Homily — 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

The last time we saw green at a Sunday Mass was nine weeks ago. And that means Ordinary Time is here again. Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time; so-called because it begins the second week of Ordinary Time. Actually, there is no such thing as the first Sunday of Ordinary Time because the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is normally celebrated on the Sunday which begins the first week. In any case, once again we are now at the beginning of Ordinary Time and so I thought it might be good to reflect briefly upon what Ordinary Time means. What is its significance to us as we endeavor to live the Christian life?

Each of the seasons of liturgical year corresponds to a phase or period of our Lord’s life. And by analogy each of the seasons corresponds to an aspect of our own lives, individually and corporately, as members of Christ’s body. For example, Lent corresponds to the 40 days our Lord spent in the desert fasting and praying, as well as all the other times he suffered or was tempted. By analogy, the Lenten season reflects the suffering and temptation of the church and our own personal times of sorrow and fasting which all of us experience throughout our lives. This pattern is repeated in each of the other seasons. But where does Ordinary Time fit in? Is it simply the leftover Sundays and weeks that were not part of any of the other seasons? Is it that we don’t know what to do with this time, so we color it green and call it ordinary? No. First of all it should be understood that the word ordinary in this sense does not mean commonplace, run of the mill, humdrum. Rather it merely signifies that this season of the year is ordered. It is numbered with the ordinal numbers: the first week of Ordinary Time, the second week, the third week, and so on. Granted, the other seasons of the year are also numbered, but it is their unique characteristics which give them their names. What is a special about Ordinary Time? What part of Christ’s life does it reflect?

Ordinary time corresponds to the time of our Lord’s ministry, when he walked and talked with his disciples—when he manifested his divine nature, teaching the people of Palestine, miraculously feeding the hungry, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead. This began with his Baptism and ended with his last trip to Jerusalem, some 3 ½ years later.

Ordinary Time, as you know, is divided into two sections: the part we’re in now, which follows Epiphany; and the much longer section which follows the feast of Pentecost. This second part has the added characteristic of reflecting the period of the Church’s early growth as the disciples carried the message of Christ throughout the world. Hence Ordinary Time, split into two sections but comprising a single season, has to do with our own growth in Christ (the green color we wear represents life and growth). And so the Church presents for our consideration in the Gospel readings, the Lord’s mighty deeds and miracles, but especially the teaching and training of his disciples. Ordinary Time is an opportunity of for us to re-examine the teaching of Jesus Christ and to re-apply it to our own lives. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord ends the season of Christmas and begins Ordinary Time because his Baptism initiated our Lord’s ministry. And today, on the first real Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel recounts the story of our Lord’s very first miracle.

The changing of water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana is an incredibly rich story. There is so much here to meditate upon that we can only scratch the surface in one short homily. So I would invite you to reflect on this Gospel throughout the week. Read it again by yourself or with your family and discover the treasures it contains. Think about the nature of this miracle. Of all the things Christ could have done as his first miracle—the miracle that would manifest his glory to his disciples—he chose to do something that was geared entirely to human happiness: he made wine…and some excellent wine at that! Jesus recognized a very human need, and he acted, in love, to meet that need. This will be the prototype for all his miracles. Certainly, they are designed to demonstrate his divine nature and power. But primarily, Jesus performs his miracles—he heals the sick, he raises the dead, he provides food to eat and wine to drink—because he loves us and he wants to be happy. This, his first miracle, teaches us volumes about our Lord’s concern for us and how he will supply everything we need, even the most mundane.

But now, let’s focus upon the role Our Lady played in that first miracle. Remember how Mary was our companion throughout Advent and Christmas. Now that we’ve started a new season of Ordinary Time, it’s only appropriate that Mary should be with us today. We always come to Jesus through Mary, just as Jesus came to us through Mary.

The first thing that strikes us in this regard is that Jesus performs this first miracle at the request of his mother. Right away this teaches us something about the power of Our Lady’s intercession. Bring your requests to her and she will present them to Jesus in the best possible way. One would think that Jesus would always listen to his mother. But an odd thing happens in today’s story: it appears that Jesus does not want to comply with Mary’s request: "What does this have to do with me," he says. I believe, however, that he is not so much refusing Mary as testing her faith. Does she really believe he can do something about this situation? Yes, she does. And this is shown in her gracious answer (given, not to her son, but to the attendants): "do whatever he tells you."

Now notice how this response does not bind our Lord to any particular course of action. She does not say to be servants, "don’t worry, my son will provide the wine miraculously for you." Rather she simply says, do whatever he tells you. Whatever he tells you could be "just do without" or "Here, take some money and go buy some more wine" or "I guess the party’s over; let’s go home." But of course, instead of giving any of these quite legitimate commands, Jesus chooses to perform his first miracle and changes water into wine. Not just any wine, either, but good wine!

There is one thing more in today’s Gospel which is not so obvious. This little phrase "do whatever he tells you" are the last recorded words of Mary in the entire New Testament. She makes an appearance on several more occasions: at the foot of the Cross, with the disciples at Pentecost. But here are her last words, nothing else she ever said was recorded in Sacred Scripture. I believe this is very significant in just the same way as we acknowledge the importance of any great person’s last words. These are her last words to each one of us; this is the message Mary has for the entire Church throughout all the ages. Do whatever he tells you. It is Mary’s message to me and to everyone gathered here today. It is her message to the entire world. It is not my message. I have no authority to say "do whatever he tells you" because so often I have failed myself in obeying the will of God. But Mary, and only Mary, can say this with complete authority because she lived this message perfectly throughout her life.

Do you remember the story in the Gospel:

While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

In saying this he was not minimizing the blessedness of his mother. Instead, he was showing what it truly was which made her blessed. As magnificent a thing it was to be the Mother of God in the flesh, it was still more magnificent, more worthy of honor and blessedness, that she perfectly obeyed the Word of God. And so it is altogether fitting that she should say to the people in Cana and to people throughout history: do whatever he tells you. This is the key to happiness; this is the key to unlock the heart of God.

And so, as we begin again this season of Ordinary Time let’s commit ourselves to listen closely to the teachings of Jesus and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Following the example and the message of Mary most holy, may we truly and always do whatever he tells us.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor