“A little more wine?” “I’d love some.” Who wouldn’t love a little more wine. W.C. Fields loved wine. He loved it so much he once said, “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” If the comedian had lived at the time of Jesus, he would have been his best friend, starting from the wedding at Cana. Changing water into wine and over 100 gallons of it is something even a teetotaler would find amazing. For the hosts to be without wine at a wedding was to be without joy. By Jesus turning the water into wine, the Gospel according to John is proclaiming joy at the heart of Jesus’ mission.
It is Mary who encourages Jesus about the wine. She is letting her son know this celebration is his time. It is his time to spread a joyful mission. She knows it is the time for joy now as she knew it was the time for joy at her child’s birth, as every mother knows it. If a mother is wise she will keep on birthing her child and keep on experiencing and sharing the joy that comes with the adventure. But Jesus is not sure it is time to take the adventure public saying, “My hour has not yet come.” It seems Jesus has a different plan for the course of his public life. In this instance Mary is reminding her son that he is not the sole determinant of his life’s course. We discover that same truth in the course of our own lives. People will present themselves to us and change our lives in ways we could not have imagined. Needs will be made known to us that require our gifts. Requests will be made of us that require our action. Throughout our lives we will be invited and we will respond. Jesus’ response shows he is a learned apprentice of an attentive woman and joyous mother. He adds to the festival of life in his time as we are called to add to the festival of life in ours. We may sometimes feel as if we have run out of wine. Perhaps our gifts or our actions have not been appreciated. Something may have happened to us and we’ve put a cork in the wellspring of joy that flows from within us. If so, the time has come for us to uncork. Now is the time to be joyful. Now is the time to take our adventure public. The world needs our joy.
There are so many joyous ingredients of life. One is the joy we feel when sharing good wine with good friends (La Gioia Di Buoni Vino E Buoni Amici). It has endured for centuries. Along the way minor attitudes and practices may have changed, such as the wine of Jesus’ time likely being kept in open jars whereas now wine is usually kept sealed in a bottle. Given that slight change we now know the secret to enjoying good wine today – First, open the bottle and allow it time to breathe. Second, if it does not seem to be breathing, give it mouth to mouth.
Prayer: Spirit of Joy, flow through me.
Question: How would I describe my joy?
January 17, 2016 Gospel John 2:1-11 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time