Do whatever He tells you.

 Second Sunday in OT  C  2025A

This first miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana is a very human story and tells about the relationship of Jesus and his mother.    Mary does not even need to ask.  She knows her son and even if she does not know fully how everything will play out she knows who he is and why he has come. “They have no wine,” is all that she needs to say. Then she simply tells the stewards:  “Do whatever He tells you.”

Wow!  There is no uncertainty in Mary’s trust that Jesus will respond and will take care of this need so that the celebration will continue.  What about our relationship with Jesus and our trust that Jesus will accompany us in our hour of need?  Note well with this miracle we are not talking about the most significant event affecting the Jewish people at that time.  We are talking the joy of a wedding celebration and the potential embarrassment to the bride and groom. Mary indeed is our guide and our mother who leads to trust more fully in Jesus. The message is that Jesus is very much invested in the ordinary moments of our day.

With Mary as our spiritual mother and example of discipleship, I call your attention to two trusting prayers of Mary that characterize her deep trust and faith in Jesus:  First at the Annunciation, Mary says:  “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to  your word.”  And now at the Cana wedding feast, she simply says:  “Do whatever he tells you.”  These two statements indicate the deep faith and trust of Mary.

I invite myself and all of us to speak these trusting words of Mary in the circumstances that we find ourselves in today.  “They have no wine”  are all the situations in our life in which we are anxious and troubled about. 

Like Mary, we are to invited to bring our needs and concerns to Jesus with trust.

Today’s Gospel account at the wedding feast of Cana is indeed a great revelation of God’s presence and activity in our midst.  We see God revealing himself again in what Jesus does in this wedding scene. 

In the Gospel, this lavish response to a simple human need is a vision for us of the abundance of God's kingdom. It challenges us to respond generously when confronted with human need today. We respond as best we can, fully confident that God can transform our efforts, bringing the Kingdom of God to fulfillment among us.  On Monday we celebrate the national holiday honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.  We pray that all we do and say will reflect our desire to have the grace of God bless us and continue to transform the water of our human initiative into the wine of the kingdom of God.

The Gospel presents to us the first miracle performed by Jesus at a wedding.  A wedding is a time of abundance and celebration. From the food and wine that are served to the music and dancing that follow, weddings overflow with the goodness of life.  At a deeper level, weddings speak about love, compassion, and unity.  Wedding feast of Cana is a sign of God’s love and compassion. Here Jesus takes care of the family who is about to be pushed into a state of embarrassment. At the same time, he accepts the word of Mary to do a good act and present the family things in abundance.

The action of Jesus turning water into wine is the first of the seven signs that Jesus performed and recorded in the Gospel of John.  On the surface, signs appear to be miracles but John presents them with a particular purpose.   These miracles have a strong symbolic significance that tells us about Jesus and also his messianic work.  

We are at a wedding feast in Cana, Galilee. The wine has run out. We witness that Jesus is able to transform water into the very best wine, just as the Father can change a forsaken people into ones that are his delight.

For example, the first reading gives us the celebration of Joy over the restoration of the relationship between God and his people. Years of exile had made Israelites realize their foolishness and now they consider it a privilege to serve the Lord God. God comes to them as a special gift.  God had remained silent for a long period of time because of the sins. Now God’s people will be obedient and trustful to God who is their Savior.  The reading begins with God breaking the long silence measured by years of exile following the collapse of the kingdom. During that time pride and arrogance lost their hold on the people. Now they are ready to accept God’s plan for them.  Israel is now given royal status and the nation shines like the glorious crown, a royal diadem in God’s hands. God honors Israel with the new name, my beloved, my espoused one. They are now God’s people.  This wonderful transformation is not for the benefit of Israel alone. All the other nations shall benefit from it.

In the joyful hymn of Isaiah, we see how God prepares for His remnant people, the ones who had remained faithful to him, good gifts, and more particularly his own presence. God and his people will be joined together in the New Covenant. 

As at the wedding feast  of Cana, they have no wine symbolizes those situations for us when we have no hope that come from the anxieties and setbacks that we all experience.  At one time or another, we are in the circumstance of having no wine when we are without hope.

In these discouraging moments in life, may we too be mindful of the words of Mary:  “Do whatever he tells you.”  It is always God’s desire that we experience life in abundance.  May we have the trust of Mary that Jesus is for us Lord and Savior. When we can trust in Jesus, of course, water will become wine.

 

Have a Blessed Day.