Gospel
Jn 2:1-11
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from — although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
Homily
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The first thing that we have to understand about this Gospel passage is that it is extremely symbolic. Symbols always refer to a deeper meaning than the words originally suggest and so we must seek to understand the deeper meaning behind the image which has been painted for us.
Wedding feasts are occasions with which we are all familiar. The preparation for a wedding takes a great deal of planning. Everything is done to ensure that there are no contretemps. Among these things is the provision of food and drink. In the minds of all those concerned it is better to have more than less. Grooms and their families work to ensure that there is enough. Food and drink must not run out. For anything else to happen is to bring shame on the family. It means that they did not do enough.
As I mulled over the Gospel reading this week I was reminded of the economic meltdown which hit the world last year. Before the meltdown the world or perhaps the western nations were in an era of unprecedented prosperity. Many, not all, were invited to share in this prosperity. There were purchases of new homes and cars. Mortgages were easily obtained and the thirst for comfort pushed many persons into all sorts of financial shenanigans. Finally the bottom fell out of it all. The enjoyment and excesses associated with comfort and riches came to an end. It was as if all the drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, had run out during a wedding. Just as in a wedding, invited guests feast on delicacies that they have not worked to produce, so many persons had enjoyed things they had not really worked for.
In the Gospel reading when the wine runs out Jesus tells the waiters, at the prompting of his mother, to fill the jars with water. Water is a most insipid drink when it is placed alongside wine.
In a very true sense the wine jars of our countries have run out. They have to be filled with water, the water of hard work, of prudence, of financial discipline and sharing. Jesus, in the Gospel story, tells the waiters to “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” To the head waiter’s surprise the water had become wine; the festivities could continue but differently. This wine was much better than the first.
The disaster of the financial meltdown is a symbol of something which happens over and over again. In various parts of the world and at various times persons, driven by selfishness have sought to enjoy a prosperity for which they have not worked. The gospel reading tells us the same story. Wine ran out, not because the couple was not prepared but probably because some guests, not thinking of others selfishly had more than their share. The festivities of the wedding began again it is true but only because Jesus had acted and the new wine was much better than the first. We can begin to enjoy prosperity again but only when the values of Jesus are applied to our situations. When there is no more selfishness and greed; when all begin to share in the riches of the land, when corruption is eliminated, when the gifts and talents of all are recognized, respected and used then the water of the water of hard work, of prudence, of financial discipline, of sharing will once again turn into wine, the wine of peace harmony and justice.
This gospel passage is a parable about life. Life without thinking of others and their needs, and without ensuring that these needs are satisfied, leads to disaster. Life of care and concern for others, expressed in real practical ways so that all have the wherewithal to live truly human lives, leads to the joy of the Kingdom.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we thank you today for the message of hope that you give us. Things can become much better than they were in the past. Help us to understand however that we must play our part, that better times will not come unless we do whatever you tell us. At times this demands forgetting ourselves and thinking exclusively of the other. Give us the Grace and strength we pray to do whatever is necessary so that we will create a better world for our sons and daughters. We ask this through Mary our Mother who told the servants, “do whatever he tells you” and your Son Jesus. Amen
