2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 
(Isaiah 62, 1-5; 1 Cor. 12, 4-11; John 2, 1-11 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C)

    Today’s gospel reading on the weeding at Cana, leads one to marvel at Jesus’ benevolent question towards the wedded couple who could have been very embarrassed by the shortage of wine during the wedding; an essential commodity in a wedding feast. Jesus’ first sign (miracle), demonstration of divine power in changing water into wine, through which his glory was manifest, is also remarkable. In addition to the above general remarks, reflection on some aspects of the text, symbols and style of the language of the narrative, yields a dense and profound theological thought of the Evangelist John.
    First of all, it was very indicative that the first miracle of Jesus took place in the context of a marriage feast. In the OT, marriage (see the first reading of today that is replete with marriage symbols) was used as a symbol to depict the close relationship between God and the people of Israel. By casting the scene of the first miracle of Jesus within a marriage feast, the evangelist wishes to express the intricate union of love between Jesus and people, the marriage of Christ with humanity brought about by the singular act of the incarnation through which man is intricately and profoundly united with Christ. Indeed Christ, being the groom of the Church, had to make the supreme sacrifice of dying for the survival of his bride, the Church (this is the mainstay of Paul’s theology on marriage).

    Another significant point in the gospel narrative is the response of Jesus to his mother’s request to help the newly wedded who lacked wine for their wedding feast. Jesus said: Woman, why turn to me? My hour, has not come yet. The reply of Jesus to his mother’s request, in its face value, could sound disrespectful. But, it was not so. The mother did not understand it that way, as she went on to instruct the servants to do whatever Jesus would instruct them do. But for the evangelist, John, the hour to which Jesus referred to was the hour of his passion on the cross. It was the hour in which he was to manifest his glory, the hour of his exaltation. It would be the hour in which Jesus would have to celebrate the true wedding of love and would have to offer to the world the true messianic banquet of his body and blood for the salvation of all. This hour of his passion was expected to be followed by his glorious resurrection. Jesus notified the mother that the hour had not yet come. However, he acceded to her request.

    Another factor that is very indicative in the gospel narrative is that, besides the miracle of changing water into wine, the wine itself was not only abundant but also the best wine presented in that wedding feast. It is pertinent to recall that the messianic times announced by the prophets were to be characterized by an abundance of fruits of the earth and all types of choice wine. According to the evangelist John, Jesus was notifying, by this miracle of the wedding feast that the time for the Messiah had arrived and, therefore, the old ways of Jewish worship had to give way to the new proposals of salvation, which Jesus had brought with him and which was better than the old method of salvation.  
    In this miracle at wedding feast one can see an allusion to the Eucharistic banquet. In the narrative there was a change of water into wine. Further, towards the end of Jesus’ life, before his passion, there was the further transformation of wine into the blood of Jesus, during the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This took place, as the gospel narratives indicates, a day before he suffered. It was on the following day that he offered himself at Calvary, shedding his blood on the cross for the salvation of the world. Thus from the wedding at Cana, the first sign that manifested the glory of Christ was programmed to culminate in the last manifestation of his glory, the resurrection.     
    We cannot conclude our reflection on this nuptial passage without appreciating the presence and role of Mary, the mother of Jesus whose presence the evangelist noted: The mother of Jesus was there…. Mary was not only bodily present; she participated actively and played important roles. It was she who noticed the lack of wine. She imagines herself in the embarrassing situation of the newly wedded couple. She, therefore, intervened and directly asked for a miracle (the first one) from Jesus. Her comportment tells much of the gentility of her person. Her heart was full of love and absolute trust in his son, Jesus, such confidence was derived from a lucid faith she has of him.  One can say that the narrative of the wedding in Cana has much to do with Mary as with Jesus. From the narrative, what she is comes out very clearly: she is a believer, the first and most perfect of all the believers; that is all who have confidence in Jesus and trust him. Also, it is obvious that Mary is in rapport with the mystery of the Church: she is the mother of the Church, the Mediatrix of all graces.  It is moreover, obvious that Mary is in rapport with every believer; every one of us: she is a model and teacher of faith, a secure guide in the encounter with Christ. As a tender mother, she repeats to us what she told the servants at the marriage feast: Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you. In effect it means: Trust him, remain in his words and follow his instructions. We, therefore, need to listen to her words just as it is normal and convenient for a son or daughter to listen to the admonition of a good mother especially when this Mama is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Happy New Year! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye