Jesus is Epicurean at the wedding in Cana

In today’s post, "Class Notes, November 15", the blog, Sharing Spiritual Journeys, describes reactions to Chapter 3 of Writing in the Sand in which Thomas Moore writes about Jesus and his mother attending a wedding in Cana. The blogger suggests,

"Thomas Moore reads the story as having to do with pleasure. He puts Jesus in the context of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who thought the meaning of life lay in the enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. He doesn’t just bless marriage, but blesses pleasure: men and women having a good time together, eating, drinking, dancing, celebrating, enjoying life. And it’s a story that makes Jesus parallel with the Greek god Dionysus, the “child god” who dies and comes back to life, whose followers encounter him in wine, who has something to do with the reconciliation of extreme opposites, like sensuality/spirituality,... So one of the important lessons of the story for Moore is that Jesus was not an uptight moralist, “inhibited, controlled, righteous, and fearful,” but gave the nod to earthy earthly pleasure. Jesus’ way is ecstatic, celebratory, and a way of joyful reconciliation as opposed to being torn apart by conflicts."

The post then considers why parishoners who are experiencing personal difficulties may want to worship at a different church.