Second Sunday of Ordinary Time: "They have no wine."

 

Readings for the
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Among the many stories of Saint Francis of Assisi, one in particular is a warning to the Church. The story is told that Francis was being shown the Lateran palace by Pope Innocent III, and the vision was one of grandeur and wealth. The pope said, “It is the same Church, but we can no longer say with the apostle Peter: ‘Gold and silver I have not.’” Francis answered, “Nor do you have the power to say, ‘In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk’” (see Acts 3:1–7). As we think of the story of Jesus turning water into wine, we should remember that the night before he died he removed his tunic, put an apron around his waist, knelt and washed the feet of his disciples. Jesus left us the example of service to those in need. The Gospel of John tells this story about the night before the Lord was crucified:

 
So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?   You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am .   If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do .  Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. Jn. 13:12-16.

 That gospel is read on Holy Thursday when we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The story of the wedding at Cana must be understood within the context of Jesus’ ministry at the institution of the Eucharist.
 
“They have no wine”
No one seems to notice the host’s predicament, except for the Blessed Mother. Mary says, “ They have no wine.” She doesn’t talk about the hosts embarrassment, she just sees and brings the need to the Lord’s attention.  Jesus response should give us pause to think: “ And Jesus said to her,
 "Woman[i], how does your concern affect me?
 My hour has not yet come."
 Jn. 2:4. So what does this have to do with us? Mary waits on God and she directs the servants, “Do whatever he asks.” Jn. 2:8   How does Mary’s concern affect the Son of God? Mary sees and tells us what to do; follow Jesus’s commands.  In the Gospel today, Jesus tells the servants to fill up the stone jars and take them to the headwaiter. The night before he died, he told us to follow his example of service.

The Church and those in need
There have been times when the Church’s care for the poor has been stunning: St. Francis of Assisi, Vincent de Paul and Dorothy Day to be sure. But, our lack of concern for the poor has also lead to the de-Christianization of Europe. Karl Marx, the theorist of communism, referred to French Catholicism as ‘bourgeois’ that is, middle class, Christianity. Marx criticized the then Christian middle-class for their concern with profit but not the well-being of the people in need.  The crowding of the poor and the illiterate from the countryside into the streets of Paris was the tinderbox of revolution. Their discontents were the subject of Bolshevik manipulations. The move from farm to city was the change from a barely sustainable independence to complete dependence on an employer and government. Dependence on jobs and government for aid created a sense of vulnerability. This economic situation set the stage for almost all the social upheaval and revolutions of the 19 ^th and 20 ^th Centuries.  Indifference to the needs of people led to the destruction of the church as an effective agent of the Gospel within the world. 
 
Jesus and the Last Supper: The enemy of charity is not seeing
In what way are others essential to my relationship with God?  Other people are the means by which we love God by following his commandment. Others are absolutely essential and indispensable to my hope for a relationship with God. If they were not present, I would have no relationship with God at all. Indifference to those in need is indifference to the Lord.
 
In the misery of others, Jesus’ question returns to Christians: “What is this to me and to you?” How should other’s misery shape our lives? In 1944, when Roger Schutz wanted to form his ecumenical monastic community, he and Max Thurian located it in one of the most de-Christianized sections of France. He formed Taizé in Burgundy near what had been for centuries the greatest monastery in Europe, the Abbey of Cluny. Some of the most de-Christianized places in France are the sites where, once, the wealthiest and most powerful monasteries in France were located. Indifference to those in need and their situation, is indifference to Christ and the de-Christianization of the world. St. Francis of Assisi is still a prophet for us.
 
This is pro-life Sunday. From non-Catholics, and sometimes Catholics, the bishops are attacked for their advocacy against abortion. By Catholics and some non-Catholics, the bishops are attacked for their advocacy for migrants. Marian spirituality requires our bishops to point out the needs of others. Our Bishops proceed based on sound principles concerning care of the vulnerable. Everyone is free to engage and dispute their arguments concerning public policy, but not the principles they are based on unless they can propose better Christian ways to proceed. We will never go wrong, if we follow Mary’s example of care for those who are threatened or in need, both in the womb and beyond.

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