Gospel and Readings 16.1.2022

Brothers and sisters:
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom;
to another, the expression of knowledge according to the
same Spirit;
to another, faith by the same Spirit;
to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit;
to another, mighty deeds;
to another, prophecy;
to another, discernment of spirits;
to another, varieties of tongues;
to another, interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these,
distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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 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.

His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”  John 2:5

This short and direct statement from our Blessed Mother says all we need to know.  “Do whatever He tells you.”  What else do we need to know in life?

The hard part, of course, is following that advice.  It’s easy to believe it, to preach it and to commit ourselves to doing everything that our Lord says, but it’s another thing to actually follow through and fulfill His divine will.

That short exhortation calls us to two things: 1) To discern what Jesus wants of us and, 2) To freely embrace that which we discern.  How are you doing in these two areas?

First of all, discerning the will of God can be hard in the sense that it requires a wholehearted attentiveness to His gentle and subtle voice.  God does not impose His will on us; rather, He respectfully and quietly invites us to listen.  He waits until we give Him our full attention and then reveals His will one step at a time.  Yes, some things have been made clear already through public revelation such as the avoidance of sin and the embrace of faith, hope and love.  But when we are ready to let those general commands enter practically into our daily lives, we must be ready to give God our full attention.

Second, we should realize that God’s will, when properly discerned, is not always easy to embrace.  He requires everything of us.  He is a “jealous God” in the sense that He wants our total surrender.  The good news is that if we are willing to give Him everything in total obedience, we will discover that our lives are completely fulfilled.

Reflect, today, upon this twofold invitation spoken by our Blessed Mother.  Reflect upon how ready you are to listen to God’s will and how ready you are to do His will, no matter what it is.  If you are ready for this, you are on the path toward holiness.

Dear Blessed Mother, thank you for your perfect words of wisdom.  Help me to accept your advice in my life.  Help me to know what your Son wills of me and then help me to embrace His holy and perfect will.  Lord, I give You my life and choose to surrender all to You.  Jesus, I trust in You.