Homily 2nd Sunday of the Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
·
Isa 62:1-5;
·
Ps 96:1-3,7-10;
·
1 Cor 12:4-11
·
John 2:1-11
Newness
of Life in Christ,
Naturally
we get excited when we have something new. This could be a new house, a new
job, a new shirt, a new shoe, a new car, a new wine, or a new home, a new baby.
Newly married couples are usually excited too, as well as newly ordained
priests or newly inaugurated Presidents. Personally, I have been excited
a few times: on the day of my ordination; when I newly arrived in my new
graduate schools in the United States and Rome and as newly post-doctoral
biblical scholar and theologian. I was also excited when my new Book on Prophet
Zephaniah came out. My excitements also heighten when I was employed
as a full time faculty professor at Sacred Heart School of
Theology. Israel must have been excited with today's post exilic message
of Trito- Isaiah, which says,
"Nation
shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be
called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the Lord. You shall be a
glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God. No
more shall people call you forsaken or your land desolate. But you shall be
called my delight, and your land espoused. For the lord delights in you and
makes your land his spouse.... Just as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so
shall your God rejoice in you."
Israel
in today’s first reading is joyful because they have been set free. The joy is so meaningful for this people, Israel, who had long been oppressed ,
denied basic freedom of speech, worship, commerce, fundamental human rights and
colonized by foreign empire. It brings a great relieve to those who had long
lived in exiled, away from the comfort of their home, whose sense of privacy
and sense of belonging had long been deprived as well. It made sense for
those who had been forsaken or who had been made to forsake their lands but now
return to their land. Today the Lord delights in them. It is a message of hope.
It is a message of relief. It is a message of renewal. It’s a message of a new
home, a delightful new city and a delightfully rebuilt community.
This
same note of newness is struck in the gospel incidence of a sign in Cana in
Galilee where Jesus not only attended the wedding ceremony in John 2, but
changed water into wine, through the intercession of his mother Mary. With this
this new wine Jesus not only revealed his glory, but fulfilled the promises
made us by the Lord through the mouths of the Prophets of old. With this new
wine Jesus teaches us that he is an ideal server and condition changer. With
God everything is possible. Enemies could be made to become friends once more.
Peace could be restored in troubled homes and towns and cities. Hopelessness
could be replaced with hopefulness and hatred with love, exclusiveness with
inclusiveness!
Our
divisive spirit and inordinate ethnocentrism heard in the second reading in the
early Corinthian community, could with Christ, be changed to oneness and
togetherness. Those who distance themselves from the poor and the needy could
once again learn to befriend the poor and empower the marginalized. What a beauty
we find in this symbolism of changing water into wine and of Israel returning
to rebuild their destroyed homes to new ones?
Similarly,
Jesus can change our exiled condition to a home coming. He can change our
desolate condition to a delightful one. He can help us change our old fashion,
life style, bad habits be it an abuse of talents and gifts to a refreshing, and
flourishing spiritual and Christian habit of putting our talents and gifts to
the service of the common good (1 Cor 12:4-11). He can change selfishness to
selflessness. And oldness of life in the "world" to a newness of life
in Christ Jesus. He is the source of Joy. He is the source of a new life, a new
spirit, a new heart, a new mind, a new home, a new village, a new county or
local government, a new state, a new nation and a new world where peace, love
and forgiveness, sense of common good and services to the poor and the needy
dwell!
Reflection
Questions:
1.
What central message stands out for you in today’s bible
passages?
2.
In the light of today’ reading what old habits of ours
would we want to change for new values in Christ?
3.
How often do we assist in promoting unity and a celebration
of inclusiveness in our communities?
Homily [alternate] Second Sunday of
Ordinary Time C: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo
·
Isa 62: 1-5;
·
Ps 96:1-2, 2-3; 7-10;
·
1
Cor 12:4-11
·
John 2:1-11
God’s Love Springs in Us the
Newness of Life (In the Year of Mercy)!
We
all know what it means, and how it feels to love and to be loved by God! It
makes us feels good, sweet, confidence, joyful, happy, not wanting, not lacking
in anything! Today’s readings (from Isaiah, Paul and John), in today’s world,
simply remind us of God’s constant love, his miracles and protection that call
us to faith. We are called to be mindful of the gifts and graces,
God continuously and miraculously lavishes upon us, according to our
various needs!
In the first reading (Isa 62:1-5) for
instance, God frees Jerusalem from Exiles. He frees them from torture, dryness,
hunger, mockery, poverty and all kinds of deprivations they were subjected by
their enemies. Completely a new situation now; a new land! The land once
destroyed; the temple, their spirit, their confidence, their identity, the
culture, once demolished has been rebuilt. Smiles everywhere! Jerusalem smiles
at God. And God smiles at Jerusalem. He rejoices over them as a husband would
smile at his wife. The situation is that of love. God’s love without limits. He
gives us the graces that we need in this life.
Saint Paul speaks of these graces in the
second reading (I Cor 12:4-11) while preaching to the quarreling Corinthian Church. It was a community deprived of joy. It was filled with lack
of understanding and immorality. Acts of fornication, adulteries, boasting
about one’s talents, as if they were not a gift and graces from God, became a
pattern in this community. It was a human community like ours, today!
Of course, for Paul, these gifts, be it
expression of wisdom, knowledge, faith to believe, power to heal, perform
mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment and interpretation of tongues, all come
from the same God, and must be used for the common good, the good of the
community. As Paul would put it, “there are different kinds of spiritual gifts
but the same spirit, there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in
everyone.” As he produces, these blessings, gifts and graces in us, God expects
us to use them of the service of our neighbors, especially the poor and the
less–privileged, everywhere; and particularly in this Year of Mercy!
By the way, God’s grace extends
throughout the century and flourishes in all circumstances to everyone, land,
culture and continents! It is not limited to a few! At the wedding feast in
Cana, Galilee in today’s Gospel (John 2:1-11), God’s love, his mercy,
generosity, compassion are in miraculously in display. We are familiar
with this story, Jesus' first miracle before his public ministry. He
changes water, to wine, through the intercession his Mother, Mary, and drew
many to faith! In fact, the sweetest and the most superior of all the
wines, to the amazement and joy of the wedding quests!
There is no old, ugly, hopeless and bitter
situations in our lives that our miracle- working- God, with his love and mercy
cannot change. God’s love for us in unchanging! He loves us from
generation to generation– Isaiah, Christ– Paul –to our generation. He loves us
from nation to nations, from coast to coast, from continent to continents. Let
us pray for the grace to remain prayerfully open and dispose to his trans-formative new wine, and love in our lives, families and in various
communities today (especially in this Year of Mercy)!
Reflection
Questions:
1.
What central message stands out for you in today’s bible
passages?
2.
In the light of today's’ reading what old habits of ours
are we resolved to change for new values in Christ?
3.
How often do we assist in promoting unity, love, mercy,
forgiveness and inclusiveness in our various communities?
