7th January
1 John 5:14-21 / John 2:1-11
Jesus responds to Mary's request; "They have no wine."
When the angel announced to Mary that she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit, she prayed, "May it be done to me." Luke 1:38 When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth and was told that the child in Elizabeth's womb jumped for joy at her approach, she prayed, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." Luke 1:46
When the shepherds told Mary and Joseph what the angel said about Jesus' birth, Mary prayed and "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." Luke 2:19
In today's gospel, when the couple runs out of wine, Mary's response is to pray. She petitions her son to help the couple: "They have no wine."
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What role does prayer play in our own daily lives? "Much prayer, much power! Little prayer, little power! No prayer, no power!" Anonymous
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When two young people set out together on the adventure of married life, they affirm that they believe in each other, in love, in life, in the future, and hopefully, in God who will support them. This is the message God speaks to us today. He has committed himself to us, his people, in a covenant bond of love, as lasting and as beautiful as marriage, when his Son, Jesus, became one of us. In him, he has given himself to us forever, for better and for worse, accepting that his Son laid down his life for us so that we might live. He continues to change the drabness and failures of our existence into plenty of wine and joy. And the best wine will be kept for the end, for eternal happiness.
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A brief review and reflection of last year's events may have this conclusion - we remember more of the bad stuff than the good stuff. In fact a review and reflection of any year would have that same conclusion. So, is this world such a lousy and bad place to live in?
Even the 1st reading seems to agree that the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One. But as much as the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, the whole world is also raised with grace by the only begotten Son of God. And we can be confident that if we ask the Son of God for anything and it is in accordance with His will, He will hear us.
We need to ask Jesus to protect us from the evil one and from any sin and wrong doing. In our time of need we also need to remember the wedding at Cana which we heard in today's gospel. God will provide us all that we ever needed. We must stay united with the God of truth and also be on our guard against other false gods.
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Prayer
Faithful and loving God, your Son, Jesus, shared with ordinary people the joy of their marriage feast. Set for us the table and pour for us the delightful wine of your covenant, bring us close to you and to one another, and warm our hearts with your own love. Make our lives become a feast, an unending song of joy and praise, to you, our living God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
