2007

I imagine this was not the only wedding reception Jesus ever attended but this one is remembered because of what happened. What could have been an ordinary reception became extraordinary because those present heeded Mary’s advice and did what Jesus asked of them.

When Jesus told the waiters to fill those six huge stone jars, they could have dismissed him and told him to get lost. “Fill those jars? Rabbi, why don’t you just mingle with the guests, get out of the kitchen and let us do our job?” Instead, they recognized the special gift which Jesus had. Fill them they did and the rest is history as they witnessed the first of seven signs in Jesus’ ministry we find in John’s gospel.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes the point that there are different gifts but the same Spirit and different forms of service but the same Lord. Everyone in the community has a unique gift to offer and no gift is more or less important than the others. The Spirit which gave Jesus the power to transform water into wine gives various gifts to everyone, including all of us, to do different works that ultimately benefit the community. What was true in Corinth back then remains true today in every
faith community.

Those who have wisdom help us map out the course of our actions. Those who express knowledge well help us to learn more about our faith. Those whose faith is strong serve as ideal mentors for others asking to be baptized or confirmed. Those with the gift of healing visit the sick and comfort the grieving. Those with the gift of prophecy remind us of how the gospel is calling on us to respond to whatever situation we find ourselves in. All these gifts have been given for our common good and growth as a faith community.

With responsibilities that are so varied, the wise pastor relies on others to get certain things done for they can better handle those tasks in which he may have little aptitude. Some of those gifts I lack and others have are quite obvious such as music. Others are less noticeable but just as important to a vibrant parish offered by those who serve on the various councils in the parish, host the coffee hour after Mass, or help to keep our campus beautifully maintained.

In making the point that everyone has a unique gift to offer, I hear Paul telling the church at Corinth that everyone’s gifts can transform any ordinary community into something extraordinary. Unfortunately, we don’t always appreciate or recognize the many gifts that the Spirit has blessed us with.

More than once, I have been disappointed when someone fails to appreciate what God is truly offering us through this faith community and its sacraments. Despite my efforts to help them understand that God’s love for us is the bottom line, sometimes whatever insight I offer, based on my study of theology, liturgy or canon law may not be enough to help them deal with certain church related issues. I don’t always succeed because that person just didn’t want to hear what “Father has to say.”

Their reluctance or refusal to broaden their understanding of their faith reminds me of a Danish movie I first saw 20 years ago, Babette’s Feast, which tells the story of a marvelous chef who escaped war-torn Paris. Babette becomes a cook for two elderly sisters who live in a somber pious Danish community. The members of this community lived quite simply. When Babette wins 10,000 francs in the lottery, she decides to put on an incredibly elegant memorable feast for these sisters and their neighbors.

At the start of the meal, the guests fail to fully appreciate what was placed before them until one of them, a general in the Swedish royal court who had been to Paris, begins to rave about the food and that this was truly a feast to be enjoyed. Before long, they are savoring this magnificent meal complete with superb wines and each other’s company. At the end of the meal, after the guests leave, the sisters are stunned to learn that Babette had spent all her winnings on this meal. She had given them all that she had.

The contrast between their ordinary meals of cod and ale-bread and Babette’s feast, as different as water and wine, comes to mind as I think of how each of us relate to the Eucharist and our faith community. Both can be seen as monotony or as a festive gathering. The startling news that we can live in an intimate relationship with God scares some people. By insisting that life be quite ordinary, thank you, they fail to taste the wine of God’s love made real by his son.

The imagery of those six jars, each holding at least 20 gallons of wine, suggests that just as there was more wine than the guests at that reception in Cana could drink, the immensity of God’s love is more than we can fully realize. We give ourselves the chance to better fathom the depth of that love when we dare to share, respect, and use the gifts and talents which the Spirit has given us for the common good of our faith community and one another.

Fr. Daniel Harrington observes that the challenge for us in these readings is to become more sensitive to the many signs of God’s power and glory around us and to open our eyes and hearts to perceive them as coming from God. I would agree. When we follow Mary’s advice and heed her son, we give God the opportunity to make our lives quite extraordinary.
 

I suppose by now you have taken down the decorations, removed the tree from your living room, and tidied up your home so that there is hardly a sign of Christmas left. Walk through any shopping mall like I did the other night and you aren’t likely to find much to remind you of Christmas other than the Christmas merchandise marked down 75 percent.  Here, however, in this worship space, most of the signs of the season are still in place. Only one small detail separates today from our celebration of Christmas.

Gone are the shepherds from the nativity scene. In their place, we fine the magi. Tradition tells us these three wise men, named Caspar, Balthazaar, and Melchior followed a star across a barren desert, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the newborn king of the Jews. Aside from their gifts, we really don’t know much else about them. Matthew doesn’t tell us their names, their occupation, how many there were or even where they came from. Because he mentions three gifts, many assume there were three visitors. Centuries later names were given to these men. However, the details of this story do not really matter. What does is that God revealed his son to these travelers from the east and how they responded.

On Christmas, Jesus was revealed to the Jews. He was born to be their Messiah, their leader, their redeemer. God could have ended the story then and there but as John tells us in the opening chapter of his Gospel, “his own people did not accept him.” Fortunately for us, God intended the gift of his son to be shared with more than the children of Abraham. The secret of salvation had to be let out and with this encounter between the magi and Jesus, God revealed the gift of his son to all peoples.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh seem like rather odd gifts to give an infant but each one has meaning behind them. In those days, one brought a gift of gold or other valuable material when visiting a king. By giving the child a gift of gold, these dignitaries were recognizing Jesus, not Herod, as the rightful king of the Jews.

But they also saw him as more than just a king. They saw him as king of kings. Knowing that he was more than just a mere king, they gave him frankincense, used often in worship in the east, then and now, as a sign of divinity. With this gift, the magi acknowledged Jesus as God.

The last gift would probably have horrified any mother, for myrrh was used in ancient times to prepare a body for burial. While honoring his birth, the magi were also foreshadowing his death.

I first learned while living in Paraguay more than 40 years ago that epiphany was the day traditionally used in many countries for giving gifts, not Christmas, for many people follow the example of the Magi. In light of this custom, as well as it being the theme of the readings, a fitting question for us to ask ourselves should be, “What gifts would we give to Jesus had we been on this pilgrimage with the magi?”

The fact shows that you came here to pray in spite of the cold and the blackout shows God has gifted you with another day of life and good health. You made your way here, blest with the gift of freedom to do so. And when you leave here, you will have a shelter and a meal waiting you somewhere.

So, in response to how generous God has been to you, what gifts would you bring to his son?

We think of gifts as something that has to be purchased and wrapped. Not necessarily. Our gratitude for what God has done for us is best shown in being generous to others, just as God has been generous to us. Sometimes the best gifts are in a sense free. President Jimmy Carter recalls a gift he gave his wife that enhanced their marriage.

Being punctual was an obsession for the President. While Rosalynn was usually on time, that wouldn’t be good enough for Jimmy. If she was even five minutes late, the delay would prompt a bitter exchange of words between them.

For her birthday one year, the president asked himself, “What could I do that would be special for her?” He wrote out this note, “Happy Birthday! As proof of my love, I will never make an unpleasant comment about tardiness.”  Managing to keep that promise since then, he realized that it turned out to be one of the nicest birthday presents he had ever given.

In his book, 42 Gifts I’d Like to Give You, Douglas Richards mentions practical ideas as well, such as the gift of good advice, the gift of being optimistic, the gift of being patient, the gift of hanging in there and holding on, the gift of spreading smiles around. We could expand the list to include other gifts such as a kind word, the gift of our time, the gift of our silence, the assurance of our prayers, the gift of listening with undivided attention, the gift of forgiveness, to name just a few. Any of them, when given to someone out of love is an example of a fitting git we give to Jesus.

Epiphany is a time for us to celebrate the gift of God made real to us and there is no better way for us to do that then to recall another line from Matthew’s gospel, “Whatever you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me.”  This way, God can become real for them as well.