Celebrant: With a willingness to do whatever He tells us, we turn to the Lord with our needs. 

Deacon/Lector: 

That the Holy Father, the bishops, and all clergy may be blessed with gifts of faith, wisdom, and prophecy, we pray to the Lord... 

That governments may preserve the common good by upholding God's plan for marriage as the union of one man and one woman, we pray to the Lord... 

For deeper unity among all Christians, as they exercise the gifts given to the many parts of the Body of Christ, we pray to the Lord...

That as our nation remembers Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we may continue to fulfill his dream of equality by advancing the protection of children in the womb, we pray to the Lord…

That the witness of Americans who gather in Washington and other cities this week to march on behalf of the unborn may move our nation closer to restoring equal protection for those children, we pray to the Lord...

That the sick may have the grace to accept the Lord's will and may quickly come to healing, we pray to the Lord... 

That all who have died may share in the banquet of eternal life, we pray to the Lord... 

Celebrant: 

Father, as we present our needs to you, fill us with the many gifts of your Spirit, that we may serve you and your people with strength and joy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

God, our Spouse and Lord of Life

“As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.” Today’s first reading from Isaiah shows us how much God delights in human life. He rejoices in us as in a bride. He gives himself to us as a bridegroom is called to do for his beloved. He protects and defends us, and leads us to the life that never ends. His commitment to humanity is the source of ours. Like him, we are to give ourselves for the good of others, starting with the most vulnerable lives – children at the very beginning of their development in the womb.

This week, January 22nd, marks the sad anniversary of the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized the killing of those children by abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. This remains the single most destructive and barbaric public policy in our nation, and hundreds of thousands of Americans march in Washington, in San Francisco, and in many other cities at this time of year calling for a change. Moreover, this coincides with our nation’s honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose dream of equality for all under the law needs to be applied now to the children in the womb. This is a work around which Christians of all denominations should unite, and this week also marks the week of prayer for Christian Unity.

Is 62:1-5
1 Cor 12:4-11
Jn 2:1-11

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The wedding at Cana is not just about Jesus helping a couple in need. It is about his wedding to us, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading: “Your Builder shall marry you.” Jesus, by revealing his glory publicly in this way, and having his disciples begin to believe in him, inaugurates the marriage that will be consummated on the cross. The fierce love that God has for human life cannot be overstated or exaggerated. That’s why its sanctity, and the absolute obligation to defend that sanctity, likewise cannot be overstated or exaggerated. To trample human life is to trample upon God’s bride. 

The water becoming wine further symbolizes the fact that Jesus Christ elevates human life and human love to a new kind of life and love: that which is shared within the life of the Trinity. We have human life; now in Christ we are called to partake of Divine life. We experience human love; now in Christ we are called to experience Divine love.

As we do so, we help one another find, manifest, and grow in that life and love. That’s where the many ministries of the Church, as summarized in the Second Reading, come in. All of it is in the service of human life, called to Divine marriage.