Greg Friedman, OFM

Our world is as violent as David’s world. Had King David heard Jesus’ message, how would he have responded? More importantly, how will we?

Luke’s Gospel overall is known for a focus on the poor. The fact of enduring poverty or other troubles seems to offer a perspective on God which helps us realize that we need to depend on God for everything.

The fact of our baptism means that we have a vocation–a call–that’s just as certain as our Biblical heroes today.

Few of us are called to be prophets but we can identify some contemporary figures who fit that role. How do we accept the prophetic message we hear proclaimed each Sunday? And would we invite the bearer of that message home for Sunday dinner?

The presence of God in the Word is one of three ways God is present at each Eucharist. We are most familiar with the divine presence in the consecrated bread and wine. God is also present in the gathered assembly.

It’s appropriate that the beginning of Jesus’ signs–as John describes this event at Cana–happens in the very human setting of a wedding–a celebration of human life, joy, and the goodness of God’s creation. To find God present we need only to look for the signs of divinity which are present all around us.