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| READ THE GOSPEL TEXT ATTENTIVELY |
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Do you more often than not focus on the present or the future? Do you focus on the now or on the later?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:32-39; Mk 4:26-34
The text of today contains two
parables. The first of these (4:26-29) is known as the Parable of the seed
growing secretly, and is found only in the Gospel of Mark. The second
(4:30-32), known as the Parable of the Mustard seed is also found in the
Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
In the first parable the point
that is being made is that the one who scatters the seed only does so and then
goes about his routine, not worried about the outcome of his effort. The seed
continues to grow, simply because he has first scattered it. He knows that by
worrying the seed will not grow faster, and so he lets it be.
In the Parable of the Mustard
seed, the point that is made is that from little, there will be much. Small
beginnings have great endings. The parable is a call to begin what one has to
do without worrying about how small or big the outcome will be. The growth is
sure and definite.
When Mark says in 4:33 that
Jesus did not speak to the people without a parable, he is in effect saying
that there was a parabolic character about all of Jesus’ teaching. This means
that all of Jesus’ teaching involved the listener and it was the listener who
supplied the lesson to the teaching and not Jesus. This indicates a freedom of
choice that every listener was given at the time of Jesus. They were the ones to
decide for or against. Jesus would never force them to accept his point of
view.
It is sometimes the case that
we spend much of our time worrying about the outcome of our actions even before
we can do them. This attitude does not allow us to be in the present moment and
so the action that we do is not done to the best of our ability. We do not put
ourselves fully into the action that we do. At other times, we do not act at
all but only worry. While the first of today’s parable is calling us to act and
then relax rather than worry, the second is assuring us that our actions will
indeed bear fruit.
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
A CALL TO PERSEVERANCE FROM THE READINGS OF TODAY
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| Unscramble the tiles to reveal a message. Look for commas and full stops as well. |
How would you define the WORD OF GOD? Have you assimilated this WORD?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:19-25; Mk 4:21-25
The text of today follows
immediately after the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower and the seed
and contains two similes: that of the lamp and the measure. In Mark they seem
to be connected with the response that a person makes to the Word spoken by
Jesus. This Word is not an esoteric or secret Word. It is a Word that is to be
make known, to be revealed, like a lamp is to be on a lamp stand. If one is
open and receptive to this Word (the Measure of one’s openness) one will
receive from God not only the ability to understand it but also to assimilate
it.
Sometimes our closed attitudes
and minds and our reluctance to accept change and newness may result in our
missing out on all the revelations of the glory of God taking place around us.
If we only open the eyes of our heart to see and the ears of our hearts to
hear, we will be able to find God in all things and all things in him.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
READ BOTH THE READINGS OF TODAY FOR THIS QUIZ
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| Unscramble each of the clue words. Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number. |
How often have you given into despair and lost hope? Will you continue to hope today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:11-18; Mk 4:1-20
The text of today is taken from
what is known as The Parable Discourse in the Gospel of Mark. The text contains
an introduction to the Discourse (4:1-2), the parable of the Sower (4:3-9), a
saying on the kingdom and its secret (4:10-12) and the interpretation of the
parable (4:13-20). It is important that while it is likely that Jesus uttered
the parable, in all probability the interpretation is the work of the early
church. This is why; the interpretation of these texts must be done separately.
The parable of the Sower seems
to point out that of the four types of soil in which the seed falls, it is LOST
in three types and bears fruit in only one type. This indicates that while
three quarters of the effort are lost, only a quarter is gain. However, the
focus of the parable is not on the loss but on the gain, which even that
one-quarter brings. The Parable is pointing out to the fact that this is how
life often is. Three quarters of our efforts seem to be wasted and it is
possible that when this happens we may give in to despair. However, we are
called to focus not on this but on the enormous gain that the one-quarter of
our effort will indeed bring.
We may tend to lose heart when
we see that most of our efforts do not seem to be bearing fruit. At times like
these, the Parable of the Sower offers hope that even though much of our effort
may seem to be lost, the gain that will arise from it will be enormous. It
invites us not to ever lose heart but to keep on doing our part and leave the
rest to God. It is calling us to sow and rest confident in the hope that God
will make it grow.
Monday, 28 January 2013
If Jesus were to point to his family today, would you be counted as a member?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10;1-10; Mk 3:31-35
The text of today forms the
second part of the “sandwich” construction that Mark has used here. He
introduced the family of Jesus in 3:20-21, interrupted this with the text on
the Beelzebul controversy (3:22-30) and returns to the family of Jesus is
today’s text 3:31-35. By using such a structure, Mark indicates that the family
of Jesus are also hostile to Jesus. Also, Mark places them “outside” while
Jesus is “inside” the house. This too indicates that they are not disciples.
Jesus then defines family in terms of those who do the will of God. Some also
think that by not mentioning the father of Jesus, Mark wants to assert that for
Jesus and his disciples, only God is Father.
We may imagine that because we
have been baptised are bear the name Christian we are automatically counted as
members of Jesus’ family. However, baptism alone will not make us members of
Jesus’ family, but the living out of the baptismal promises in our lives. This
means that we must each do what we are called to do, namely our best at every
given moment.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Is your general attitude to life positive or negative? Will you make an attempt to interpret every incident positively today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 9:15,22-28; Mk 3:22-30
The text of today is known as
the Beelzebul controversy. Scribes who come from Jerusalem accuse Jesus of
casting out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus refutes their claim by
showing how absurd it would be for Satan to cast himself out. The strong man
whom Jesus talks about is Satan and the one who binds up the strong man is
Jesus himself. Rather than accuse Jesus, the scribes must be able to see that
with the coming of Jesus the reign of Satan is at an end.
Today the sin against the Holy
Spirit is to refuse to believe that the Spirit can transform me. Practically
this means to give up even before one can begin. It means to give in or throw
in the towel. It means not to give the Spirit a chance to work in our lives. It
means a refusal to persevere and keep on keeping on.
Saturday, 26 January 2013
HOW ATTENTIVE ARE YOU TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY?
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Across
2. ONE OF THOSE WHO STOOD ON THE LEFT OF THE PRIEST IS
A PROPHET AFTER WHOM AN OLD TESTAMENT BOOK IS NAMED.
3. IN WHICH MONTH DID THE PRIEST MENTIONED IN THE
FIRST READING BRING THE PEOPLE TOGETHER?
8. IT WAS IN A SYNAGOGUE AT THIS PLACE THAT JESUS TAUGHT
THE PEOPLE
9. OF WHICH MATERIAL WAS THE PLATFORM ON WHICH THE
PRIEST STOOD MADE?
10. HOW MANY PARTS OF THE BODY ARE MENTIONED BY PAUL
IN THE SECOND READING OF TODAY?
12. THIS WAS THE PERSON FOR WHOM LUKE WROTE HIS GOSPEL
13. WHAT DID THE PEOPLE ANSWER AFTER THE PRIEST
BLESSED THEM?
Down
1. HE WAS A GOVERNOR
4. THE PRIEST MENTIONED IN THE FIRST READING OF TODAY
5. TO WHICH PLACE DID JESUS RETURN TO BEGIN HIS
MISSION?
6. WHICH GROUP TAUGHT THE PEOPLE THE WORD OF GOD IN
THE FIRST READING OF TODAY?
7. ACCORDING THESE WERE THE ONES WHO WERE APPOINTED
FIRST BY THE LORD.
11. FROM WHICH PROPHET DID JESUS READ?
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Do you consider yourself as part of the body or do you feel like a broken limb?
To read the texts click on the texts: Neh 8:2-4a,5-6,8-10; 1 Cor12:12-30; Lk 1:1-4;4:14-21
The
beginning of the Gospel of Luke is unique because Luke is the only one of the
four evangelists who states the purpose of his writing. It seems, from
what he states, that his intention is to supply an orderly account, a doctrinal
truth, and an assurance about the meaning of the whole Christ event, to
Theophilus - for whom he is writing. Thus, his intention is not merely
historical. He will also narrate the things “that have been fulfilled” so that
Theophilus may know the “truth”.
A summary of the
Christ event is given in the inaugural act of Jesus when he comes to the
synagogue at Nazareth and reads from the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus, in all probability, chose the passage
that he would read. Even as he read from this chosen text, he made subtle
changes in his reading. The chosen passage, and the changes he made, brings out
what his intentions are for all those whose lives he will touch. In his
reading, the Lucan Jesus omits the phrase from Isaiah “to bind up the broken
hearted” and adds instead, from Isa 58:6, “He has sent me to proclaim release
to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go
free”. Also, he omits, from Isa 61:2, “and the day of vengeance of our God” and
ends, instead, by proclaiming the “favourable
year of the Lord”.
What could be the
possible reasons for the choice of this reading in his inaugural discourse? Why
would he make the changes he made? One important reason for the choice seems to
be the mention of the Spirit. The Spirit plays an important role in the Gospel
of Luke and, right at the beginning, Luke shows that Jesus’ ministry, which he
will soon begin, is empowered by the Spirit by whom Jesus was anointed at his
baptism. Second, the poor are given special prominence in the Gospel of Luke,
and so, the Lucan Jesus begins with an option for the poor. While the rich are
not excluded, it is very clearly the poor whom will have preference. “Poor” in
Luke primarily means the economically poor, but also includes here, captives,
the blind, and the oppressed. In a word, Jesus has come primarily for the
marginalized, the scum of society, and those who are on its fringes.
What has Jesus
come to proclaim to these? What are the
implications of his proclamation for us today? Jesus has come to proclaim a
year of God’s favour. He has come to show,
through his word and deeds, that the God he will reveal is a God whose
intention is to liberate the impoverished and the oppressed and, in that
respect, fulfill the ideal and social concern of the Jubilee year. Jesus has
come to announce deliverance, but not a national deliverance. He has come to announce God’s promise of
liberation for all the poor and oppressed, regardless of nationality, gender,
or race. The radical inclusiveness of his message was not easy for all to
accept. Many preferred to be exclusive. They wanted a Messiah who would fit in
with the categories they had set. Thus, not only was the message of Jesus
scandalous, he was himself a scandal. Since they closed their minds and hearts
to his inclusive message of God’s unconditional love, they were unable to
receive it.
The implications
of the proclamation of Jesus for us today are, first; the kingdom that Jesus
proclaimed, and that we must continue to proclaim, must be a kingdom that has
the poor at its very centre. The rich are not excluded because the kingdom is
all inclusive. Yet, there can be no
doubt that the preference must always be for the poor, the marginalized, the
impoverished, and those of no consequence. Even as we work for the kingdom, we
must keep in mind that others, too, are called to the same task and
responsibility. Thus, as Paul reminds
the Corinthians, and us, we must remember always that we are one body made up
of many parts. We must be able to
accept, not only unity in diversity but unity, even in diversity. This means
that the work being done by those of other religions, other faiths, and other orientations,
as long as it results in furthering God’s kingdom, is good and to be commended.
We must learn to work, not only for others, but with others, as well. God’s
word is a word that cannot be restricted to any particular group or community. It is a word that is freely given to all who
are willing to understand and to accept it. In the first reading of today, Ezra, the
priest, exposes the word of God to the people and tells them to not be sad and
to not weep. We, too, need to understand
that the word is not a word that causes sorrow or brings tears. It is not a word that causes division or
strife. Rather, it is a word that builds
up because the Lord is, indeed, our strength and our hope.
Because this is
the case, and even though we realize that, despite our very best efforts, the
kingdom will always remain beyond our grasp, we keep striving, never giving up,
never giving in. We keep as our model and inspiration the mission and person of
Jesus who, even on the Cross, continued to say “Amen, Amen”.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Republic Day - A call to unconditional love and accepting responsibility for the way things are.
To read the texts click on the texts: Jer 31:31-34; 1Tim 2:1-6; Jn 8:33-36
The
verses which form the text for the Republic Day of India contain what may be
seen as the fundamental lines of debate and disagreement between Jesus and the
religious leaders. In these verses the succeeding verse builds up on the
preceding one and thus intensifies the debate. The sayings are addressed to the
people who “believed in him”. Though these act, their faith seems inadequate as
is seen in their response to Jesus to come to the truth. The truth that Jesus
refers to here is not an abstract principle but the presence of God in Jesus.
The recognition of this truth results in a person’s being set free. The words
“will make you free’ result in upsetting the listeners who protest that since
they are Abraham’s descendants they are naturally free. However, they do not
realize that in rejecting Jesus they are also rejecting Abraham and so are not
really his descendants and consequently not free.
Since
freedom is a gift, it cannot be earned or acquired through one’s antecedents.
It is made visible in the actions that one performs. If one performs sinful
actions, then one is a slave and so not free. Though the leaders claim to be
descendants of Abraham, their actions do not correspond to their claim. They
are guilty of the sinful action of trying to kill Jesus. Freedom is possible
only through the Son who alone can make free because he is the Truth. In order
to receive this freedom one must be able to recognize the truth of who Jesus
is. This they cannot do.
Republic
Day is celebrated as the day on which the Constitution of India came into
force. The Constitution promises all the
citizens of India liberty, equality and justice. Yet.... we have a long way to
go. It is easy to point fingers at our political leaders and others and lay the
blame for the situation in our country at their door. However, we are as
responsible as they are and so must accept responsibility for the way things
are. If each one of us does what we have to do to the best of our ability,
change for the better is a given.
My
prayer is that unlike those 2000 years who did not heed the voice of God spoken
in Jesus, each one of us might heed that voice which still calls all of us to
unconditional love.
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW PAUL?
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Across
1. By what name did the Lord identify
himself to Saul?
4. Which was the first letter Paul wrote?
6. Which was the city to which Saul was
going when he encountered the Lord?
8. To whom did Saul go to ask for letters
to the synagogues?
9. How many letters in the New Testament
are supposedly written by Paul
Down
2. What was the name of the street to
which Ananias was sent?
3. What was the name of the disciple in
Damascus to whom Saul was sent by the Lord?
5. Which city was Paul originally from?
7. For how many days was Saul without his
sight after being struck down?
|
Thursday, 24 January 2013
THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL
To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 9:1-22 or 22:3-16; Mk 16:15-18
Paul’s
entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus
on the road to Damascus. In that instant he saw what he could become through
grace and not law. It was a revelation to him that no matter how low a person
may have fallen; God’s grace could always lift him/her up. It was also a revelation
of the heights of mysticism one could reach if one opened oneself to God’s
unlimited and unconditional grace.
The
story of Paul’s conversion is narrated twice in the Acts of the Apostles
(Chapters 9 and 22) and Paul himself makes reference to it in some of his
letters (Gal 1:13-14; 1 Cor 9:1-2; 15:3-8)
The
conversion of Saul to Paul was the conversion and transformation of a person
who lived out the letter of the law, but forgot its spirit. However, once he
allowed God’s grace to enter his heart, all that mattered to him was Christ and
through Christ divine, gratuitous love. From the moment of his transformation,
the focus of his preaching was that salvation was FOR ALL and that no amount of
merit could save, because salvation was a free gift of God.
The
first reading for the Feast speaks of his conversion and the Gospel text is
from the longer ending of Mark and is an apt description of Paul’s power and
actions after his transformation. He did indeed proclaim the Gospel to all
creation and today invites us to do the same.
His
Gospel may be summarised in one sentence, “God was in Christ reconciling the
world to himself” (2 Cor 5:19)
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
COMPLETE JESUS
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Every row,
column AND the main diagonals contain all the letters in the word "JESUS”.
Fill in the
missing alphabets
|
If you were to choose one word to describe your relationship with Jesus what word would you choose?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 7:25-8:6; Mk 3:7-12
Mark gives in these verses a summary account of the themes that
have appeared from the beginning of the Gospel. Jesus' popularity increases and
he cannot appear in public without being pressured by great multitudes seeking
to he healed. Jesus' reputation has spread even to those towns where he did not
go personally. The use of the term multitude here and the mention of the names
of places as far as the region around Tyre and Sidon are an indication that
Jesus’ authority is much greater than that of John the Baptist to whom in Mark
people came from only the Judean countryside and Jerusalem (1:5). These
multitudes are not necessarily disciples, and could have come to see Jesus out
of curiosity or even to receive healing.
Mark once again has the command to silence, which is where Jesus
commands the demons not to make him known. While some interpret this command as
belonging to the rite of exorcism, others see it as Mark's desire to reject the
testimony of the demons as evidence for Jesus' identity.
It is possible that we relate to God or Jesus as we would relate
to the local grocer and go to him only when we need something. The text of
today challenges us to review our relationship with Jesus and ask ourselves
what he really means to us.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Is there a synchrony between your words and your actions?
To rad the text click on the texts: Heb 7:1-3,15-17; Mk 3:1-6
The
Gospel text of today concerns a Sabbath controversy. Though Mark does not
specify at the beginning of this episode who it was that was watching Jesus for
a reason to accuse him, at the end of the episode they are named as Pharisees
and Herodians. While Pharisees had no political authority at the time of Jesus,
they were influential. Herodians were a group of wealthy people who were
partisans of Herod Antipas.
It is
important to note that Jesus does nothing to break the Sabbath rest, but his
question is the reason for the hostility. The response to Jesus' question is
silence which here may be interpreted as an indication of the hostility of his
opponents and of their intention to destroy him. Anyone who truly cares about
the law will agree with Jesus and rejoice that a man has been made whole again.
Though the man in this case is not in any way near death, Jesus adds to the
second part of his question the words "to save life or to kill?" This
seems to be Mark's way of anticipating the intentions of Jesus' opponents. The
point he seems to be making is that they object to someone being made whole on
the Sabbath because they are concerned about the law, yet on the same Sabbath,
they will not hesitate to plot the destruction of someone else. The contrast
between their words and their deeds is strongly brought out.
Often
in our lives there is a dichotomy between what we say and what we do. Our
actions do not always match our words. There are also times when we say one
thing and do another. The call of the text of today is to be as consistent as
we possibly can. One way of doing this is to avoid judging others too easily.
Another way would be to avoid promising what we know we will not be able to
deliver and to think carefully before we speak and commit.
Monday, 21 January 2013
WORDS THAT ARE FOUND IN THE GOSPEL TEXT OF TODAY
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| Unscramble each of the clue words found in the Gospel text of today Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number. |
How often in your life have rules and regulations become more important than love? What will you do about it today?
Today’s text is a pronouncement
story. In such a story, the saying of Jesus is of central importance. In this
story, it appears at the end where after Jesus pronounces that it was the
Sabbath (rules and regulations) that was made for the human person and not the
other way around, he identifies The Son of Man as Lord even of the Sabbath.
The Gospel of Mark does not
explicate what the Pharisees are complaining about. They surely could not be
complaining that the disciples of Jesus were stealing because they were plucking
ears of corn, since Deut. 23:25 permitted a person to pluck ears of grain when
he/she went into a neighbour’s field. Luke 6:1 seems to indicate that the
objection of the Pharisees was that the disciples of Jesus were rubbing the
heads of grain they had plucked in their hands which could be considered as
threshing and therefore work, which was prohibited on the Sabbath (Exod 34:21). As
he often does in his responses, Jesus takes the objectors beyond the immediate
objection to a higher level. Here, he focuses not just on the question of work
on the Sabbath or the incident that is questioned, but beyond: to the Sabbath
itself. The Sabbath is at the service of the human person and not the human
person at the service of the Sabbath. In other words, human needs take
precedence over any rules and regulations. This must be the primary focus.
There are times in our lives
when we treat rules as ends in themselves. One reason why we do this is because
we have an image of God as a policeman who will catch and punish us if we do
not follow the rules, as we ought to. Another reason could be that we expect
that God will be gracious to us and bless us if we are faithful in flowing the
rules. It is possible that sometimes we are so focussed on following the rules
that we believe God has set for us that we might lose sight of human persons
whose needs we must respond to first.
CONNECTED WITH THE READING OF TODAY
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| THIS SAYING OF JESUS IS CONNECTED WITH THE GOSPEL READING OF TODAY. |
Sunday, 20 January 2013
How often have your actions been motivated out of fear rather than love? Will you perform at least one action from love today?
To read the texts click here: Heb 5:1-10; Mk 2:18-22
The text of today is a
controversy story, and concerns one of the three important traditions of the
Jews: fasting, the other two being alms giving and prayer. The question of the
people compares the behaviour of Jesus’ disciples with that of John’s disciples
and the Pharisees. The latter fast whereas the disciples of Jesus do
not. The law required that people fast only on the Day of Atonement (Lev
16:1-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11), though there were other reasons why a person
might fast including as a personal expression of sorrow or repentance (1 Kgs
21:27; 2 Samuel 3:35). The Pharisees were said to fast twice a week (Luke 18:12).
Since the people considered Jesus as a prophet or religious teacher, they would
have expected his disciples to fast as other sects did. In his response to the
people, Jesus clarifies that with his coming the new age has dawned, which is
an age of freedom. He does this first by using the analogy of the bridegroom,
and states that those who fast at the wedding are seriously insulting the host
or bridegroom. However, even though there is the element of celebration in the
analogy of the bridegroom, there is also a sombre note, which speaks of the
bridegroom being taken away, and seems to refer to the death of Jesus, which
will be an appropriate time to fast. The unshrunk cloth and the new wine refer
to this new age, whereas the old cloak and the old wine skins refer to the old
age. The two are incompatible. An attempt to patch an old garment using a new
or unshrunk cloth will result in a worse tear; just as to put new wine into old
skins will result in a great loss. The conclusion of the saying of Jesus
emphasises that the presence of Jesus brings newness and to understand him one
will need to give up the old categories that one has.
If we can talk of a rule or
regulation that Jesus gave his disciples, it would only be the rule of love.
All the actions of Jesus’ disciples must be motivated by love. This means that
one may or may not fast, but that one will always and every time only love.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
QUIZ ON THE READINGS OF TODAY
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Across
2. FOR WHOSE SAKE WILL THE LORD NOT KEEP
SILENT?
4. WHERE WAS THE MIRACLE OF TURNING WATER
INTO WINE PERFORMED?
5. HOW MANY STONE JARS WERE STANDING WHEN
JESUS TURNED WATER INTO WINE?
6. THIS IS A GIFT OF THE SPIRIT THAT
STARTS WITH THE ALPHABET K
7. INSTEAD OF BEING CALLED FORSAKEN WHAT
WILL JERUSALEM BE CALLED?
8. WHAT WILL JERUSALEM BE CALLED INSTEAD
OF DESOLATE?
9. FOR WHOSE SAKE WILL THE LORD NOT REST?
Down
1. WHAT TERM DID JESUS USE TO ADDRESS HIS
MOTHER?
3. HOW MANY GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT ARE
MENTIONED IN THE SECOND READING OF TODAY?
4. WHO WAS THE FIRST TO TASTE THE WATER
TURNED INTO WINE
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Super abundance of gifts for all
To read the texts click on the texts:
While
Year A is known as the year of Matthew, since the Gospel readings during this
year are taken mainly from the Gospel of Matthew, Year B is known as the Gospel
of Mark, for the same reason. Year C, in which we are now, is the year of Luke.
However, in all three years, the second Sunday in Ordinary time takes the
reading from the Gospel of John. In year A, the text deals with the identification
of Jesus by John. In year B, the text discusses the first disciples who follow
Jesus and remain with him and, in this year, the text concerns the wedding
feast at Cana and the turning of water into wine.
John’s
placement of the story of the miracle at Cana, at the beginning of the ministry
of Jesus, gives it an added significance.
This is so because it is the first public act Jesus performs in John’s
Gospel. Thus, it serves as the inaugural event of the ministry of Jesus. It also serves as a forerunner of things to
come. Numerous themes are highlighted in this miracle, like Jesus’ hour, his
glory, the sign pointing to a deeper reality, and the faith of his disciples in
him. All these serve to indicate how the miracle must be interpreted.
Some
have interpreted the miracle as Jesus’ rejection of the waters of purification
and hence, a symbol of Jesus’ rejection of Judaism. Others have interpreted it
as the replacement of the old with the new. However, neither of these
interpretations seems to fit the context. They seem to read into the text what
is not actually there. The jars standing there are empty and so, there can be
no question of rejection or replacement. They are filled with water on the
instructions of Jesus and, filled “to the brim”. It is in these details that
the interpretation must be sought. Therefore, two points are being made. The
first is that the old vessels are filled with a wondrous new gift. The second is that this gift is not given in
measure but given abundantly. With the coming of Jesus, gifts, like that of new
wine, will be given in abundance.
That
this is the better interpretation is confirmed by the scene of the intervention
of Jesus’ mother and his response to her, in which he makes mention of his “hour”.
Jesus’ response to Mary, while seemingly harsh, is not really so. It must be
seen more as a form of disengagement. Jesus’
hour, the hour set by the Father, has not yet arrived. Thus, even his mother does not have claim
over him and what he is to accomplish. This is determined by his Father, and by
his Father alone. No human, no matter
how close he/she might be to Jesus, can hasten it. Mary understands this and
this is why her instruction to the stewards is “Do whatever he tells you”. Mary
will leave Jesus free to act. Accordingly, Jesus acts freely at this “hour” and
through this act, gives a glimpse of what he will accomplish when the hour set
by the Father actually arrives. Here, he
merely converts water into wine, which John refers to as a sign. It is a sign because
it points to greater things that are to come.
It points to a time when he will convert his body and blood into a
living sacrifice of praise. He has come to bring abundance to his people; he
has come to vindicate them; he has come to save them.
This
is also the theme of the first reading of today in which Isaiah speaks of the people’s
vindication and salvation because of the coming of the Lord. This vindication
will be public and will be seen and witnessed by all, much like the miracle at
Cana. Forsakenness and Desolation are things of the past. Now, the new and the novel have come and will
remain. No longer will the negative hold sway over the people. This is because God brings, with his coming,
all which is positive.
This
vindication and salvation will remain at the theoretical level if it is not
translated into action. Paul, in the second reading of today, shows how this
must be. Two ways are indicated. The first is the recognition of the
individual’s gifts, of which there is a wide variety. Each is blessed with a
special talent and gift and, each of these is unique. There is no greater or
lesser; there is no good or better. They are different and so, need not be
compared. The second is that the gifts of the individual are not for him/her
alone. The gifts of the individual are
for the sake of the community since they have as their source and origin, one
Lord. If the gifts are used for one’s own glorification and praise, they are of
no consequence whatsoever. However, if they are used in humility, and for the
sake of the community, then they become gifts of the one Spirit and of the one
Lord.
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