Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time
These last couple of weeks the Church gives us the great gift of reminding us of some of the manifestations of Jesus Christ. First, the infant Jesus was made manifest to the world in the visit of the Magi at Epiphany. Next at His Baptism we heard God’s voice proclaim about Jesus “You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased.” Today we hear of the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus performs His first miracle.
These three feasts are intended to reinforce the identity of Jesus in the eyes of the early Church and for us. So much of our faith depends on how we answer the question of His identity.
Next week our Gospel is about the reading from Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth where the people know Him as the son of Mary and Joseph, a local carpenter, not as God made man.
For us, we have to decide, day in and day out, in that ongoing conversion we all need, who Jesus is. Is he a good moral teacher and prophet, or is he God Himself incarnate. C.S. Lewis had a lot to say about this choice in Mere Christianity. Ultimately we all have to decide for ourselves. Our decision will affect how we view the sacraments as well. If we believe Jesus is really God we also believe his power is present on the sacraments, and He Himself is really and truly present in the Eucharist.
Perhaps more than anything else our view of death and afterlife is driven by who we say Jesus is. When everything else falls away and we face the great abyss of death what do we believe? Do we believe the God of the universe loves us so much that He became man so we might be saved or do we believe something else.
These past three Sundays we’ve heard about Jesus the God-man. I think it’s the Church’s way of starting us off in the New Year clarifying what’s most important in our life and asking us to be sure that’s what we really believe.
Today we also start hearing from Paul’s great first letter to the Corinthians where he talks about the Church, how we should care for one another, and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Winter Ordinary time is anything but ordinary.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace, Bob
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