SECOND
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Isaiah 62:
1-5; I Corinthians 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11)
Forty years
ago, a journalist reported that race relations were improving. However, he
said, in a way things hadn't changed. Mixed couples were still taboo at that
time. This prohibition does not exist today. At least you can see interracial
couples regularly. Although his dream has not been fully realized, Martin
Luther King's efforts have had an effect. In any case, the first reading today
tells of a more impressive mixed marriage.
Isaiah says
on behalf of God that the fortunes of Jerusalem have changed. No more will the
city be ashamed of the sins of its past. No longer will it be famous for its iniquity.
Rather, it will be known as the center of a just nation. The prophet uses a
brilliant comparison. God, creator of the universe, will take the city as his
bride. He will endow it with virtue. Instead of being "abandoned,"
the city will be recognized as "betrothed." Instead of being
"desolate," it will be the "pleasure" of God Himself.
God
fulfilled this intention with the birth of when Jesus. Christmas represents the
wedding of God with the people of Israel. Therefore, it is no coincidence that
the first miraculous sign made by Jesus takes place at a wedding. It relates
the same message. By changing the water to wine, Jesus manifests himself as the
Son of God who has arrived among humans. Now he will fulfill his marital
responsibilities of making his bride virtuous.
The wedding
between the Son of God and the people will have repercussions around the world.
As the prophets indicated, the whole world will come to learn from him. They
will profit of his saving actions by joining with him in Baptism. The benefits of
Baptism may be seen in the second reading where Saint Paul writes about the gifts
of the Holy Spirit. He says that each member of the community has a gift that
contributes to the good of all. Likewise, the different nations that make up
the Church have their particular gifts. Each one will lend its particular gift
to the good of the universal Church. We can name some of these gifts. Africans
will contribute their joy. Asians will give their concentrated effort. Latinos
will provide deep faith. Europeans will contribute to their organization. We
will be more with the contribution of each one’s gift. And we would be less
without the gift from one or the other.
Marriage
helps us understand God's closeness to His people. As a reciprocal benefit, God
has elevated marriage to a preeminent level. Because it is associated with God
Himself, marriage is more than a contract or a legal way to satisfy the sexual
appetite. It is a sacred vow between a man and a woman to remain faithful in
bad times and good times. It is a total surrender of one to another so that the
couple become a family where offspring are raised. It is a commitment of love
until the end of life.
This year,
called the “Year C of the lectionary,” we are going to read regularly from the
Gospel according to Luke. But this Sunday we use this passage from the Gospel
according to John for a specific reason. With the visitation of the Magi and
the Baptism of Jesus, the story of the wedding at Cana forms a triple epiphany
of the Lord. In these three passages Jesus manifests himself as the Son of God
who has finally come into the world. He is here to empower us to be better persons,
better spouses, and better parents.
