Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr Dominic’s Homily
So why does Jesus start with this particular miracle? Why doesn’t he start his ministry with:
A wonderful healing to show his power
Or a dramatic raising from the dead to show his divinity
Or a powerful exorcism to show his authority over evil?
Because he wants to emphasize his love for us as a divine bridegroom. So he inaugurates his ministry here at a wedding. It’s deeply symbolic.
The story says that Jesus was at a wedding party when his Mother notices that the wine is running out. Mary plays her intercessory role. She notices what help is needed and then asks her son to intervene.
Jewish weddings went on for a week. So it was easy for the food or wine to run out. So through a miracle Jesus then provides another 180 gallons of the finest quality wine! (Which apparently doesn’t give any hangover – now that would be a miracle) That’s just over 1000 bottles. (Some theologians say this is definitive proof that Jesus was a Catholic)
Jesus is in himself a marriage of divinity and humanity. He represents the wedding of heaven and earth. But also he comes to restore the relationship between God and man that was broken by sin. God was wedded to his people from the start but we instigated a divorce from him through Adam and Eve when we broke away and didn’t listen to him.
So Jesus takes on the role of the bridegroom and replenishes the wine. He performs that same miracle at Mass when he turns the wine into his blood at the wedding feast between Christ and his church. If we believe that he turned the water into wine then how much more should we believe that he turns the wine into his blood.
On a practical level running out of wine wasn’t just a cause for huge embarrassment but would also bring a great loss of honor to the wedding family. On a spiritual level wine represents the joy of living life to the full that our divorce with God had stopped. Our human race had run out of divine life. “I have come so that they may have life to the full.”
Mary turns to Jesus and says, “They have no wine.” Jesus answers quite abruptly, “Woman, why turn to me – my hour has not yet come.”
It seems rather stern. In the Greek that is “Ti Amoi Kai Soi” which actually means “what concern is this to you and to me?” “My Hour has not yet come” He says.
Mary is the new Eve. Just as Jesus is the second Adam who comes to atone for the sins committed by the first Adam. So Mary will help undo the sins associated with the first Eve. She is the crowning point of Israel. The Church is now the new Israel. So Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride.
There is a deep understanding between Jesus and Mary. When Mary says ‘they have no wine’ she represents all Israel asking for a renewed grace and is saying “it’s time for you to show to the world who you really are.” It’s the point at which Mary stops being simply the Mother of Jesus and becomes the Mother of us all and Jesus reveals his divinity.
So Jesus says yes but not quite yet. Let’s solve the wine problem here first and let it be a sign of my intention for the lack of wine at the ultimate banquet. The countdown to his crucifixion begins here when he will save us through the wine of his loving redemption.
Mary then says “Do whatever He tells you” They are the last words that are recorded from Mary. They are words addressed to all humanity. Mary is not in competition with Jesus because she directs people to him. She doesn’t say “Do whatever you want” as this world of today tells us. If you do what he tells you, you will have an abundance of life.
There were six stone jars filled with water which were used for ritual purification before you entered the feast. There was a great symbolism in numbers held by the Jews. 6 was the number of imperfection.
Jesus is implying that the Jewish law was imperfect that’s why there were 6. He came to add to that law and perfect it. He makes it into 7 the perfect number. What they had was good, but it was just the basics. And they had become too scrupulous. Jesus perfects and transforms it and elevates it into wine.
Jesus has also come to transform us from where we are, to a new way of being. Where are the points in our lives where wine has turned into water? Where are the points that we may have lost hope or enthusiasm?
Let us bring them to the Lord so that he can perfect them, transform them, and redeem them through his joyful love for us.