
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited to the wedding at Cana, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited. A Jewish wedding is a natural bond of a man and woman united in God, open to the life of God and children. It is a time of great celebration and so wine is important.
Mary noticed that the wine had run out and said to Jesus, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”
This exchange highlights the mystery of Jesus‟ relationship with his mother, Mary, and his “hour” that lingers in the future. When he calls her “Woman” this hearkens back to Genesis, the story of creation, when Adam was given a “woman” who “out her man” she had come.
Mary has indeed been created by Jesus, who is the Son of God through whom all things are created, but Jesus is also the Son of Mary, the Son of Man, and so he does what she asked him – create more wine for this wedding celebration of a man and a woman becoming one flesh in God for life.
This is the first public miracle of Jesus and helps us to realize that the natural bond between a man and a woman who are free and responsible for natural marriage are now called in Christ to a sacramental marriage – a sign of the covenant between the Lord Jesus Christ and his Bride, the Catholic Church.
St. Paul reaffirms this sacred relationship between Christ and his Church, and between couples who embrace the Catholic Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in his letter to the Christians in the city of Ephesus, Ephesians 5:25-32: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
“So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. „For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.‟ (Gn 2:24)
“This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should re-spect her husband.”
At the wedding at Cana Jesus miraculously changed water into wine, a prelude to Jesus changing wine into his sacred blood at the Last Supper which looks toward his crucifixion - the “hour” of his glory – whereby his union with the Father is poured out unto the Church through water and blood from his pierced side as he hung upon the cross.
The water symbolizes Christ‟s sacrament of baptism, by which we are immersed into Jesus‟ life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.
Jesus sacred blood is symbolic of the Eucharist.
This is the greatest of all sacraments because it is Christ himself, the God/man, who calls us into his mission and gives us his divine life through the new and eternal covenant. This grace helps us avoid mortal sin and attain heaven by humbly repenting and being purified of our venial sins, inspiring us to invite others onto this straight and narrow path to salvation.
Jesus‟ death on the cross redeems all those who unite themselves to his sacrificial love and service – follow-ing him for God‟s glory and the salvation of others, assur-edly through the worthy reception of his seven sacraments.
We read about the Last Supper in the Gospel of Matthew which points to the hour of Jesus‟ glory: “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, „Take and eat; this is my body.‟ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, „Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.‟” Mt. 26:26-29.
At every Catholic Mass we celebrate “the covenant” ratified through the sacrificial death and blood of Jesus. This Last Supper was a moment of great intensity, at which Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Jn. 13:21
“When he [Judas Iscariot] had left, Jesus said, „Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him… My children, I will be with you only a little while longer… I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jn 13:31-35.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit… Remain in me, as I remain in you… Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into fire and they will be burned... As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my command-ments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father‟s commandments and remain in his love.” Cf. Jn 15:1-10.
It is amazing how humbly Jesus submits to the Father‟s will of being crucified out of love for us to take away our sins, and to give us grace to grow in virtue. It is so good to humble ourselves as we stand in the light of his mysterious glory, and lovingly participate in Holy Mass to the best of our ability, so that new and divine life might be engendered within our souls.
Peace in Christ, Fr. Thomas McCabe
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