Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, 1/16/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.
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Homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time -- Sunday 1/16/22
Readings: Is 62:1-5, Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10, 1 Cor 12:4-11, Jn 2:1-11
John 2:1-11 (American Standard Version)
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews’ manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the [a]ruler of the feast. And they bare it. 9 And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water [b]now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom, 10 and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Brothers and sisters, what is wine? Wine is water that has fallen to earth from the clouds, been drawn up into grapevines along with minerals and nutrients, and made into the juice of the grape by action of the sun on the leaves. Then, with ingenuity and patience, the juice is fermented, aged and decanted by skilled artisans. Wine is water transformed through the cooperation of nature, man and the grace of God’s creation.
What is special about wine? In Jesus’ time, not all water was safe to drink. Without modern detection and treatment methods it wasn’t uncommon for people to suffer from poisoning by bacteria, parasites, and excessive minerals in or near water sources. But the grapevines filter the water of parasites and minerals, and fermentation kills harmful bacteria. Wine was always pure and safe to drink. And, on top of all that, wine is delicious and brings with it warmth and joy.
Wine was and is a rather miraculous thing. But why is providing wine to a wedding banquet the perfect way for the Son of God to begin his ministry? A wedding, my friends, is an event where a couple and their families are joined together under the blessings of God. And as they are celebrating, the old wine runs out. Jesus changes the water in the ritual washing pots into wine. The message he is sending is that the old way of doing things was good, but they have become empty; they need to be filled up with something miraculous, something greater. Is it good to wash ourselves, to purify the outside? Sure it is. But we should also purify the inside. We should drink in purity, we should celebrate and be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
This miracle is pointing to a new wedding – the wedding of humanity to God through the miracle of Jesus Christ. It’s not accidental that this miracle was performed on the third day after Jesus entered Galilee. Wine is symbolic of blood. This is a foreshadowing of his rise on the third day after his crucifixion. And just as the servants and the waiters are aware of the miracle but the headwaiter and the guests are not, the apostles and servants of Jesus Christ will be privy to the Mysteries of the Resurrection that we celebrate today in Holy Communion – and may hope to be honored guests at the greatest celebration possible, which is resurrection into the Kingdom of God in the time to come.