2nd Sunday after Epiphany 16.1.11 Going too far
This miracle at Cana was the first public miracle of Our Lord. He may have worked other ones quietly but this one would attract attention. From this point on He would be like the modern celebrities, unable to shake off the press. And it would be a hostile press in Our Lord’s case.
At Christmas we rejoiced that He was born; that the Saviour was in our midst. But He was still only a baby so we would have to wait a while before He could act on our behalf.
This baby will grow to greatness.
Now the greatness is here. Now He is adult and He has begun to show forth His power, the power which will expel demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, and set in place the New Covenant.
We find in this miracle, and another one, a sequence of liquid changes.
First water is changed into wine. Later wine is changed into blood.
Water to wine: this can be taken to symbolise the enrichment of human nature by the fact that God has adopted that nature. Here we are, just trotting along as the human race and suddenly God Himself wants to join us.
We would get a big enough surprise if some important celebrity told us he wanted to stay at our house overnight... but what if he wanted to live with us for good? We can grasp that God would take an interest in us but that He would actually want to live here as well is a staggering thought.
We have been upgraded by this event. We have been changed from water to wine. To be human after the Incarnation is a big thing.
If it were to stop there we would be happy. We could drink the wine in the six stone jars without a care in the world. But there is a darker side.
The presence of evil in the world means that the ride will be a bumpy one. This is where the second change is required - Wine into blood. The way to be united with God requires sacrifice. It cannot be all fun or joy, while there is still evil to be overcome. We must travel the way of thorns and thistles: the way of the Cross.
This might sound like bad news, but we will be given the necessary understanding and the capacity to suffer in the cause of love. We will be so consumed by the necessity and urgency of the situation that we will not count the cost.
In essence Our Lord saves us by turning us into images of Himself.
We are not saved as though we are spectators watching what He does. We are participants: imitating what He does. We go on the Cross with Him and we rise with Him.
We are enlarged in our capacity to join with Him. We get better at doing that.
We might applaud the turning of water into wine, as people marvelled at Our Lord’s miracles of healing.
But at the turning of wine into blood, we might say, this time He has gone too far. (cf John 6, 60-66, when many of His disciples left Him.)
The drink has gone from being festive to bitter.
But with the drink comes the capacity to receive it and even enjoy it.
It is tempting for us to be part-time disciples of Our Lord, not getting too involved. There for the good times, but when the sufferings come we are nowhere to be seen.
Our Lord asks us to commit to Him fully. To be with Him in the good times and the bad (like a marriage). We can do it if we draw strength from Him.
The cup which contains this bitter drink will give us the power to bear with that suffering. In Holy Communion we drink His blood and promise to share His sufferings; at the same time being strengthened by Him to do that.
May we be there for Him when it really counts.
No comments:
Post a Comment