Reflection for January 7
I have always admired the relationship between Jesus and His mother, Mary. The bond of trust, admiration, respect, and love is always so visible. Therefore, the interaction between them at the Wedding Feast of Cana always catches me by surprise. Mary mentioned to Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus responded to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” As a mother, I felt the sting in Jesus’ response. I wonder if Mary did, too. However, knowing Jesus as Mary did, she responded to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
In Mary’s heart, she knew what Jesus was capable of. She trusted that if he so desired, He would change this situation. She trusted in the fact that He was the Lord, that He was Divine, and that His message was that of love and goodwill towards all. That being the Lord, he cares about all things, even our own human enjoyment of life. Jesus and Mary knew that the wedding feast needed to continue, so by turning the water into wine, Jesus not only saved the host’s reputation, but He also continued to demonstrate how this New Covenant of service and forgiveness is a happy, joyful one.
The people who witnessed this event began to believe in Jesus right then and there. Our lesson from this miracle is that Jesus wants us to believe in Him, and trust in Him, and ask Him for help when we experience the difficulties of life, and we will. By reengaging in Jesus’ first public miracle at Cana, we can learn that these divine acts can increase our own faith and help us to realize that pure joy and living life to the fullest can be ours if we follow Jesus’ model in life. Just as at the Wedding Feast of Cana, Jesus provided for the needs of the Host, He can also provide us with all our needs, if we choose to follow His example in life.
In closing, what did we learn about the relationship between Jesus and Mary’s interaction at the Wedding Feast of Cana? Jesus chooses to perform His first of many miracles through Mary’s intercession. Jesus was leaving the guests to lead their lives at this event without His interference, until He was invited by His mother to act. However, Jesus wanted Mary to understand that His dealing with this situation would start an unchangeable path that would finally lead to the cross, from which there would be no turning back. Thanks to Mary, Jesus responded to her invitation.
Over the next few weeks, in your time of quiet reflection, ponder this reading and contemplate how you are leading your life by following Jesus’ New Covenant example of joyful service and forgiveness.
Lisa Hudkins