Saving the Best for Last

A Reflection on the Gospel for January 16th, 2022:
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

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John
2.1-12

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding about a hundred litres. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it.

When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days.
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"[Y]ou have kept the good wine until now." (John 2:10)

When I first read this gospel passage from John, the line, "Do whatever he tells you” jumped out at me. After all, this is my tagline. It’s even the screensaver on my laptop. But after reading through it a few more times, a different line began resonating with me: “[Y]ou have kept the good wine until now” (John 2:10).

I think this line speaks to me because it helps me to remember that God is saving the best for last. Our life here on Earth is not meant to be our destination but our path to get there. So many times I’ve heard it said that we are a pilgrim people. We are living on a journey that ultimately should lead to our eternal home. But is that how we really live?

In our world today it seems like we do everything we can to avoid getting to our destination. As we get older our mortality can become a source of anxiety for us and for our loved ones. Even talking about death is sometimes shunned. In reality we all will die someday so why don’t we spend our time here on Earth trying to align our life choices to accept God’s invitation to live with Him for eternity. 

How can we live a life worthy of sharing eternity with God? The Psalm for this Sunday states, “Ascribe to the Lord the Glory due His name” (Psalm 96:8). Giving God glory is always a good way to remind us that God is God and we are not. It helps us to put God first. In the reading from Corinthians, Saint Paul tells us that, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1Cor.12:7). The gifts God gives us are to be used for the good of others as well as ourselves. Putting others second also helps to lead us to holiness. Serving God first, others second, and ourselves last may be countercultural but I’m betting it’s a good way to be assured of the “good wine”.




Maxine Brown
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