Deacon Tom Writes,
“Water into Wine – A Call to Transformation”
The Wedding Feast at Cana is the third “epiphany” of our Lord because it is the third official occasion in which Jesus’ identity is made known to others. The first revelation was recounted two weeks ago on the Feast of the Epiphany when the magi came from the far corners of the world to pay homage to the Christ Child. Last week was the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved. Today at Cana Jesus reveals his power over the natural order by, of all things, changing water into wine.
Jesus is an agent of change, radical change, change where what was, ceases to be and what was not, comes into being. According to John, Jesus is the Preexistent and Incarnate Word who comes to reveal the Father to us. Jesus’ mission is to establish God’s reign in our world through his creative and transformative works inaugurated with this amazing miracle at Cana.
It is important for anyone who wants to experience a deeper spiritual life to be open to the transformative power of Christ. It’s difficult to make any significant changes in our lives. How long does it take us to abandon our new year’s resolutions? How much more so when it comes to any deep-seated, harmful bad habits or prejudices we may have harbored for years. There are several reasons for this: first, because we don’t see them for the evils that they are, so we ignore them. Denial is an insidious part of our human nature. Second, we are very good at putting off difficult changes until tomorrow. Tomorrow, of course, never comes.
Jesus’ ministry is one that invites us to examine our lives and root out behaviors that are contrary to our spiritual well-being. He does this, if we take up the challenge, by removing our blindness, curing our paralyses and giving us the opportunity to embrace the new life that only he can give. In other words, he empowers us to overcome the obstacles that hinder our spiritual growth. Jesus gives us the power to change; he gives us the living water of Baptism and the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. And, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we fall. He gives us the power to come to know him through the abundant sacramental life that feeds and nourishes all who desire him and imitate his prayer life.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reveals that the transformative work begun by Jesus is continued through the power of the Holy Spirit who lavishes God’s gifts upon us for the good of all. We all drink from the one Cup that has been filled with the “Good Wine” that Jesus has made available to all who come to him looking for God’s infinite love, mercy, and compassion.
We have been given the greatest of gifts possible in that we have been given this new year to continue our efforts to deepen our relationship with Christ. May God bless us in this work to... change the things we can change, accept those things that we cannot and grant us the wisdom to know the difference.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Image Credit: The Wedding Feast at Cana by Fr. Joel
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