Even a glimmer of hope that the Gaza ceasefire will go into effect today seems to have instantly put the world at ease. But will the behind-the-scenes arm-twisting by the US President-elect really spell the end of the salvos? And whether or not the parties concerned will honour the deal, or how long they will do so, is just anybody’s guess.
Israel has always been a hard nut to crack. Ironically, the nation that comprised God’s Chosen People has long since been at loggerheads with Him. It is said that in the past God spoke to them through the prophets, but to no avail. Finally, two millennia ago He spoke to them by his Son, again in vain. The saving grace is that after this time the divine message was proclaimed to the world at large.
The First Reading (Is 62: 1-5) on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time is witness to how God’s People, long exiled and suffering in Babylon, were not forsaken by Him. In fact, the Prophet Isaiah joyfully announces their impending salvation. God will not rest until ‘her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.’
The most shining image through it all is that of marriage. ‘As a young man marries a young woman, so will your builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.’ And to better define the love by which God wishes to restore His ties with his People, Isaiah picks up this key Scriptural theme of the marriage of God and Jerusalem.
Is it any wonder, then, that the first miracle that Jesus performed was at a marriage in Cana? While the Gospel (Jn 2: 1-11) describing this ‘sign’ (miracle) harks back to Isaiah, it also establishes Jesus as the Son of God and helps take forward His salvific plan. And Mary’s discreet participation is not to be missed. She not only suggested to her Son that His intervention was the need of the hour; she went ahead and created the right conditions by instructing the servants to do whatever He told them.
Here were two persons who cared and went out of their way to prove they cared. In human terms, this reaching out by Mother and Son was a sure way to win the people’s confidence and trust. But this was only the beginning, not an end in itself. The larger concern was the spiritual salvation of those people. The changing of the water into wine should have led the people to lose themselves in the Wonder Worker. But here again, Israel proved to be a hard nut to crack.
What about you and me? Do we firmly believe that Jesus is our personal and universal Saviour? That His Mother is Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix? By becoming the ‘handmaid of the Lord’, she made possible the birth of the Son of God. And today we see her as catalyst in Her Son’s public life. At first, He seems to reject her suggestion but soon we see Him doing precisely what she had suggested. This not only goes to show how much Jesus valued His Mother but also how we must hold her in high esteem.
Finally, while Christ is the Bridegroom, none other than the Church is the Bride of Christ. And behold how the believers that comprise the Church are wedded together. The Second Reading (1 Cor: 12: 4-11) states that there is a diversity of ministries and operations but the same Lord and God.
Similarly, the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in us the believers through charisms: He gives to one the word of wisdom, to another, the word of knowledge, and similarly, faith, grace of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discernment of spirits, the gift of tongues, interpretation of speeches, and so on, but all as per of that same Spirit.[1] Yet, these gifts are not meant for self-aggrandisement but to bring about our ultimate salvation.
A close-knit family of believers ought to be the apple of our eye. Family cohesion comes as fruit of a blessed marriage. God and His people together none can put asunder. And no matter how soon we see the end of the salvos, real salvation comes from God alone. He is our Spes Unica, our only hope!
[1] Operations, services and charisms refer to the same experience but are named differently as to be attributed to the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.