Sunday, January 16, 2022: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And he said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from – although the servers who had drawn the water knew – the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, and inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

This scene highlights the relationship between Jesus and Mary. Even though it grates on your ears that Jesus would address his mother as “Woman.” Theirs was a different culture. Mary sees a need and her intimate knowledge of him calls him to action. He is sure his hour has not come; she is equally sure that something has to be done. She tells the servants to do whatever Jesus says, trusting him to respond to the need. And he does. Abundantly! With better wine and lots of it! How like our Creator God who loves extravagantly.

In our own lives how often a child’s need, a knock on the door, a phone call or an email can upset our plans for the day. Our response is what discerning God’s will looks like each day. Responding may set us in a new direction or call us back to what we had been doing. These minute-by-minute decisions gradually shape the course of our lives. This is why it’s important to look back daily and notice how we have responded to God’s call which comes in these little simple details of life. It’s all about our relationships of trust and love. How we respond to the needs of our families, friends and co-workers makes up the fabric of our lives. In prayer, we see God’s hand in each day and gradually change and grow by our responses.

Be alert today to questions people ask you, to needs you see or hear about. Usually someone will ask, “How are you?” Can you stop before the automatic “fine,” and let even that common question be a moment of self-reflection? “How am I now, at this moment?” Later, in a prayer time, go back to that moment. What is the call and what might need to change? Remember God is near and eager to help if you simply ask.