Homily for January 16: The wedding at Cana
Today’s Gospel has rich teaching and talks about the “SIGN” of the divinity of Jesus, the ministry of Mother Mary, the presence of Jesus in sacramental marriage, and our parish life.
The signs and miracles of Jesus are “earthly actions, by the power of God with great spiritual meaning and implications.” Realizing that the wine at the wedding celebration ran out, Mary said to Jesus “They have no Wine”. Jesus replied, what concern is that to you and me, and He said, “My hour has not yet come”. The “hour” Jesus speaks here is the fulfillment of his mission and the establishment of the new covenant. However, with conviction of who Jesus is, Mary told the servants “Do, whatever He tells you”. My sisters and brothers, this is what Mary tells us today also- “Do whatever He tells you”, it means be a good disciple of Christ, follow his words, teachings and instructions especially at the last supper which we are celebrating now. Listening to the intercession of Mary, Jesus asked the servants to fill the 6 stone jars used for Jewish rites of purification with water. Then Jesus transforms this water to new wine. The chief steward was surprised to see the quality of wine in abundance.
To understand what happened here, first we have to remember that the Jewish life was based on Mosaic Law which was more about rituals and purification rituals with water. Therefore, this water is a symbol of Mosaic law. In the scriptures, wine is a symbol of joy, love, happiness, celebration, blessing and life. Jesus transformed this water to wine and this abundance of new wine is a symbol of the abundance of joy and life that waits for Israel and all people on the day of God’s salvation. So, the transformation of water (old) to Wine (new) is an eloquent sign: he transforms the Law of Moses into the good News of Jesus, the Gospel, which is a message of love, joy, forgiveness and eternal life. What just happened is the sign of the savior, a sign of salvation, a sign of the new covenant for which Jesus came. Here we see the old system of purification by water is being replaced by wine, which represents the blood Jesus shed for the purification of humanity. With this “event” at Cana, Jesus revealed himself as the messianic Bridegroom who came to establish the new eternal covenant with his people as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in our first reading.
The Church sees the presence of Jesus at the wedding at Cana as the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence. Saint Paul teaches us that Christian Marriage is a symbol of Christ’s love for His spouse, the Church, and that married couples minister to each other with the very love of Jesus shown to us on the cross. That is why through the sacrament of marriage, the couples receive the grace from God to fulfill his will, when they call upon him.
The Church is the Bride of Christ who makes her holy and beautiful with His grace. But this bride is formed of humans who are in constant need of purification which is done through the church, through the Gospel and sacramental life.
To facilitate our life on earth as members of the church/parishes, St Paul advises us today (second reading) against individualistic behavior; instead, we must focus on our spiritual gifts and use them to glorify God, and, thus our focus as Christians and parishioners of a local church must be in the unity in Christ alone. St Paul underlines the importance to live out a community life founded on the gospel, and the importance of sharing our gift for the common good of the parish.
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