Lectionary #66
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year C
God loves weddings. The beginning of the Bible has God arranging the first marriage between Adam and Eve. The end of the Bible describes the heavenly Jerusalem as a Bride in splendor. At the center of the Bible is Jesus, who performs his first miracle at a wedding.
The first marriage reflects how difficult it is for people to remain present to one another as life becomes more complicated and developed. The wine of our first attraction, affection and love runs out, and it must do so. This is so because our first attraction, affection and love is flowing from how the other person makes you feel.
After a while the other person doesn’t make you feel excited, aroused and exhilarated anymore. In fact what attracted you most in the beginning is now getting more and more on your nerves. It becomes easier to find satisfaction at work, with friends or in personal interests. The first wine is running out.
If nothing is done this natural wine simply becomes sour and turns to vinegar and so does the relationship. Over time the acid will dissolve mutual respect, good manners and civility. Without intervention the relationship will collapse on itself.
The vinegary lesson: marriage is not meant to fulfill you; but that you are meant to fulfill marriage.
Mary intervenes on behalf of all our collapsing relationships: friendships, marriages and commitments by saying to Jesus: “they have no wine” and saying to us: “do whatever he tells you.” Somehow what follows is the transformation of the ordinary order of things into the extraordinary. When we bring our emptiness and ordinariness to Jesus extraordinary abundance can flow. It flows best and deepest when we listen to his word and do what we are called to.
The same lesson that marriage is not meant to fulfill us but we are to fulfill marriage applies to any vocation. Young people’s distance from religious life and priesthood these days reveals the intuition that these vocations will not fulfill them. When we are willing to accept and swallow the sour wine that life is not about your fulfillment but about your commitment then the best wine can flow in your life.
By Mark Blom, OMI – Vocation Director OMI Lacombe Canada Province
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Feel free to contact Fr. Mark for advice about discernment and vocation direction. He can meet with you by phone to conduct a short vocation assessment to help you find your way. Contact him at vocations@omilacombe.ca to arrange for an appointment.
