In the Catholic Church, we entered into what is known liturgically as “Ordinary Time” the day after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Yesterday, was the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. One of the Gospel readings we often hear on this Sunday is the very familiar story of the Wedding at Cana from John’s Gospel. In this Gospel story Jesus initiates his Messianic mission. In the Jewish theology and imagery of Jesus’ time, the afterlife with God is often described as a Wedding feast to which many are invited to sit around the table of God and join in a feast in what all human needs and wants are satisfied. In the theology of John’s Gospel, it is significant that Jesus begins his Messianic mission at a wedding feast.
The Wedding of Cana Facetiously
I am sure that the following is neither supported by scriptural exegesis or academic theology, however I have often reflected with some amusement that one of the reasons the bride and groom ran out of wine is that Jesus and his disciples crashed the party. Mary, his mother, may have been invited to the feast, but when Jesus and his friends tagged along with Mary, they helped to consume wine that had been reserved only for a specific number of people. Now, I don’t know that that is the reasoning that Mary used to compel Jesus to turn vast jars of water into wine, but it would be one heckuva good reason for Mary’s command. Jesus may have been the Son of God, but he was also the Son of Mary, and if he knew what was good for him, he was not going to ignore his mom.
The Wedding of Cana and Its Impact on Our Lives
When we take the Gospel story of the Wedding of Cana and combine it with the other two readings for the day, namely, Isaiah 62:1-5 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, we begin to reflect on that to which God is calling us this new Ordinary Time in our lives.
God, through Isaiah, tells Israel that no longer will Israel be perceived as forsaken by God. Rather, within Israel, the glory of God will shine forth for all the nations to see. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians speaks about how the Spirit of God dwells within all members of the early Christian community. While all these gifts were incorporated in the one person of Jesus, through the Spirit of God, those gifts are distributed among the entirety of the Baptized. Corporately, we are the living and breathing One Body need.
The Spirit of God has given each member a specific gift or mission to do on behalf of Christ present in the community. Paul tells us that we receive those gifts from the Spirit of God that are specific to our individual mission. The messianic mission of Jesus the Christ did not end with the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven, but rather, the Body of Christ, that is, those baptized in Jesus, are called to carry on Christ’s messianic mission to bring Good News to the world.
What the Wedding of Cana is Not
During this new Ordinary Time of Jesus in 2022, we don’t recall the Gospel story of the Wedding of Cana to rehash old, tired, and moldy jokes based on that story (e.g. the priest who is pulled over by a cop for DWI and stating that all he had to drink was water … however, as one who has at times had to consume leftover holy communion wine, in spite of Catholic Church teaching about the “accidents” of the Blood of Christ, the Blood of Christ retains its alcoholic content. If you consume enough Eucharistic wine, you can get drunk on the Blood of Christ, but I digress). Nor do we tell the Wedding of Cana to reflect on this marvelous miracle that happened to the unwitting bride and groom and wedding guests at that wedding feast. It is a time, however, that we must reflect on what gifts and mission the Spirit of God has for us this new year of 2022.
A Time to Discern our Spirit Given Gifts and our Mission
This is absolutely necessary each new year of our lives. As we age and circumstances in our lives change, we must continually discern as to how we use the gifts the Spirit of God has given in service to God and to neighbor. This discernment may take a while.
Using myself, as an example, during the first year of my retirement from active ministry, my mission was to recover from four surgeries and an infection. Having finally accomplished that, my second year was spent trying to discern the mission God had for me during the first deadly surge of this Covid pandemic. Now, within the third year of retirement, I have had to discern how to continue some of what I had done, e.g. facilitating and co-facilitating needed support groups, and as to what mission God is calling me presently.
In the song, “It’s alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding,” Bob Dylan penned the words, ”Those not being born are busy dying.” Life never stands still but is always evolving. When life quits evolving, life dies. We must continue to discern the mission to which God is calling us. Our mission will evolve and change from year to year. Where or to what is God calling us this new year?
