Cana

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One of the true blessings in my life was spending my high school years at our former archdiocesan minor seminary, Nazareth Hall. Not only did I, as a working-class kid, get a classical college-prep education from dedicated priests and laymen and laywomen, but I was welcomed into a group of young men who over the years formed a genuine community.

Unlike the stories I have heard of high schools where students were thrust into sub-groups like “brainiacs,” “jocks,” and “freaks,” we were formed to appreciate each other’s gifts, wherever they might appear: on a ball field, or in debate; strumming a guitar, or organizing work crews; appearing on stage or serving Mass. While some of us eventually were ordained priests, most became married men serving their communities in a variety of areas: as teachers, lawyers, social workers, businessmen, actors, etc.

I share these memories because they seem a perfect illustration of what St. Paul wrote to the rather fractious community in Corinth from his base at Ephesus probably around 54 A.D. The passage in the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time is part of Paul’s response to various questions raised by the Corinthian community: problems of social status, problems arising from the pagan environment in which they lived, and problems arising in their liturgical assemblies.

Here Paul discusses questions about “spiritual gifts” or “chrismata” (the plural of “charism”) exhibited in the Corinthian community, understood as manifestations in individuals of God’s grace (“charis”) through Jesus embodied in service to the community. Here and elsewhere, Paul tells us that every Christian has his or her own spiritual gift; that all spiritual gifts are valuable; that no particular gift is better than any other (although according to 1 Corinthians 13, love — “agape” — is the most excellent charism); and that since they have a common source (the Spirit) they are to be used in the service of the common good. The nine gifts listed here are by no means exhaustive, but give a sense of the variety bestowed by the Spirit.

The other two readings appointed for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, can be viewed as manifestations of two of the gifts Paul lists: prophecy and mighty deeds. In the first reading the prophet declares his intention to exercise his gift of prophecy in season and out of season, whether or not people (or God) want to hear him. (There is a wonderful alliteration in Hebrew in the words for “silent” and “quiet”: “I will not hush or be shushed” says the prophet.) Even though it seems that God has abandoned his presence in Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple on Mount Zion by the Babylonians, the prophet declares that Jerusalem is not “Forsaken” (“Azubah”) but rather will be God’s “Delight” (“Hebzibah”) and that the land of Judah is not “Desolate” (“Shemamah”) but rather God’s “Espoused” (“Beulah”).

In today’s passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus performs the first of his mighty deeds in that Gospel (though John’s Gospel prefers the term “semeion” — sign — for these miracles). Weddings in the world of Jesus’ culture were pre-arranged by the families of the bride and groom and most of the invited guests would be relatives, although non-relatives could also grace the event. Though Jesus’ act of turning water into wine has many symbolic resonances (as is true for his other “signs” in John’s Gospel), at its most basic level this is an act, prompted by Jesus’ mother Mary, to spare the family/relatives of the bride and groom embarrassment at the wedding. It is an act of unexpected grace in the service of the common good.

Exploring these Scriptures helps us to thank and praise God for the gifts he has given each of us. May God equip us to respond to the charisms he has bestowed on us for the good of our families, our neighbors, our city, our country and our Church.

Though retired as an artist in residence at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Father Joncas continues to celebrate the sacraments in various worshiping communities in the archdiocese, teaches in person or online, and continues to write articles and music.