When the Wine Runs Out — Silvio José Báez, ocd

Thank you for being here this afternoon! I’m so happy to celebrate the Eucharist with you on this special occasion—the 40th anniversary of my priestly ordination. I truly wanted to share with you my gratitude and praise to the Lord for calling me to the priesthood forty years ago. I couldn’t celebrate this alone, because you—the holy people of God—are the ultimate and essential reason for my priesthood.

Today, I’m celebrating forty years of God’s faithful love in my life and the joy of serving as a humble witness to the Gospel and a shepherd of God’s people. Through all these years, Jesus has always been by my side—holding me up with his love, bringing me comfort in tough times, showing his strength in my weakness, and guiding my ministry, even when things got difficult and uncertain.

Looking back, I’ve experienced exactly what Pope Francis wrote to the people of Nicaragua last December: “In the most difficult moments, when it becomes humanly impossible to understand what God wants from us, we are called not to doubt his care and mercy.”

Today’s Gospel is the story of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle—turning water into wine. He and his disciples were invited to the celebration, and it was right there, in the middle of a party, that he chose to reveal God’s love. Jesus didn’t pick the desert, Mount Sinai, or the temple in Jerusalem. No, he started his signs among ordinary people—singing, laughing, dancing, eating, and drinking at a wedding.

In Scripture, wine is a sign of the joy God promises us—the deep joy our hearts long for and the love that lights up our lives. Today’s Gospel reminds us that our relationship with God isn’t just about rules, penance, or sorrow. It’s about love, joy, and friendship.

But at that wedding, the wine ran out—unexpectedly. And without wine, love and joy were at risk. In our own lives, and throughout history, the wine often runs dry. It happens when we feel overwhelmed, when pessimism takes over hope, when love loses its spark, and dreams seem to fade away.

In the Church, the wine runs out when faith lacks inner strength, when religion starts feeling like a burden, or when fear and selfishness get in the way of service and speaking the truth. In society, the wine is gone when people stop listening to each other, when dialogue breaks down, and when no one is willing to make sacrifices for the common good. An oppressed society lacks the wine of life, joy, and love.

At Cana, Mary noticed the wine had run out, and instead of accepting it, she quietly turned to Jesus and said, “They have no wine.” In that moment, she became the voice of Israel and all of humanity, bringing our needs and hopes to her Son. And we shouldn’t settle either—we shouldn’t get used to sadness, the loss of hope, or the absence of love.

Mary then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Those are her last recorded words in the Gospel, and they’re so simple yet powerful. Listen to him, trust his words, and live them out. And when we do, the empty jars of our hearts will be filled. Jesus transforms everything—turning emptiness into fullness, darkness into light, and ordinary water into the best wine.

Today, as I celebrate forty years of priesthood, I want to take Mary’s words to heart. As a priest, Jesus has called me to be one of the servants at the great wedding feast between God and humanity. I want to fill the jars of my life with trust, believing that Jesus will turn it into an abundance of joy for everyone. With everything I have, I renew my commitment today—just as I did forty years ago when I first said yes, full of youthful generosity and innocence.

Now, with the wisdom that’s come from years of ministry and the purification that’s come through moments of uncertainty and darkness, I’m reaffirming my desire to let the Gospel be my passion, my light, and my path. I trust that Jesus will keep sustaining me, turning scarcity into abundance, and bringing something great out of the little I have to offer.

Like Mary, who noticed when the wine ran out, I don’t want to ignore the pain and despair of my brothers and sisters. I want to be close to those who’ve run out of wine—those who feel like they’ve got nothing left but suffering and disappointment. I want to be a pastor who walks with God’s people, witnessing to Jesus and serving them, reaching out to bless, to lift up, and to walk alongside those who are far from God or weighed down by life’s struggles.

I ask the Lord to strengthen my heart with trust, patience, and hope. Like Mary at Cana, I want to keep coming to him in prayer, interceding for everyone. And I want to live with a peaceful and joyful heart, knowing that the best wine is still to come.

May Mary, Mother of Priests, help me stay faithful in my ministry with the same loving surrender to Jesus that inspired my first “yes” forty years ago.

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily for the 40th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination
19 January 2025

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Bishop Báez offers words of encouragement to the Nicaraguan faithful for the traditional feast of the Gritería, the Nicaraguan celebration of the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 7. Image credit: Silvio José Báez ocd YouTube channel (screenshot)

BASED ON A TRUE STORY: In one diocese in the Philippines, celebrating the Holy Mass at home is prohibited unless it’s a Funeral Mass. The problem; there is a devout Catholic couple who was denied to have a Mass for their 10th wedding anniversary, but a balikbayan was granted one, complete with a choir. This post highlights the couple’s frustration and the insult they felt from the parish.

Summary in Filipino: Sa isang diocese sa Pilipinas, ipinagbabawal ang pagdaraos ng Banal na Misa sa bahay maliban kung ito ay Funeral Mass. Ang problema ay may isang debotong mag-asawa na hindi pinayagang magmisa sa kanilang ika-10 anibersaryo ng kasal, ngunit ang isang balikbayan ay pinayagan, may kasama pang choir sa nasabing Misa. Ipinapakita sa post na ito ang frustrations ng mag-asawa dahil sa insultong kanilang natanggap mula sa parokya.

The Story

A devout Catholic couple was about to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. They acquired an apostolic blessing from Rome for this special occasion. Because of this important milestone, they wanted the anniversary to be a significant day with their children, and their family and friends. For the couple, the only thing that would make the event special was a Holy Mass celebrated at their home.

The husband and wife went to the parish office weeks before their anniversary to express their interest in having a Mass at home with their guests and, if possible, to have confession and a house blessing. The office does not know but the couple had set aside a good budget for the priest’s stipend as a thank-you token if the request was granted. However, due to diocesan rules, the parish administrator did not grant the request. He firmly stated, “The diocese only allows Mass at home if it’s a funeral Mass.” Although upset with the outcome, the couple understood the protocols.

The house blessing was the least of their priorities but it was the only request that was approved. “It’s the best the priest can do,” said the administrator. To which the couple sadly agreed, saying, “It’s better than no priest at all.”

To seal the deal, the parochial administrator added, “You are to provide transportation for the priest from and back to the parish.” This is an obvious sign of a church that only pretends to care for the poor but their actions tell the contrary. For sure the poorest will not have the means to provide this transport for the priest which can only mean they are not entitled for any Sacrament or sacramental at home. No wonder why only very few of the poorest go to Church nowadays!  Anyways, the couple agreed, even though the priest’s vehicle was way much better than their dilapidated 2007 sedan, and despite the location being just a few kilometers from the church.

So it happened; on the morning of the anniversary, the priest came and blessed their home and some religious items. After a simple meal, the husband gave the priest his stipend and some gifts and drove him back to the parish in the family’s old car. In the afternoon, the couple’s guests came and enjoyed a sumptuous meal. The story should have ended here, and the couple did not make a big deal out of it. After all, Catholics need to be submissive to local Church authorities.

However, months later, a neighbor who returned from his work abroad requested a Mass at their house as part of their thanksgiving party. The couple was invited but could not attend the Mass because of other commitments. However, the Mass did happen. As an invitee, the husband went to the party after the Mass and noticed many people outside the family circle attending. One of them informed the husband that they were the choir who served during the thanksgiving Mass. So, the priest indeed was there to say Mass, with accompanying people to assist him at Mass including the choir and their guitarist.

Not showing his anger, the husband conveyed his disappointment to the choir staff, asking why the parish rejected a request for their 10th wedding anniversary at home a few months back. The choir staff knows that private Masses ought not to be said outside the church unless it’s a church-initiated Mass like BEC Masses and the like. But she also wondered why a Mass for an OFW thanksgiving party was granted and not the 10th wedding anniversary. The husband inquired with another priest he knows from the same diocese, and the priest confirmed that such is the norm in the diocese. Only funeral Masses can be said privately outside the parish. The husband planned to personally raise his concerns at the parish office but to avoid confrontation with the parish priest and his administrator, the couple chose to let the tension of the issue subside.

However, A few days later, not intentionally, the husband and the choir staff met again. The choir staff was told by the parish of the real reason why the Mass took place, and it’s because the family who requested it had a sick family member on a wheelchair. The husband knows this sick woman and is happy that a Mass was said for her. However, this was an obvious lie on behalf of the parish and therefore even more insulting to him, as saying a private Mass for the sick still clearly violated the diocesan rule. A sick person needs anointing and viaticum and the ritual has to be solemn, not with a choir and a guitarist.

The parish is making a fool of the couple by stating reasons that do not make sense. “There are hundreds of old and sickly people in our parish. Is the parish office ready to give all of them an exception? Very unlikely!”, and “why would a Mass for a sickly person necessitate a choir and a guitarist?”, the husband thought.

From this point on, the couple resolved to take their Mass attendance and monthly donations to another nearby parish until the priest issues a written apology for the insults caused. He thinks that going to the same parish without receiving an apology from the priest will only permit the same thing to happen in the future. The only thing the husband is thinking, and he knows he might be wrong about this, is that the Mass took place only because of the money. Because what other reason could there be to disobey a bishop if not because of the money. Everything can be moved by money, including, sadly, the celebration of the Holy Mass, even if the requesting family is not frequent church-goer.

The Purpose of this Post

This is not a condemnation of the OFW neighbor. His family and the couple’s family are close neighbors and are on good terms.  This is also not condemning the priest and his administrator either. But the behavior of disrespect and the insults they caused towards the husband and the wife, and perhaps their weakness for money, need to be addressed. This is the purpose of this blog post: that Catholics should be aware and avoid all kinds of manipulations by their parish. They are supposed to serve all and not only those parishioners with thick wallets.

This case is but one example of how bad the social sin of clericalism is devouring what is left of our Church in our country. There are many other forms and versions of Sacraments and Sacramentals for sale in the Catholic Church. Some are unavoidable, but some are intentional. May this bad clericalism be gone in our country and in the universal Church for the sake of our children and the next generation of Catholics!

P.S. If you’ve faced similar insults or manipulation and need to express your sentiments, feel free to send me your story via personal message—we can agree to anonymously publish it. For any other forms of abuse that qualifies as a criminal case, please report it to the local authority rather than the bishop, as bishops and priests often work closely together and there are not a lot of good clerics left today.

Featured Image: Anya Juarez Tenorio, Pexels

https://epistlesph.com/2024/11/02/sacrament-for-sale/