2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: God believes in us
How many of us are expecting a homily on marriage today?? What if this Gospel really has nothing to do with marriage, at least overtly? When a niece of mine was getting married, she and her groom chose this passage at their ceremony. It was a Protestant minister who officiated. He took the opportunity to remark that although Jesus changed the water to wine this was not permission to drink, and that we ought to not drink. I leaned over to my sister and whispered “this is why we are Catholic”.
We Catholics Christians, we believe in a God whose only will, only desire is that we humans live up to our potential. God’s plan is that we become truly the Children of God that we are, in which we are created. Remember those words from the first reading! This means that we Catholics inherently are to be a positive people; a hopeful people, a loving people: not only in word but also in deed. It means that we live out this goodness that God sees in us; so that all people can experience this as well.
It still amazes me to hear and experience Catholics all worried that God will strike them down for their sins; God will condemn them to hell for their lives. God will get at everyone who fails.
To sum up we failed big time when we executed Jesus yet God raised him up and sent him back to us, a living sign of God's will, God’s love, God’s mercy. This is the Resurrection. This is what we receive in the Eucharist each week. This is what is signified in the real presence.We will all fail, at one time or another. We will make big mistakes that really hurt others and ourselves; and we will make little mistakes. We will have guilt, because we recognize we have done wrong.
Where do we go from there?
Throughout the rest of the Gospels, what will Jesus tell people to do? He tells people to forgive one another. He tells people to be kind, compassionate, and merciful to each other. He tells people to be generous for the good of others. He tells people to love, give of themselves for the good of others. And not just those we are close to, but to love our “enemies” He tells people to be healers. Jesus tells us to be humble. He does not ask them to go beyond themselves, to do extra ordinary things. He asks them to do what is already within them. He asks us to do what is already within us.
What happens when we do what Jesus tells us to do? When we live out that goodness within?
Marriages that are hurting because of betrayal, because of poor communications, because of focus of stuff, on jobs…when couples have forgiven each other, healing has begun. When couples see the other and their children more important than their stuff, than their jobs, a stronger family forms.
People who have been caught up in a cycle of addictive behavior, who listened to Jesus, heard about the higher power, heard him say “You are worthy, you are loved.” Who heard him say, it’s okay to reach out…they have found strength.
People struggling with anger, who have held onto every slight, real or perceived; who replay every hurt over and over and over….when they heard Jesus say forgive, be humble, and listened to him, have begun to find more peace within. They realized that they can’t control the whole world, or others, and that what they want to happen, simply does not go the way they want. And they find more freedom in this.
People listened and acted on Jesus’ words of welcome and compassion, have in turn experienced welcome and compassion themselves.
People caught up in cycles of misery, self-pity; have listened and looked up to see their own pain is united with others, and together with others, they can find healing.
Jesus does not tell us to kill, nor invade, nor destroy. Neither does he say we must do extra-ordinary acts to prove ourselves as worthy. Every day, within the simple context of our ordinary lives, Jesus speaks words to us to be fully engaged in living, fully engaged in loving. Jesus speaks to that inherent goodness within ourselves.
Listen to him.
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