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Jesus was there—and here

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Sacrament: Marriage Readings: John 2:2-11; Matthew 18:20 There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee—and Jesus was there. But he was not there as Jesus the teacher or Jesus the wonder-worker or Jesus the troublemaker. He was there as Jesus the son of Mary, Jesus the neighbor, Jesus everyone knew since he was a kid. If N. and N.’s wedding today were just like the Cana wedding, Jesus would not be up here like me, all dressed up in vestments and presiding. He would be out there somewhere in the pews with all of you, just another invited guest. We know that Cana was a small town just a short distance from Nazareth where Jesus grew up—the sort of small town where everybody knew everybody and all kinds of people were related to one another. So just about everyone got invited to the wedding, including Jesus and his mother and 12 of Jesus’ friends, because they were all from the same area and they all probably knew the bride and groom. No one was saying, “Look, here’s Jesus with his chosen apostles. Let’s go ask them some hard questions.” No! This was before all that. Jesus’ time had not yet come. At least that’s what he thought. He was only Jesus, here to wish the best to the newlyweds and have a good time. And then comes his mother Mary. You know, there’s something about a wedding, any wedding, that mothers find irresistible. They get involved; they become hyperactive. They’re looking around to see if everything is as it should be. Are the flowers right? Are the candles lit? Who’s got the rings? Possibly some of you know a mother or two like that. And at the feast afterward, as Mary is chatting with the other women, she is taking in the whole scene at the same time. And she realizes there’s a huge problem: They’re running out of wine. So she excuses herself from the conversation and moves around in the crowd until she spots her son talking and laughing with the guys. She pulls him aside and in that desperate, demanding kind of whisper mothers sometimes use, she says, “They have no wine.” Jesus just looks at her, and he’s exasperated as a son gets when his mother comes up with a really bad idea, Jesus says, “Mother! My time hasn’t come yet.” Mary doesn’t blink an eye. She turns to some helpless waiters who are standing around, points to her son, and says, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus holds his head in his hands for moment and says something that sounds like “darn!” And he knows that his time has come, because his mother just said so. He tells the waiters to fill the empty jugs with water, bring them to the headwaiter, and let him have a taste. That’s the miracle of Cana, the first of Jesus’ signs, says Saint John’s gospel. And it happened because Jesus was there. I have something to tell you today: Jesus is present here just as much as he was at Cana. He who said “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” is in this place." Well, I have something to tell you today: Jesus is present here just as much as he was at Cana. He who said “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20) is in this place. How? He’s here in the midst of all of us. He is present in the love and good wishes for N. and N. that are in our hearts. He is in the words you will speak to them at the reception and in the gifts you give them. They are signs of your ongoing friendship and support for them. It is through you that the resurrected Jesus Christ reaches out to this couple. But that’s not all. In an even larger sense Jesus is in the love that N. and N. pledge to one another today. The church calls marriage a sacrament, which means that the love the couple shares is the way by which God pours out on them blessing and grace today and all the days of their married life, like an overabundance of wine that just never dries up. Jesus is present in your love, N. and N. You don’t have to get all holy and pious about that. You just have to give of yourselves to one another because that is what connects you to God in a unique, new way. When I pronounce you man and wife, go forth knowing you’re not entering a cold world by yourselves. The Lord is with you. And at the reception, take it easy on the wine, so there’ll be enough for everyone.

Authors Robert McClory

sacrament Marriage John 2:2-11 Matthew 18:20

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Take Five for Faith Daily

Thursday
March 20

Discover the treasures of a generous heart

During times of economic downturn, it's tempting to become less generous and focus only on our own financial security. Saint Leo the Great would have it otherwise: “A generous spirit is itself a great wealth.” In true Christian logic, Saint Leo encourages us to count our blessings and store up riches by continually giving to others. “If God is love,” he explains, “charity should know no limit, for God cannot be confined.” Our charity is welcome around the corner and across the world. Look to Catholic Relief Services, crs.org, for ideas of where the need is greatest.

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