Sunday Reflection by Deacon Matt

Reflection for Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: January 16, 2022

Isaiah 62:1-5: This passage offers a message of hope for the besieged and discouraged people of the past, in Zion and Jerusalem. It also offers a timeless message of hope to us, that our God knows, intimately and intricately, our own current suffering and the oppressions we face, also. The prophet pronounces that he will not cease to speak out until Jerusalem and Zion are vindicated, or until justice and fairness are re-established. Similarly, in the roles we receive to be prophets, via our baptisms, we are called to speak out to advocate for oppressed groups. The prophet offers a vision of glorious triumph for Zion in the sight of her enemies; a restoration to the people of the respect they enjoyed, internationally, in the past. Similarly, we can hope, work and pray for a brighter future, when the Lord returns to our nation the faithfulness, integrity and conformity to God’s Laws that we once demonstrated.

Psalm 96: “Proclaim His marvelous deeds to all the nations.” Our first reading of hope is followed by a joyful and triumphant hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God for His many blessings to us. We are called to share our faith and God’s wonderful works and blessings to us, to all the nations. We are called to witness to God’s marvelous love and miraculous power to save, heal, redeem and forgive all who call upon our benevolent God. This psalm is a reminder to us to remember the Source of all the blessings and benefits we enjoy. We live in a generation that has forgotten God and no longer thanks, worships, praises, or that even “knows” God. We must work to remedy that!

1 Cor 12:4-11: Today, St. Paul encourages us to rejoice in the diversity of gifts, virtues, talents and ministries that God has given to individuals; but all to be used for the benefit and betterment of all, not just the person receiving that virtue. Specific gifts are focused on as examples, such as the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, the gift of healing, mighty deeds, the gift of prophecy, discernment of spirit, tongues and interpretation of tongues. The message is that we all have our virtues and talents and that they are meant to be shared; for the benefit of us all. We will be judged, not by how we “have” our gifts, but how we share our gifts… how we use them to serve and benefit others.

John 2:1-11: After focusing on how we’re called to identify, own and share our talents and virtues, we read the story of the miracle of the wedding feast at Cana. This was Jesus’ first public miracle and it was preceded by Jesus’ Mother, Mary’s recognition of Jesus’ “talents,” His ability to create a miracle to fulfill the need; (replenishing the wine), that is called for by this situation. The message of Jesus’ positive response to a request of Him to share His talent is just as important as the miracle of turning the water into wine.

It seems that Jesus may have been shy about performing the miracle. Scripture suggests that He was humble; wanting to blend in and certainly not wanting to make a hero or a spectacle of Himself. However, out of obedience and respect for His beloved Mother’s wishes; Jesus acquiesces and performs the miracle; resulting in a kind of embarrassment that He had to endure as a result. He became an instant celebrity. What talents are we called to share? How will we respond?

Ponder that,
Deacon Matt