COLLECT SERIES
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| The Mass: Collect series Icon. |
COLLECT
The
Collect for Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C reads as follows:
Almighty
ever-living God,
who
govern all things, both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully
hear the pleading of your people
and
bestow your peace on our times.
Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who
lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God,
for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1.
Will I allow God to govern heaven and earth
including my life this coming week/year?
2.
What do I ask for myself and for others in my prayer life?
3. How
do I incorporate the intercessory prayers from Mass into my prayer during the
week?
4. How
will I cooperate with God by bestowing peace in my family, at work, with those
whom I meet this coming week?
5.
What does living in Ordinary Time mean for my spiritual life this week?
6.
What are my spiritual goals for 2025- for this month, this week, today?
GOSPEL REFLECTION
Today’s
Gospel however is the Wedding feast of Cana.
There are some key moments in this Gospel:
- Woman why turn to me, my hour has not come yet.
- Do whatever He tells you.
- The disciples believed in Him.
The
Wedding Feast of Cana is the first miracle or first sign that Jesus shows His
disciples. It is important because if highlights His identity. Jesus was aware of the embarrassment that the
young couple would have felt by running out of wine. In those days, weddings
were celebrated for a week so running out of wine would have been a huge
issue. We may not run out of wine, but
as we enter into this Gospel, we can reflect on our own embarrassments in our lives
when we fall short in some way, knowing that Jesus in His great love for us is
aware of our embarrassment and shame when we fall short in some way and is
ready waiting to save us in a way we do not expect or even hope.
The
word ‘woman’; may sound as though that Jesus is being dismissive of Mary. However, the same word, was used in the garden
of Eden and again when Mary is standing at the Cross. Mary is the new Eve and
the hour came when Jesus died for our sins and was raised to life.
Mary tells the servants to ‘Do whatever He
tells you’. It is important to reflect
on this comment from Mary. Let us put
ourselves in the scene. Mary was a guest at the wedding not the bridegroom, or
bride’s mother or a member of the wedding party. A guest- yet the servants did
what Mary told them to do. They did not abuse her or tell her to mind her own
business. They did not ignore what she said or listen politely to her face and
ignored it later. What would we have done in the same situation? What do we do now in our own lives? We may
ask ourselves ‘do I do what Jesus asks of me”.
Finally, St John emphasises to us, the
readers that the disciples believed in Him.
This is the first sign yet the disciples believed. In John’s account of
this miracle, he does not indicate that the disciples were witnesses to the
miracle. Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. Yet it had turned
into wine.
The Wedding at Cana is exclusive to John’s
Gospel, fitting his focus on the theological significance of Jesus’ signs and
their role in revealing His glory. The Synoptics, while not mentioning Cana,
include complementary themes of newness, transformation, and the Kingdom that
align with the deeper meaning of the miracle at Cana.
- New
Wine as a Symbol of the Kingdom:
In the Synoptics, Jesus uses the metaphor
of new wine to describe the transformative power of the Kingdom of God (e.g.,
Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37-39). This
aligns with the abundance and transformation symbolized by the wine at Cana.
- Role
of Mary:
In the Synoptics, Mary’s role is more
focused on the Nativity (Matthew and Luke) and her presence at key moments of
Jesus’ ministry (e.g., Mark 3:31-35). In John, her direct involvement at Cana
underscores her intercessory role, which is not highlighted in the Synoptics.
- Manifestation
of Glory:
While the Synoptics include miracles to
demonstrate Jesus’ authority and inspire faith, they don’t explicitly frame
miracles as “manifestations of glory” (John 2:11). Instead, the Synoptics often
portray miracles as responses to immediate needs.
- Disciples'
Faith:
In John 2:11, the miracle at Cana leads
the disciples to believe in Jesus. In the Synoptics, belief often grows
gradually as the disciples witness multiple miracles and teachings.
So
returning our focus to the gospel, we may wish to zoom in on the following
questions:
·
What impact does this gospel account have on me
for my life today?
·
What will I carry forward through Ordinary
Time.
As we
listen to this gospel, and meditate upon it in our personal prayer time, let us
reflect on this miracle and what it means for our lives today. Let us turn inward and consider how this
Gospel calls us to respond in our faith journey.
My
refrain for this week’s Gospel reflection is:
‘Fill
our empty jars Lord,
Fill
them to the brim,
Help
us to do what you ask of us
And
leave the miracle to You’.
May
you receive the miracle you need in your life this coming week.
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