Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I
Is 62:1-5

For Zion's sake I will not be silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines forth like the dawn
and her victory like a burning torch.

Nations shall behold your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
you shall be called by a new name
pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,
a royal diadem held by your God.
No more shall people call you "Forsaken, "
or your land "Desolate, "
but you shall be called "My Delight, "
and your land "Espoused."
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his spouse.
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.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10

R. (3) Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Reading II
1 Cor 12:4-11

Brothers and sisters:
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom;
to another, the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
to another, faith by the same Spirit;
to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit;
to another, mighty deeds;
to another, prophecy;
to another, discernment of spirits;
to another, varieties of tongues;
to another, interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these,
distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

Gospel
Jn 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
"They have no wine."
And Jesus said to her,
"Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come."
His mother said to the servers,
"Do whatever he tells you."
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told the them,
"Fill the jars with water."
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
"Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter."
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
--although the servers who had drawn the water knew--
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
"Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now."
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.

Commentary

The reading from Isaiah 62, although positive in its tone, reflects some disappointment upon returning to Jerusalem.  To the people, it appears that God is not fulfilling his promises.  The prophet assures them by insisting that all will be well because the Lord has given his word. This insistence by the prophet is a powerful motivating factor but carries with it the risk of failure.  Should the land remain desolate, extreme disillusionment will fall upon the people.  Despite this risk, the prophet encourages his people in the hope that their efforts will be blessed.

In the Second Reading, Paul asserts that the same Spirit who gives us faith also distributes all other gifts, and is a source of unity.  However, gifts, even if given by the Spirit, can still be a cause of division if faith in both Christ and the Church is not strong.  On occasion, gifts can result in envy, pride, arrogance, and exclusiveness instead of unity, service, and humility.  For this reason, the apostle makes clear to the community of Corinth that even ministers who provide the most needed services should not consider themselves lords but instead are subordinate to the one true Lord.  When the Spirit manifests itself it is for the good of all and not for the self-promotion of the one who administers the gift.  To reiterate this thought, Paul provides a list of gifts that are all manifestations of the same Spirit.

The “sign” given to us in today’s Gospel Reading from John reveals Jesus’ glory and is reason for his disciples to believe in him.  The dialogue leading up to this sign, however, leaves us with many unanswered questions:

Why does Jesus call his mother “woman”?

Why does Jesus answer “no” but still act in a positive way?

What does Jesus mean when he says “my hour has not yet come”?

These questions are very difficult to answer and no real consensus exists among scholars as to what these verses mean.  Regardless of this difficulty though, it’s evident that Jesus needs to replace the water with wine.  This action becomes a sign of the passing from the old into the new.  It is a time of abundant wine; a sign of the wedding feast; a sign of the restoration or the messianic era. Through the sign at Cana, we are assured that the Messiah has arrived and with him our salvation.

Reflection

The Church places in its liturgy today the importance of marriage and rightly so. Throughout Sacred Scripture, the image of man and woman united in marriage is used to describe the relationship between God and his people. Just as a man and woman must remain faithful to each other in marriage through mutual fidelity and exclusivity, so too must we remain faithful to God.

Today we live in a world where the demand for fidelity and exclusivity is put on a sliding scale and their value is no longer absolute. The end result has been the great divorce epidemic that has taken hold of our American society in such a way that single parent homes have become commonplace. This is not what God had in mind when he created man and woman for each other. What are we to do?  Where do we go to find a solution to this problem?

Just as we would look for answers to technical problems with our computer by reading and following the manufacturer’s instructions, we need to refer to our “owners manual” if you will.  Because God is the “author” of our “owners manual”, it stands to reason that we should follow his instructions in order to avoid problems. That’s precisely the message given to us in today’s readings. By performing the first of his signs at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, Jesus is confirming the importance of marriage. 

What strikes me the most from the Gospel story is that Jesus does not act until everyone has done their part:  Mary his mother notices the problem. The lack of wine would be a sign that God’s favor is not upon the bride and groom. With faith and trust she tells her son.  He in turn asks that jars be filled.  The jars are filled to the brim, a sign that nothing more can be done. Only after they have done all they could is when Jesus performs his miracle. The water is turned into wine, but not just any wine – the best – a sign that when we do as God asks, the results will only be the best.

Biblical Sources

New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Clifford, R. J., “Fair Spoken and Persuading”; Seitz, C. (ed), “Reading and Preaching the Book of Isaiah”; Watts, J., “Isaiah 34-66”; Murphy-O’Connor, J., “St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archaeology”; Theissen, G., “The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on Corinth”; Barrett, C. K., “The Gospel According to John”; Brown, R. E., “The Community of the Beloved Disciple”; Schnackenburg, R., “The Gospel According to St. John”; Segovia, F. F., “Love Relationships in the Johannine Tradition”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.

Reflection by

Deacon Lazaro J Ulloa