GROW AS A DISCIPLE
Pop quiz: What was the name of the bride and groom at the wedding in today’s Gospel? If you’re unsure, you’re not alone; the bridegroom is mentioned only in passing and the names of the newlyweds are not recorded at all in Scripture. Instead, the most prominent man in the account is Jesus; the most prominent woman is his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. In light of today’s first reading, this apparent omission begins to make sense. “As a young man marries a virgin,” the prophet Isaiah writes, “your Builder shall marry you.” Jesus is the “Builder” of the universe, the Word through whom all things were created. Mary, whom Jesus calls “Woman,” stands as a representative of the Church. This image of God as Bridegroom of his people, common throughout the Old Testament, thus takes on its full significance in Christ. He is the Bridegroom who will “wed” himself to his Church irrevocably when he offers his life for her on the cross.
GO EVANGELIZE
It is clear that Scriptures give us many “stories behind the stories” – a sort of “visible invisible” as we see with today’s Gospel of the Wedding at Cana. What we think is happening, and who we assume are the main characters, are important and yet also diminished beside the infinite and eternal, self-sacrificing love of God. How much of our own lives contains such stories of God’s immense and great love for us, behind the scenes that play out day to day? The Lord gives us all good gifts, and he uses them to help us see, know, understand and love him. The smallest moment, or the most important detail, may not be recorded or remembered, but the generosity and irrevocable love of God will never fade and will always sustain us.
JOURNAL
Although God’s love for us never diminishes, we sometimes struggle to maintain the enthusiasm of our earliest encounters with him. This week, create a spiritual “photo album” you can use to remind yourself of God’s blessings in your life. Recall pivotal moments in your spiritual life, write them down in a notebook, and return to them with praise and thanksgiving whenever you feel your heart drifting from the Lord.
By The Faithful Disciple