2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ The Wedding Feast at Cana

As we leave behind the Christmas season, we move into the stories of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In the Church calendar we have entered into what is called ‘ordinary time’. However, there is nothing ‘ordinary’ about ‘ordinary time’ as it is during these weeks that we hear about all the extra-ordinary things that Jesus did during his earthly life. Today’s gospel of the Wedding at Cana is no exception. It follows on from the story of the Wise Men, and of Jesus’ Baptism in revealing to us who Jesus is. For Jews, a wedding was a great symbol of the Kingdom of God. John calls this account a sign, something that is pointing us to a deeper reality. We don’t know whose wedding it is and no one is addressed by their name apart from Jesus. It is a strange story. We can focus on the generosity of the gift in this story. Each stone jar could hold between 20 and 30 gallons of water, six of those would be 120 gallons of water. So how much wine did Jesus provide for the wedding? Let’s say about 120 gallons (500 litres!). This was no small amount of wine that Jesus gifts to the couple.

It is showing huge generosity and quality (he saved the best wine until last). We can thank God today for the abundance of gifts that he has given us – family, friends, creation, food, health. What else are you thankful for today? Jane Mellett Intercom 2013