First Reading I John 5:14-21 Gospel John 2:1-11

The first reading of the past week reminds us of our dignity as children of God. Our “adoption” comes in our baptism. And our adoption is not merely legal or forensic; it is an intrinsic dignity conferred on us by our union with Christ. We share the very life of God through our union with Christ in baptism. This dignity imposes on us the obligation of striving to conform to the image of Christ in every aspect of our being. The first reading contains a sentence which can easily be misunderstood and misinterpreted: “... No one begotten of God sins.” Some have interpreted this to mean that a person who has been baptized is incapable of sin. It should be this way; we should be so caught up in the love of God that we would never sin. Unfortunately, we still have free will; we can still revert to our former self.
The gospel is the story of the wedding feast of Cana. At the behest of his Mother, Jesus performs the first of his “signs.” He changes water into wine. The circumstances of this story indicate that there is more here than a mere miracle: Jesus makes about 150 gallons of the best wine. The symbolic meaning is that the new dispensation is lavish beyond our dreams: The old is done away with in the new dispensation of mercy.

Also St. Raymond of Penyafort (1175-1275)
In spite of the fact that he was a canon lawyer, he became a saint. This, of course, is said with tongue in cheek. At the request of the pope, Raymond assembled all the decrees of Canon Law; these are called the “Decretals,” and were the essence of Canon Law until its codification on 1917.
Raymond became a bishop, but resigned afer two years. He was also elected Master General of the Dominicans, and he resigned that office after he had visited every Dominican house. He persuaded Thomas Aquinas to write the great “Summa Contra Gentiles.” He truly placed all his gifts at the service of the Church in his live of almost a century. The gospel scene reflects a little bit of Jewish folklore. Remember the musical “Fiddler on the Roof?” When they thought a ghost appeared, they shouted and screamed to drive the ghost away. This is what happens in the gospel: The disciples thought that Jesus was a ghost. They were terrified and cried out: This means that the screamed and shouted in order to drive the ghost away. But Jesus says, “Do not be afraid; it is I!” Jesus is always with us. We may not see him or feel him, but he is always present to help us through the storms of life. Do not be afraid. Perfect love casts out all fear!