The Good wine and its press: Homily (Reflection) for the Second Sunday of the Year (C) (17th January, 2016)

Homily (Reflection) for the Second Sunday of the Year (C) (17^th January, 2016) on the Gospel

Is 62:1-5;

Ps 95:1-3.7-10. (R. v. 3);
1Cor 12:4-11;
Jn 2:1-11.

John Keats the English poet, as a lad, attended Sunday classes regularly. Once the teacher gave a précis writing exercise to the children. The passage was the miracle at Cana, changing water into wine.

Keats was such a genius child, he wrote in one sentence and got the applause of everyone.

“She saw him and blushed."

.... water, the creature saw her creator Jesus and blushed, she turned red.[1]

Topic: The Good wine and its press.

Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were in a wedding in today’s gospel. When the bride and the groom ran out of wine Mary approached her Son saying: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Although it was not yet time for Him to manifest Himself, Jesus turned water into good wine. When the chief steward who did not know how the wine came about tasted it he said to the bridegroom, “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” (Jn 2:10).

Wine is produced mostly from grapes. And grapes are fruits of vine, cf. Mk 14:23-25. Wine points out how good the grapes that produced it were and the quality of the grapes depends on the vine, cf. Matt 7:16-18, 20.

Jesus tells us in the gospel according to Saint John, that He is the vine, cf. Jn 15:5. Earlier He defined the type of vine in these words: “I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1). Going by the passage we quoted earlier (Matt 7:16-18, 20) true vine makes true wine.

During the Last Supper with His disciples Jesus took a cup filled with wine and after giving thanks gave it to His disciples saying: “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:27-28; cf. Mk 14:23-24). Christ’s body and blood are for both our temporal and spiritual benefits. But ultimately, to reconcile us with the Father (forgiveness of our sins), cf. Eph 2:16.

Jesus is Lord, cf. Rom 10:9; 1Cor 12:3. As a result, He has the best of everything, cf. Ps 112:3; Prov 8:18; Rev 5:12; 1Cor 11:12. When it was not yet time to manifest Himself, Mary as a wine press of a kind was able to get the best from Him to save the bride and the groom the embarrassment of not being able to give enough wine to their guests.

Jesus is still the Lord. John Keats rightly wrote that wine saw Him and blushed. He still has the best. All things are possible for Him, cf. Matt 19:26; Mk 10:27. But many still resist Jesus although He asks us to come to Him that we may have life, cf. Jn 5:40. We ought to approach Him to have our thirst quenched, cf. Jn 7:37.

As we go to Jesus for all we need, I strongly suggest we remember that Mary is still His mother. She can and will always get the best from her Son because He cannot contradict Himself, cf. Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16; Matt 15:4; 19:19; Mk 7:10; Eph 6:2.

Bible Reading: Matt 7:16-18, 20; 11:25-30; Jn 5:39-47; 7:37-39; 15:1-16.

Thought for today: You can only get the right wine from the right vine through the right press.

Let us pray: Jesus the true vine, fill us with right wine that we may never be thirsty again – Amen.

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