THE FUTURE IS NOW
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: William Barclay writes: “The trouble with life is that we get bored with it. Pleasure loses its thrill. There is a vague dissatisfaction about everything.” How true! He continues: “But when Jesus enters our lives there comes a new exhilaration!” Even truer!
Let us bring Jesus into our lives so that he may transform us and our lives.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times, we have lived in despair without the Lord, we ask his pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God’s kingdom:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you transform the water of desolation into the wine of joy:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God of wonders,
at Cana in Galilee
you revealed your glory in Jesus Christ
and summoned all humanity to life in him.
Show us your transforming power
and give us a foretaste of the wine you keep for the age to come.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm Psalm 96:1-2,2-3,7-8,9-10
Response Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel John 2:1-11
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are at that wedding in Cana. What are your thoughts and feelings when the wine runs out; when you witness the dialogue between Mary and Jesus; when you witness the “sign” of the water turning into wine?
Sunday Snippets
“The Future is Now” was a 1955 short film that went inside government research laboratories to showcase products that would be used in the proximate future: computerized assembly lines, nuclear- and solar-powered batteries, industrial uses for television, video telephones, gadgets for instant home movies, irradiated food, fully automated kitchens… Products used in the future?! Well, the future is now (and has been for decades already)!
That title could well apply to the readings of the day!
The first reading was written after the exiles’ return from Babylon. The hopes with which they had returned home were dashed by the massive task before them: the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem and the spiritual renewal of the people.
But Isaiah looks beyond the present to the end-time, when Israel will be “a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord.” He announces that day as a wedding with God as the bridegroom and Israel as the bride.
In the gospel, by making the turning of water into wine at Cana the first of Jesus’ signs, John announces that the future has arrived. Three indicators!
Jesus worked the sign in the context of a wedding. In the bible, weddings symbolise the era of salvation (Isaiah 54:4-8, 62:4-5; Matthew 8:11, 22:1-14; Luke 22:16-18).
Jesus gave an abundance (120 gallons!) of choice wine. The Old Testament describes the end-time as an era when there is an abundance of wine (Amos 9:13-14; Hosea 14:7; Jeremiah 31:12). Thus, the sign signifies that the era of salvation has arrived; the future is now!
Jesus changed the water meant for purification rites into wine. He transformed jugs, unwieldy symbols of the old way, into wineskins, harbingers of the new. The time for ritual cleansing has passed, the time for celebration has begun; the future is now!
But wait! If the future is now, if the era of celebration and rejoicing is here, why is there so much suffering and sadness? Why is there so much despair?
Perhaps, we do not allow the Lord to enter our lives. The Wedding of Cana portrays the outcome of the combination of human and divine activity. Human beings can fill water jars; only God turns water into wine. Human beings do the ordinary and commonplace activity; God brings it to life. God transforms whatever and whomever he touches.
We need to bring God into our lives. We need to “do whatever he tells” us. Then, for us, too, the future will be now!
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: In these trying times, can I look forward to and hope for a time which is no longer “forsaken” and “desolate”? What can I do to facilitate hope and happiness around me?
Reading 2: Am I aware of the spiritual gifts the Lord has “produced” in me? How do I use these gifts to serve him and people?
Gospel: How can I be more attentive to the needs of others? How attentive am I to the signs of God’s glory around me?
Let me reflect on how God transforms ordinary things into extraordinary in my life: water to wine, bread and wine into his body and blood…
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: The Lord has invited us to his feast; he offers us the bread of life and the wine of joy, and the gifts of the Spirit. Let us pray to him for those whose life has become watered down: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may use the gifts of the Spirit to bring joy to the lives of people, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: that they become aware of the problems of their people and take steps to alleviate them, we pray…
R: For all who are suffering: that God may ease their suffering, renew their spirits, and speed the assistance which they need, we pray…
R: For all families: that they may be faithful and committed to one another, and that their children may learn from their parents to care for people, we pray…
R: For the students of the tenth and twelfth standards: that Jesus, the Teacher, may guide and help them, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may allow the Lord to transform our lives, experience the joy that he brings, and share ourselves with others, we pray…
L: Let our life become a feast of forgiveness and mutual service, and of dedication to you, our living God. May this celebration be a foretaste of the joy you prepare for us. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
you tell us that life is a feast.
A feast?
With all its troubles and miseries?
With virus variants wreaking havoc?
With hate and violence abounding?
Yes, it is a feast!
When I learn to look at life with eyes of faith,
when I come to see what makes life beautiful,
when I can recognize deeds of love and care all around…
We have our daily cares,
we have days of mourning and problems,
but the deepest reality is that I am not alone,
that I have God, who gives me the wine of his love,
God, who brings me salvation in and through Jesus.
Let me drink the wine of joy.
Let me share this wine with people around me.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Faithful and loving God,
your Son shared with ordinary people
in the joy of a marriage feast.
Set for us the table and pour for us
the delightful wine of your covenant,
bring us close to you and to one another
and warm our hearts with your own love.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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