Homily for 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C (2022): Jn 2:1-12

·  In many of the traditional prayers for the Feast of the Epiphany, which we celebrated two weekends ago, they speak of this feast honouring three epiphanies or manifestations or revealings of Jesus’ divinity: The visit of the Magi as representing all nations being called to kneel before the Son of God, of His baptism when the Voice of the Father declared him to be his Beloved Son and the Wedding of Cana when He revealed his divinity in changing water into wine.

·  This year we have a chance to reflect on all three mysteries over three Sundays, today remembering what took place in Cana of Galilee, a town very close to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth and one he likely visited often and had many acquittances, quite possibly it was a relative of his whose wedding was being celebrated.

·  Changing water into wine is most certainly something that would have caught the attention of many! Not only was it on a human level a charitable way to save the couple from embarrassment and assure the wedding feast was one to remember, but many saw in this miracle yet another indication that Jesus was the promised messiah, since the prophecies of old all spoke of the Messiah as bringing a new wine into the world, not merely delicious tasting wine, but a new spiritual drink and outpouring of grace and blessings from God.

·  But it is the brief exchange between Jesus and Mary at Cana that has intrigued many and lead to deeper reflections on what was meant by Jesus saying to Mary “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” And how His Mother said to the servants ‘Do whatever he tells you.”

·  Many might rightly wonder why Jesus calls Mary Woman instead of addressing her by name or the affectionate term Immah or mother in Aramaic. It would have struck his audience as very odd that he addressed her as Woman, for this expression would be best translated in English to the name Eve. Why is Jesus calling His mother by the name of the first mother of all the living?

·  What is taking place at Cana is a reliving of the story of Eden, with Jesus taking the role of Adam and Mary the role of Eve. But where Adam and Eve feel into sin for not trusting in the love of God, Jesus and Mary choose to follow the will of the Heavenly Father and begin to undue to harm caused so long ago in the garden.

·  Jesus rightly asks Mary, the New Eve, does she understand what she is asking of her son in performing a sign that will bring about his hour. What this hour means is that from that moment onward Jesus will now begin to show the world he is its saviour, and this hour will reach its conclusion as he mounts the Cross to forgive the sin of Adam and all sins and to make way for his resurrection.

·  If Jesus, as the new Adam, is to begin this hour by performing his first miracle, then Mary, the new Eve, will also have a role to play as she begins to walk with her son along the path to the Cross and Resurrection, a path of suffering and joy, but one she will take alongside him as his hour becomes her hour.

·  This is why there will be only one other time Jesus will address his Mother as Woman or Eve, that being at the Cross, when he said to her “Woman, behold your Son”! As Jesus hung among the Cross to transform it into the new Tree of Life, so too was Mary, the new Eve, close by to receive one of the fruits of this tree, the gift of John as her adopted son, but not only him, but all of humanity as her children.

·  Do whatever He tells you. Mary gives her free and total yes to God in saying she will begin to walk with her son as he moves closer to the hour of his passion and resurrection.

·  As this new year begins, we are given a chance to consider how we can reach out to Mary and discover how she can be there for us, just as she was for that wedding couple long ago.

·  Many find it easy to be close to Mary while others do not. As a small way to draw closer to her and know her intercession, I would invite you to consider sending pray requests to our parish and shrine prayer group, Auspice Maria, which means under the protection of Mary. Just visit our parish website, click on The Shrine section and scroll down to Prayer Requests. There you can make your request. We daily receive many requests and many in our parish are dedicated to pray for them. You too can become part of this prayer team by clicking on the link on this page.

·  Auspice Maria is just one way that many have a chance to bring their petitions to Mary and whom we believe than brings them to her son, trusting that these prayers will be heard and accordingly to his most holy will be answered…