Praise God. Praise be to Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen.
I got up early this Saturday morning. Around 5:30 am is a time I can know quiet. In that quiet time, I pray the Liturgy of the Hours and read scripture. This Saturday morning’s prayer began with these words,“Dawn finds me ready to welcome you Lord.”
In the silence of the early morning hours, I open myself to God and welcome the Lord Jesus Christ to my day in the quietness of my prayer.
Even though I know God is near us all the time; if we silence the noise of the world it is so much easier to hear his voice. So, I prayed about all the change that is happening
(My grandchildren are no longer living with me; instead, I am a caregiver for my mother. I just turned 64, so I face the decision to retire at 65 and enter full time ministry or continue to work a few years more. And, the change facing our country with a new president and administration.)
What I heard in my heart was “We do not always know what God will ask of me; but do whatever he tells me and go wherever He sends me.”
I prayed with that in the quietness of that early Saturday morning. Silence is a good place to find miracles, hopefully, the miracle of a message and homily people need to hear. . .
. . . Silence & Change . . .
In the story of the Wedding at Canna, Jesus performed his first miracle in silence —— for his hour had not yet come.
How did it happen? How the miracle of the water becoming wine is not told in scripture. The miracle took place in the moment between when the stone jars were filled with water and Jesus telling the servers to “draw some out and take it to the head waiter.”
Jesus did not pray over the jars. He did not touch the water. Despite the depiction in “The Chosen”, Jesus did not ask everyone to leave the room to be alone with the jars. No one saw him move to do anything.
It was just a moment of silence. In the silence of that moment, a miracle happen that would touch the world. Forthe changing of water into wine was “the first of Jesus’ signs.”
The miracle of the silence of that moment is the mystery of Jesus’ relationship with us. A miracle that occurs in a moment of silence with Jesus brings change in us.
The human body is a vessel, a jar. Sixty percent of our body weight is water. So, if a person weighs 150 lbs. (some of us more, others less) our bodies will contain pretty close to 10 gallons of water. The human body holds about the same amount of water as those jars at the wedding feast.
There were six stone jars. Six being less than seven is imperfect just like us. They were not perfectly made, each jar was different. These miraculous jars held 10 gallons or 20 or 30 gallons of water. They normally held water used for bathing; water to remove the dirt of the world from a person’s body. Jesus takes those jars of water, imperfect as they were, and makes something better.
Jesus Christ calls to us. In the silence of the moment between when He calls us and we answer, we change. Jesus takes us, imperfect as we are and makes something better.
Friends, that is the miracle of our conversion. No longer forsaken, we are now a diadem in the hands of God. We have become good wine.
Jesus comes to us in our place of silence and quiet. He comes to our heart. He comes to our mind, our reason. He comes to our understanding. He comes to the quiet inside us. In that silence, Jesus turns all the dirtiness of sin we hold in this vessel into the wine of our faith.
Then, He sends us to the world.
All those that know us. All those in the world around become that chief steward. Why have you been kept the best from us.
Jesus’ first miracle was in silence. But afterwards, Jesus was silent no more. His miracles were done out loud in the public. They were done among the people. They were miracles that stirred up and aggravated all those against him.
The Christ that is in us, the miracle of our faith, is the Christ in us that is to be heard. Our conversion moment is a “BAM” moment. The witness of our faith is a “BAM” moment. Share it with the world.
For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet.
In the glory and majesty of God, we have been given a new name. We are called Christians, now to witness to all nations the vindication of our sins. We are called Christians, now to proclaim to all the world the glory found in the joy of God’s love and faithfulness.
What a terrible place this world would be if not for the good wine of our Christian Faith and trust in God through Jesus Christ. The good wine we share with the world by the Holy Spirit are the gifts now in us.
We bring our gifts as parents, teachers, or priest, sharing the word of God with those around us.
We bring our gifts to those in need. It might be caring for a sick child or parent, bringing communion to shut-ins and the elderly, or visiting the sick in a Hospice or hospital ministry.
Our gifts are to be used to bring dignity and justice to others. Maybe it caring for the homeless in our community or bringing dignity and justice to a nation as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
If it is God’s will then it is truly the good wine of our Faith.
It is the joy and unity of a family and a community of believers that does not always know what God will ask from us.
Mary says to the servers who were waiting the tables. “Do whatever he tells you,”
The same is true for each of us. We don’t know what Jesus will ask us to do; but, have no worries, it will always be good wine.
. . . Silence & Change . . .
In the silence of contemplation and prayer, we deepen our relationship with God. In that silence is a place to find miracles, maybe even the miracle of what God wants us to hear.
Be good, be holy. And proclaim the good news, the joy, and glory found in Jesus Christ by the we live our lives and love one another.
Praise God. Praise be to Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.
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