‘Like a young man marrying a virgin, so shall the one who built you wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.”
The prophet Isaiah was extravagant, some would say daring, in the imagery that he used to describe the salvation promised for Jerusalem. The Holy City had been long denounced for her infidelity to the ways of the Lord. Finally she had fallen, her fate sealed by a combination of invading forces and internal corruption. She lay in ruins,
aptly named “forsaken” and “abandoned”.
It was a measure of the Father’s forgiveness that, not only would forgiveness come, but that it should come with an abundance beyond any imagining. This time the mercy of the Father would create the heart of a nation anew. No longer would she be named “abandoned”; she would become “My Delight”. Isaiah’s imagery had broken beyond every previous constraint, describing God’s mercy with all the intimacy and warmth of a marriage. “For the Lord takes delight in you and your land shall have its wedding.”
During this Jubilee Year of Mercy let us open our hearts to the Father’s extravagant mercy. There will be times when, both as individuals and as a Church, we shall judge ourselves to have transgressed beyond the limits of mercy. At such times let us pray that the Lord might treat us not as we deserve, but according to his merciful love.
It is not without significance that John’s Gospel begins its recording of the ministry of Jesus with the marriage feast at Cana.
This was to be the first of the signs given by Jesus, and its unfolding would proclaim the glory of his coming.
The scene began with a calamitous housekeeping problem for the young couple and their families. In the words of Mary, they had no wine. What had begun as a domestic crisis was to become the sign of the Father’s overflowing mercy to a sinful world.
The jars of ritual water, representing the cleansing promised by the Law, became an abundance of wine. In the words of the steward, the best wine had been kept till last.
Such is the mercy of God, a mercy that transforms the water of our indifference into the wine of His presence.
Many are puzzled by the seeming indifference of Jesus to his Mother Mary in this episode: “Woman, what is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary would indeed be included in that hour at the foot of the Cross, when she would experience not only grief, but the fullness of the Father’s mercy. So may it be for us in this Year of Mercy.
This article first appeared in the January 15 2016 issue of The Catholic Herald. To download the entire issue for free with our new app, go here
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.