ever stop and think about what gifts we have been given by the Holy Spirit?
For those of us who have been on the ‘Called and Gifted’ course, do we use the Charisms we identified, or have we let this revelation slip from our consciousness?
Even if you haven’t been on a ‘Called & Gifted’ programme, you must remember that God has given each of us special gifts and I urge you to pray that you become more conscious of these and that you use them generously.
This weekend marks the start of a week of prayer for Christian Unity. There are many examples within our communities where Christians of different traditions work together. There are three which spring to mind, which I have a particular interest in and where co-operation is excellent; the Foodbank, the Night shelter and hospital chaplaincy. In these areas Christians support each other as best we can and we get to know each other, recognising that often, we have more in common than what separates us. We need to remember that Jesus prayed for us to be one [John 17:21], it is His will that we are one and we should all be doing whatever we can to bring Christian communities together.
This Sunday is also Peace Sunday, we are asked to pray for peace in the world, How appropriate that the negotiated peace in Gaza is due to start on Sunday. We remember this region and Ukraine in our prayers, as well as the other areas where there are conflicts and violence around the world. May the peace of Christ, reign in our world and may we all look for ways to bring peace into our homes, our towns, our countries and our world. Amen.
Further Reading
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
CCC 528: at Cana, Christ shows himself to be Messiah, Son of God, Saviour
CCC 796: the Church as Bride of Christ
CCC 1612-1617: marriage in the Lord
CCC 2618: Mary’s intercession at Cana
CCC 799-801, 951, 2003: charisms at the service of the Church
Please keep in your prayers this week
- The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
- Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
- The continued fight to protect all life from conception until natural death.
- The Basingstoke Winter Night Shelter as it continues to support the homeless in our town.
- Christian unity and those working for peace in areas of conflict.
Deacon Tony
11th January 2025