January 16, 2022 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Faith and Compassion
The Book of Isaiah, comprising 66 chapters, was compiled over a period of about two centuries (the latter half of the 8th to the latter half of the 6th century BCE), the Book of Isaiah is generally divided by scholars into three major sections, which are called First Isaiah (chapters 1–39), Second Isaiah (chapters 40–55), and Third Isaiah (chapters 56–66). First Isaiah consisting of chapters 1–39, was written in Jerusalem from 740 to 700 BCE and contains the words and prophecies of Isaiah. Second Isaiah, chapters 40–55, was written by members of the “school” of Isaiah in Babylon prior to and after the conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE by the Persian king Cyrus II the Great. Third Isaiah, chapters 56–66, were composed after the return from the Babylonian Exile in 538 BCE.
Today’s reading is from chapter 62, that is, after the return from the Babylonian Exile. The people are in their own land, far from the Babylonian gods who are now humiliated before the superior might of the Persians, but their land is withholding it’s blessing. They begin to doubt again. Hence, an aura of urgency runs throughout chapter 62. The change to come will be an absolute break with the oppressive structures of the past. They will no longer recall the suffering and humiliation of the old names that reflected their defeat and exile. Third Isaiah follows Hosea, Jeremiah and Ezekiel in using the marriage metaphor to express the new name, their new status in relation to God: “You shall be called My Delight Is in Her and your land Married. The assurance of God’s protection, love and blessings run throughout the chapter.
We can glean communal and individual solace from this reading, especially in this time of pandemic and loss. When we feel desolate and forsaken for any reason, we can remember, “the Faithful God delights in you” for you are God’s delight. I would suggest that this reading is telling us to have the same compassion for ourselves as God has for each of us when we are going through trying times.
Today’s second reading reminds us that each of us has gift given to us by the Holy Spirit. No one gift is more important than the other. Our gifts may vary over time as we ourselves change over time. For example, in my own life, when I was a child my elders thought I had the gift of wisdom. They used to ask me to interpret bible verses. Then in my late teens and early to mid-adult life, alcoholism blocked everything except by God’s grace, the gift of faith. Once again sober, teaching both formally and informally became my gift. Now, in elderhood, storytelling and companionship is my gift. I am your companion, who tells you stories as we travel along the journey in this life of faith. Whatever our gift is and whenever our gift is bestowed on us, these gifts of the Spirit are not given to us to hoard or hide or ignore. Like it says in Matthew 5 verse 15 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” We are to use our gifts in compassionate service to our neighbour.
Faith: that brings me to today’s gospel. A significant insight jumped out at me this time reading the story of the Wedding at Cana. That is how faith and compassion are intertwined as well as being individual virtues. I know a lot of people are bothered by Jesus’ reply in John 2:4, which in this translation states, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?”.
First, we must consider that this is a translation. Second, this Gospel was written in Greek and the translation that is closest to the original Greek is the Douay-Rheims version of the Bible. That translation is, “Woman, what is that to me and to thee? It still sounds rude, but I think a little Midrash is helpful here. I would like to suggest that Jesus is really asking “why are you so worried by this that you bring it to my attention, especially since my time has not yet come?” Mary explains that if the wine runs out the bridegroom will be shamed and loose face in the community. We can surmise that Mary has an important role in the organization of the celebration as she knows they’ve run out of wine and because she tells the servers what to do. In those days and in that culture, wedding celebrations could last for seven days, and hospitality was extremely important.
Mary’s faith let her know that it was Jesus’ time, and she knows that His compassion for the newlyweds would outweigh his reservation about helping—and she was right. He felt compassion for the couple and acted to help even though he thought it wasn’t yet time. Jesus’ compassion compelled Him to step out of His comfort zone to help another. Mary’s faith was mixed with compassion, but her faith also needed no proof through signs and wonders. On the other hand, the disciples, although they followed Him, only began to believe in him after the miracle at Cana.
So, what do the reading mean for us today? In times like these sometimes, like the Israelites, we need some assurance that our God hasn’t forgotten us. Sometimes, because of how we are regarded by the wider society, we may feel that we mean little to God also. Sometimes, because of our past misdeeds, we think we are undeserving of God’s love. However, if we look at today’s first reading in the light of the Book of Isaiah as a whole, we can be reassured of God’s forgiveness and love. We can be assured that each of us is a delight in God’s eye. We go forward in our lives assured of this and live accordingly.
From the second reading, we can be assured that because of God’s love for us, the Spirit of God has provided each of us with a gift, perhaps even different gifts over time. We can be assured that each gift is treasured by God and therefore we need not envy the gift of another but use our own gifts with love in service.
The gospel tells us that if we bring our concerns to God in faith, the Divine responds with compassion. That is not to say that we get everything we ask for but that we will get what we need even if we don’t immediately understand God’s response. We can go forward in our lives following Mary’s example in faith with Jesus’ as our exemplar of compassion, even when it calls for us to go beyond our comfort zone. So let us continue our journey of faith with compassion for others and ourselves. Let it be so.
Please take a moment to reflect on, “Do these readings reassure you of God’s love for you”? If you feel comfortable doing so, please share your thoughts?
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