Fr. Manuel João, comboni missionary
Sunday Reflection
from the womb of my whale, ALS
Our cross is the pulpit of the Word
The Wedding at Cana, the third Epiphany
Year C – Ordinary Time – 2nd Sunday
John 2:1-11: “This was the beginning of the signs performed by Jesus.”
We are now at the second Sunday of Ordinary Time in the liturgical year. After celebrating the Baptism of Jesus last Sunday, today’s Gospel presents the episode of the Wedding at Cana. The feasts of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus, and the memory of the Wedding at Cana form a triad of “epiphanies” – that is, “manifestations” – which, according to ancient Christian tradition, were part of the feast of Epiphany.
The miracle of turning water into wine, which occurred during the wedding of an anonymous couple at Cana in Galilee, a village near Nazareth, is recorded exclusively in the Fourth Gospel. At first glance, it seems to be a simple story. However, the fact that Jesus began his public ministry with such a prodigious act is surprising. What also stands out is the importance the evangelist attributes to this event.
The marginal role of the bride and groom, the focus on Mary and Jesus at the centre of the scene, and the choice of this miracle as “the beginning of the signs” suggest that behind the apparent simplicity of the story lies a deeper meaning. Scholars indeed consider this text a true Johannine masterpiece, rich in symbolism. The story is a refined interweaving of threads that draw on numerous biblical references.
Let us try to draw out some of these threads:
a) The passage begins by stating that it was “the third day” (a detail omitted in the liturgical text). But what exactly does the evangelist mean? In the Jewish context, weddings were celebrated on Tuesday, the third day of the week, which began after the Sabbath. By connecting this “third day” with the previous references to “the next day” (John 1:29, 35, 43), we can discern a symbolic structure: an inaugural week (4+3), echoing the initial week of creation. Furthermore, in the New Testament, the “third day” has a Paschal connotation: it is the day of the Resurrection. The Fourth Gospel was written in the light of the “third day.” We too are called to read our lives in the light of the “third day.” Are we able to see daily events from the perspective of the Lord’s Easter?
b) “There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.” Why was Mary present? Probably due to a familial connection with the couple. However, the evangelist never mentions Mary’s name, neither in this episode nor at the foot of the cross (John 19:25-27). For St John, the title “mother of Jesus” is an expression of honour that highlights her unique role.
c) “Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” This is the first time in John’s Gospel that the group of disciples is explicitly mentioned. From this moment, they become Jesus’ family and follow him everywhere. We too, as disciples, are invited to this wedding today. Let us note that this first meeting does not take place in the Temple or the synagogue, but in a home, for a celebration, in a secular context. What might the former disciples of John the Baptist, so austere, have thought? And what do today’s “serious” Christians, who see the Christian life solely as sacrifice and renunciation, think? By participating in this celebration, Jesus invites us to rediscover a God who is close, who celebrates life with us. What image of God predominates in my relationship with the Lord?
d) “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’”Wine is the protagonist of this story. It is a symbol of joy. Why did it run out? Had the bridegroom miscalculated? We must remember that weddings typically lasted about a week. Some blame Jesus, who arrived with a large group of disciples! Mary teaches us here the delicate and precious ministry of intercession: bringing to the Lord the situations where “the wine is lacking,” in the places we frequent.
e) “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?’” This response has sparked much debate. Why does Jesus address Mary as “Woman”? He does so again when entrusting her to the beloved disciple at the cross. It is not a cold or distant term, as it might seem. On the contrary, it is a title laden with symbolic meaning. Think of Eve, the Woman, “mother of the living” (Genesis 3:20). Woman also represents Israel (a feminine word in Hebrew), wedded to God (see today’s first reading). Woman is also the representation of the Church (Revelation 12).
f) “My hour has not yet come.” What hour is this? The beginning of his ministry? In St John’s Gospel, Jesus uses this expression to refer to the hour of his “glorification” on the cross. Here we can perceive a significant divergence between God’s timing and ours. Jesus says to his relatives, who urged him to manifest himself in Jerusalem: “My time has not yet come; your time is always ready” (John 7:6). Is this not sometimes our own expectation, especially in prayer, to try and convince God to adapt his timing to ours?
g) “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” Mary’s humble trust is moving, as is the edifying obedience of the servants (diakonois), who fill the six jars – symbols of imperfection (7-1) – to the brim. This is true diakonia: doing what the Lord tells us, even when we do not fully understand its meaning!
h) “This, the first of his signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee; he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.” This was the first of seven signs/miracles. The last will be the raising of Lazarus. What is Jesus’ glory? That of the Messiah. Superabundance was the sign of the arrival of messianic times: “The earth will yield its fruits ten thousand times, and a vine will have a thousand branches; each branch will yield a thousand clusters, each cluster a thousand grapes, and each grape will yield a kôr of wine” (Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, apocryphal, 1st century AD). Jesus is the Bridegroom, and at Cana, he already foreshadows the final wedding feast that John will contemplate in Revelation: “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2).
The epiphany of Jesus at the Wedding of Cana invites us to view life as the place of God’s manifestation, learning to read the signs of his presence in the light of the “third day,” the day of Easter.
Fr. Manuel João Pereira Correia, mccj
