Be on guard against idols

Sisters and brothers in Christ, in my homily on the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, I reflected on today's Gospel about Jesus' miracle at the wedding at Cana in Galilee:

However, as with any mother-child relationship, sometimes a mother does not know if her children need her unless they tell her. Or she does not step in to help unless her children ask for her help, hard as that may be for any mother. But when we do go to her, as a child goes to his or her mother, we will find that Mary is always there for us. We pray this in the Memorare: “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who FLED to thy protection, IMPLORED thy help, or SOUGHT thine intercession was left unaided.” We also read this in Scripture, that when the wine ran short [at the wedding in Cana], Mary interceded for the newlyweds and said to Jesus, “They have no wine.” She also gave the best motherly advice ever when she said to the servers [and to us], “Do whatever [Jesus] tells you.” (John 2:3). Mother Mary is there waiting and ready to lift us up after we have fallen; to wipe away our tears of sorrow and pain and share tears of joy with us; to embrace us in her loving arms and hold us close to her Immaculate Heart. Therefore, let us “[never] be afraid of loving the Blessed [Mother] too much. [We] can never love her more than Jesus did” (Saint Maximilian Kolbe).

Moreover, in today's first reading, Saint John warns us: "Children, be on your guard against idols." Idolatry is a sin against the First Commandment. What are the idols in our life? What are the persons, things, habits, or addictions that we obsess about and take priority in our life, especially when they take priority at the detriment of our relationship with God? And how can we help each other overcome idolatry? For the answer to this, we turn to Saint John once again who encourages us: "If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life." Therefore, let us pray for each other and encourage each other to pursue God in our life, not idols.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

"They have no wine."

And Jesus said to her,

"Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come."

His mother said to the servers,

"Do whatever he tells you."

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

"Fill the jars with water."

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

"Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter."

So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

(although the servers who had drawn the water knew),

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

"Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now."

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him.