Liturgy of the Sunday

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Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
Prayer for the unity of Christians. Particular memory of the ancient Churches of the East (Syrian Orthodox, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Syro-Malabar) and the Assyrian Church


First Reading

Isaiah 62,1-5

About Zion I will not be silent, about Jerusalem I shall not rest until saving justice dawns for her like a bright light and her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will then see your saving justice, and all kings your glory, and you will be called a new name which Yahweh's mouth will reveal. You will be a crown of splendour in Yahweh's hand, a princely diadem in the hand of your God. No more will you be known as 'Forsaken' or your country be known as 'Desolation'; instead, you will be called 'My Delight is in her' and your country 'The Wedded'; for Yahweh will take delight in you and your country will have its wedding. Like a young man marrying a virgin, your rebuilder will wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.

Psalmody

Psalm 95

Antiphon

Sing to the Lord a new song.

O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day,
tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.

The Lord is great and worthy of praise,
to be feared above all gods;
the gods of the heathens are naught.

It was the Lord who made the heavens,
his are majesty and state and power
and splendour in his holy place.

Give the Lord, you families of peoples,
give the Lord glory and power,
give the Lord the glory of his name.

Bring an offering and enter his courts,
worship the Lord in his temple.
O earth, tremble before him.

Proclaim to the nations : 'God is king'.
The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the peoples in fairness.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,

let the land and all it bears rejoice,
and the trees of the wood shout for joy

at the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.

With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 12,4-11

There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good. To one is given from the Spirit the gift of utterance expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance expressing knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; to another, faith, from the same Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual.

Reading of the Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Yesterday I was buried with Christ,
today I rise with you who are risen.
With you I was crucified;
remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

John 2,1-12

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' Jesus said, 'Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water,' and they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, 'Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.' They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from -- though the servants who had drawn the water knew -- the president of the feast called the bridegroom and said, 'Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.' This was the first of Jesus' signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, but they stayed there only a few days.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Yesterday I was buried with Christ,
today I rise with you who are risen.
With you I was crucified;
remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Homily

The story of the wedding at Cana is one of the best known in the Gospel. We all remember Jesus' mother, who is the only one who realizes they are running out of wine. She is not worried about herself or how she appears to others. Her eyes and her heart are watching, and she is concerned with everyone's happiness. She does not want this celebration to be disturbed. Her concern for the young couple leads her to turn to her Son and ask him to act: "They have no wine." Mary felt that this was also her celebration; the joy of the young bride and groom was also her joy. At Cana, Mary shows the servants the way: "Do whatever he tells you." It is the simple way of listening to the Gospel, and it is also shown to us, the servants of the last hour. It is the way which we are all invited to follow. A Christian is someone who obeys the Gospel, as those servants did. And the Church, imitating Mary, does not stop repeating, "Do whatever he tells you." The Lord's signs, his miracles among men and women, begin with obedience to the Gospel.
The command that the servants receive from Jesus is peculiar: "Fill the jars with water." It is a simple invitation, so simple that it would be easy not to do it. What does water in jars have to do with the lack of wine? They do not completely understand the meaning of those words, but they obey. We too often do not completely understand the meaning of the words of the Gospel. What matters is that we obey the Lord. He is the one who performs the miracle. After filling the six jars, the servants are invited to draw from them and bring what they have drawn to the table. This command seems strange as well. But once again they obey. And the celebration is saved. Indeed, we could say that it ends on a high note, as the steward himself recognizes, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." This is how Jesus began his miracles at Cana in Galilee, the evangelist notes. And if the wedding of Cana, which occurred on the "third day," draws comparisons with Sunday, the day of the Eucharist, we can compare the six stone jars to the six days of the week. The Church encourages us to fill them with the Words of the Gospel. And these days, illuminated by the Word of God, will be sweeter and more fruitful. Cana can truly be the celebration of Sunday, with the gift of the Word and the Eucharist, the good wine that we can keep for the entire week.