Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Jan. 17, 2016
The Wedding Feast at Cana. Fresco by Giotto di Bondone 1302-05, Museum of the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy.
Isaiah’s book of prophecy nears its end, and the prophet shouts in exultation as Jerusalem – the new Zion – and a new Temple emerge out of the ashes of the old. The people have returned from exile, and God’s glory breaks out like a glorious dawn. The new city will vindicate Jerusalem and its people as the city of God, God’s beloved bride in a marriage of joy and delight. Ideas of love and relationship form a theme that unites today’s readings, culminating in John’s wedding feast at Cana.
The Psalmist celebrates God’s love, comparing God’s faithful righteousness to the lasting, immovable strength of the mountains and the deep seas. God’s love is so broad that it extends to all humanity and to all animal life. God gives us shelter, abundant food and drink. God’s priceless love shows us a perfect model that can serve us well as we, in our small, imperfect ways, seek to build good relationships in our lives.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
In a beautiful metaphor for family life – or parish life – Paul reminds the people of Corinth that we all receive gifts through the Holy Spirit. Those spiritual gifts are not all the same, and that is the point: Together the people of God come together in a beautiful chorus, and this is the result when each of us uses our particular gift as best we can, working together through the Spirit for the common good.
Gospel: John 2:1-11
The miracle of water turned into wine at the wedding feast at Cana is surely one of the most beloved of the Gospel stories. But why do we hear it during Epiphany? As we go through the season, we will hear a series of “epiphanies” in which Jesus is revealed to the people of the world. Here, called on to sustain the joy of the wedding party by providing new wine, Jesus objects at first that it is not yet “his time.” But his mother won’t take no for an answer, and his newly gathered disciples are amazed at his glory and believe in him.