Bring Your Gifts to Jesus

January 17, 2016

Today we remember the third manifestation of God, the third “epiphany,” at the wedding feast in Cana. It is marked by the last words of Mary that are recorded in scripture. “Do whatever he tells you.” With those words Mary leaves everything to Jesus and at the same time instructs the servants.

Her words are for us as well. Just as the servants could not have provided another 25 gallons of wine on their own, we cannot give our lives meaning, purpose and joy by our own efforts. However we still need to do as much as we are able to, as the servants needed to fill the jars with water, so that God can work miracles with what we give Him.

All of us are given unique gifts, and there are no small gifts. “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” These gifts are given to us for the common good, to build up the Body of Christ. Since these are supernatural gifts we can trust in their capacity to work spiritual wonders even if they seem outwardly mundane.

It is our part to do all we can with the gifts we have been given. Then we can present them to the Lord and allow Him to change them into something greater than they were, as the water at Cana was turned into wine.

God speaks to us through our gifts, it is for us to listen, and do as He tells us.

Pax Vobiscum
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Recent Posts

The Pope, The Ceiling, and Thinking Small

December 18, 2017

The 1965 film “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” wherein Pope Julius II clashes with Michelangelo, is a wonderful reflection on faith, inspiration, and the...Read more

The Monastery, The Messiah, and the Light in the Darkness

December 13, 2017

There was once a monastery tucked deep back into a forest, far off the beaten path. The monastery had a reputation for being a...Read more

Advent, and the Lost Inca City

December 10, 2017

Why the wilderness?

Back in the “golden age” of archaeology (think Indiana Jones,) an archaeologist set off for South america to track down...Read more

Subscribe to Blog