Author: admin

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Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”

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Though Jesus already knows why he was born, today he begins sharing that reason with others.

Imagine being at that wedding, watching Jesus turn six stone jars, about 150 gallons, full of water into wine. That must have made him quite popular!

I can only imagine how many future brides and grooms were adding him to their guest list.

While this new – and superior – stock of wine won the crowds that night, this was a much bigger deal for Jesus. 

The cat is out of the bag, so to speak. 

From this day forward, he will no longer be known as just a young man from Nazareth; he’ll be talked about as a miracle worker and, eventually, the Son of God.

As it says in the Gospel, “the disciples began to believe in him.”

But there’s a really long road ahead for Jesus. 

Over the next three years, the final one-thousand days of his life, Jesus will reveal to the world why he was born – to bring joy, hope, and, above all, eternal life to anyone who believes.

The wedding at Cana is just the beginning. 

Stay tuned.

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“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”  

Like Jesus, there is a reason why we were born. God has a purpose for our lives, which we often discover gradually, over years of prayer and experience.

Perhaps the best way to find that purpose is to follow our hearts, trusting that the Lord uses our talents, our dreams, and our desires to lead us forward.

For many of us, that purpose is found in the context of marriage and family.

My mother, for example, often told me that her deepest desire in life was to be a mom. Perhaps many of you feel the same – you’re deepest desire is to be a mom, a dad, a spouse.

Others may be pulled towards priesthood, religious life, or another form of service.

Regardless, there is a purpose for our lives, a reason for each day.

Have we discovered our divine purpose? Or are we still searching?

And if we have, how faithful are we to that call?

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Just as God has a purpose for our lives so he has one for our spouse, our children, our grandchildren, and our friends.

The Gospel invites us to support them in their discernment, too. 

Just look at Mary.

She is the only other person on earth who knows why Jesus is here. Before he performs that miracle at Cana, she already has faith in him as the Son of God.

“They have no wine,” she says. Mary urges Jesus to reveal his power, to perform a miracle and begin his ministry.

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But keep in mind, once he does this, Mary’s world will be turned upside down. Jesus will no longer be found at safely home with her, laughing at the dinner table or doing the dishes afterwards. 

Rather, he’ll be journeying throughout the region healing the sick, casting out demons, and challenging the religious authorities of his day by speaking of mercy and forgiveness.

Mary knows this journey will be dangerous, but she knows it’s the reason why Jesus was born. In fact, so much of her own purpose is caught up in him.

So with these four simple words – they have no wine – Mary gives Jesus her blessing.

As difficult as it may be, she’s ready to let go and share her son with the world.

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How supportive are we of others, in particular of our children? Do we try to create their futures for them?

Or, like Mary and Jesus, do we allow them the freedom to follow their hearts and discover their mission from God?

Mary reminds us today that supporting our children may not always be easy. But they’ll only be happy if they follow their heart.

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“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”

May Jesus, who followed his heart throughout his life – always with the love and support of his mother – lead us forward on our journeys. Amen. 

When I was a student in college, I’d occasionally have “take home” – or written – exams. 

As soon as the professor shared the questions for the exam, I’d rush to the library to be the first to check out all of the necessary books.

Sometimes it felt like I was carrying ten – even a dozen – books in my arms and book bag as I hurried back to my room.

But the weight of those books didn’t bother me at all; it was minimal compared to the reward they offered. Without them, I simply couldn’t complete my exams.

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In a similar way, God has given us 10 commandments, or rules, on how to live our lives. 

But Jesus takes these commandments and compresses them into a single word: LOVE.

Love your God…love your neighbor…. even, love yourself.

As Saint John says in our first reading, “In this way, we know that we are children of God, when…we obey his commandments.”

Like a carrying a set of books home to take an exam, the reward for spending our lives loving our God and our neighbor as our self is always greater than the effort it takes.

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2018 is over. That chapter of our lives is closed. 

We’ve now entered into 2019. Six pages have already been written – and turned.

But as a famous philosopher once wrote, “We live our lives looking forward, but we understand our lives looking backwards.”

What, then, can the pages of 2018 teach us?

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Wherever there is darkness, light can appear.

For example, how many of us remember the story in July of the twelve boys from Thailand who found themselves stuck inside a cave for nearly two weeks, horrifyingly planted in darkness?

And most of us certainly remember Hurricane Florence in September that flooded the Carolinas, leveling homes and uprooting entire trees in its path.

Then there was the season of wildfires in California that burned an entire town to the ground, a town ironically called Paradise.

These were all terribly dark moments for ordinary people, like us. 

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But wherever there is darkness, light can appear.

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Remember, while those boys in Thailand were wasting away, countless people from around the world worked tirelessly to bring them home.

And after Hurricane Florence, hundreds of first responders rushed to save those caught in the rising floodwaters.

And as the wildfires spread throughout California, thousands of firefighters risked their own lives to save others.

In each case, ordinary men and women stood up and said, “The darkness will not overcome us. I can – I will – be part of the solution. I will be light.”

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Wherever there is darkness, light can appear.

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The same lesson comes to us through the story of the magi. It’s a dark moment in scripture:  King Herod is trying to kill this newborn King he’s heard about, the child Jesus. 

But there is someone else at work in the night. 

God is guiding the magi by the light of a star, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah we heard in our first reading, “See, darkness covers the earth…but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.” 

Even though the magi are walking through the darkness, they know that God is with them. And so they move ever forward into the night, following the light of the star.

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After they encounter Jesus, the magi themselves become light for others, sharing this Good News of our Lord’s birth with the world.

They see that God has come to save all people – people of every race, and tongue, and nation. 

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Isn’t that our mission, too, to encounter Jesus in the night?

And after we find him, to share our journey of faith with others?

This is the Gospel for the world to hear. God has come to save us; God is at work in the night — and so often that means God is working through us.

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We may not find ourselves fighting wildfires or diving into caves in 2019, but if 2018 has taught us anything, it’s that there is the potential for light within each and every one of us.

As Saint Francis wrote, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is despair, let me bring hope; where there is darkness, let me bring light.”

How we will follow in the footsteps of those who’ve gone before us remains to be seen.

All we must say for now is this: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”