
All the earth worships you and sings praises to you. They sing praises to Your name.
Second Sunday after The Epiphany
Almighty and everlasting God, Who governs all things in heaven and one earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

An Overview
The season of Epiphany takes a turn this week. We now encounter the adult Jesus for the first time since before we celebrated His nativity.
It is not insignificant that Christ's first public miracle was done at a wedding (and on the third day, no less!). As we read in our marriage liturgy,
"In marriage we see a picture of the communion between Christ and His bride, the Church. Our Lord blessed and honored marriage with His presence and first miracle at Cana in Galilee. This estate is also commended to us by the apostle Paul as good and honorable. Therefore, marriage is not to be entered into inadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God."
What a beautiful opportunity to reflect on the gift of marriage and how it points us not to our own emotions, but to Christ's self-sacrificing relationship with His Bride.
Artwork: The Marriage Feast at Cana, Juan de Flandes. Netherlandish, ca. 1497. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 537
The Old Testament
Amos 9:11-15
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The booth (tabernacle) will lie in ruin as God's people will be cast into exile in a few generations. The tabernacle, however, is already spiritually in ruins as God's people have abandoned His Word and Commandments.
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The rebuliding of the Tabernacle will bring with it a reversal of the usual course of events.
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Nature itself will reflect this new tabernacle by dripping sweet wine from her mountains.
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When the tabernacle is rebuilt by God alone, His people will find rest in once-ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and gardens and enjoy the fruit thereof, implying a long time of rest.
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The passage ends with the Lord remind that He alone can rebuilt the tabernacle by stating that He Himself will plant His people in their land.
Translation Notes
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The "Booth" of David is lost in translation. In the Greek Old Testament, it is the same word used in John 1 when the Word "dwells" among us.
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The Greek text of Amos is slightly different in verse 13. "Behold, the days are Coming, says the Lord, when the threshing will overtake the harvest, and grapes will ripen at the time the seed is sown." This much later translation also specifically adds "I shall bring back the captives of My people Israel." (rather than simply "restoring the fortunes). While Greek Amos isn't authoritative, it does show us how some faithful believers read and understood the prophet.
The Epistle
Romans 12:6-16
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Gifts, by their nature, begin outside of the recipient. If someone has spiritual gifts, it is impossible for him to boast in them since they are given by God.
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Precisely because they are gifts, we must use them appropriately:
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Apart from the gifts manifesting themselves in particular people, all Christians are called to a specific way of living
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We are to:
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Abhor what is evil
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hold fast to what is good
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love one another
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Show honor
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Be fervent in spirit
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Serve the Lord
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Rejoice in hop
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be patient in tribulation
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be constant in prayer
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contribute to the needs of fellow Christians
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show hospitality
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Bless those who persecute us
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Rejoice with those who rejoice
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Weep with those who weep
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Live in harmony
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Associate with the lowly
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If the gifts aren't present, it simply means they weren't given to you by God. If the acts mentioned in 9-16 aren't present, you must repent and pray that Jesus lead you back to the narrow way.
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Translation Notes
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n/a
The Holy Gospel
John 2:1-11
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We begin "on the third day" which is a rather arbitrary reference to the events of John 1. This should draw us to realize that this miracle is directly related to the resurrection of Christ on the third day.
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Note that Mary is never named, her only title is "The Mother of Jesus." Just as John must decrease so that Jesus may increase during Advent, during Christmas and Epiphany, the focus shifts from the earthly family of Jesus and toward His long march to the cross. (Nonetheless, it is curious that "Jesus was also invited to the wedding" almost feels like an afterthought).
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"Do whatever he tells you" are the last words spoken by Mary in the New Testament. What a beautiful example! May our last words be the same as hers.
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This story is rather anti-climactic. Mary thinks the hour of Jesus has arrived, but He tells her that it will not occur for some three years. In the simplicity of Jesus' first miracle, we see the power He has over nature - the same power He will later "manifest" when He defeats death "on the third day."
Translation Notes
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v 11 "manifested his glory," literally "epiphany'd his glory." ἐφανέρωσεν τὴν δόξαν
Poetry Used in the Liturgy of Epiphany 2
Psalmody:
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Psalm 66
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Psalm 107
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Psalm 148
For study and devotional guides on the Psalms, click here
Hymns:
Artwork: "The Prophet Amos," from Prophets and Sibyls, Francesco Rosselli Italian. After Baccio Baldini Italian, 1480–90. Not on view. Metropolitan Musuem of Art.


Further Reading & Listening
Artwork: Design for a Knife Handle with the Marriage at Cana, Johann Theodor de Bry. Netherlandish, 1580–1600.