HOMILY OF THE 2ND SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C

HOMILY OF THE 2ND SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C
HOMILY THEME: OUR RELIABLE INTERCESSOR
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
Is. 62:1-5, I Cor. 12:4-11, Jn. 2:1-11
“When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “they have no wine” (John 2:3).
Among those who attend a wedding are critics who just come to assess the nature of the celebration; they are often interested in the quality of the wedding gowns, the way the makeup is done, the foods and drinks offered. They don’t attend to support but to judge. They leave the venue as news carriers. Sometimes, they forget everything positive about the wedding to dwell on what went wrong with it. If you have a poor event, they spread your shame around town before you get there.
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In ancient Jewish society, where the quality and availability of wine could be used to judge a wedding, a couple had their wine exhausted in the very middle of the occasion. Mary, who was only a guest, stepped into their shame and went to Jesus, our shame-bearer, to inform Him.
The response of Jesus was to teach us something deep about Mary. Jesus said to her, “O woman, what is that to you or to me? My hour has not yet come. ” Woman, our new Eve is a mother for all future generations. She will be able to defend her offsprings unlike the First Eve that was helpless.
Two things from Jesus’s response, 1). They were only guests with no responsibility to provide anything. It is never indicated anywhere that the couple were related to Mary or that they had an obligation to provide services at the wedding
2) More significantly, it wasn’t time for Jesus to reveal His divine nature. Nobody knew Jesus at this point to be a miracle worker and a carrier of such power. But the confidence that He would never refuse any request from her prompted Mary without argument to ask the servants to do whatever He would ask them to do. And what would have been a shameful and poor wedding became the best in the town of Cana.
There are conditions of shame all around us. Our personal situations of shame can be changed into a glorious one if we tell Mary whose requests can not be resisted by Jesus. Today, our world with all its glories and powers faces shame. We all need our reliable intercessor. But we must follow her counsel, “Do whatever He asks you to do.” And the glory of Jesus would be made manifest.
Biblically, abundance of wine signifies the presence of grace and blessings. It means that Mary is a generator of God’s grace and blessings. Her role at that wedding in Cana prefigured her place in the economy of salvation. We can always rely on her maternal care and understanding. We can always seek her help for grace and blessing.
Mary built her confidence in Jesus. We must have a total trust in God who provides succour to the hopeless. God’s promises in the First Reading (Isaiah 62:1-5) hold true. For our sake, God can’t keep silent. We shall no more be forsaken, and our land will never be desolate. God is faithful and able. No matter how bad things may be, God has never abandoned us. He will send helpers like Jesus and Mary.
We are all endowed differently according to the Second Reading (Corinthians 12:4-11). Let us, like Mary, use our gifts to help people and build the Kingdom of God on earth. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God change our shame to glory, our lack into abundance, sorrow into joy, heal our world, protect and bless us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Our Lady, Mother of Africa…Pray for us. Stay safe.
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