Jan 16, 20200
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings and especially the Gospel are jam-packed with so much information to learn from and so much to talk about it could fill an all-day seminar. No worries, I won’t be doing that today, instead, I’ll take three points to ponder from today’s Gospel and focus on them.
The first point to ponder:
“Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”
Last month in my homily I talked about that anxiety-ridden angst I would have when my mother used those words
“You just wait until your father gets home”.
Today’s Gospel triggered some of those memories. If my mother ever said to me, as she often did: “Kevin, please go clean up your room, it looks like a bomb went off in there” and my response to her was “Woman, how does your concern affect me? The hour to clean my room has not yet come.” Well, let’s just say I would certainly be terrified of my father getting home that day!
We can’t put our understandings of how things are meant today and assume it would have the same meaning over 2000 years ago. Jesus meant no disrespect. In fact, the title “woman” relates to its use in Genesis. There we see it used, ten times to refer to Eve, the first woman. Mary, as theologians have called her, is the new Eve. Mary’s perfect yes will help reverse the original sin of Eve with Adam.
In Genesis chapter 3 we read, right after the fall:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.
We call this statement God made to the serpent, the Protoevangelion - a combination of two Greek words, protos meaning first and Evangelion meaning good news. This was the first prophecy of the coming of a savior - the first proclamation of the “Good News”. The title of woman, used by God in the very first book of the Bible is coming to fruition now with Jesus’ first sign and John wants to make sure we are aware of that.
The title woman is also used by John later on in his Gospel. Jesus while hanging on the cross, just before he dies, gives Mary to us.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
There was no disrespect there, only love. Jesus, out of love, had given it all for us on the cross, his last act of giving for us was to give away his mother.
The next point to ponder:
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
John doesn’t use the word miracle in this passage, instead, he refers to it as a sign. This is important because signs always convey a message. Jesus' miracles are meant to prove that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. That day His sign worked and his disciples began to believe in him.
His sign was to turn water into wine, and not just any wine, but the best wine ever and not just a jar or two but roughly 150-180 gallons of the best wine ever. A superabundance of wine, more than they would drink. A sign of things that were and a sign of things to come. Remember in Exodus God, through Moses turned water into blood, it was a sign of death for Egypt. Jesus now turns water into wine, a sign of rejoicing and life. Jesus at the last supper turned wine into blood, the blood of the new and eternal life-giving covenant. Soon today at this very Mass the priest, through proper form and transubstantiation will turn wine into blood just as Jesus did.
The final point to ponder:
His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
There is another line very much like this one in the book of Genesis chapter 41 when a great famine struck Egypt:
When all the land of Egypt became hungry and the people cried to Pharaoh for food, Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
Joseph saved those people from what would have been sure death from starvation. With these words from Mary Jesus can also save us but the salvation Jesus offers is not just to get us through some earthly trial, Jesus’ salvation is much more than just that, it is eternal life after our earthly life is finished.
“Do whatever he tells you” were the last recorded words spoken by Mary in Scripture. This is Mary’s mic-drop moment! Mary, the woman, said these words to the servants over 2000 years ago and they still ring true for us today! We are servants of Jesus, right? We must do as he tells us but how do we know what he is telling us?
Pray over the second reading today, it gives you a litany of gifts. We each could be given multiple gifts. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as to what your gifts are and how to use them for the betterment of God’s Kingdom here on Earth. Pray over this reading in a quiet spot at home or at the Adoration chapel so that we can confidently go forth and “Do whatever he is telling us” to do!
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton has great instruction for us all:
The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is his will.
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