What Have I To Do with You? 這於我和妳有甚麼關係？

Second Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: What Have I To Do with You? 這於我和妳有甚麼關係？

The best descriptions of God tend to be negative. For example, the mystery of God is unfathomable. His love is ineffable and the graces He gives us are innumerable etc. If you try to be positive, it is better to use “double negative”, such as “For nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). Even the first reading today begins with negatives, “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent; for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet” (Isaiah 62:1a). Bear in mind that God is speaking of His care and love of Israel through the prophet Isaiah. Today, we see the same thing happen at the wedding banquet of Cana. The wedding banquet of Cana is one of the three Epiphany incidents the Church celebrates in the Christmas Season. The Star of Bethlehem attracted the Magi, the pagans to receive the revelation of the Saviour of the world. In the Baptism of Jesus, the Blessed Trinity revealed the three Blessed Persons of the trinite God and lastly, in the wedding banquet of Cana, “Jesus … revealed His glory, and His disciples began to believe in Him” (John 2:11).

It is not easy to read the gospel of John. We can only invoke the Holy Spirit to help us understand the many layers of meanings. Today the dialogue between the Blessed Virgin Mary with her divine son poses a puzzle for us to ponder. Allow me to quote in full. “When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come’” (John 2:3-4).
First, Jesus’ calling His mother “Woman” was not disrespectful. He did it twice in the gospel of John and the next time is during His crucifixion (19:26b). How could one be disrespectful to his mother while hanging on the cross? Jesus was actually identifying the BVM as the “Woman” whose offspring will strike at the Serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). In calling His mother “woman”, Jesus is proclaiming His divinity, even on the cross, without denying the dignity of the Mother of God!
Second, Jesus is the Son of God and thus is all knowing, except for the day and hour of the end of the world (Mark 13:32). Definitely, He knew the host had no wine and did not need the BVM to remind Him. When the BVM informed Him, His response seems to suggest that He did not care. Is not the God we believe in a loving God? Jesus’ response is mysterious! The Son of God does care! The BVM was playing the role of a prophet, speaking the mind of God. The Son of God cares for the well-being of the host, viz. the shame the lack of wine would entail. The BVM would have been a loyal disciple and did not disturb her master (10:13). Moreover, not informing Jesus would not add further harm to the host! Yet she chose to express the care and love of the Son of God towards human failings and sufferings! The BVM was certain that her divine son knew that the host had no wine, and that He cared and was capable of relieving the host of the imminent shame. The BVM acted, not as an advocate for the host but as a prophet, a spokesperson of God by expressing God’s concern for their lack of wine! God would not allow this lack of wine to happen because He says in the first reading today, “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the hand of God” (Isaiah 62:3).

Then how shall we understand the apparent lack of care in Jesus’ reply to the BVM? Actually, the lack of wine did concern Him, but there is a greater concern in His mind as well, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4b). In the gospel of John, “His hour” refers to Jesus’ Pascal Mystery, namely His Passion and Resurrection (7:30; 8:20; 12:23 etc.). Take a step back and look. Jesus was only one among the many guests in this wedding banquet. He did not have any kingly, priestly or prophetic role in this wedding. Perhaps He and His disciples were only accidental guests in this wedding banquet causing the lack of wine as some scholars suggest. Technically speaking, the wedding in Cana was not yet the official beginning of His public ministry, not to mention the Pascal Mystery. Like his many miracles and exorcisms in the future, a high-profile miracle in this wedding would stir up un-intended anticipations among the spectators and would create obstacles in their minds to receive the Kingdom of Heaven properly. Thus, the Son of God hesitated. “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” (2:4a) Even though “your concern” was actually “my concern”, the Son of God had a greater concern for a greater good.

Before we continue, let us sum up what we have learnt so far from the BVM. All Christians partake in the prophetic ministry of Jesus Christ through baptism. They become spokespersons of God to bear witness of His loving care. As Christians, we find it difficult to explain to non-believers why we need to pray to an all-knowing God. Jesus Himself even says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8b)! So what is the point of praying to God if He already knows your needs? Isaiah gave us the answer. Our prayers can actually be an echo of God’s care and concerns for humanity. Humanity created in the image of God do not deserve to suffer as such. When we pray for the needs of the others, we are expressing not just our charity towards the poor and the needy but we are also expressing God’s kindness. When we pray for ourselves, such as asking God for forgiveness, we are actually expressing God’s willingness to forgive us! What if we are praying out of some “selfish” motives which might not agree with God’s will, then most likely, they would be prayers unanswered. Once again, the BVM has shown us the proper way to pray. She prayed for the needs of the others, not hers. She presented the situation without specifying how Jesus should proceed to solve the problem. Her faith in her divine son is admirable. From the BVM, we learn to fully trust in the Lord and should refrain from dictating our wishes and from instructing God how to accomplish our wills! How right Paul is when he says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25)!

Indeed, the wedding banquet in Cana shows amply how God cares for our needs. Jesus chose to turn ceremonial cleansing water (John 2:6) into good wine (2:10). This is highly symbolic. Jews were obsessive with cleansing lest their impurities would kill them when they approached God. There was an unreasonable fear because the God they believed in was a wrathful God instead of a loving Father! On the other hand, wine cheers people up. Drinking wine brings joy to people. Therefore, this first miracle of Jesus tells us that the imaginary wrathful God Jews had believed in is actually our heavenly Father of loving care. Joy should be one of the conspicuous characteristics of Christians because the God they believe in would take good care of the problems they would encounter in this world. True believers should be able to smile in the face of troubles and persecutions because the outcomes would be better than they could imagine, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:3).

Beloved brethren! This is a powerful message of hope we Catholics can bring to the people we meet today. The world is at the brim of a total collapse. Economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic has been slower than expected. People are not willing to spend money. Local warfare is affecting global supply chains. The environment is fighting back and extreme weathers are rampant. Moreover, the rise of AI brews widespread irrational fears among people, professionals and common peoples alike etc. People are desperate and the hope of a better tomorrow is in short supply. During this Jubilee Year, Catholics should take on the role of pilgrims of hope to inspire trust in a caring God and hope in a brighter future. The wedding banquet in Cana is a good illustration. Amen.
God bless!

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2022 Reflection>
Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio