Fr Antonio Pineda
e can glean many things from the Gospel this Sunday. Many of us are familiar with the story that it relates, that of the wedding in Cana. We know that it was where Jesus performed his first miracle when he turned water into wine, foreshadowing the transubstantiation that takes place in the Eucharist. That he performed his first miracle at a wedding suggests the significance that Jesus attaches to marriage. His presence tells us that he “approves” of matrimonial union; he blesses it, in fact, with a miracle. The Gospel of John, from which the passage this Sunday is taken, is often called a “book of signs”, put together so that the reader “may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”. In this first sign or miracle, Jesus revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him.
The wedding at Cana also tells us a lot about Mary. The role of Mary in the story is significant. In fact, we can identify three roles that Mary has in our lives even today. First, her role as our universal mother. We see her universal motherhood in her solicitude for the host family. She showed concern for the bride and groom and she wanted their wedding day to be a happy one. Second, Mary’s role as an intercessor. She intercedes with Jesus as only a mother can. His response sounds like a refusal but a mother’s instinct knows that he is not refusing. Third, her role as a signpost to Jesus. Protestants’ main objection against praying to Mary is that she takes our attention and leads us away from the Lord, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the story, she directs the servants to do whatever Jesus asks of them. True devotion to Mary does not lead one away from Jesus for she will always lead a person to her divine Son.
Let us follow Mary’s instruction, “Do whatever He tells you.” This is the only recorded command given by Mary in the New Testament, and it is a prerequisite for miracles in our families. The Bible tells us how to do the will of God and effect salvific changes in our daily lives. Just as Jesus filled the empty water jars with wine, let us fill the empty hearts around us with love. By the miracle of Cana, Jesus challenges us also to enrich the empty lives of those around us with the new wine of love, mercy, concern, and care. Let us learn to appreciate the miracles of God’s providence in our lives. God, often as an uninvited guest in our families, works daily miracles in our lives by protecting us from physical and moral dangers, providing for our needs, inspiring us, and strengthening us with His Holy Spirit. Let us also appreciate that at every Holy Mass, God transforms our offering of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.