JANUARY 20th/2nd Sunday Ordinary Time

                                    2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

               Readings: Isaiah 62:1‑5   1 Corinthians 12:4‑11  John 2:1‑12

            During these first Sundays of Ordinary Time, the Church rejoices in Jesus' presence which brings the long-awaited Messianic Age.  Today's readings use wedding imagery to celebrate God's wondrous coming in Jesus.  The refrain of our responsorial psalm commands us to share this joyous news with the world: "Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations" (Ps 96).
            The first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah promises the restoration of Jerusalem which, because of its sins, had been leveled by the Babylonian armies.  Like a husband taking back a faithless spouse, the Lord will rebuild his beloved city.   He will change Jerusalem's names from "Forsaken" and "Desolate" to "My Delight" and "Espoused."  Because the Lord "delights" in his spouse, he forgives the sins of the past.
                        As a young man marries a virgin,
                        your Builder shall marry you;
                        and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride,
                        so shall your God rejoice in you.  (Isa 62:4‑5)
            For the next several weeks, the Epistle reading will be from the latter chapters of First Corinthians where Paul treats the problems of disunity caused by both misunderstandings of the spiritual gifts given to the Christian community and a refusal to accept the literal reality of Jesus' bodily resurrection.      
            Apparently, some Corinthian Christians were using the possession of spiritual gifts, especially tongues, as a basis for claiming superiority over those who lacked the gift.  Paul approaches the problem from several angles‑‑ all of them designed to exhort the church to unity through a considerate love that builds up the community.  In today's reading he reminds the Corinthians that, "for the common good," one and the same Spirit gives a variety of gifts: the utterance of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues.

In this Sunday's Gospel John presents Jesus' first public sign: the changing of water into choice wine at the wedding feast of Cana.  This story is John's account of the arrival of the Messianic Age with the coming of Jesus (see Mk 2:18‑22; Matt 9:14‑17; Lk 5:33‑39). Although Jesus is reluctant to act because his hour of glory (his death, resurrection and ascension) has not yet come, at the insistence of his mother, he helps to relieve the embarrassing situation of the family who has run out of wine for their wedding guests.  This simple act of consideration and kindness is transformed into a marvelous sign of the joyous arrival of the Messianic Age with its wedding feasting and abundant wine (see our first reading).  In the process, the old order, represented by the six stone water jars "prescribed for Jewish ceremonial washings," becomes the vehicle for the revelation of the Messiah's presence among his people.
            God's mode of revelation reverses our normal, human expectations.  When the head waiter tastes the water made wine, he remarks to the bridegroom:
                        “People usually serve the choice wine first;
                        then when the guests have been drinking awhile,
                        a lesser vintage.  What you have done is keep
                        the choice wine until now.”
Jesus, the Messiah, has arrived at the end of a long waiting period.  The best has been saved for last; the good wine has come after centuries of expectation.  But this sign speaks only to those who have eyes to see beyond the surface of things.  We are told "his disciples believed in him."  They see through the act of kindness to the glory of the One acting.  They are prepared to move from waiting for the arrival of God's Savior to the recognition of his presence in their midst.  May the Lord give us the same vision.

Introduction

Hearing the Word
A Commentary on the Roman Lectionary
for Sundays and Festive Days
Introduction
            One of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was the reform and promotion of the liturgy mandated by the Council’s first document, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium).  It proclaimed that “the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows” (SC, n. 10).  The goal of the reform of the Sacred Liturgy was that “the Christian people . . . should understand (the sacred texts) with ease and take part in them fully, actively, and as a community” (SC, n. 21).  The Council fathers recognized that “Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy” and that “it is essential to promote that warm and lively appreciation of the Sacred Scripture to which the venerable tradition of Eastern and Western rites gives testimony” (SC, n. 24).  To achieve this goal the Council mandated the creation of a new Lectionary in which “The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly so that a richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s word” and “a more representative part of the Sacred Scripture will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years” (SC, n. 51).
            To provide the faithful with a fuller experience of the Word of God The Lectionary of the New Roman Missal used several principles in composing of the Order of Readings for Mass for Sundays and festive days.  Each liturgy has three readings and a responsorial psalm. The first is from the Old Testament or the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season. The psalm is a prayerful sung response to the first reading and sets the tone for the whole Liturgy of the Word. The second is from an apostolic writing, either an apostolic letter or the Book of Revelation.  The third and climatic reading is from the Gospels which is proclaimed by the deacon or priest and done with special reverence including a sung acclamation before the proclamation and the standing of the assembly during the reading.  This arrangement highlights the unity of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments which culminates in Christ and the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection.
The Lectionary has a three-year cycle featuring a different Gospel each year: Matthew (A Cycle), Mark (B Cycle), and Luke (C Cycle).  John’s Gospel is read largely in Lent and during the Easter Season.  The principles governing the Order of Reading for Sundays and festive days are two: “harmony” and “semi-continuous reading.”  During Ordinary Time the Gospels are read semi-continuously and the Old Testament texts are harmonized with the Gospel texts. The second readings from the apostolic letters are read in a semi-continuous fashion over several weeks.  During the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter the readings have a distinctive character which will be highlighted in the Commentary.
               This Commentary is designed for four audiences: (1) the faithful so that they may learn beforehand about the Sacred Scriptures they will hear proclaimed in the liturgy and respond more fully to that word in faith; (2) those who exercise the ministry of lector so that they may understand the readings in context and perceive in faith the central point of the revealed message; (3) music ministers and cantors so they may be aided in their selection of music and leading of the singing of the responsorial psalm; and (4) deacons and priests who have the responsibility of preparing homilies to lead the faithful to an affective knowledge of Scripture and the wondrous works of God.