COMMENT ON THE LITURGY OF THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings
Rm 12,16-21; Jn 2,1-11
Today's Gospel presents the first public miracle of Jesus: the transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Since the earliest lectionaries this event has been linked to the Epiphany, or the manifestation of Jesus as the Lord, together with the episodes of his birth in Bethlehem, the arrival of the Magi, and baptism in the Jordan River.
John uses the word "signs" (Gr. semèion) to indicate eight public miracles performed by Jesus to manifest his divine power, which can be recognized with the eyes of faith. It is significant that the first of these signs is not a healing or liberation from demons, but is performed on the occasion of a convivial event.
The narration of the miracle at Cana should lead us to reconsider our relationship, as believers, with the world. Like Jesus, we do not belong to the world (Jn 17:16), but our attitude towards it - with all that characterizes it, including our humanity, our aspirations, the very pursuit of pleasure - cannot be of pure contempt.
The Scriptures condemn drunkenness, but not the consumption of wine (Ps 104:15; Prov 20:1; Eph 5:18). What is reprehensible is abuse, not use. The message that Jesus communicates to us with this first miracle is very clear: man has the full right to enjoy the joys of this life.
Happiness, pleasure, in their various expressions, such as art, good food, sexuality, become a sin only when they are absolutized to the detriment of other equally important aspects of life; when they break harmony with the order of things established by God, hindering the fulfillment of our duties towards human beings and ourselves; when they are confined into a mechanism of production and consumption.
By placing everything in the right hierarchy of God's kingdom, we will be free from bondage and will reign with him, the source of all good. As we seek his glory we will fulfill one of the highest purposes of our life; because God wants us to be happy, and he wants our joy to be complete (Jn 15:11).
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
