FORETASTE OF THE WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB
Isaiah 62: 1-5
Psalm 96 (95): 1-10
Corinthians 12: 4-11
John 2: 1-11
I think any Jew or Christian of the time in which John’s gospel was written would hear in this account of the wedding at Cana a twofold message. Here is the Messiah, the Restorer, bringing in his kingdom, announcing his kingly rule. But, more than that, here is the bridegroom, restoring his people because of his spousal love for them.
They might hear behind the story not only our first reading from Isaiah, but also the more explicit declaration in Isaiah 54-4. For your maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. And they would recognize that this celebration represents the final action in a marriage that follows the earlier betrothal.
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Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 104 (103):1-30
Titus 2: 11-14; 3:4-7
Luke 3:15-22
We are in the time of beginnings and today’s liturgy we gaze at the moment when Jesus, as an adult Jew, experiences the life-changing infusion that sets him on his mission to save all of humanity. The baptism of Jesus is referred to in each of the four Gospels. Luke’s telling is distinctive for several reasons.
Unlike Mark and Matthew, Luke does not explicitly state that Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. The man we understand as pointing the way to the Messiah is not a protagonist in what happens. He is rather the sentinel for centuries of expectation who adds his witness to the cosmic turn in human history that occurs when baptism is of the Spirit rather than water … (Reflection by John Dalla Costa)
The Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalms 72(71):1-2, 7-13
Ephesians 3: 2-6
Matthew 2:1-12
Today’s feast of the Epiphany marks in a dramatic way the contradiction posed to humanity by the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. On the one hand, as we read in Matthew’s Gospel, the light of Christ’s coming has shifted the cosmos, with a star arousing wonder and awe among sages in foreign lands. On the other, after an arduous pilgrimage across desert and plain to follow that star, the presence of these seekers arouses an equal and ominous enmity in the hearts of Herod, and those who’d been entrusted as custodians of God’s promise…. (Reflection by John Dalla Costa)
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Numbers 6:22-27
Psalms 67:2-2,5-8
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21
On this first day of the year, the readings for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God make us want to focus on where true blessedness lies, and who are the chosen ones identified in God. God’s blessings transverse beyond fun fair, to mean a protective hand; a certain overshadowing and guidance, despite any appearances to the contrary. This reverberates with that timeless assurance for the pilgrim Israel in Exodus (13:21), which Christ fulfils as the “God with Us.”