The Wedding feast at Cana
19th January 2025: 2nd Sunday of the Year (Cycle C)
Parishioner’s Gospel
Contributor: Naku Seushi
John 2:1-11
The wedding feast of Cana Gospel has a significant meaning. Jesus and Mary's attendance at the wedding led to the first miracle performed by Jesus. However it also showed us Mary’s compassion as our mother.
The wedding hosts got carried away with the celebrations to notice that the wine ran out. When Mary notices, she shows empathy to the hosts and the newlyweds. However, she also instinctively knows that Jesus shares the same feelings towards the newlyweds and hosts based on the values that she and Joseph raised Jesus in their role as earthly parents. Despite His reluctance, she goes to Him and prompts an action.
The great mystery in this gospel is how with very few words they shared with each other. Mary and Jesus understood what needed to be done for God’s divine plan to be launched and unveiled to all. Jesus revealed his glory by creating wine at a wedding so that we can relate to the special feeling on an occasion which is key in our daily lives. Following the revelation, His disciples began to believe and see Him differently.
Mary shows us her gentleness and compassion. She sees our needs, therefore when we pray, she intercedes our prayers by bringing them to her Son. In the gospel, Jesus showed us his love and respect for Mary as He performed His very first miracle at her request. As such, our prayers and needs, when presented to Jesus by Mary our mother, will be listened to. Mary is the model disciple calling others to bring their needs to Jesus and have faith that He will meet them.
Her command, “Do whatever He tells you” is for us too. We need to place our full trust in Him.
Finally, like Mary, who with gentleness and compassion, intercedes for us; we are called to intercede for others in our communities and around the world.
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26th January 2025: 3rd Sunday of the Year. (Cycle C)
Parishioner’s Gospel
Contributed by Andrew Jones (RIP) (Archive)
Luke 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21
Luke begins by telling us something that perhaps we sometimes overlook. He states that many have set their hands to the task of drawing up an account of the events which were completed amongst us. In other words there were plenty of individuals who wrote the story of Our Lord but he tells his unknown recipient Theophilus I too made up my mind to carry out a careful investigation of all things from the beginning that you may have a full and reliable account.
Yet when we consider the matter, apart from New Testament accounts, we have some quite limited evidence from the writer Josephus and not much else. But what a job Luke and the other Gospel writers do, sufficiently powerful and inspired were their words that 2,000 years later they still provide living bread for Christians around the world.
In this Gospel reading the Church chose to follow verse 4 of Luke’s first chapter with verse 14 of his 4th chapter and how well it works. For his words flow from one chapter to the other with a perfect segue.
He leads us into a reading which is remembered by countless millions because it is so alive and displays such atmosphere. Anyone who wishes can close their eyes and imagine the scene.
Prophets are not acclaimed in their own countries but Jesus stands up in the synagogue in Nazara. He was handed the scroll of Isaiah and read,
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
To proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight,
To set the downtrodden free,
To proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
.
At that moment he actually stood up, it was probably not any more remarkable an action than Deacon Austin or Deacon James reading on a Sunday in Holy Innocents, but as Jesus read, announcing the beginning of his ministry one can imagine nervous shivers, for clearly the congregation detected something awesome happening.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all the eyes of the synagogue were on him.
Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen’.
Parishioner’s Gospel
Contributor: Naku Seushi
John 2:1-11
The wedding feast of Cana Gospel has a significant meaning. Jesus and Mary's attendance at the wedding led to the first miracle performed by Jesus. However it also showed us Mary’s compassion as our mother.
The wedding hosts got carried away with the celebrations to notice that the wine ran out. When Mary notices, she shows empathy to the hosts and the newlyweds. However, she also instinctively knows that Jesus shares the same feelings towards the newlyweds and hosts based on the values that she and Joseph raised Jesus in their role as earthly parents. Despite His reluctance, she goes to Him and prompts an action.
The great mystery in this gospel is how with very few words they shared with each other. Mary and Jesus understood what needed to be done for God’s divine plan to be launched and unveiled to all. Jesus revealed his glory by creating wine at a wedding so that we can relate to the special feeling on an occasion which is key in our daily lives. Following the revelation, His disciples began to believe and see Him differently.
Mary shows us her gentleness and compassion. She sees our needs, therefore when we pray, she intercedes our prayers by bringing them to her Son. In the gospel, Jesus showed us his love and respect for Mary as He performed His very first miracle at her request. As such, our prayers and needs, when presented to Jesus by Mary our mother, will be listened to. Mary is the model disciple calling others to bring their needs to Jesus and have faith that He will meet them.
Her command, “Do whatever He tells you” is for us too. We need to place our full trust in Him.
Finally, like Mary, who with gentleness and compassion, intercedes for us; we are called to intercede for others in our communities and around the world.
********************************
26th January 2025: 3rd Sunday of the Year. (Cycle C)
Parishioner’s Gospel
Contributed by Andrew Jones (RIP) (Archive)
Luke 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21
Luke begins by telling us something that perhaps we sometimes overlook. He states that many have set their hands to the task of drawing up an account of the events which were completed amongst us. In other words there were plenty of individuals who wrote the story of Our Lord but he tells his unknown recipient Theophilus I too made up my mind to carry out a careful investigation of all things from the beginning that you may have a full and reliable account.
Yet when we consider the matter, apart from New Testament accounts, we have some quite limited evidence from the writer Josephus and not much else. But what a job Luke and the other Gospel writers do, sufficiently powerful and inspired were their words that 2,000 years later they still provide living bread for Christians around the world.
In this Gospel reading the Church chose to follow verse 4 of Luke’s first chapter with verse 14 of his 4th chapter and how well it works. For his words flow from one chapter to the other with a perfect segue.
He leads us into a reading which is remembered by countless millions because it is so alive and displays such atmosphere. Anyone who wishes can close their eyes and imagine the scene.
Prophets are not acclaimed in their own countries but Jesus stands up in the synagogue in Nazara. He was handed the scroll of Isaiah and read,
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
To proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight,
To set the downtrodden free,
To proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
.
At that moment he actually stood up, it was probably not any more remarkable an action than Deacon Austin or Deacon James reading on a Sunday in Holy Innocents, but as Jesus read, announcing the beginning of his ministry one can imagine nervous shivers, for clearly the congregation detected something awesome happening.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all the eyes of the synagogue were on him.
Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen’.