Prove to me that you’re Divine.
Change my water into wine.
That’s all you need do, then
I’ll know it’s all true.
Come on, King of the Jews.
Those are Herod’s imagined mocking words when
Pilate sends Jesus to him for judgement.
From Tim Rice’s lyrics in Jesus Christ Superstar.
That’s all you need do and
I’ll know it’s all true.
Changing water into wine may not have been
Jesus’ most impressive miracle.
But it was his first miracle of his
ministry.
And it was enough to convince his disciples
at the wedding.
It might have been enough for Herod—if
Jesus had chosen to perform for him.
We probably don’t really have to rank
miracles by order of impressiveness.
Any sign of mastery over nature, any
supernatural act, ought to be sufficient.
Whether it’s healing, raising from the
dead, driving out demons, multiplying loaves,
Calming the sea, walking on water, or
changing water into wine.
If it's performed by a good person and it’s not just a trick.
It’s a sure sign that God is with that person.
It’s a sure sign that God is with that person.
That we ought to listen to them and
follow them.
What sign is enough for you?
Why do
you believe in Jesus?
What do
you believe about Jesus?
How firmly do you believe it?
It would be a big plus if he’d stop by and
perform a miracle or two for us.
That would help squelch those occasional
doubts that can pop up.
We all like certainty.
Especially regarding matters that are most
important in our lives.
In a search for truth, we’d all like to
have absolute proof.
But absolute proof is usually hard to come
by.
Our legal system recognizes that, and deals
with it by setting different standards of proof.
Convicting someone of a crime requires
proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Winning a civil suit requires proof by a preponderance of the evidence.
The higher the level of proof, the more
comfortable we can be that we’ve found the truth.
Then again, sometimes we seem quite content
to just jump to a conclusion.
Easily accept something as truth because it
fits nicely with our world view.
Or our political view.
Or our prejudices.
Sometimes we just accept what we’re told by
some source that we’ve chosen to trust.
Chosen wisely or unwisely.
When we can’t determine an absolute truth
through observation or reason,
Trust becomes a key consideration.
But who can we trust?
Specific others? Ourselves—our own instincts?
How much do we trust them?
Should we continue to trust them?
What facts support or contradict what
they’re telling us?
Some of us have seen healings and
conversions and answers to prayers,
That must have been miraculous.
We all witness the miraculous
transubstantiation of the bread and wine at Mass.
But few of us, if any, have witnessed an
absolute, sensory-verifiable, miracle.
Like the changing of water into wine at
Cana.
So, much of our understanding of Jesus and belief in Jesus is
based on trust.
We’ve chosen to trust those who brought us
to Jesus; for most of us our parents.
We’ve chosen to trust the Church.
The Church today, and the Church back to when Jesus instituted it 2,000 years ago.
We’ve chosen to trust the witness of billions of
Christians who have gone before us.
We’ve chosen to trust our own instincts.
We’ve chosen to trust God.
All of that trust is aided by our partial proofs and by reason.
But it’s primarily supported
by faith.
The gift of faith.
A gift we should nurture with
daily attention and prayer.
A little attention as the events of our
days unfold.
And a little special attention.
A little time set aside to talk to and
listen to this Jesus we’re trying to follow.
To consider and review and assess the proofs
that we do have.
To appreciate the people we can trust, and
those gifts of reason and faith.
Time for getting to know him.
Getting to understand him.
Learning to follow him.
That daily exercise is nicely summed up in
another verse,
Lyrics from another popular-culture musical about
Jesus—Godspell.
Day by day, day by day,
Oh, Dear Lord, three things I
pray.
To see Thee more clearly.
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.
Day by day.
2nd Sunday Ordinary Time
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