Second Sunday in Ordinary Time –

A Reflection by Fr. Leo

The last sentence of today’s Gospel reads, “Jesus did this (changed the water into wine) as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”  Not only here, but in other moments in the Gospels, coming to faith seems to be connected to experiencing the out-of-the-ordinary. In this case it is water that has been changed into fine wine.

A rational-atheist friend of mine recently asked me why it is so hard to know God.  If God is so loving, why can’t we know him and be able to have repeatable experiences to confirm God’s presence, as in science where what is claimed can be recreated?  He had a point and responding that faith was believing in what you cannot prove, seemed like a lame answer. 

I do believe there are other ways of knowing, such as trans-rational knowing.  Mystics write well of the experience of God in prayer that is real and experienced on a physical level.  But the experience cannot be controlled by us.  It is given by God, so it cannot be repeated and shown to another.  Yet for the mystic there is a personal experience of God that is real, but cannot be controlled or even fully put into words.

What Jesus did in today’s Gospel was public.  All experienced the water made wine and some began to believe in Jesus as the Christ.  Faith does seem to be connected to some “real” experience of an unexplainable event, even though Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”  I don’t think it is inappropriate to pray for the experience of God.  I know my own experience of people with psychic gifts has affirmed my faith in the real, but as of yet, unexplainable presence of something out-of-the-ordinary. I don’t have those gifts, but my experience of them in others teaches me that they are real.

Saint Paul in our second reading speaks of the Spirit that is the source of all our many varied gifts.  Again the Spirit can be experienced but not pointed to.  It is like the wind.  It comes and goes, but its effect lingers.  Let us pray then for the experience of God in the Holy Spirit!  Let us ask the Spirit to help us know God’s presence so that our faith may be real and God’s Spirit in us alive and active.  May the Spirit pray in us, “Praise to you God the Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit. Come fill the hearts or your people and enkindle in us the fire of your love.”