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Dealing with change: Putting faith in Christ
When word came down that my favorite teacher of freshman year was being transferred, I was outraged. Who else would "get" me the way he had? Who else could have a passion for books that fueled my own? Who else was up to the impossible task of making Latin, if not exactly exciting, at least bearable?
The answer was, "nobody."
My mother listened sympathetically, commiserating with my angry disappointment. Tentatively, because of my voluble fury, she invited me to consider a possibility. Could I imagine, she asked, a future in which I would like the new teacher even more than the one leaving?
Second Sunday
in Ordinary Time
(Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007)
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
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It was a preposterous notion. I shook my head in mute dismissal.
Turns out she was right. The new guy was a younger, hipper, funnier version of his predecessor. His classes were livelier, his discipline more relaxed. The progress I'd made my first year was nothing compared to the leaps and bounds I grew in the second.
In Sunday's Gospel we hear the familiar story of the Wedding Feast at Cana. When the wine runs out and his mother calls his attention to the needs of the newlyweds and their guests,
Jesus more than replaces what's missing. He turns the water into not the inexpensive wine that's run out, but a wine of distinction. He doesn't simply refill the wine jugs. Six large water jars, more than 100 gallons, create a superabundance for the enjoyment of all the guests.
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Reflection questions
• What's one time I remember something good in my life being replaced by something dramatically better?
• On whom can I rely for good advice about the needs of others?
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Discipleship in Christ often demands letting go of familiar comforts and pleasures, things that are, in themselves, good. That's the bad news.
The good news is that, unfailingly, even if sometimes beyond our immediate awareness, what fills the empty places is richer and deeper and more valuable. For in the end, everything lost is replaced with Christ himself.
This column is presented in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.
This week's readings
Week of January 14 - 20, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Is 62:1-5
Reading II: 1 Cor 12:4-11
Gospel: Jn 2:1-11
Monday, January 15, 2007
Reading I: Heb 5:1-10
Gospel: Mk 2:18-22
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Reading I: Heb 6:10-20
Gospel: Mk 2:23-28
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Memorial of Saint Anthony, abbot
Reading I: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17
Gospel: Mk 3:1-6
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Reading I: Heb 7:25--8:6
Gospel: Mk 3:7-12
Friday, January 19, 2007
Reading I: Heb 8:6-13
Gospel: Mk 3:13-19
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Reading I: Heb 9:2-3, 11-14
Gospel: Mk 3:20-21
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Pope's Prayer Intentions
January General Intention
Peace. That in our violent time, bishops may continue to show the way of peace and understanding among peoples.
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January Mission Intention
Church in Africa. That the Church in Africa may be a witness of the Good News of Christ and be committed to the promotion of reconciliation and peace.
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Prayer for St. Raphael Cathedral
O God,
Whose word is like fire,
who spoke to Your servant Moses in the burning bush;
who led Your people Israel out of bondage
with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night:
hear Your people as we call upon You
in both need and gratitude.
May the Cathedral fire purify Your Church
in the Diocese of Madison
so that our hearts may burn with the knowledge
that Your Church is built upon the bedrock
of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the intercession of Saint Raphael,
Your messenger of healing,
in union with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,
and with our Bishop, Robert C. Morlino,
may we find comfort in our affliction
and the courage to proclaim
the Good News of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.
For more prayer resources visit the Office of Worship's Web page at www.straphael.org/~office_of_worship/
(Click on the link on the main page.)
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