Miriam Weir, OP

2^nd Sunday of the Year

January 19^th, 2025

Today’s Gospel is the well-known story of the ‘Wedding feast at Cana’, which is one of the first miracles we hear about this Liturgical Year.  At one level it is a miracle of changing water into wine, but on another level it is a miracle of kindness.  Mary took pity on the couple whose wedding it was and tried to help.

Jesus knew he had the power to help out, to enhance the lives of others.  He used his power to help others.  Jesus cares for us too and works miracles for us in the small everyday events of our lives.   Sometimes we can be slow to recognise Jesus at work in our lives, we can feel empty, or sad, disillusioned or hopeless but Jesus is always there beside us, walking with us and giving us the strength we need to carry on. Mary, in this story, tells the wedding stewards to ‘Do whatever he tells you’ – Jesus asks the same of us – to listen, and act in a way that follows his love.  This can be challenging at times, but let us never forget Jesus is walking alongside us and there to give us the help we need in all that we do, if we but only ask him, as Mary did in today’s story.

Today’s second reading reminds us that we all have gifts given to us so that we can be of service to others and to the various communities to which we belong.  There are gifts of various sorts and we are asked to use our gifts in the service of other people.  Perhaps we can spend a little time today reflecting on the gifts that we have received, individually, and how we can use them to help others grow in love.  Can we encourage new shoots to grow,  to push through the ‘snow’ in our homes, our places of work and in the various other communities to which we belong?

Maybe this week we can challenge ourselves to show a little kindness to others as we go about our daily lives.  In this Jubilee Year of Hope let us be instruments of hope for one another.