Greeting (See Second Reading)
One and the same Holy Spirit distributes different gifts to
different people just as the Spirit chooses. Through the Holy Spirit may the
Lord Jesus give us the gifts we need to build up his Church. May he always be
with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- From
Water into Wine
The Lord wants to tell us today that life is a feast. A
feast? With all its troubles and miseries? Yes, a feast, if we learn to look at
it with eyes of faith, if we come to see what makes life beautiful. We all have
our daily cares, we may have days of mourning and problems, but the deepest
reality is that we are not alone, that we have God, who lets us drink the wine
of his love, God who gives us Jesus to lead us to him. Let us drink the wine of
joy!
- A
Marriage Feast
When two young people set out together on the adventure of
married life, they affirm that they believe in each other, in love, in life, in
the future. This is the message God speaks to us today. He has committed
himself to us, his people, in a covenant bond of love, as lasting and as
beautiful as marriage, when his Son Jesus became human. In him he has given
himself to us for ever, for better and for worse, accepting that his Son laid
down his life for us, so that we might live. He continues to change for us the
water of the drabness and failures of our existence into plenty of wine and
joy. And the best wine will be kept for the end, for eternal happiness. In this
eucharist Jesus changes bread and wine for us into the food and drink of life.
Penitential Act
Where has been our joy as Christians? Let us ask ourselves
before the Lord.(pause)
Lord Jesus, through your pardon change the gloom of our
sinfulness into the joy of reconciliation and friendship: Lord, have mercy. R/
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, Lord of life, raise us up from our sadness and
make us happy, joyful people: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, joy of our life, teach us to find happiness in
sharing and in making other people happy: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have
mercy.
In your kindness, Lord, forgive us all our sins, make us
radiate your love and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may always live in God’s covenant love
(pause)
Faithful and loving God, your Son Jesus shared with ordinary
people in the joy of a marriage feast. Set for us the table and pour for us the
delightful wine of your covenant, bring us close to you and to one another and
warm our hearts with your own love. Make our lives become a feast, an unending
song of joy and praise to you, our living God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
R/ Amen.
First Reading: God Married to His People
Even
though his people have been unfaithful to him, God forgives their infidelity.
For he is “married” to his people forever.
Second Reading: One Spirit, Many Gifts
One
and the same Spirit gives an endless diversity of gifts to the Church to make
it one in its rich variety.
Gospel: Jesus, the Bridegroom
Jesus
“gives his first sign” that he is the bridegroom, who has united himself to
people in a bond of love. He will give them the wine abounding with life and
happiness.
Gospel: Jn 2:1-11
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of
Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When
the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no
wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect
me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do
whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for
Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told
the them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the
brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the
headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water
that had become wine, without knowing where it came from — although the servers
who had drawn the water knew —, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said
to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk
freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus
did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his
glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
Intercessions
Jesus has
invited us to his feast meal; he offers us the bread of strength and the best
wine of himself. Let us pray to him for all those whose life has become watered
down, and say: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for your
Church the good wine of your pardon, because our love remains lukewarm, and we
do not have enough faith in you and trust in each other; may we also
wholeheartedly forgive one another, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for our
families the wine of love, that they may be faithful and committed to one
another, and that their children may learn from their parents to care for
people and to serve you, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– Lord, pour for people
who suffer the wine of your strength and hope, and for those who can help them
pour forth the wine of your compassion and solidarity, we pray you: R/ Lord,
hear your people.
– Lord, pour for our
Christian communities the wine of unity and friendship, that we may be one in
you and together become your body serving one another and the world by our
spirit of sharing and caring for each other, we pray you: R/ Lord, hear your
people.
– Lord, pour for all of
us here in this eucharist the wine of your joy and life and give us the bread
of yourself, that we may live in you, we pray
you: R/ Lord, hear your
people.
Lord Jesus,
do not allow our life to become banal and watered down. Be near to us and fill
us with your joy, now and forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Faithful God, you let us experience your love in this meal
of friendship at the table of your Son Jesus Christ. Let him break for us the
bread of life and pour for us his wine of joy, that we may be faithful to you and
be brothers and sisters to one another, on account of him who shed for us the
precious wine of his blood, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us give thanks to the Father, for he has united himself
to us in an unbreakable bond of friendship and love and has made us his holy
people.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Invited to the Lord’s table and united by his Spirit, we
pray now to our loving Father: R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, through your Holy Spirit you bind
together in one body and unite in one love your holy people. May the various
gifts he pours out on us make us build up in peace a Church that knows how to
love and serve until you give us the peace and joy that last forever and ever.
R/ Amen.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord, who invites us to the feast of his
body and blood as a pledge and token of the everlasting marriage feast. Happy
are we to accept his invitation. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
We thank you, God our Father, for letting Jesus speak to us
in this eucharist his words of encouragement and joy and for pouring for us the
wine of his new and everlasting covenant. Let our life become a feast of
forgiveness and mutual service and of dedication to you, our living God. May
this celebration be a foretaste of the happiness you prepare for us in your
home. Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
A marriage feast is always important as a feast of love and
friendship. Today we have celebrated in this eucharist God’s love for his
people: God is “married” to us, Jesus is married to his Church. God’s love is
faithful. May you always respond to his love, with the blessing of almighty
God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us live in unity and peace as God’s beloved people. R/
Thanks be to God.
***
Commentary
Does Your God Dance?
Read:
God delights in his people as a groom delights in his bride,
says Isaiah. God adorns us with various gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus performs his first miracle at the wedding at Cana.
Reflect:
In Roger Young’s movie Jesus, Jesus is
delightfully dancing at the wedding at Cana. Disciple Andrew is furious as he
thinks that Jesus has no interest in the urgent matters of his suffering
people. So Jesus asks him: “What’s the matter, Andrew? You don’t dance?” Andrew
retorts: “I will dance when Israel is free and men are honest.” Jesus responds
laughingly, “[It] will be a very slow dance.” There is much suffering,
poverty, and injustice in the world. Our passion to change matters overnight
may lead us to a tunnel vision fixated on only the dark and the negative. Life,
with all its shadow and pains, has its beauty and goodness. We shall not miss
such moments as well. As Isaiah reminds us, God delights in us, despite all our
shortcomings. It is good to recall this prayer attributed to St. Teresa of
Avila: “From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver
us.” Amen.
Pray:
“Lord, teach me to delight in the goodness of life.”
Act:
Enjoy some holy moments of laughter with your
family/community today.
***
19 January 2025
John 2:1-11
Pilgrims of Hope: Walking with Mary, Witnessing the Signs of
God’s Love
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year, we look to Mary,
the attentive Mother at Cana, who guides us to recognize the signs of God's
boundless love. Today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ first sign at the wedding in
Cana, where, at Mary’s intercession, He transformed water into wine, restoring
joy to a troubled celebration. This discreet gesture reveals God’s love—near,
tender, and compassionate—working quietly in the ordinary moments of life.
Mary’s role is pivotal. With maternal intuition, she notices
the need before others do and gently brings it to Jesus. Her simple
instruction, “Do whatever He tells you,” invites us to trust in Jesus' power to
transform our struggles into blessings. The quiet manner of this miracle
reminds us of how God often works—in hidden and unexpected ways, showing His
care through subtle signs rather than grand displays.
For us as pilgrims, this sign at Cana speaks of hope. It
assures us that God desires our happiness and brings forth the “best wine” even
when life seems bleak. Mary’s intercession encourages us to remain attentive to
the signs of God’s presence—moments when His love has lifted us, healed us, or
filled us with peace.
As we journey in faith, let us take time to reflect on these
signs in our lives. Recall when God’s tenderness was most evident, when Mary’s
intercession guided us, or when His grace turned ordinary moments into
extraordinary encounters. Let us cherish these experiences, for they are
glimpses of His Kingdom.
May Mary, the Mother of Pilgrims, inspire us to walk with trust, ready to witness and share the joy of God’s love with others as we journey together in hope and faith.
