2nd Sunday Ordinary Time - Year C

This Sunday’s 1st reading (Is. 62:1-5) and gospel (Jn 2:1-12) invite us to manifest our identity by becoming aware of our spousal relationship with God.  John the Evangelist and Isaiah make use of the ambiance of a wedding to communicate this message.  Israel's God was not content to participate in a creator – creature relationship; theirs was a God who invited creatures to be covenantal partners.  Theirs was not a political covenant like the one that was forged between Abimelch and Abraham (Gen. 21:23-32).  Nor was theirs a covenant of commerce, much as the one established by Hiram and Solomon (1Kings 5:2ff).  Even the covenant of friendship shared by Jonathan and David (1Sam 18:3; 23:18) could not compare to the relationship that Israel was privileged to know with God.

God invited Israel to enter into a spousal relationship founded on mutual love.  “I will be yours, you will be mine” was the love-language of this relationship.  Hosea was the first to describe the marriage of God and sinful mankind in terms of his own love for his adulterous wife, Gomer (Hosea 1-3).  Yet, despite Gomer’s weakness, seeming lack of love and numerous infidelities Hosea loved her faithfully and enduringly.  So also, insisted the prophet, does God love Israel, despite her sinfulness.  More than a century later Jeremiah and Ezekiel following Hosea’s lead described God’s love in terms of spousal relationship.  Isaiah also in today’s 1st reading reminded his people that they were the delight of their divine spouse. 

Against this vividly intimate backdrop, we should see Jesus making his ministerial “debut” at the wedding feast at Cana.  Cana sets the scene for us to imagine God’s enormous passion for mankind. Cana also sets the scene for each member of the praying assembly to examine their own fidelity to God’s love.  The reflection on Cana event affords married couples a chance to repair what may have been broken and to renew what may need to be strengthened in their relationships. 

In this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let us strengthen the unity at the family level and manifest our Christian identity as the springboard for the unity of churches.