[00:00:05] Hello! My name is Sally Moriarty-Flask; welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, January 19, 2025, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. This week's episode is entitled: Best Wedding Guests Ever and in these readings, we'll ask ourselves: If God affirms the goodness of marriage, why can it be so hard to live a good marriage?
[00:00:39] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
Married life can be tough because, let's face it, no one is perfect and marriage, lived apart from God, is even more difficult. But if we invite Jesus into our hearts, our minds, our marriages, and our families, his grace will empower us to live out our commitments with compassion, faithfulness, and love.
[00:01:10] Let's begin: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the goodness of the Sacrament of Marriage. Guide us each day to live as your faithful people in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Bless all married couples and those preparing for marriage with the grace they need to be faithful, loving partners. Help those still searching find the right person with whom to build a life of mutual love and support. And shower your mercy upon all couples whose marriages are struggling or broken. We ask this through your Son, the Faithful Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:01:58] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures. Our Gospel this week is from John 2: 1-11.
[00:02:09] “There was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.’ So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.’ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”
[00:03:35] On this 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, we always turn to John's Gospel, regardless of the Cycle of Scripture. In Cycle A & B, we hear John's Gospel talking about John the Baptist declaring Jesus to be the Lamb of God. Here in Cycle C, in which we find ourselves this year, we hear John's account of Jesus’ first miracle - or sign, as they are called in John's Gospel. John is the only Evangelist to record this event at the wedding feast in Cana.
[00:04:12] It's also important to note that Mary, the mother of Jesus, only appears twice in John's Gospel… here at the wedding feast and then again at the foot of the Cross, and she is never named. And, you'll remember, John never uses his own name in the Gospel either.
[00:04:34] Mary is only ever referred to as the mother of Jesus and she's addressed as Woman. And John refers to himself as the Beloved Disciple. John does that to invite us to become part of the narrative and to indicate that discipleship - following Jesus - is more important than a person's individual identity.
[00:05:01] So, with that in mind, let's break open John's account of this wedding feast.
[00:05:07] “There was a marriage at Cana in Galilee,”
Okay, a number of Old Testament prophets employed marital imagery to describe the intimate relationship between God and his Chosen People. We'll actually hear that in our First Reading from Isaiah. And God is always depicted as the Faithful Bridegroom and Israel as the bride (faithful or not). So…
“There was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.”
This wedding may have been that of a relative or close friend of Jesus and Mary, or it may have been someone who was well known in the community. But it's also worth noting that the bride and groom are never named.
“When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.”
[00:06:04] Now, this situation would have been disastrous! It's not like they could just run down to the local grocery store and buy more wine. No, no, no! And in an Honor/Shame society, as it was in biblical times, this occurrence would have brought great shame to the bride and the groom and their respective families. Mary is clearly paying close attention to the behind-the-scenes happenings here, which (again) suggests that Mary and Jesus may have been close to either the bride or the groom.
“And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’”
Now, that statement is often misconstrued as being rude. It is, in fact, just the opposite! Jesus referring to his mother as WOMAN in a public setting like that - like the marriage at Cana - would have actually been a formal and respectful method of address… similar to calling someone ma'am in our modern culture… Yes, ma'am… no, ma'am… Ma'am, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME? Then Jesus says: MY HOUR HAS NOT YET COME, meaning that his public ministry has not yet formally begun. It will - very soon - in John's Gospel, when Jesus travels to Jerusalem. But now is not yet the time. But as a perfect disciple, Mary gives specific instructions regarding her Son… spoken to the servants at the wedding feast, certainly, but spoken to us as well, and to Christians down through the ages.
[00:08:02] “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”
[00:08:09] Those five simple words - the only ones Mary speaks in John's Gospel - are perhaps the most challenging to live - for us - as faithful disciples: do whatever he tells us!
[00:08:27] “Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification,”
The number six… if you've been listening to my podcasts… you know that number is significant. Six is one short of seven, and seven is a perfect number. So, it's a wedding feast… it's a good wedding feast, certainly, but not a perfect one, right? Six instead of seven.
[00:08:53] Now, I also want to say I will post photos on my Instagram this week from the Wedding Church at Cana, including a photo of the excavated remains of an ancient water jar like the ones mentioned here in our Scripture, and you will be absolutely flabbergasted by the size of it. It's a lot bigger than I ever thought of them to be. It's huge. And why is that? Well, the Gospel tells us…
“each holding twenty or thirty gallons.”
That indicates an incredible level of abundance.
[00:09:31] “Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’”
[00:09:36] The fact that the jars were empty indicates that the before meal ritual washing had already taken place, right? All the jars were empty.
“And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.’”
[00:09:54] Jesus takes no outward action, here. His first miracle is achieved without apparent effort on his part and with no particular fanfare.
[00:10:08] “So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.’”
He seems completely incredulous at this. And it's true, you know, that was common practice… you serve the good stuff, and then when everybody's drunk, you serve what nobody cares about, right? That makes perfect sense. But there's a bigger message here. This is a reminder to us that God does not do things the way we humans do.
[00:10:59] Think here of Isaiah 55: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” This is a perfect example of that!
[00:11:14] And one other thing I want to mention - having to do with good wine - is that a number of Old Testament prophets wrote that the advent of the Messianic age - the hallmark, the beginning of the Messianic age - would be heralded by an abundance of sweet wine.
[00:11:38] And what do we see in this miracle but Jesus creating an abundance of sweet wine, demonstrating - by action alone, no words, but demonstrating by action - his identity as the Messiah. Then John tells us…
[00:12:03] “This is the first of his signs Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”
The NAB translation actually says BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN HIM, which I think (at this point) is a better translation because John is talking here about a deeply personal belief. The idea that each and every one of the disciples present at the wedding in Cana (and by the way, we aren't told who they were or how many were present), but each disciple was coming to believe that the person of Jesus - that they had chosen to follow as their teacher, their rabbi - just might be the promised Messiah.
[00:13:00] That's a big step to take. And it's a step that each one of us must all take in our own personal belief, right? We all have to believe in Jesus. We all have to make that personal commitment to Jesus.
[00:13:19] And that's really what belief is, right? It's a personal relationship with the very real human and divine person of Jesus Christ. And we must all, each and every one of us, invite him then into our hearts, our lives, our marriages, and our families. And when we do that, Jesus will transform the ordinary water of our daily lives into the extraordinary wine of a life of faithful discipleship.
[00:14:01] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Isaiah 62: 1-5.
[00:14:08] “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My delight, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
[00:15:14] This passage is from Third Isaiah, which was written for the exiles after their return from Babylon. And the prophet knows full well that Jerusalem has not yet been restored, but he believes in the promise that it will be. And he speaks forcefully, here, of the hoped-for renewal and restoration.
[00:15:41] “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.”
[00:15:55] Okay, I want to point out that the phrase UNTIL HER VINDICATION GOES FORTH AS BRIGHTNESS is translated in the NAB as UNTIL HER VINDICATION GOES FORTH LIKE THE DAWN.
[00:16:10] And I think that is a more moving simile… GOES FORTH LIKE THE DAWN. That makes this imagery very vivid… and truthfully, it should grab and hold our attention because we should be able to picture here…. think of the first rays of the sun creeping over the horizon, heralding the birth of a new day… or the glow of a fire burning brightly in the midst of total darkness. That's what the prophet wants the people to visualize.
[00:16:51] “The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will give.”
[00:17:02] Remember, a name change is always significant. And in this instance, it indicates that God himself is the power and authority - he is exercising his authority over Jerusalem - to provide her with a new name.
[00:17:24] “You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”
The CROWN OF BEAUTY and the ROYAL DIADEM, those represent the outward manifestations of a new internal reality brought about by the restoration of God's favor. In an honor/shame society, Israel had incurred great shame by being unfaithful to the covenant with God. The prophet is telling the people here that the shame of Israel's exile will be erased.
[00:18:11] “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land Desolate; but you shall be called My delight, and your land Married.”
[00:18:22] There's that promised name change. Jerusalem will no longer be Forsaken or Desolate as she was when her people were held captive in exile in Babylon. No, she will be called God's Delight and Married.
[00:18:41] Now again, that flows better in the NAB which translates MARRIED as ESPOUSED… GOD'S DELIGHT AND ESPOUSED. Because the promised renewal has not yet happened… ESPOUSED is a little more appropriate terminology than MARRIED. And truth be told, in biblical times, a spousal engagement was essentially married… the only difference is you didn't yet live together. But the vows were made, the promises were made, there just was no cohabitation when people were engaged or espoused.
[00:19:27] “for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
[00:19:45] Those verses are rife with marital imagery again. I think it's worth noting, again, the NAB - in this set of phrases - says BUILDER with a capital B: SO SHALL YOUR BUILDER MARRY YOU… meaning God. When it talks about your Builder, it means that God will marry you. This text says YOUR SONS WILL MARRY YOU.
[00:20:21] And of course, that's significant because it's talking about a physical - again - a physical manifestation of a renewal of the covenant.
[00:20:33] The Israelites will return… the exiles will return to the land and live within it. So that cohabitation, that's part of marriage. So, they're both very, very appropriate images. But I think the idea of the Builder - God - will marry you, will reestablish his covenant with you, is a little more poetic.
[00:21:00] The entirety of that last section, though, is a striking description of God being reconciled to Jerusalem as a husband would be reconciled with his estranged wife. And the basis of that is that Israel's purity has been restored so that she is again fit to be called God's bride. This is a richly personal and tremendously intimate view of God.
[00:21:44] And we can never forget that the Scriptures are living… it is the living word of God. Meaning that this passage is intended not only for the exiles upon their return from Babylon, but it's also meant for us today! When we are unfaithful to God, which, if we're honest, happens a bunch… when we don't live our baptismal promises perfectly, again, it happens frequently… when we don't live the Gospel message… (I'm on a roll here) but let's face it, it doesn't happen all the time perfectly. In other words, when we fall short of being faithful disciples, God will still welcome us back as long as we are truly repentant and earnestly seek his forgiveness and mercy. In other words, as long as we do what? Continue to invite Jesus into our hearts, our minds, our lives, our marriages, and our families!
[00:23:02] Our Responsorial Psalm this week is Psalm 96, and the refrain is:
“Declare his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
And here are the verses:
[00:23:15] O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name. Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Worship the LORD in holy attire; tremble before him, all the earth! Say, among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”
[00:24:02] This is a Royal Hymn of Praise for the Kingship of God. The message of this Psalm is simple and straightforward… God created all things - all peoples, all nations, all of the earth - and continues to hold everything in existence by his own will. Because we are thankful for his goodness to us, we sing a Hymn of Praise that honors him and his eternal kingship.
[00:24:39] That leads us to our Second Reading, which is from the 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11.
“[Brothers and sisters:] There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
[00:26:07] This is the 1st of what should be 7 passages from 1 Corinthians, that we should hear in this small section of Ordinary Time that falls between Christmas and Lent. However, this year the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (which takes place on February 2) will fall on a Sunday, meaning that it will replace the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:26:32] Now, if you have heard my previous talks, you know that if a special Feast, like this, falls on a Sunday in any of our special seasons… things like Advent or Christmas, Lent or Easter… that Feast is then transferred to a Monday. In this case, because it's in Ordinary Time, the Feast supersedes the regular Sunday celebration, and we will celebrate it on a Sunday… that's what's happening this time. So, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord will supersede our 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, meaning that we will not hear 1 of our 7 passages from 1 Corinthians. But not to worry… we will rejoin 1 Corinthians on the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:27:21] 1 Corinthians is what is called an occasional letter, which means that it was written by Paul to address a specific occasion in the community to which he is writing. Now, at the time that Paul composed this letter, the Corinthian community was facing a number of very divisive issues. Everything from sexual immorality, the appropriateness - or inappropriateness - of marriage, unethical behavior, divisions within the members of the community, inequalities that were expressed through the types of food presented at communal celebrations, attire that was tolerated at communal liturgies… all these different issues were reported to Paul from a number of different sources. People would travel from Corinth and they would let Paul know: oh, well, this is happening… or that's happening… or there's concern about this… and on and on and on. And in response to those varied reports, Paul wrote a lengthy letter advising the Corinthian community how to work through these numerous difficulties that they had encountered as they were trying to faithfully practice their new Christian faith within a pagan environment.
[00:29:07] All of these issues, Paul says, will have to be resolved before the Corinthian community can grow and flourish. This particular passage deals with the importance of spiritual gifts. The idea of these spiritual gifts had caused a number of quite significant arguments to arise within the members of the community. But Paul is stressing here, in this letter, that no matter what the gifts are or how they are used, they all have the same source and must have the same end. This passage is just as crucial for us to hear today as it was for the Corinthian community at the time. So, let's listen to what Paul has to say.
“[Brothers and sisters:] There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
[00:30:30] These gifts, these services, these workings, are all freely given by God to those who have received them. None of them are earned. Not a single one of them is deserved. They are not to be used for personal gain, nor should they impact a person's status within the community. That's what Paul is saying. It doesn't matter what the gift, service, or working is. What matters is that it comes from God and - what was the last thing I read there? That it is used FOR THE COMMON GOOD.
[00:31:13] It is to be put toward the benefit of everyone in the community, not reserved for some, but open and available to all and to be put towards the benefit of everyone. And I think that is what we really need to hear in our modern time today.
[00:31:38] Now, not all of the gifts that Paul mentions here are things that we necessarily encounter in our modern world. So, let's look at these a little bit.
[00:31:52] “To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,”
[00:32:01] Okay, makes sense. Wisdom, knowledge - two different things, right? Knowledge is simply learning… book knowledge, the ability to learn, the ability to accumulate written words, written knowledge. And wisdom is the ability to understand it and explain it to others. Okay, those two make sense.
“to another faith by the same Spirit,”
[00:32:30] Wait a minute… isn't faith a gift given to all of us? Yes, it is. But sometimes we need to be reminded of that… that faith isn't something that we do on our own, but it always starts as gift from God. So, Paul says that - and we hear it - to remind ourselves that it's not our efforts, it's God. God always gives us the gift first.
“to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,”
Okay, gifts of healing… in our modern time, we would think of that as doctors, nurses, right? People that use the knowledge that they have gleaned from their schooling, from their efforts, from their experience to help other people. Doctors, surgeons, nurses, EMTs, everyone that helps us with our health. Actually, too, mental health, right? Mental health professionals that help us stay on an even keel.
“to another the working of miracles,”
[00:33:40] There's a saying, from my former pastor, who always said: miracles don't cause faith, they don't bring about faith, but faith allows us to see miracles.
[00:33:56] And if we look at the world through the eyes of faith, just about anything can be seen as a miracle. If you think about it, the sun coming up every day - the fact that we're here to see it - is a miracle. Every newborn baby that is born perfectly is a miracle. Every good occurrence can be a miracle - can be seen that way - if we look at the world through the eyes of faith.
“to another prophecy,”
Okay, prophecy is speaking the truth of God, not foretelling the future, but speaking God's truth. And that's the responsibility of each and every one of us.
“to another the ability to distinguish between spirits,”
[00:34:51] We don't often encounter spirits in our world anymore. Think of, you know, back in biblical times, when Paul was writing to the Corinthian community the idea of spirits was a common notion… that they caused diseases, right? Devils caused diseases… they inhabited people… they caused people to do things they didn't intend to.
[00:35:20] Diseases that we know - and have described now - were thought to be caused by spirits.
“to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”
Okay, that becomes a little more difficult to interpret in today's world. And remember, Paul's lists of those gifts… Paul’s list of those gifts… are put in no particular order. None of those gifts is inherently inferior or superior to another.
[00:35:53] And remember, any authentic gift must benefit others. And it's impossible - going through there - not to notice how many times Paul says BY or THROUGH THE SPIRIT, right? God-given, freely-given gifts, but must be used for the benefit of all.
“All these are inspired by one in the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
[00:36:23] Paul very clearly states there that the bestowal of gifts upon members of the community is the exclusive activity of the Holy Spirit! Every distinct gift is given freely by God's grace through the work of the Holy Spirit. And again (I know I sound like a broken record) but must be used in service to the community.
[00:36:50] No one gift is more or less valuable than any other, because to devalue any gift is actually to devalue the Holy Spirit. And that is, I believe, the most important lesson we take away from this Reading. We need to be reminded of that, that everyone's gift is important! And to devalue any gift is to devalue the Spirit that bestows those gifts.
[00:37:24] Hey, if your gift is to work in the background dumping trash and cleaning up other people's messes, you know what? That's a valuable gift. If your gift is to stand up in front of the parish and celebrate the Mass, that's a valuable gift. But one is not more valuable than the other. Both of them are necessary.
[00:37:48] Everyone has some authentic gift that is given to them by the Spirit… and every gift has a place in the community. Some people live their gifts of service through marriage, some through vows of celibacy. Some live within a vibrant community, some within a secluded cloister. Every gift is important, every gift is freely given, every gift brings an encounter with God's grace, and every gift must benefit others.
[00:38:30] Those same statements can actually be made about a good marriage…
Marriage is important. Marriage is a freely given gift of body and soul, offered by both spouses to each other. Marriage, if we invite Christ into the midst of it, brings an opportunity to encounter God's grace. And marriage benefits others: the spouses, certainly, but also the families that arise out of the shared love of a good marriage, the community that benefits from a stable, faith-filled, loving, and generous family.
[00:39:14] So, why do we still have so many problems? Well, that's easy. Because we make bad decisions, we choose the wrong person, tragedies occur, storms disrupt our lives, people change… and, sometimes, we forget the part about Jesus - about inviting him in - and he gets lost in the noise. He becomes just one thing among many, instead of being the most important thing.
[00:39:48] We forget that inviting Jesus into our hearts, our lives, our marriages, and our families has to be done every day, not just when we have time or when we happen to think of it. Because let's face it, if we don't make it a priority, it won't happen!
[00:40:11] So let's try to make it a priority. No, let's make it a priority! Let's invite Jesus in… into our hearts, into our minds, into our marriages and families (if we have them), but truthfully, into every situation in which we find ourselves… because if we do that, his grace will empower us to live out our commitments, whatever they may be, with compassion, faithfulness, and love.
[00:40:47] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for listening and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hand.
[00:41:06] From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
