This weekend we hear about Jesus’ first public miracle, an important moment that speaks to his identity as the Messiah, the Son of God.
As the scene of the Wedding Feast at Cana unfolds, Mary seemingly “pushes” Jesus out into his public ministry, ignoring his reticence to perform a miracle in the midst of the crowd of guests gathered for the wedding feast.
It seems to me that it was a moment when Mary called on Jesus to let his true identity shine forth for people to see! Jesus may well have felt that it was not the time, but he eventually responds to her request.
In the Gospel of John, “signs” like the turning of the water into wine are very important as they point to the identity of Jesus as both human and divine.
John clearly states in the second to last chapter of the Gospel that he has written about all these signs that “you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and through believing you may have life in his name.” Coming to know who Jesus is and believing in him brings us eternal life.
St. Paul is also interested in identity – he writes passionately about our identity as members of the living Body of Christ. Paul challenges each one of us to reflect on, what is our gift?…what is our charism?
The gifts that each of us are given are given to us specifically by God! The gifts that are given to us are not for ourselves, but for the sake of the whole – to help build up the Body of Christ!
On this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, I cannot but help to think his gifts: of charismatic leadership, bold vision, a deep faith and ultimately sacrificing his life for the cause of racial equality…a man who shared all he had, including his actual life, for the sake of the very soul of our nation.
As the struggle for racial justice, equality, and recognition of the human dignity of all persons continues, we must ask ourselves what are my gifts that God has given me for the sake of this struggle, and for the building up of the Body of Christ, and how will I put those gifts into action in the coming weeks and months?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
As the scene of the Wedding Feast at Cana unfolds, Mary seemingly “pushes” Jesus out into his public ministry, ignoring his reticence to perform a miracle in the midst of the crowd of guests gathered for the wedding feast.
It seems to me that it was a moment when Mary called on Jesus to let his true identity shine forth for people to see! Jesus may well have felt that it was not the time, but he eventually responds to her request.
In the Gospel of John, “signs” like the turning of the water into wine are very important as they point to the identity of Jesus as both human and divine.
John clearly states in the second to last chapter of the Gospel that he has written about all these signs that “you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and through believing you may have life in his name.” Coming to know who Jesus is and believing in him brings us eternal life.
St. Paul is also interested in identity – he writes passionately about our identity as members of the living Body of Christ. Paul challenges each one of us to reflect on, what is our gift?…what is our charism?
The gifts that each of us are given are given to us specifically by God! The gifts that are given to us are not for ourselves, but for the sake of the whole – to help build up the Body of Christ!
On this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, I cannot but help to think his gifts: of charismatic leadership, bold vision, a deep faith and ultimately sacrificing his life for the cause of racial equality…a man who shared all he had, including his actual life, for the sake of the very soul of our nation.
As the struggle for racial justice, equality, and recognition of the human dignity of all persons continues, we must ask ourselves what are my gifts that God has given me for the sake of this struggle, and for the building up of the Body of Christ, and how will I put those gifts into action in the coming weeks and months?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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