The Epiphany celebrates the reality that Christ has manifested Himself to the whole world as God. When most think about the Epiphany they only think about the visit of the magi to the manger of Christ at the exclusion of the other events that are being celebrated. For the Greek Orthodox the Epiphany clearly celebrates not only the visit of the magi, but also the baptism of the Lord, and finally the miracle performed at the wedding feast of Cana. All three of these events are Christ's manifestation to the whole world as being God and therefore they are all actually being celebrated on Epiphany Sunday. For us in the West this reality still holds as true, but if we remember this past Sunday in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord was celebrated and today in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite we hear this Gospel passage which takes us to the wedding feast of Cana which is the final manifestation that is being celebrated on the Epiphany.
We are familiar with the fact that when the magi traveled to adore Christ they brought with them the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myth. Gold was to point out that this child was a great King, frankincense was to proclaim that this child was God, and finally myth was offered to point that He is our savior who would die in atonement for our sin. When Christ was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist we must remember that at this moment the Heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove and said "with my Son I am well pleased." This moment comes as another manifestation to the whole world that Christ is not simply human, but is also God who has come to dwell with us. This then brings us to today's Gospel which brought us to the wedding feast of Cana where Christ worked the great miracle of changing water into wine. This miracle further proclaims the reality that Christ is truly God who has come to dwell with us as the Word made Flesh.
If we have faith in his reality that is being proclaimed to us and to the whole world we in return will respond to the Gospel message with our life. We cannot simply profess Christ to be the Word made Flesh and come to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist without also allowing our life to be transformed. For those who were present when this great miracle took place at the wedding feast we can see in good faith that a transformation took place not only in the water turned into wine, but also in the hearts of those who beheld such a wondrous mystery. It is from this miracle that scripture tells us that His disciples believed in Him. Through the encounter that they had with the Word made Flesh at the wedding feast their faith in Christ was forever transformed.
So often we live out our life of faith as if we have yet to fully come to the realization that Christ is the Word made Flesh. We go about our life as if the events that play out in the course of the day are segregated from our life of faith. Nevertheless, we must eventually come to the transformation that the disciples experienced when they came to believe in Him at the Wedding Feast of Cana. Saint Mary gives us the glimpse into this need with her simple command of "do whatever He tells you." So often we know what our Lord desires of us, but fear the transformation that might be expected in return. Many of our youth run away from our Lord's calling to become a priest or sister because they fear that they are not good enough. Young couples enter into marriage without first asking themselves what God is truly wanting from them and therefore the sacrifices that will be necessary to sustain such a relationship.
May we truly allow ourself to be transformed with our encounter with the Word made Flesh this day. In the Eucharist we will come to encounter Christ that desires us to come and follow after Him and in return to be transformed. Where sin and fear are found may we will be willing to be transformed through our encounter with Christ this day. May we truly allow ourself to let go of all that impedes upon this relationship and to surrender it to Christ who desires that we may be made whole instead of lost and wondering about. May we truly be transformed by the Word made Flesh as the disciples were when they encountered Christ's miracle made manifest at the Wedding Feast of Cana.
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