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Sts. Joseph & Paul Catholic Church |
Homily Archives | |
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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
The Gospel story of the Wedding at Cana is a familiar story. We all know it -- there’s a wedding at Cana; Mary and Jesus are in attendance; the wedding party runs out of wine; Mary tells Jesus, and he changes water into wine. We have used this story to teach our Catholic faith. We use it to show Mary’s power as she to tells Jesus what he needs to do. We use it to show the sacredness of the Sacrament of Marriage. We use it to show the two natures of Jesus -- he is both human and divine. Yet there is more to this story then meets the eye. Missionaries first used this story to convert Greek-speaking Jews to Christianity. Upon their conversion, many in the group still clung to their old spiritual practices and kept their prayer seats in the synagogue. The crises arose when non-converts learned that there were those among them who now believed that Jesus was the Messiah. The new converts began to hide their Christianity in order to keep their seats. The missionaries preached this story of the Wedding at Cana to show that God offers a new way for those who cling to the old. When believers firmly take hold of God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah, all things can be made new; darkness can become light, hardship can become joy, fear can give way to courage, and people can experience a change of heart. I have been asked when in my priesthood do I most feel like a priest? And I answer, when I have witnessed people in the Sacrament of Reconciliation experience the love of God and come to know healing and change.
Once, an older
religious woman told me she was afraid of admitting to God that she was
wrong because to do this would
Our faith at its heart is about change and our personal conversion. We hear about crises happening in our world today. But it’s not crises of war, or politics, or energy, or food, or healthcare, or church, or family, or schools. The crises lie in our unwillingness to change - to let go of old ways and take up a new way. Jesus came to offer us a new way. If he can change water into wine, what could he change for you? Throughout the month of January, we are sharing in a process of Stewardship education. When we hear the word "stewardship," we may think: time, talent and treasure. But stewardship at its heart is about conversion. It is about coming to know Jesus as a way of life and becoming a committed disciple. This evening/morning I would like to ask Ken Caselden/ Sr. Ann McGrew to come forward and share with us how Jesus is a way of life for them…Let us listen and hear his/her conversion story.
sdrose@bellsouth.net
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