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Genesis, Chapter 32, Verse 12
Save me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau! Otherwise I
fear that he will come and strike me
down and the mothers with the children.
Jacob here was afraid of his brother whom he cheated.
What’s interesting is that Jacob was Esau’s twin brother. Twins often think a
feel alike so one wonders was Jacob’s fear generated because he assumed Esau
would do what He himself would have done. Here is where God takes two imperfect
humans and makes them better. God intercedes softening both Esau and Jacob’s
heart.
Have you ever been so
angry; livid at someone or something and then discovered the reason for your
anger was directly correlated to a defect in yourself that you had buried and
chose to ignore. We all have and then realized that we are not as perfect as we
pretend to be. Let us reflect on Paul’s advice to the Ephesians, “Brothers and
sisters: I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their
minds; that is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard of him
and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old
self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be
renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s
way in righteousness and holiness of truth. (Eph 4:17-20) By the renewal of our
minds we through Christ’s grace check our feelings, moods and prejudices or
preferences and strive to maintain the right intentions.
Lord, Grant that I may follow Your
words in my daily life. Let Your truth teach me, guide me, and protect me and
may it deliver me from all evil desires and foolish love. Let me esteem nothing
as great, or valuable, or wonderful, except insofar as it makes me better and
more pleasing in your eyes. In this way I shall never be a slave of this earth,
but shall walk daily towards Heaven in Holy Fear.[1]
Second Sunday after Epiphany[2]
GOSPEL. John ii. 1-11
Christ manifests His divinity and
His mystical union with the Church with His first miracle at the Wedding of
Cana.
At that time there was a
marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the Mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was
invited, and His disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the Mother of
Jesus saith to Him : They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is to
Me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. His Mother saith to the waiters : Whatsoever
He shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set there six water-pots of stone, according
to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece.
Jesus saith to them : Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled them up to
the brim. And Jesus saith to them : Draw out now and carry to the chief steward
of the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water
made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water
: the chief steward calleth the bridegroom, and saith to him : Every man at first
setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drank, then that which is worse
; but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did
Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in
Him.
Why was Jesus present at the wedding with His Mother and disciples?
1. In order there to reveal His majesty, and by that means to establish and confirm
the belief in His divinity. 2. To show that marriage is pleasing to God. 3. To let
us understand how pious the bridegroom and bride were. 4. To teach us that those
pleasures are permitted which are in accordance with reason and Christianity, and
neither sinful nor leading to sin.
Why did Mary intercede for the bride and bridegroom when the wine was failing?
She was sorry for them, for she is the tender-hearted mediatrix of the afflicted
and destitute. Besides, the number of the guests had been considerably
increased by the presence of Jesus and His disciples, so that the wine was not sufficient
for all.
What is the meaning of the words, “Woman, what is that to
Me and to thee?” According
to the idiom of the Hebrew language, they mean as much as, Mother, be not anxious; I will provide
the wine as
soon as the hour appointed by My Father is come. Jesus did not mean to rebuke
His Mother, but He thus gave her and all who were present,
to understand that He
had
not received the
power of working miracles as the son of woman, but that He possessed it as the Son
of God, and should use it according to the will of His Father.
Indulgence for the 100-Year Fatima Anniversary[3]
For the 100th anniversary
of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, Pope Francis has decided
to grant a plenary indulgence opportunity throughout the entire
anniversary year, which began Nov. 27, 2016, and will end Nov. 26, 2017.
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