Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons: 17 January 2016

Fr Robin Gibbons

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time January 17th

One poetic phrase can often sum up a whole story and for me the 17th Century poet, Richard Crashaw's famous quote about the miracle at Cana just does that: 'The conscious water saw its God and blushed!"

Straight away Crashaw points to Jesus as somebody intimate with creation, active and involved in it, the creative word of God who blesses and transforms. It's a very deep theological insight into the connection between the material world and incarnate Lord and hints at the abundant grace God pours on us that can change our lives from water into wine!

The wedding feast at Cana is a theophany, a showing forth of the glory that is Christ and his graciousness and generosity in caring for humankind, but a loving care that expresses itself in dealing with human needs and concerns.

There are many levels to the story, but I'm choosing three aspects to act as a focus for our prayer and reflection. Firstly it is a story of the overwhelming and extravagant generosity of God, who in Jesus not only gives what is needed but also does it abundantly, more wine is found, but look at the quantity and quality. We can see in this the pouring out of the free full gift of grace on us, if only like the disciples and Mary we cared to ask for it!

Secondly there is the figure of Mary. Catholics and Orthodox have a deep veneration and love for her as do many Protestants, but she has been, alas, a contested figure in Reformation history. If only people saw her as this story does, she is the ultimate disciple of her son, not only the humble one who accepted God's call and promise, but who is also the poor in spirit, our model of Christian life who always looks 'Godward'. In humbleness of heart she asks her son to help with the problem of the lack of wine at the wedding feast, she does not tell him to do it but requests his aid, she is open to him, open to what and who he is without fully understanding him, she lets Jesus do things but is the one who points the way.

Thirdly the story is about our discipleship too, for this miracle asks us if we too see him as the waters did? Do we accept his authority as the ultimate revelation of God?

Fr Robin Gibbons is an Eastern Rite Chaplain for the Melkite Greek Catholics in Britain.