Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Brother Bernard Jean Delcourt, OHC
BCP – Epiphany 2 C - Sunday 14 January 2007
Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Eternal One.
(adaptation from Ps 19: 14)
*****
I find the story of the wedding at Cana a delightful and rich combination of symbolism and of everyday humanity.
Jesus, Mary and a few of their friends are guests at a wedding. The bride, or the groom, are probably related or associated to Mary and Jesus. It is a time of joy, celebration and merriment.
I try to imagine a relaxed Jesus bantering with friends and relatives while enjoying festive food and drink. Is this a precursor of the heavenly banquet when we will enjoy God's presence -- with our judgment past us and all of our earthly worries put aside?
But Mary becomes aware that the hosts are running out of wine. In a Mediterranean context, shame would fall on the family that was unable to properly entertain its guests on a wedding day.
Moreover, the scarcity of resources on such a day would come as a bad omen on the couple's future. Mary shares her concern with Jesus. At first, he seems to find it an imposition to uphold the family honor. Why should he be part of the solution to this very problem?
Yet Mary seems to be undaunted that the Kingdom of God is yet to come; she sees that Kingdom as a clear and present reality and she leaves it to Jesus to take care of the present issue.
Only grace can save the day and Mary seems in no doubt that grace is in plentiful supply with her son. "Whatever he tells you, do it" -- she says to the servants. I imagine her returning to her spot at the banquet and reclining, concerned no longer; resuming the conversation with her table neighbors. She trusts that our salvation is in the hands of God.
I like the fact that God uses what is at hand to work out grace amongst us. Our persons and our lives are the ore out of which God refines grace. The jars of water for the purification rites are there; Jesus has them put to use. They are filled with the water drawn from the well -- the water that when drunk will let us become thirsty again. And the God whose words brought the universe into being has the water turn into wine of the very best kind.
It could be the foreshadowing of the cup of wine that will signal our salvation and quench our thirst with an ever flowing source of life. Out of the stone jars -- used to satisfy the purification rites set down by Moses -- comes a new wine; like the wine that will seal a new covenant between God and the people of God.
As the new wine is poured at the wedding in Cana, most of the guests are unaware of the grace that fills their cup. But a few are let in on God's Kingdom breaking into our reality.
First, a smile must pass on Mary’s face as she overhears the headwaiter calling out to the bridegroom that the best wine should have been served first. And then, the simplest of folks -- the servants who obeyed Jesus -- are awed by the miracle.
This first sign then is also a template of how God’s grace may not always strike us evidently but may be at work amongst the humblest and most unassuming of us.
Isn’t it reassuring to know that God’s grace may be at work even when I have no clue that it is even here.
*****
And this brings me to the other side of grace that our texts bring up for me this morning. The apostle Paul warns us about a few dangers in receiving God’s grace.
First, it is important to always remember that the gift of God’s grace is the unearned gift from God and not a validation of how good I am.
Second, it is urgent that we do not make a hierarchy of gifts. All of God’s graces are needed to bring about God’s Kingdom amongst us.
It’s a little bit like a good symphony, without the diversity of instruments and choristers coming together, it would be a very different piece of music. And while the piano may be more prominently featured at times, the triangle and the piccolo flute may showcase its contribution in a way that the piano would be quite unable to do on its own.
It is also important that all the musicians remember that they are playing a score greater than any one of them. If they each do their own thing (different scores of music maybe or even different tempi), nothing much will come of it. On the other hand, if they remember that they have a conductor (maestro Jesus maybe), and as long as they follow God’s score, the harmony may yet win the day.
I like this metaphor because it emphasizes the need for us to embrace our diversity and put our gifts to work in a discerning way in order to achieve common good.
Our community life here thrives or flounders along similar lines. It is when we recognize the greatness and variety of God’s individual gifts to each one of us that we can construct the most fruitful dialogue and build ourselves up in love.
All of our gifts are grace. None of the gifts are reason for individual boasting. Each gift finds its meaning in the building up of the Kingdom of God. No one type of gift is superior to other types (for instance, managerial, financial, technical gifts in this community are as needed and as good as artistic, creative, esthetic, communication and pastoral skills to name but a few of the many gifts we embody as a community).
*****
For the Roman Catholic church, today starts the period of the liturgical year that is referred to as “Ordinary time”; the in-between time from Christmas to Easter and then again, from Pentecost to Christmas. Does God’s grace slow down in this time?
Any time, all the time, ordinary time, is the time of God’s Kingdom breaking into our world and our lives. God’s Kingdom is breaking into the world with us and through us at any time, on any day.
Remember the words of Isaiah:
“For Zion’s sake (that’s humanity, the people of God) I/God will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake (that’s still us) I/God will not rest,
Until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
And her salvation, like a burning torch.”
Our God whose Word brings the world into existence will not stop to pour grace upon us until the Kingdom of God is permanent and evident to all.
Let’s ask ourselves. How are we enabling the water of our ordinary time to be turned into the nectar of God’s time? Ponder that in your heart, if you will.
*****
Let us pray:
Unwavering Presence, Inexhaustible Power, your Spirit allots gifts to each one individually as the Spirit chooses. Help us to recognize we each receive of your grace. Help us to put our gifts to work for the breaking in of your Kingdom in all of our environments.
And give us an unshakeable trust in the power of your grace whether visible or not. Amen.
*****
Come Lord Jesus, come. Amen.
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