Hopefully every one of us understands that there is only one thing that satisfies the human heart. If any of us have ever tried to ignore God and pursue happiness apart from him, we have learned… or are learning that one day that wine will run out and there is only one person who can restore it. At the wedding in Cana, we find a symbolic miracle for the whole of Christ’s ministry to us.
Mary was moved by the Spirit to ask Jesus to help this couple. She intercedes on behalf of the couple, and Christ listens to his mother. Christ’s mission is not only to ensure that we have the necessities of life / the water in the story, but at the urging of his mother; he becomes aware that he is to bring us all that is good, the very life which is in him.
And what does the scripture says he does? It says that he reveals his glory. The disciples begin to glimpse that he is more than a man, he is something special. They will come to learn that he is the Son of God. But in order for his glory to be revealed, human assent is involved. Marry assents to Jesus revealing his glory through prayer; she asks him to do it. The servers assent to following his instructions; filling the jars as he instructed. All were assenting to Christ, and that’s when his glory was revealed. That’s when the joy of the wedding was restored. If we assent to Christ, we will behold his glory at the wedding in heaven rejoicing for eternity.
Today is the first day of the “9 days for life” observance. This time marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision which legalized abortion. It is not hard for us to understand how some are tempted to reject Christ’s instruction to love all life. Our culture glorifies sex because it thinks it to be the wine of life. But they are mistaken. And it is a mistake to reject the life which God brings forth out of fear or selfishness. We must learn from Mary and pray for all those who are being tempted by our culture to reject the true wine of life. We must follow Christ’s instruction and assist / be supportive of those facing unintended pregnancies. It is not in the murder of children or the elderly that Christ’s glory is revealed. Prayerfully, faithfully, let us cooperate with Christ to help as many as possible to have access to the true wine of life.
What are the last words that Mary has in scripture? We heard them today. “Do whatever he tells you.” God’s glory will be revealed, and as the Gospel tells us, “new disciples will come to believe in him.” Let us never tire of being pro-Christ, pro-Marriage, and pro-Life. Only God can satisfy the deepest desire of our hearts; let us pray and follow his instructions so more of humanity comes to taste his new wine, the Holy Spirit. As we heard in the first reading, “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.”
Lord, overwhelm me, astound me with your generosity.