On Faithful Obedience

Reflection on Isaiah 62:1-5, Ps 96:1-3, 7-10, 1st Cor 12:4-11, John 2:1-11

John’s gospel account brings to fore two radiant models of faithful obedience: Mary and Jesus. We find them at a wedding in Cana- some thirty years after the Virgin Mary gave her assent to God, bore and gave birth to His child- the promised Messiah, nursed, nurtured, raised and formed the Incarnate Lord from infancy to childhood to manhood. She was the perfect mother, giving Him her flesh, her womb, her love, her breasts, her home, her love, her devotion, her faith, her knowledge, her values, her goodness, her discipline, her time, her strength, her life, her all. She bore an extraordinarily good fruit: our Savior.

In Cana, we find Jesus at the outset of the Messianic work entrusted to Him by His Father. From the young age when He began discerning His divine Sonship (Lk 2:49), through the hidden years in Nazareth, and throughout His public ministry- from the river Jordan to Cana to Calvary- our Lord Jesus Christ lived in faithful obedience to God’s will. His life and ministry bore the extraordinarily good fruit of our salvation, our adoption as God’s children, our incorporation to His Body, the Church, and our heavenly inheritance. At the wedding at Cana, we see the glory of the Lord shining radiantly in both Mary and Jesus.

What does living in faithful obedience to God’s will mean?

Sharing in the life of God (Is 62:5; 2 Pt 1:4; Gal 2:20)- When we experience His life in our life, the Lord allows us to see as if through His eyes, think in unity with His thoughts, speak with His words, and act in obedience His will. He gives us inner eyes of faith that penetrate beyond what our outward eyes can see, for He reveals to us signs of His presence and action in people, events and creation. We discover in difficult relationships, trials and afflictions the many opportunities for conversion and sanctification presented to us by the Lord. There is a fundamental shift in our thinking and attitudes, as we begin to place God as our first, highest and only priority, our greatest value. His wisdom enlightens our every desire, judgment, and plan, enabling us to discern His expectations and obey His will for us. We perceive the deeper meanings of our life’s experiences in the light of His Spirit who dwells in us. We accept without fear what we do not understand, trusting that God will guide and protect us through the darkness. We speak and act with love, truth and respect, aware that we are always in God’s presence. As Paul exclaimed, it is Jesus who lives in us, and thus thinks within us, speaks through us and acts in us.

Abiding in Christ (Jn 15:1-5)- When we remain united to Jesus who is our Lord and the love of our life, He becomes our way, our strength, our goal. We become His bride, His joy (Is 62:5), His possession, whom He has made a new person, and given a new name (Is 62:2). His voice beckons within us, and we heed His call to an ever-deepening communion of life and love through prayer and servanthood. We detach ourselves from false idols that could enslave us. We choose Him and we completely abandon ourselves to Him. Our every breath is a song of praise for Him (Ps 96:1); our every step proclaims His glory to all (Ps 96:3). We love and serve Him and despise sin and its relatives. For our greatest desire is to delight Him, even if it means crucifying our own will. We rely on Him for everything, using our gifts and talents, even our lack, to fulfill His purposes (1 Cor 12:4-6). When the wine of wellness is depleted by our frailties, trials or affliction, we turn to Him for help and we do whatever He tells us (Jn 2:5). We rejoice at whatever He gives us, knowing that He who faithfully loves us will not be silenced, will not be quiet until we are vindicated and victorious. For He has espoused us and will never forsake us. He has in His heart only what is best for us.