Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

This weekend we hear the story of something marvelous that Jesus did, and, as John says, it is “the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory”.

Jesus changed water into wine.  He did it at the request of Mary, his mother, after she said “they have no wine”.  The changing of water into wine is a symbol of Jesus revealing his glory. 

In the Gospels we know that everywhere he went, the old was made new.  For example, with Zacchaeus, he changed his selfishness into love; with the thief on Calvary, he changed his despair into hope; and on Easter morning he changed death into life.

Jesus’ presence could change lives beyond those with whom he came into contact, and he continues to do this for those who believe and follow him.  He transforms our lives into something wonderful; he offers us a share in the divine life, nothing less than the joy of communion with God.  I would say that wherever Jesus is, more happiness is there.  He can change our sadness into happiness, our sorrows into joy, and our worry into trust.

Jesus’ power is available to every one of us.  We need his power in order to change the things in our spiritual lives that need to be changed.  I invite all of you to be open and acknowledge his power and allow him to touch and to change you.

As the Gospel for this weekend has a powerful meaning within it, I will continue to do a brief reflection on Mary, based on what she said to the servants at the wedding banquet: “Do whatever he tells you”.

First we learn that Mary does not speak often in the sacred scriptures.  But anytime she speaks, her words pour out with wisdom.  The Gospel today is an example.

Only Mary knew that the wine ran out while the wedding banquet was not quite over, and she knew where to go when the crisis struck: she came to Jesus.  As we know, she reported the problem to her son in private and, turning to the servants, she said: “Do whatever he tells you”.

She gives us the key to stay on task in our efforts to follow Christ and discover the happiness that only he can give.  She is teaching us today how to follow Christ, how to become a mature Christian.

As a mother, she has a good sense of knowing the trouble within us.  She shares with us our concerns and helps us by offering these troubles to her son.

She also has a confidence in Jesus, her son.  She believes that her son can do great things because he is the Son of God.  She acknowledges the divinity in her son.  And we learn that she joins her obedience to God's will when she offers it on behalf of the host of the wedding banquet.

What we have learned are great lessons.  We will ask Mary to be with us, and to intercede on our behalf, just as she did for the groom and bride at Cana.

My dear sisters and brothers, there is no doubt that life is full of challenges, and temptations, and it is easy to get distracted.  Let Jesus be our companion and the Savior he came to be.  Let us give him room in our hearts to let his power take action in our lives. 

Obviously Jesus came onto the earth in order to make his love touch our everyday lives.  But it is up to us to let him in, to come to him.  Come to him, as Mary did, and you will see the “water” of your life, everyday life, be transformed into the excellent “wine” of meaning, purpose, wisdom, and true, lasting happiness that Christ comes to give you.

I believe that we cannot give our lives the meaning, the purpose, the joy we long for, by our own efforts.  During this week, you and I will continue to search and listen for Jesus’ voice.  Do not be afraid, he is all-powerful, he will make his glory shine in our lives and he will change out sorrow to joy, our hopelessness to hope.

Have a blessed weekend and enjoy the warm weather on these days.

Fr. Louis Nguyen