Faith in the Son of God

Homily for Saturday of the Second Week in the Christmas Season

Tomorrow is the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the day on which we remember the visits paid to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem by the Magi from the East. The word “Epiphany” means “manifestation.” The infant Jesus is manifested as a human being, the son of God, and as our King. The gifts brought by the Magi confirm this manifestation: gold for the king, frankincense for the divine, and myrrh for the human. However, the Gospels revealed that there are several manifestations of Jesus. In addition to tomorrow’s solemnity, the Gospels record that Jesus was manifested at the wedding feast of Cana, of which we read in today’s Gospel passage, at the Jordan River when he was baptized by John, and atop Mount Horeb where he was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

For those who place their faith in Jesus, his human and divine nature as well as his kingship or reign over us are all integral parts of that faith.

At the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus changed water into wine. St. John the records this very first sign (or miracle) as a way to reveal to his disciples, also present at the wedding feast, that he was divine. This first sign introduces the “replacement” theme of St. John’s Gospel. Jesus has come to strike a new covenant with the people. That new covenant will replace the old covenant that God made through Moses at Mount Sinai. The six stone jars required for ceremonial ablutions at any Jewish wedding now become vessels containing the wine of the new covenant, wine which will figure prominently as it is changed into the blood of Jesus shed on the cross on Mount Calvary. As John brings this episode to a conclusion, he notes that his disciples began to believe in him. Remember that in the prologue and the concluding chapter of this Gospel, we were told that John was writing so that we could come to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Throughout this Gospel, Jesus will continue to ask his disciples to believe in him, climaxing with the scene of Thomas who comes to complete faith as Jesus shows him the marks left by the nails of his crucifixion.

The Christmas Season is fast coming to an end. Throughout these weeks, the Scriptures have pulled us ever closer to Jesus by accentuating our need to believe in him. As we come to the altar today to receive his body and blood in communion, we express that faith through our prayers and our deeds.