Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Gospel

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

-John 2:1

Two weeks ago we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, when we remembered Jesus being manifested to the Gentiles as the promised Messiah. In the Eastern Church this feast, along with the Baptism of the Lord and the miracle at the Wedding at Cana are all seen as reflections of the same mystery; Jesus revealing himself in Divine glory. Jesus does this in an act of generosity, helping a newlywed couple in an embarrassing situation. But Jesus is doing more than just saving the party. He uses it as an opportunity of give a sign of what His mission was all about. It isn’t an incidental detail that the water was turned to wine in those six stone jars. They were reserved for Jewish ceremonial purposes, and Jesus is pointing to the fact that in His mission the old rituals were being replaced with new. What came before had value in its place, but were to give way to the vital, powerful Sacraments of the New Covenant.

Jesus was hesitant to act at first, since the time had not yet come to reveal Himself. It was only after the intersession of Mary that Jesus acted. This form of intercessory prayer, where we urge God into action is not novel. The words of the Lord’s Prayer “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” are asking God to hasten the Second Coming and the ultimate renewal of Heaven and Earth. Mary is a sign for us, just as assuredly as the miracle itself. She is a sign that God wants us to be active in our faith, not passive. We are to pay attention to the needs of the people around us and respond to them, by both action and prayer.

For Mary, life went from simple to complicated very quickly. Accepting the angel’s message would bring misunderstanding, doubt, and almost ended her marriage before it started. In the midst of this Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth to assist her in her moment of need. Allowing Jesus into her life drove her to serve others, in spite of the challenges that she faced. In the great mystery of the Communion of Saints Mary is a sign that the blessed souls of heaven and we who still strive on earth are separated by less than we understand. Mary, the Queen of Heaven, is active still, praying for us to her Son just as assuredly as she spoke to Him on behalf of the young couple at Cana. She offers us an example of action and contemplation that helps us to manifest the love of Christ to all we meet.