January 17, 2016

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C Isaiah 62: 1-5; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11 Do we look at our gifts? Isaiah shares his own gifts today when he says, “…I will not be silent…I will not be quiet…” Then he addresses the exiles and each of us, “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord…a royal diadem.” People will no longer embarrass you or push you to the background or say the that you are no good, but each person shall be called by God, “My Delight” and he concludes that “…so shall your God rejoice in you.” So often this view of God for each of us seems to be way off the mark. We might really like ourselves or we may have a low opinion of ourselves but we just don’t think that God is loving us all the time as Isaiah tells us. We beat ourselves up or say that ‘if I were this or that, then God would like me…or if I was really good that God would love me.’ But He loves you and me…We might call our view deep down humility or maybe it is just not realizing as the old phrase goes, “God doesn’t make junk!” We look into the background of Isaiah’s work: Earlier, he had described how faithless kings had led the kingdom into ruin. Now he shares from God how a brighter future lies in store for the kingdom, thanks to the mercy and love of God. God wants all nations to see what Jerusalem has become. Now the people are serving God and are beacons or lights so others can find God. God is the responsible One… He graces and fills His people so they can be His witnesses and He is so pleased that this is happening. WE don’t realize very often, if at all that ‘God is very happy with me, with you.’ I feel one of the reasons is that we don’t relish the gifts that God has blessed each one of us with today and even we may downplay them. God gifts each person. God continues to fill every person with gifts. This is the theme in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. It seems that the Corinthians have been arguing among themselves as to who has been the recipient of the best spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit. Paul takes a much more realistic approach by sharing that the Spirit’s gifts are for the good of the community. The Spirit gives an innumerable and countless array of gifts for the good of the community. This means that the purpose of the gifts are for God’s purpose. They are to show that God cares and loves each person…that God forgives and overwhelms us with His mercy…that God wants each person to know how precious they are in God’s eyes and how much He needs each one to share this love with others. That’s what it is all about. Paul explains it in this way, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” What are my gifts? What are my gifts given to me for? Do I think as the Corinthians want to know, ‘which are the snappiest, the big ones that I can be complimented for and affirmed forever with?’ Paul is saying the gifts are not for me but to show others God and lead them to God so that they can actively be a part of developing God’s plan each and every day. A very good question/reflection at the end of the day is to look at the ‘compliments’ that people have given me: thanks for you help…you have a beautiful smile… you have a gift to put in a few words what the passage/message was all about… your eyes twinkle when you see something beautiful…you care so beautifully when people are hurting…and on and on. Acknowledging these gifts and being grateful are stepping stones in the spiritual life. Alice Camille in Exploring the Sunday Readings says, “Most of us can name at least seven place where divine Presence makes a regular appearance— in the sacraments of the Church The fruitful activity of the Holy Spirit is also evidence that God is here: wherever faith is demonstrated, wherever healing comes, where miracles happen, where the voice of prophecy still speaks, where good and evil are clearly distinguished, where people communicate across the barriers that divide them, whoever peacemakers labor to bring about the birth of reconciliation. If these things aren’t happening in the community where you live, that’s clear invitations to pray for the Holy Spirit to propel you into the task of bringing those works home. One of them has your name on it. In the Marriage at Cana we see a hesitant Jesus being put on the spot by His mother. Why is He so reluctant? I have no idea. The Gospel of John is divided into two parts: the Book of Signs — in John’s gospel Jesus doesn’t perform ‘miracles’ as he does ‘signs’, seven of them in all. The remainder of John’s gospel is the Book of Glory. These ‘signs’ in a sense are the gifts of the Father to let us know His love and care for us through Jesus. So in looking at this reading what could we say were the gifts that Mary showed? I would say that she certainly had the gifts of sensitivity and alertness to see where things would cause an embarrassment for the wedding couple’s family. Now only that but she stepped right in and ‘took charge’; certainly another gift. She also stayed in the background and didn’t call attention to herself but to the task at hand. And she encouraged even ‘pushed’ Jesus into acting. ‘You are needed…go.’ Now you could see Jesus gifts in the respect that He had for His mother and you can see this throughout His ministry: He respected each and every person…rank, wellness, or position didn’t matter. The headwaiter gift was honesty in telling the bridegroom about the break with the wedding traditions in serving the good wine last. What were Isaiah’s gifts: he certainly spoke up and was not only not afraid but courageous to speak the not popular things. Paul continued to speak out—always about God. We might not have these gifts… but they don’t have our gifts either. All gifts are from God…not to make me important but to point to God and His love and care, compassion and mercy and the importance of each person as being a deliverer of His love. So I reflect on some of the questions from Alice Camille’s reflection: • “If God is looking for you, where is the best place God might find you? • Which of the activities listed in Paul’s description of the Spirit’s work sounds like a job you’d be good at? • Which may be missing from your present community? • How do we, like Mary, prepare the way for miracles to enter our world?” • What gifts has God given you? Do you notice how these bring people closer to a God who is constantly loving them? • How do your gifts compliment those of your family, friends, co-workers, classmates or neighbors, church goers? Sacred Space 2016 shares: “Jesus reveals His glory, but not through a TV campaign or e-mails. He goes to a wedding. He likes to celebrate God’s wonderful gift of marriage. He also takes the opportunity to reveal the abundance of God’s grace. He is saying, ‘My wedding gift to you is 200 gallons of God’s love!’ Lord, we thank you for good marriages We thank for the wonder of faithful, unconditional love shown by husband and wife, partner and grandparents. This fidelity powerfully reflects the quality of Your love for us all.”