Greeting (See Second Reading)
One and the same Holy Spirit distributes different gifts to different people just as the Spirit chooses. Through the Holy Spirit may the Lord Jesus give us the gifts we need to build up his Church. May he always be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- From Water into Wine
The Lord wants to tell us today that life is a feast. A feast? With all its troubles and miseries? Yes, a feast, if we learn to look at it with eyes of faith, if we come to see what makes life beautiful. We all have our daily cares, we may have days of mourning and problems, but the deepest reality is that we are not alone, that we have God, who lets us drink the wine of his love, God who gives us Jesus to lead us to him. Let us drink the wine of joy!
- A Marriage Feast
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. 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 human. In him he has given himself to us for ever, for better and for worse, accepting that his Son laid down his life for us, so that we might live. He continues to change for us the water of 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. In this eucharist Jesus changes bread and wine for us into the food and drink of life.
Penitential Act
Where has been our joy as Christians? Let us ask ourselves before the Lord.(pause)
Lord Jesus, through your pardon change the gloom of our sinfulness into the joy of reconciliation and friendship: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, Lord of life, raise us up from our sadness and make us happy, joyful people: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, joy of our life, teach us to find happiness in sharing and in making other people happy: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
In your kindness, Lord, forgive us all our sins, make us radiate your love and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may always live in God’s covenant love (pause)
Faithful and loving God, your Son Jesus shared with ordinary people in the joy of a 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. R/ Amen.
First Reading: God Married to His People
Even though his people have been unfaithful to him, God forgives their infidelity. For he is “married” to his people forever.
Second Reading: One Spirit, Many Gifts
One and the same Spirit gives an endless diversity of gifts to the Church to make it one in its rich variety.
Gospel: Jesus, the Bridegroom
Jesus “gives his first sign” that he is the bridegroom, who has united himself to people in a bond of love. He will give them the wine abounding with life and happiness.
Gospel: Jn 2:1-11
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from — although the servers who had drawn the water knew —, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
Intercessions
Jesus has invited us to his feast meal; he offers us the bread of strength and the best wine of himself. Let us pray to him for all those whose life has become watered down, and say: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for your Church the good wine of your pardon, because our love remains lukewarm, and we do not have enough faith in you and trust in each other; may we also wholeheartedly forgive one another, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for our families the wine of love, that they may be faithful and committed to one another, and that their children may learn from their parents to care for people and to serve you, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for people who suffer the wine of your strength and hope, and for those who can help them pour forth the wine of your compassion and solidarity, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for our Christian communities the wine of unity and friendship, that we may be one in you and together become your body serving one another and the world by our spirit of sharing and caring for each other, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for all of us here in this eucharist the wine of your joy and life and give us the bread of yourself, that we may live in you, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
Lord Jesus, do not allow our life to become banal and watered down. Be near to us and fill us with your joy, now and forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Faithful God, you let us experience your love in this meal of friendship at the table of your Son Jesus Christ. Let him break for us the bread of life and pour for us his wine of joy, that we may be faithful to you and be brothers and sisters to one another, on account of him who shed for us the precious wine of his blood, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us give thanks to the Father, for he has united himself to us in an unbreakable bond of friendship and love and has made us his holy people.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Invited to the Lord’s table and united by his Spirit, we pray now to our loving Father: R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, through your Holy Spirit you bind together in one body and unite in one love your holy people. May the various gifts he pours out on us make us build up in peace a Church that knows how to love and serve until you give us the peace and joy that last forever and ever. R/ Amen.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord, who invites us to the feast of his body and blood as a pledge and token of the everlasting marriage feast. Happy are we to accept his invitation. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
We thank you, God our Father, for letting Jesus speak to us in this eucharist his words of encouragement and joy and for pouring for us the wine of his new and everlasting covenant. Let our life become a feast of forgiveness and mutual service and of dedication to you, our living God. May this celebration be a foretaste of the happiness you prepare for us in your home. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
A marriage feast is always important as a feast of love and friendship. Today we have celebrated in this eucharist God’s love for his people: God is “married” to us, Jesus is married to his Church. God’s love is faithful. May you always respond to his love, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us live in unity and peace as God’s beloved people. R/ Thanks be to God.
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Commentary
Does Your God Dance?
Read:
God delights in his people as a groom delights in his bride, says Isaiah. God adorns us with various gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Jesus performs his first miracle at the wedding at Cana.
Reflect:
In Roger Young’s movie Jesus, Jesus is delightfully dancing at the wedding at Cana. Disciple Andrew is furious as he thinks that Jesus has no interest in the urgent matters of his suffering people. So Jesus asks him: “What’s the matter, Andrew? You don’t dance?” Andrew retorts: “I will dance when Israel is free and men are honest.” Jesus responds laughingly, “[It] will be a very slow dance.” There is much suffering, poverty, and injustice in the world. Our passion to change matters overnight may lead us to a tunnel vision fixated on only the dark and the negative. Life, with all its shadow and pains, has its beauty and goodness. We shall not miss such moments as well. As Isaiah reminds us, God delights in us, despite all our shortcomings. It is good to recall this prayer attributed to St. Teresa of Avila: “From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.” Amen.
Pray:
“Lord, teach me to delight in the goodness of life.”
Act:
Enjoy some holy moments of laughter with your family/community today.
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19 January 2025
John 2:1-11
Pilgrims of Hope: Walking with Mary, Witnessing the Signs of God’s Love
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year, we look to Mary, the attentive Mother at Cana, who guides us to recognize the signs of God's boundless love. Today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ first sign at the wedding in Cana, where, at Mary’s intercession, He transformed water into wine, restoring joy to a troubled celebration. This discreet gesture reveals God’s love—near, tender, and compassionate—working quietly in the ordinary moments of life.
Mary’s role is pivotal. With maternal intuition, she notices the need before others do and gently brings it to Jesus. Her simple instruction, “Do whatever He tells you,” invites us to trust in Jesus' power to transform our struggles into blessings. The quiet manner of this miracle reminds us of how God often works—in hidden and unexpected ways, showing His care through subtle signs rather than grand displays.
For us as pilgrims, this sign at Cana speaks of hope. It assures us that God desires our happiness and brings forth the “best wine” even when life seems bleak. Mary’s intercession encourages us to remain attentive to the signs of God’s presence—moments when His love has lifted us, healed us, or filled us with peace.
As we journey in faith, let us take time to reflect on these signs in our lives. Recall when God’s tenderness was most evident, when Mary’s intercession guided us, or when His grace turned ordinary moments into extraordinary encounters. Let us cherish these experiences, for they are glimpses of His Kingdom.
May Mary, the Mother of Pilgrims, inspire us to walk with trust, ready to witness and share the joy of God’s love with others as we journey together in hope and faith.