The Word of God
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- Mary is here at the feast. It was through her sensitive awareness that Jesus came to know about the bridegroom’s predicament. In this story, she is not only the mother of Jesus; she also represents the Church.
- It is through the Christian community that Jesus comes to us. It is through the Church, through our brothers and sisters in the community, that we learn about the life that God in Jesus wants us to enjoy and share with him and others we meet.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- I join the guests at the wedding festivities in Cana. Mary, a relative or friend from nearby Nazareth, is keeping a motherly eye on proceedings. Jesus, who enjoyed social occasions, reaches out to everybody.
- I note the mutual respect between Mother and Son, Mary not exercising her role as mother but placing herself at his service. He addresses her as “woman”, a title of honour that he will repeat when he addresses her as she standis at the foot of the cross with John, “Woman, here is your son” (John 19:26).
- The meaning of this first sign comes at the end: “his disciples believed in him “. There are many clear allusions to the Eucharist here. Table-fellowship is at the heart of Christian life.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- There are incidents in the written narrative about Jesus where the fact of who he really is, is signalled in unmistakeable gesture to a large audience. The heavenly manifestations at his baptism in the Jordan are one such incident. So was the recognition of his Lordship at his birth by the wise men representing the East. And another – from Jesus himself - is the replenishment of the wine for the large crowd of wedding guests in this scripture passage from John’s Gospel.
- A banquet – and the free flow of wine – was always, for the people of God, a figure of the total fulfilment and happiness which would mark the Lord’s final future coming. His overflowing generosity is always available to us.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- Jesus reveals his glory, but not through a TV campaign or emails. He goes to a wedding. He likes to celebrate God’s wonderful gift of marriage. He also takes the opportunity to reveal the abundance of God’s grace. He is saying: ‘My wedding gift to you is two hundred gallons of God’s love’!
- Lord, we thank you for good marriages. We thank you for the wonder of faithful, unconditional love shown by husband and wife, parents and grandparents. This fidelity powerfully reflects the quality of your love for us all.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- John's Gospel speaks of Jesus' miracles as ‘signs' because they always point to something deeper than the merely miraculous. They inform us about who Jesus is, and about the purpose of his mission. So in the Cana story, for example, Jesus replaces the water prescribed for Jewish purifications with more than one hundred and twenty gallons of wine! According to the Jewish Scriptures, when the Messiah comes there shall be an abundance of new wine, a symbol for God's abundant goodness towards his people. That Jesus turns so much water into the best of wines is a ‘sign' that he is in fact the long awaited Messiah.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
ActiveDefault- John's Gospel speaks of Jesus' miracles as ‘signs' because they always point to something deeper than the merely miraculous. They inform us about who Jesus is, and about the purpose of his mission. So in the Cana story, for example, Jesus replaces the water prescribed for Jewish purifications with more than one hundred and twenty gallons of wine! According to the Jewish Scriptures, when the Messiah comes there shall be an abundance of new wine, a symbol for God's abundant goodness towards his people. That Jesus turns so much water into the best of wines is a ‘sign' that he is in fact the long awaited Messiah.