Second Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

This morning, Wulstan and I were having breakfast in the McDonald's before going to mass. He drew my attention to what Fr. Lejeune mentioned last Sunday in the homily. It was the first ordinary Sunday of the liturgical year and the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. To recap, Fr. Lejeune focused on our becoming the beloved sons of God. Through baptism, we become him (Jesus), not his (Jesus'). Wulstan studied philosophy and he knows something about Chinese philosophy as well. Immediately, he could understand Fr. Lejeune's idea in terms of Zhuang Zhou's（莊周）de-materialization （物化）. This Chinese term comes to us from Zhuang's story. Once he dreamt of himself as a butterfly flopping freely around. Once awaken, Zhuang wondered whether he had dreamt of becoming a butterfly or a butterfly dreamt of becoming Zhuang. These two entities: Zhuang and butterfly are distinct in the "real" world. Now, Zhuang felt that he was one with the world. This「物化」is difficult to translate because once translated, you have taken a position. Here, de-materialization means the breaking down of the differentiation between the self and the material world. Of course, John's theology talks about the oneness of Jesus and his followers. Such oneness breaks down the barrier between divinity and humanity. It makes the divinization of human a possibility. Man is raised to share the divinity of God.

Today, Fr. Lejeune continued to celebrate the 11 a.m. mass with us and the gospel reading is the famous story of Jesus' first miracle in the wedding banquet at Cana (John 2:1-11). Fr. Lejeune focused on Mary's words to the servants.
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2:5)
Mary is our model. She pays attention to the needs of the people. Christians should do likewise. She told Jesus that the people had run out of wine. Christians should pray to God for their needs as well as the needs of their neighbours. Of course, Jesus knew even before Mary told him. God knows our needs even before we are aware of them. But what is the proper way to meet our needs? Should we satisfy ourselves with whatever means at hand? No. Do whatever Jesus tells us. We should follow God's will to meet our needs, to meet the needs of our neighbours. At the moment, the Haitians are in desperate need of international relief. Christians should lend their helping hands.

Then, Fr. Lejeune turned to another direction. He told us that many Biblical scholars have noticed the link between the Cana banquet and the Last Supper. Jesus began and ended his public ministry with a meal. In the Cana banquet, Jesus turned water into wine. In the Last Supper, Jesus turned wine into his blood. Now, water and blood become one through the life of Jesus. With the sacrament of the Holy Communion, Jesus and we become one. We are de-materialized in the sacrament. Jesus is the prime sacrament. We are sacraments in the world. We are de-materialized not in dreams, but in doing Jesus' commandments. The commandment is to love each other as Jesus has loved us (John 13:34). It is both mysterious and practical. Returning to the liturgy, Fr. Lejeune reminded us of the importance of receiving the Holy Communion properly.

Dear Lord, I am but a bunch of base materials. I am not worthy to become one with You. Yet You come to me. I am speechless to thank You. May my life be a sacrament in the world. Amen.