2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Dear Brethren in Christ,

One of the most beautiful images in Sacred Scripture that describe the relationship between God and humanity is marriage.  Personally, in my 8 years as a priest, I have helped many couples prepare for their marriage.  I have to admit that preparing for marriage is vastly different from a Baptism, or a funeral in regards to the emotional state.  Couples preparing for marriage are so joyful and happy.  Sometimes even the most mundane and unfunny thing spoken can result in much laughter and joy because of the excitement and anticipation of the marriage day.  Marriage is a very spirited event. 

But if we look at the other Sacraments more closely, we can also view them as a type of marriage.  For instance, in Baptism, a person’s soul is united to God the Most Holy Trinity by divine grace.  And while we are grieving the loss of someone, they are in the process of making their entry in the eternal wedding banquet.  The Eucharist is the wedding feast of the Lamb, and a foreshadowing of the heavenly wedding feast.

The prophet Isaiah also uses marriage to describe the relationship between God and humanity.  “As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you, as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.”  In addition, Saints, like St. Paul also are familiar with marriage as a kind of metaphor of our soul’s unity to the Lord Jesus.  If preparing for marriage brings us great joy, excitement and anticipation, how much greater, as we look forward to the eternal wedding feast in heaven.

In the Gospel, the beloved disciple tells us of a marriage that took place in Cana.  The Newly Weds ran out of wine, but the Lord Jesus comes to the rescue, and he performs the first miracle, turning 6 jars of water into the choicest of wine.  The beloved disciple points out that Jesus and his disciples were INVITED to the wedding.  I’m sure that the couple will never forget what had happened on this special day.  The Lord save them from embarrassment and it’s a great thing that they invited Jesus to their wedding. 

When a marriage takes place within the Church, and the Eucharist is celebrated, the couple is essentially inviting the Lord Jesus into their married life, just like the couple at Cana.  When the Lord is invited, water changes into wine, in other words, the couple is changed for the good.  We are changed when we invite the Lord Jesus into our lives, into our homes, into even nook and cranny (or at least we strive to as mature children of the Heavenly Father).

Looking back in the history of St. Mary Parish, the years between 1890-1896, at that time, Anacortes did not have a Catholic Parish.  A woman named Adeline Kasch (Davis) most certainly invited Jesus into her life.  She gathered Catholics in her home for prayers (Rosary, and Stations of the Cross), she gathered children together for Catechism at her home.  She invited a priest from La Connor named Fr. John Metz to come each week to celebrate Mass in their private homes.  These things happened until our ancestors were able to raise enough finances to build a parish building in 1910 with the first Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Fr. Gustav Treunet.  (His mural is on the corner of Commercial and 7^th).   

A memorable story is that one day, Mrs. Kasch took 10 children on a hay wagon, and traveled to La Connor when the church was being dedicated by the Archbishop.  They left Anacortes about 5am, and it took them 2 ½ to La Connor.  They stopped by a local hotel, and the children put on their white veils and ties to prepare for their first Holy Communion with the Archbishop.

We are very blessed to have a parish today because our ancestors opened their doors to the Lord Jesus.  They invited him into their lives, into their marriage, into their homes, into every nook and cranny.  They valued their faith, and took it seriously being good stewards. 

In the book of Revelation, the Lord says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” 

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I invite you to my special guest, in my life, in my home, in my marriage, in my every day activity.  You changed the putrid and tasteless water into the choicest of wine at Cana.  Form me according to your will, and allow me to become a delight and pleasing to the Heavenly Father in both my words and actions.  Amen.”