St. Andrew Catholic Church

January 20, 2019

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

When you think of being Catholic, what do you think of? Perhaps you grew up with your only associations being fasting, nuns with rulers, and "Catholic guilt." Our faith can sometimes have the connotation of restriction and absence, not abundance. Who is God in your life? Is He the divine law-giver, the judge punishing the rule-breakers? These are certainly attributes of God. But the laws don't exist for themselves alone. They exist to help us love one another as God loves us. And this loving God is the author of abundance and joy.

Did you hear today's Gospel? "There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee." Here at this wedding, Jesus would perform "the beginning of his signs...and so reveal his glory." This first sign isn't a miraculous healing. He didn't raise someone from the dead. He kept a party going! "There were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons...the water...had become wine." The wine has run out. Jesus creates somewhere between 120 and 180 gallons to help his friend save face. We may not have such momentous miracles in our lives, but God is watching out for us. The string of green lights when you're running late. The sale on the replacement appliance you need. The friend who calls at just the right time. These are the little moments of God's abundance. We just need to look for them!

Not only does Jesus surprise, but the guests point out to their host: "You have kept the good wine until now." The divine wine is better than the earthly variety. God's goodness is better than what we can grasp at for ourselves. Isn't that how it always goes?