This Sunday at Mass - A Wedding

Sunday's readings center upon the emotionally charged event that is a wedding and the strong love that is present with great intensity at such an occasion. Just ask Principal Cantor Jason McAdams, who also manages the many weddings at the Cathedral about the intensity of these events!

That intense love which serves as the dynamic and fundamental power behind a union that will face challenges in the future is the topic of our first reading Sunday from Isaiah. In this lesson from the prophet, written as Israel was being released from captivity in Babylonia and returning to a destroyed Jerusalem, we hear the love of God for his people compared to that most intense love experienced by two spouses. It is a powerful statement of God's delight in his people, as they return home and rebuild their lives and community.

In the Gospel, we hear about one of the first manifestations of Jesus as Son of God at a wedding party. Wedding banquets are notoriously incredible celebrations, filled with joy, and occasions to celebrate with family and friends. A member of my family was married several years ago into a very sober and severe Protestant family, prompting my Irish grandmother to say a little too loudly "Is this really the wedding party?"

In this Gospel we hear of a very human exchange between Mary and Jesus. Many scripture scholars note this exchange to be the typical young male adult's attempt to break free of the maternal apron strings. Even though Jesus challenges his mother's request to do something about the wine running out at a party, Jesus nevertheless submits to the wishes of his mother and produces a wine of higher quality than was served earlier.

Sunday's encounter with God's Word will invite us to again remember the intensity of God's love for us, a love which can seem distant in the chaos and clutter of our daily lives, but must be remembered as the source of everything we are as his beloved sons and daughters. Recalling this dynamic love at the center of our loves changes everything! It beckons us to look at others in light of this love, rather than seeing the other as a potential drain from our own selfish concerns.

And our Gospel reminds us that the activity of this love, this exchange between ourselves and our strong redeemer involves both parties. We bring the plain 'water' of our lives - our gifts, talents, resources and abilities - in obedience, and God transforms our ordinary into his extraordinary. Let us ask God to help us as we work to advance his reign at the Cathedral Parish and Choir School in the months ahead.